Disclamer: Do you really think that if I owned anything I would post this here? For free??
A/N: Sorry for the delay and yes, this is yet another short chapter but I think it's best to post it small than to keep you waiting for a long one. And, once again, thanks for everyone who reviewed, I just love you guys!! Also, a HUGE thanks to my brand new Beta sapph_fire_griffin, you are a life-saver.
Chapter 5 - The Breakfast Meeting
Harry woke once again to the soothing sensation of gentle fingers running through his hair but he didn't open his eyes or even moved. He didn't want to wake up yet, he didn't know if he was ready to face what today was certainly going to bring. So he just stayed there, enjoying the feeling of Hermione's fingers and thinking about everything that happened in the last 24 hours. It had been such a nice day until they heard that scream…
Everything had happened so fast after that, he still couldn't believe he had completely frozen up like that. It's not like he had never faced Death Eaters before, hell; he even had faced Voldemort more than once and lived to tell the tale. But deep down he knew better, he knew he hadn't reacted like that because of the Death Eaters; it was the sight of the Grangers that did that to him and the knowledge that it was his entire fault. Once again he had brought destruction to those he loved. He knew that if he told this to anyone they would tell him to stop blaming himself and all that crap they told him after Sirius death, but there was no denying here, the Grangers only were attacked because of Hermione's friendship with him.
It was like he was cursed, Hermione's whole world came crashing down mere seconds after he declared his love for her. He was really starting to think that maybe his divination teacher wasn't such a big fraud most of the time after all; maybe she had just misread the signs. The Grim she kept seeing on his path wasn't a sign he was going to die a most terrible death, it was a sign of what he truly was. He was the Death Omen; he brought death and pain to those he loved. It really made sense, first there were his parents, then Sirius and now Hermione's parents, not to count the several times when Ron and Hermione could have died during the five years they have been friends.
Maybe it would be better for everyone if he just left but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He needed them, all of them. They were his family and although he was still a bit angry with the Weasleys for the way they acted yesterday, he knew that in the end everything was going to be ok because that's what families do: they fight, they forgive and they make up. Well, most families anyway, he couldn't see the Dursleys behaving like that but that's not the point. And there was Hermione, he needed her the most and right now she needed him more than ever and he would not let her down. With that thought in mind he hugged her tight and gave away his awaken state.
"Morning." Said Hermione sighing and by the tone of her voice he could tell that she must have been thing about last night's events too.
"Morning." Said Harry finally opening his eyes to look up at her. They had changed position during the night, and Harry was now lying on his stomach with an arm draped over her belly. His head rested on the hollow of her neck as Hermione was on her back, one hand on his hair and the other on his arm. And now that Harry was looking at her face, he could see that there were tears silently running down her face as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Hey, come here." He said turning on his side and hugging her to his chest so that she was facing him. "It's ok to cry. It's going to make you fell better." But she didn't, she was too stubborn.
"I don't want to cry anymore. I cried enough already yesterday. I have too much to do today; I have to pull myself together." She said forcefully trying to convince herself as much as Harry. "I thought I wouldn't have to explain this to you. I thought you would understand." And she was right, as much as he missed Sirius he had cried very little, he did understand her need to be strong.
"You know he made this room for you, right?" She said in a far away voice and didn't wait for him to answer before continuing. "He told me last Christmas that he wanted you to have a place of your own. A room just for you since you never had that, well, at least not really, since the Dursleys made sure to remind you that you were just staying in Dudley's second room. A gift, from the kindness of their hearts."
She smiled slightly and continued as if remembering something funny. "He said you would need a room to lock yourself up that didn't smell like dead rats next time you decided that the world was better off without you and a room where you could have some privacy when you finally got yourself a girlfriend."
"What? Mya, …" Harry started but trailed off when he heard a tapping sound in the window next to the studying table. Hermione stood up and opened the window letting a large barn owl land on the table. As soon as she retrieved the two letters the owl was carrying it took off but Hermione didn't move she just stood there staring at the letters unblinkingly.
"Mya? What's wrong?" Harry asked concerned as he got out of bed and walked over to her.
"It's… It's our OWL results." She whispered, handing a letter to him. Now he understood. She was waiting eagerly for those blasted results, she was hoping that if she got really good marks maybe her parents would drop her punishment and everything would be good again in the world, but after last night that didn't matter anymore.
"Want me to open first?" He asked kindly after they sat in the chairs by the desk. She only nodded, still staring at her letter, so he ripped his letter open and started reading out loud.
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Dear Mr. Potter,
Enclosed you will find the result sheet of your OWL exams taken at the end of your 5th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Yours sincerely,
Griselda Marchbanks
Wizarding Examinations Authority
Ministry of Magic
OWL Results
Written / Practical / Total
Ancient Runes - - / - / -
Arithmancy - - / - / -
Astronomy - A / P / A
Care of Magical Creatures - E / O / O
Charms - E / E / E
Defense Against the Dark Arts - O / O+ / O+
Divination - P / D / P
Herbology - A / E / E
History of Magic - D / - / D
Muggle Studies - - / - / -
Potions - E / O / O
Transfiguration - E / E / E
Caption:
P and D - Fail
A - 1 OWL
E - 1,5 OWLs
O - 2 OWLs
O+ - 2,5 OWLs
Congratulations, you've got 12 OWLs.
-
Harry just couldn't believe his eyes, he'd got an O in potions and 12 OWLs, he could be an Auror. It was too good to be true, so he started reading the letter from Hogwarts that came attached to his OWL results expecting to see that because of some technicality Snape had been able to kick him out of his class.
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Dear Mr. Potter,
Congratulations on your OWL results, with these scores you will be able to take the required subjects to pursue your chosen career of Auror.
Now that you are beginning your 6th year you must choose the subjects you would like to take for the next 2 years. Each Student must choose a minimum of 5 subjects and a maximum of 8. As we discussed when talking about your intended career, to be an Auror you must get NEWTs in DADA, Charms, Potions and Transfiguration so you may choose the complementary subjects you want as long as you've acquired an OWL on it. You must send me your list of desired courses by the first of August.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
-
So it was really true, that was no catch, no little detail; he would be able to take the required NEWT courses to become an Auror.
"You did great, Harry. Congratulations." Murmured Hermione, breaking Harry out of his shock and only then he took his eyes of his letter and realized that Hermione hadn't opened hers yet. She was still staring down at it as if it was a bomb or something.
"Aren't you going to open it?" He asked moving closer to her so that he could put his arm around her shoulder.
"I… I don't think I can. Can you open for me?" She replied looking pleadingly at him.
"Sure." He answered picking up the letter and reading it out loud.
-
Dear Miss Granger,
Enclosed you will find the result sheet of your OWL exams taken at the end of your 5th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Yours sincerely,
Griselda Marchbanks
Wizarