A/N: Okay, this one did make me cry when I was writing it so I'm forewarning you. It may or may not do the same to some of you. It is a very sweet chapter.
I have to end it where I did…no cliffhanger but a wonderful, wonderful moment that I can't bring myself to ruin. I have another final chapter to go.
Thanks again for all of your support. Take care. AND DON'T FORGET TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!
This is for Sara…I thought I'd beat the midnight chime! I hope your today beats the hell out of your yesterday! As always…thanks!
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Homecoming
As tired as he had been when he'd fallen asleep, Harry hadn't been able to sleep for long. After only a few hours he woke up feeling restless; nervous and excited. He decided to slip out of bed and head off to his room to shower and pack his belongings so he'd be ready when it was time for them to go home. That was before he looked at her…
She looked so peaceful in her sleep, beautiful even, that he found it hard to move from her side so, without even realizing it, he decided to stay and watch her. What does it mean when you find yourself content to simply watch the one you love sleep, he mused. I really think I could do this all day…
"What a sap!" his inner voice teased.
I know, he thought in return, isn't it great!
"Well, it's a far cry better than anything else we've been feeling lately," the voice replied sounding oddly relieved.
Yeah…Harry sighed, it sure is…
He was so busy listening to the conversation in his head and smiling foolishly that he didn't realize Hermione had woken up until he heard her giggle, "Harry what are you doing?" she mumbled sleepily.
The laughter in her voice made him smile wider, "Watching you and talking about what a sap I am," he happily replied.
"Talk…" she paused and looked at him curiously, "what? Who're you talking too?" she asked looking around the room.
"Me," he said as though it should be obvious.
"Harry," she said cautiously, "are you all right?"
"Yes, Hermione, I've never been better actually," he said excitedly as he fought for control of the joy bubbling up inside of him.
She eyed him even more curiously, this was definitely a Harry she wasn't used to and she wasn't yet sure what to make of him. "What's gotten into you?"
"This!"
"Oh!" she cried out in surprise as he lunged forward to grab her and pull her halfway on top of him.
She was looking down into his smiling eyes; it was the first time she could ever remember seeing such uninhibited joy in his face. She quickly took a mental picture of him to file away with all the others she'd taken over the years…only this time she would file it in a new drawer labeled `Fairy Tale' because this was definitely the beginning of their happily-ever-after.
"What are you doing?" his voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Looking at you and thinking about how much of a sap I am," she replied with the same tone of obviousness he had used only moments ago.
"Hermione Granger a sap?" he joked. "This feels like a monumental moment. Somehow I feel like I should be writing it down or something," he said making a half-hearted effort to get up.
Hermione's eyes were shining as she slowly shook her head back and forth, "Uh-uh," she muttered softly. The smile on her face and the look in her eyes was driving him mad but he laid back and casually raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.
She raised one back in return then moved her eyes to his lips where they lingered just long enough for him to get a stirring in the pit of his stomach. He caught just a glimpse of a smile as he shifted slightly beneath her but when he looked at her again she wore the face of pure innocence. He understood the game she was playing, she wanted him to cave, to show her what had really gotten into him and he was ready to play. Oh yes, he was ready; he was going to tease her, play with her until she had no choice but to submit to him, frustrate her until she was the one who caved, until she was the one who begged for his kiss. His resolve was firm and he was preparing to give her his most killer smile when she did it, she found his undoing and his resolve melted faster than sugar in hot water…she licked those blasted lips and all his control was lost.
"Damn you, woman," he said with frustrated affection. He moved his hands to her head and pulled her into a long, slow heart-stopping-blood-pounding-think-I'll-pass-out-don't-ever-wanna-stop kiss.
Hermione's eyes were closed when he laid his back against the pillow to catch his breath. Without the support of his lips her head fell to his chest and she sighed heavily, "Wow," she whispered breathlessly, "is that how it feels to be kissed by a man whose sense of liberation is no longer short-lived?"
Harry laughed in spite of himself; he hadn't thought he'd be able to laugh knowing how short of breath he was but somehow she'd managed to bring it out of him. "How can you remember that at a time like this?" he mused. "I can't even think past the fog in brain."
Hermione laughed with him. "I don't know," she replied shrugging her shoulders, "it was just so incredible." She raised her head and looked at him playfully, "So," she urged, "is it?"
"I suppose so," he replied slowly as he gave it some thought, "yeah…" he said after further contemplation, "…yeah…I do feel pretty damn good." She took another mental picture of his smile and bright, shining eyes. Damn he looks good like that!
"Let's try again," she said excitedly, "you know, just to make sure you still feel liberated and all," she added quickly.
Harry laughed, "Come here, you," he muttered softly as he pulled her to him once more. The moment their lips met he moved his hands from her face to run them up and down her back and along her sides.
"Mmmm…" she groaned against him. She drew herself up higher so he could lay his head against the pillow without breaking the kiss. Their tongues were caught in a fervent dance and they both lost touch with the reality that surrounded them. Without breaking the kiss Harry raised himself just enough so he could roll them over until he was nearly on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started running her fingers through his hair.
With his free hand he started massaging up and down along her side and her back. Occasionally his hand would get a mind of its own and move down below her waist to squeeze her bum, it wasn't until after the first couple of times that he noticed the way she groaned and moved a little closer to him each time he did it; he loved the way she bent her knee and raised herself a little higher each time as though giving him better access. As a result, his hand seemed to find its way there more and more frequently, gently massaging her hip and bum before moving upward again to massage her back and side until finally…
He grazed the side of her breast. Her sharp intake of breath caused him to pull away from her so he could look into her eyes. She was breathing heavily, they both were, her eyes were half closed as the weight of her desire seemed to pull her eyelids down. She forced her eyes to open wider and she looked up into his eyes, so dark and so much like her own in that moment, her eyes drifted back to his lips and she lifted her chin to beckon to him with her own. She raised her eyes to his again and breathlessly whispered, "I need you to kiss me." Her words registered with his heart faster than they did with his head and his lips were back on hers before either of them knew what was happening.
His hands continued to roam along her body and she released his lips so she could kiss his neck and along his jaw line, sending wave after wave of pleasure coursing through his body, "Ohmygod, Hermione," he whispered feverishly. He grabbed her chin with his hand as the tides of emotion coursing through him became overwhelming, caught by surprise she looked at him questioningly. "God I love you," he managed breathlessly, "but we have to stop." He looked at their surroundings then smiled at her, "You do realize we're still in the infirmary at Hogwarts," he stated firmly, albeit frustratingly.
Hermione looked around as though surprised by their surroundings. "Will it always be like this?" she asked breathlessly, albeit hopeful, "Will you always make me forget where I am?"
"Of course," he said playfully, "I'll always have that power over you."
Once again his smile seemed to melt her heart. Another picture for the `Fairy Tale' file…Harry's look of love and adoration! She couldn't help but shiver as the thought reached her heart and she felt the sudden quickening of her heartbeat.
Unable to think of a suitable comeback she looked at him and scrunched up her nose, "Talk about not being minty fresh!" she said trying to sound as though she was disgusted by his morning breath.
Harry raised his eyebrows and huffed at her causing her scrunch up her nose even further, "You didn't seem to mind too much earlier," he said haughtily.
"Well, that's because you weren't breathing down on me earlier, I was breathing down on you."
Harry scrunched up his nose in the same fashion she had and said, "Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder."
Hermione started laughing then pushed him away, "All right, all right, you win," she conceded. "Let's go get cleaned up and packed so we can go home."
Harry rolled over onto his back and stared unseeingly at the ceiling, "I don't know if I want to go," he said quietly.
Hermione sat up and looked at him with nothing short of total and complete shock, "What?" she exclaimed, "Why on earth would you say that?"
He turned to look at her and she could see there was still some humor in his eyes but it was now mixed with other emotions; through her shock she was unable to distinguish what they might be. He turned on his side and bent his arm to rest his head on his hand so he could see her better. "It's not that I don't want to go so much as I don't want to have to miss this," he said looking at where their two beds had been pushed together. "Aside from finding out that you love me as much as I love you, waking up next to you has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I don't want to wake up in the morning if your not there beside me."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," she said softly as she moved to lie down beside him. He rolled onto his back and pulled her into his arms. "I don't want to have to miss this either."
They lay there together in silence for a few minutes, each thinking about the other and remembering in their own special way just exactly what it felt like to wake up next to each other like this.
"Ahem."
Both of them jumped at the sound and turned to see Madam Pomfrey standing a few feet from their beds.
"I apologize for disturbing you, I was just coming to check on Miss…Hermione," she said apologetically. "I am assuming you will be leaving today, is that correct?"
"Yes," Hermione said sitting up so she could see better, "we'll be leaving within the next couple of hours; we just need to get cleaned up and packed."
"Very well," Madam Pomfrey replied. "How are you feeling?" she asked looking from Hermione to Harry, who was still lying down.
"Great," Hermione replied quickly, "I feel wonderful."
Madam Pomfrey smiled at her and nodded before she turned to Harry, "And you?"
Harry looked at Hermione and smiled, "Never better," he said softly.
Hermione smiled down at him and Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat again. "Wonderful, just wonderful," she remarked looking distracted and clearly upset about something.
"You know, don't you?" Hermione said intuitively.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Dumbledore," Hermione stated matter-of-factly.
Madam Pomfrey nodded as tears welled in her eyes. "Yes," she said gruffly, "yes of course, all of the staff knows. He talked to us all just before the end of term. Such a sad, sad thing, that is." The tears that had been threatening began to fall silently down her cheeks and Hermione climbed over Harry to envelop her in a hug.
"We know," she said hoarsely, "we'll miss him too."
Madam Pomfrey wasn't used to this kind of affection from a student and she was hesitant at first to put her arms around Hermione to hug her back. However, at the sound of Hermione's words she knew that she and Harry really did understand how hard it would be and her arms went around her in an almost brutal hug. Hermione thought she was going to pass out from the force and lack of oxygen but she refused to back away…it was obvious that Madam Pomfrey needed this moment and she was the only one who could provide it for her.
Sensing Hermione's discomfort Harry got up and made his way over to them. He gently touched Madam Pomfrey's arm, "It's going to be okay," he spoke softly, "if you talked to him then you know how happy he was to go," he gently cajoled.
Madam Pomfrey slowly released Hermione and backed a couple of steps away from them. "You're right," she said wiping her eyes and sniffling in a vain attempt to regain control, "he was happy to go." Her face was red and blotchy from crying so hard but her eyes were dry, her tears had been shed, and she seemed to be feeling a little better than she had when she walked in. "It certainly doesn't make it any easier though, does it?" she asked wistfully.
"No," Hermione replied sadly, "it really doesn't."
"Very well then," Madam Pomfrey said a little more loudly than was necessary, "you two better get ready to go. You must be excited to finally be going home."
"We are," Harry stated firmly. He was beginning to get excited once more about the prospect. He looked at Hermione and smiled and nodded, assuring her he was ready.
She nodded and smiled tenderly back at him.
Madam Pomfrey watched their silent exchange and smiled, Dumbledore apparently knew what he was doing bringing these two together, didn't he? She mused. "I'm proud of you both," she said suddenly, startling them both, "I want you to know that."
They'd never heard nor seen her act this way and they were both more than a little surprised. "Thank you…" Harry said softly. "…that means a lot to us," Hermione finished for him.
"Thank you," she replied in the same soft tone Harry had used. She patted them each on the shoulder then turned to walk away from them and out of the infirmary.
"Wow," Hermione exclaimed when she was out of sight, "I never would have expected that from her."
"Me either," Harry replied still staring at the door as though he were expecting someone else to walk through it.
Hermione grabbed his hand and led him back to the bed. "Come on, let's get our shoes on and head up to our rooms so we can finish packing."
"Yeah," he muttered dazedly, "shoes…packing…home…"
"Harry are you all right?"
He shook his head and looked at her. "This is real," he said sounding surprised, "this is really real. I'm going home…with you…we're going home…together."
Hermione smiled and wrapped her arms around him, "Yes, Harry, we're going home…together," she replied firmly, "always together."
Harry's eyes lit up like the Christmas star on top of the tree and his smile seemed to defy every law of nature as it stretched across the width of his face. Click! She thought as she took yet another picture. In no time at all she was going to have that drawer filled with pictures of her uninhibited-happy-joyous-loving-perfect-happily-ever-after Harry.
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Harry wasted no time in showering and packing his stuff. He managed to get everything down into the common room where he found himself impatiently waiting for Hermione. It hadn't been but a couple of minutes before he decided that she was taking too long and that she obviously needed his help. He went to the bottom of the stairs leading to the girls' dorms and called out to her. He started to worry when he hadn't received an answer after the third call so he put his foot on the first step and began his ascent. When he placed his foot on the sixth step he heard the loud, wailing sound as the steps melted together and he prepared himself for the inevitable slide downward.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, "they even do this in the summer?"
He looked up as the sound of Hermione's laughter reached his ears. "Serves you right, you know," she said laughing, "I might've been indecent up here or something."
Harry's cheeks turned a pale shade of red and he took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, "And that would be a bad thing why, exactly?" he called up to her.
"You're insatiable," she replied.
He could hear in her voice that she was rolling her eyes at him and he laughed. "Maybe so, but aren't you ready yet?"
"Almost," she said turning away from him to return to her room.
"Hang on," he called out to her.
"Yes?"
"Is it always going to be like this?" he asked smiling devilishly at her.
"What?" she asked. She was smiling at him but he could hear her confusion in her response.
"Am I always going to be waiting impatiently for you at the bottom of the stairs?"
Hermione laughed and he could picture her rolling her eyes again. "I certainly hope not," she answered.
"That's a relief."
"Hopefully you'll be either helping or standing a little closer while you wait for me."
Harry sighed heavily, "So what you're saying is I'll always have to wait for you it just won't be at the bottom of the stairs, is that it?"
"You catch on quick, Potter," she said flashing him a smile and turning to head back to her room.
"Women!" he muttered with a smile in her direction.
Resigning himself to wait for her he went to sit on one of the cozy chairs in front of the fireplace. In seconds he found himself reminiscing over the last seven years in that common room. He could almost picture himself and Ron playing chess and Hermione knitting hats for the house elves. There were a lot of good times spent in that common room and he knew that despite their new life, he would always miss it.
Hermione walked up quietly and placed her chin on his head as she wrapped her arms around him. "Kind of bittersweet, isn't it?" she said softly.
"Yeah," he replied lifting his head to look at her upside down, "there's a lot of great memories stored in this room. I'll miss it."
"Me too," she said then kissed him on his forehead, "me too."
Harry closed his eyes, breathed deeply and sighed. He grabbed her hands and kissed them before he dropped them so he could stand up; he turned to see her trunk lined up next to his. "Ready then?" he asked nervously.
"Ready."
They made their way out of the common room and back down to the infirmary in comfortable silence.
Harry's plan was to stop by the kitchen to say goodbye to Dobby and to let him know that as soon as he had a place of his own he would come for him. He had assumed that he wouldn't be staying at Hermione's parent's house forever so he was going to look for an apartment or something nearby until he and Hermione could get…
"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked for the umpteenth time that day. She couldn't help it…asking Harry if he was all right was as natural as breathing for her and she knew she'd need time to break the habit. She saw the look on his face and answered her own question, "Yeah, I know you're all right," she said exasperated with herself, "it's just like second nature to ask, I guess."
"That's all right," he replied, "it's a question I'll never get tired of hearing, I promise."
"Tha…" Hermione stopped and looked at him curiously.
"What's wrong?"
"The book," she said looking at him anxiously, "do you have the book?"
"The book?" he asked in confusion, "What book? You mean the journal?"
"No, Harry," she looked desperate and for reasons unbeknownst even to her, she suddenly felt desperate, "the book … Cinderella. Do you have it?"
Harry thought back to everything he'd packed in his room and he didn't remember seeing the book. "No, it wasn't upstairs with my other stuff."
"You brought it down here to show me," she said slowly as she recounted the night they'd first talked about her dream. She moved over to the bed and started looking around while Harry looked on and around the table.
Hermione walked around to her side of the bed and lifted the sheet from where it had fallen on the floor.
"OH!" she gasped and Harry practically flew to her side when he saw that she'd turned ghost white. He reached her side quickly and she gratefully fell back against him as her knees buckled and her legs gave way.
"Hermione what's wrong?" he practically screamed in his panicked state.
She pointed a shaky finger toward the floor under the bed, "Look," she said hoarsely. Silent tears had begun to fall down her cheeks and she smiled a melancholy, yet joy-filled smile; her heart was beating rapidly in both joy and sorrow.
Before he made a move to look under the bed he had to make sure she was steady. Whatever had gotten her to this state could wait until he was sure she was all right. "I'm not letting go until I know you're okay."
She took a shaky breath and leaned forward toward the bed, "I'm fine," she said shakily, "I'll be fine, just help me sit down my legs are still a little shaky."
Harry gently guided her to the bed and helped her climb up on it so she could sit down. He reached up to gently wipe the tears from her eyes questioningly her silently with his own. "It's okay Harry, really," she said a little louder, "it just took me by surprise, that's all."
Harry nodded and reluctantly moved his hand from her cheek so he could look under the bed. He picked up the book and set it on the bed next to her then bent to look again. What he saw made him drop to his knees in astonishment. He looked up at her then back down to the floor; for the first time in a very long time he was utterly speechless. He looked at her again and cleared his throat, trying very hard to find his voice, "Is that…" he stammered, "is that really…no…" he shook his head in disbelief then looked at it again and smiled, "is that really what I think it is?" he finally managed to ask.
Hermione smiled and nodded. The tears had not quite stopped but she was feeling much better. "Pick them up," she said softly, "but be careful."
Harry carefully picked up the glass slippers that Hermione had worn to the ball in her dream and carefully set them beside her on the bed. "How is this even possible?" he said staring at them in wonder.
With a shaky hand Hermione reached out to touch them, "Draco," she whispered.
Harry looked at her in surprise and found himself nodding in agreement.
Hermione began to look around the room as though looking for someone.
"Do you really think they're here?" Harry asked looking around the room with her.
Hermione closed her eyes and breathed as deeply as she could. "Yes," she said nodding her head. She opened her eyes and looked just to the left of and beyond Harry and pointed. "Over there."
Harry turned abruptly and saw the scowling faces of Draco Malfoy and Millicent Bullstrode standing along the smiling face of Professor Trelawney.
Hermione slowly, carefully, climbed off the bed and walked toward them, never taking her eyes off them. When she was standing only a few feet away she asked the one question they thought they'd never get answered, "Why? Why did you risk your life for us?"
Harry thought he saw Draco quiver slightly when she asked the question and intrigued, he stepped up to stand next to Hermione.
"Didn't Professor Trelawney tell you?" Draco sneered.
Hermione sighed, "It was written in the stars."
Harry looked at her questioningly remembering that she'd told him about seeing Trelawney but that they hadn't had time to discuss it. "Later," her look told him and he nodded.
Draco and Millicent exchanged glances then and both began to laugh. The beauty of their combined sound took Harry and Hermione by surprise; they'd never heard either of them laugh like that before and they were saddened by the fact that they were not likely to hear it again.
"The reason, Hermione," Millicent said, "is as you said. It was written in the stars. But there's more to it then that."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked confused.
"What she means," Draco cut in, "is that we've always known it would be our destiny to die in defense of the `great ones'."
Harry and Hermione exchanged confused glances, "the great ones?" they mouthed to each other. They watched as the other shrugged their shoulders then they returned their attention to the three before them.
"I don't get it," Hermione replied.
"Didn't Dumbledore tell you that you're better off not knowing your destiny?"
Harry and Hermione both nodded.
"Believe him…believe me! You do not want to know what you're destined for. Millicent and I have known. Of course, we were never exactly sure how or when it would happen, but we always knew our lives would be sacrificed."
"But if you knew your destiny was to die for us…" Harry paused and looked at Hermione and then back toward them again, "I'm making an assumption that I just realized I'm not comfortable with," he said, "before I go on, tell me who the `great ones' are."
Draco laughed again, "What's wrong Potter, you're not still trying to play the noble one, are you? We all know that you're well aware of the fact that I'm talking about you and Granger. I think you're just trying to get me to say it out loud, aren't you?"
"Yeah, Malfoy," Harry replied sarcastically, "that's what I'm doing. You caught me. Whatever will I do now?" He looked up and saw that Draco was still laughing and he joined in. "Nah, seriously, that's an assumption that I don't think anyone would want to make," Harry replied more seriously.
Draco stopped laughing and asked, "So now you want to know why we were so mean when we knew that one day we'd have to sacrifice ourselves for you?"
Harry nodded, "Something like that."
"We're the antagonists Harry; it's the job of the antagonist to make your life miserable. I would think that much would be obvious to you," Draco replied. "Besides, it was always so much more fun that way…"
"Fun…" Harry began in astonishment.
"AND…" Draco interrupted loudly, "it took your mind off Voldemort for a while, didn't it?"
Harry thought back to the many times he and Draco had gone at it. It wasn't often that Draco had mentioned Voldemort…he usually talked about his father. "Yeah, I guess it did work that way most of the time."
Draco crossed his arms over his chest and sneered. "Now that's the Draco we all know and love so much," Hermione said dryly.
Draco looked at her as though he'd just realized she was there and he dropped his arms and gave her a half-smile, "You're not so bad Granger," he said approvingly.
"You're not so bad yourself Draco," she replied warmly. She looked over at the glass slippers where they sat on the bed, "What's with those?"
"We all thought you might like a reminder of what you've been through," he said. "You've obviously learned your lessons well," he added looking from her to Harry. "The shoes are to remind you of where you've been and how far you've come. Never forget."
"I won't," she answered in a soft, gentle voice. She turned to look at Harry and he pulled her into his arms and she sighed. "Thank y…" she stopped when she realized they were no longer there. She looked heavenward and finished her sentence, "Thank you," she whispered softly.
Harry felt her lean against him harder and he steeled himself in the event she gave up completely, "I've got you, Love," he said as he bent to pick her up and carry her to the bed. He laid her down gently on the other side of the slippers then sat down next to her and caressed her cheek lovingly. "You all right?"
"Yeah," she said; her voice thick with emotion, "I think I am."
Harry nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, you had me worried there for a bit."
Hermione looked at the glass slippers and smiled. She sat up carefully and crossed her legs so she could pick them up and hold them in her lap, her eyes lit up when she looked at Harry, "Does this make me a real princess now?" she asked with childlike glee.
Harry looked at her questioningly and picked up the book, realizing he hadn't read that part. Does it make her a princess now? He wondered. "Let's find out," he said as he started skimming through the book. He was looking at the pictures instead of reading the words and he stopped when he saw the picture of the guy sliding the slipper onto Cinderella's foot. "Cinderella's dream came true…blah, blah, blah…marry the Prince and live happily ever after."
He looked at Hermione and shrugged, "Apparently the shoe has to fit first," he said casually.
"Well?" she said anxiously.
"Well what?" he asked pretending to be confused.
"Well, do they fit?" she asked starting to get impatient.
"How would I know Hermione, I've never tried them on," he said eyeing the slippers. "They don't look like my size though. But perhaps it's difficult for one to tell such things until they…" he risked a clandestine glance in her direction and saw that she was sitting now with her arms crossed trying to fight the smile that threatened to make an unwelcome appearance. "Come here," he said in mock frustration as he helped her to stretch her legs out in front of her. He carefully removed one shoe and the sock she wore under it then reached for a slipper. She handed him the one he needed and couldn't help but to move her foot in anticipation. Harry looked at her in exasperation and smiled, "You have to sit still or you'll make me drop it."
"Okay," she said excitedly trying with much difficulty not to move around.
He leveled the slipper above her foot and carefully placed the opening over her toes. Without the aid of stockings (or magic) it took a little time for him to get the slipper on but once he did he saw that it fit perfectly. "Damn," he muttered softly.
She looked at him in alarm, "What? What's wrong?"
Harry shook his head, "Perfect fit," he answered.
Completely confused by his remark she carefully asked, "That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Well," Harry said nodding his head, "it would be a great thing if…" he paused to look at her.
"Well? If what?" she asked quickly, wanting to understand what the hell he was talking about.
Harry smiled at her, "Well, this…" he said emphatically, "…it would be a great thing if I were a Prince. How are you supposed to be a real princess when you're stuck with a guy like me?"
Hermione laughed as relief flooded her body. She had no idea what he'd been going on about but something that mundane made her feel a heck of a lot better.
"What are you laughing at?" he asked trying hard not to smile. "I'm about to lose the love of my life to a Prince and you're laughing."
"Harry, come here," she said gently. She carefully set the other slipper down next to her and pulled him into her arms. "You are my Prince, Harry. The only Prince I'll ever want or need or love or want…"
"You said that already," Harry said interrupting her. He raised his head and smiling, he looked into her eyes, "Want…you said that already."
"And I'll say it again and again and again…" she said getting closer and closer to him, "…want…want…want…" her lips were against his now and he whispered, "…need…need…need…." She smiled against his lips and he kissed her. He put everything he was, everything he'd ever wanted to be, into that kiss and she moaned loudly, uncontrollably. Pulling away from him she smiled as she looked into his eyes, "we're never going to get out of here if you don't stop making me forget where I am."
He leaned toward her and kissed her one more time letting his lips linger on hers just long enough before he pulled back. "You know you do the same thing to me don't you?" he asked headily.
"I was counting on it," she said with eyebrows raised and a smile on her face.
"UGH! Let's go," he said reluctantly pulling himself out of the comfort of her embrace.
"Hang on, I have to take this slipper off," she said reaching for it.
"Here, I'll do it," he offered. He gently pulled the slipper off her foot and she stretched her foot and toes, "That's really not very comfortable," she remarked off-handedly.
Harry sighed, "Maybe I won't lose you to a real Prince after all…" he said happily. "…can't even wear a glass a slipper for a whole two minutes, didn't even have to walk anywhere…just sat on the bed," he was mumbling quietly to himself. Hermione sat listening to him and smiling softly to herself…this was going to be fun.
She put on her sock and shoe and stood up to go.
"We can't leave yet," Harry informed her.
"Why not?"
"We have to see Dobby first," he replied.
"Oh yeah," she said having obviously forgotten, "well, let's go then."
They quickly made their way to the kitchen to see Dobby. Harry reached up to tickle the pear and when the handle appeared he opened the door to find a very sad Dobby sitting at the table.
"What's wrong Dobby," Harry asked worriedly.
At the sound of Harry's voice Dobby jumped up from the table and ran straight at him and threw his arms around him. "Dobby thought Harry Potter had gone without saying goodbye. Dobby was most aggrieved, sir."
Harry tried unsuccessfully to extricate himself from Dobby's vice-like grip as he spoke, "You know we wouldn't do that Dobby. Dobby, can you let go or lighten up or something?"
Dobby jumped back and his ears dropped in embarrassment, "Dobby is most sorry Harry Potter sir. Dobby is not meaning to squeeze so hard, Dobby is just so excited to see you sir," he looked at Hermione apologetically and quickly added, "and Miss too."
"It's quite all right," Hermione said smiling at him. Dobby gave her a wide smile then turned back to Harry.
"Well," Harry said, "we've come to say see you later, not goodbye. As soon as I get a place of my own I'll send for you. That is," he added quickly, "if you want to come live with me."
Dobby's eyes grew wide and he starting bouncing around in excitement, "Dobby would be most honored to serve Harry Potter and Miss Hermione. Professor Dumbledore said Dobby could go if Harry Potter wanted him and Harry Potter wants Dobby so Dobby wants to go. Yes, yes, Dobby wants to go with Harry Potter."
He was talking so fast that Harry had pretty much given up trying to work it all out. He could tell from his excitement that Dobby was saying yes and that was enough for him. "All right, it's settled then," Harry said, "as soon as I get a place you can come live with me. I can't tell you how long that'll be but I promise I won't forget you, okay?"
"Yes sir, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will do his work and wait for Harry Potter to come. Dobby is very excited."
"I can see that," Harry said laughing. "We have to go now so we can get to Hermione's parent's house, but I'll get you as soon as I can."
"Does Harry Potter and Miss not want breakfast? Dobby can get breakfast quickly."
Harry shook his head and looked at Hermione who was shaking hers as well. "No thanks, Dobby," he said, "I think I'm too nervous to eat right now."
"All right Harry Potter. Dobby is waiting. Goodb…" he started before he remembered Harry's words, "…see you later."
"Later, Dobby," Harry replied.
"See you later, Dobby," Hermione said smiling at him once more.
Dobby waved at them, Dobby is having a good life, he thought as he watched them walk through the door.
Harry and Hermione practically ran back to the infirmary to get their stuff. There was nothing left to do but leave and they were anxious to do just that. When they reached their stuff Hermione quickly went to the bed to grab the slippers. She placed a cushioning charm all around the inside of her trunk and carefully laid the slippers and the book on top. She closed it carefully and looked around the room to be sure they had everything they needed.
"That looks like it," she said, "nothing to do now but go."
"Yep," Harry replied, "let's go."
They grabbed the handles of their trunks and walked out of the infirmary, straight through the front doors of the castle, and down the steps. When they got a good distance away they stopped and looked back at the marvelous old castle that held so many wonderful memories for them. "Let's not say goodbye," Hermione said softly.
"No goodbyes," Harry replied in the same soft tone. He grabbed her hand and together they walked down the path that would take them to Hogsmeade, pulling their trunks full of memories behind them.
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The walk to Hogsmeade took a little longer than it had the last time since they had trunks to pull this time but when they finally got there they were relieved to find that no one even bothered to look their way.
When they got outside the Three Broomsticks Harry pulled out his wand to hail the Knight Bus. It was the fastest way they knew to get their trunks and everything to Hermione's parent's house. A few moments later the bus appeared and Hermione gave them the address while Harry paid the fair. They sat down together and held tight to each other's hands as they prepared themselves for the bumpy ride ahead.
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It was late afternoon by the time they arrived outside Hermione's house and she knew her parents would be home from work anytime. They could see that there were still a few reporters from the wizarding world lurking about, apparently no longer bothering to hide. As they made their way to the door she realized that she'd never been so grateful for anything in her life as she was for that protective spell Dumbledore had put on them. Hermione had her own house key which she pulled out of her pocket; she quickly unlocked the door and opened it wide for Harry to see. She began to cry the moment she made her way through the door; it felt like forever since the last time she'd been there and she was more than a little overwhelmed by the reality of it.
"Where do we put these trunks?" Harry asked quietly, nervous about breaking the silence.
"Come on," she said walking down a semi-long hallway. "Here, this is the guest room, this'll be where you sleep."
Harry looked at her with sadness in his eyes, "And where do you sleep?" he nearly whined. He reminded her of a little lost puppy.
Hermione's eyes lit up as she walked to a door just a few feet from his, "Right here," she said smiling.
Harry looked around the hallway trying to determine where her parents' room was. Hermione watched him for a second then grinned wider, "They sleep on the other side of the house. They thought it would be healthier for me to have my privacy growing up, they didn't want me to feel stifled."
Harry laughed, "Stifled, huh? Thank God for the person who came up with that idea!"
Hermione couldn't resist laughing with him before she entered her room. Once again she was overwhelmed by thousands of emotions as she looked around at all of her things. She simply could not believe that she was finally home. She pulled her trunk in with her and went to collapse on the bed. "Ah!" she moaned. She grabbed her pillow and held it up to her face so she could smell it…freshly washed, her mum always kept her stuff freshly washed and it smelled heavenly…it smelled like home.
Harry entered her room quietly and watched her for a moment before he took in her room. It was not anything like he would have expected it to be…it was a girl's room. Of course, he always knew she was a girl, but for some reason he'd always imagined her with a bedroom that looked like a study or an office or something more formal. This was…nice…comfortable.
"Not what you'd expected, is it?" she asked breaking into his thoughts and reading them as though he'd posted them on a bulletin board. She was standing next to him and he had no idea how long she'd been there. She put her arms around him and snuggled up against him.
"Not really," he said thoughtfully, "but I can see you in here. Everywhere I look I can see a part of you, it's amazing really…"
"Why's that?"
"Because I never knew that a room could do that. I never knew that you could feel or see so much of someone just by walking into their room, it's amazing how much of you lives in here."
"We'll have this someday," she said wistfully, "we'll have all of this and more…together."
He turned to look at her and she saw that his eyes were watery. "I know," he said longingly raising his hand to caress her cheek, "someday, Love…someday."
"…that door this morning. How on earth did it get unlocked?" Hermione could hear her mother talking.
"You don't suppose those reporters out there finally snapped and broke into the house, do you?" her father replied.
Hermione looked at Harry and smiled, "This is it," she whispered, "are you ready?" Harry's voice was lost, so he did the best he could and nodded his head.
She grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek and guided him out the door. They walked down the hallway quietly and Hermione stopped to listen to her parents one more time.
"…anything from Harry or Hermione in a few days. You don't suppose something's wrong do you?" her mother asked worriedly.
"I don't…" her father began.
Hermione stepped out from around the corner, "Nothing's wrong," she said loudly, interrupting their conversation.
Her father dropped the keys he was still holding in his hand and her mum grabbed a table for support. "Am I seeing things, honey?" she asked looking at her husband then looking instantly back at the image of her baby girl.
"Not unless we both are," he replied in shock.
"You're not seeing things," Hermione said with tears in her eyes, she took a deep breath and steeled herself against the threatening tears, "I'm really home," she said heavily; unable to hold the tears back any longer.
Her mum let go of the table and walked slowly toward her. She stopped less than a foot away from her and reached out to touch her cheek, needing to know that she was real, "Ohmygod!" she said quietly, "… Ohmygod! Ohmygod!" her hands starting shaking uncontrollably as her voice got louder. When she was sure that her daughter was really standing in front of her she lunged at her and picked her up in a big hug, "Ohmygod! It's really you. You're here and it's really you." She put Hermione down and studied her face, "We've been waiting for this day forever and you're here…you really are here," she said huskily trying to speak through her tears.
Harry had been standing quietly in the background watching them; wishing he had someone to welcome him home like that. Aunt Petunia would probably spit in my face right before she slammed the door in it, he thought irritably.
Hermione reached back for him to pull him forward, "I brought Harry with me," she said quietly.
"Harry?" her mum said excitedly, "Harry's here?" With all of the excitement over seeing Hermione she hadn't noticed anything else. She looked at him with fresh tears and opened her arms to embrace him. "I'm so sorry I didn't see you there, Harry," she said lovingly, "we're so happy to have you here," she backed away and looked into his eyes with great sincerity, "welcome home," she said warmly pulling him back for another hug.
So this is what it feels like to come home, he thought as he put his arms around her and hugged her back gratefully.
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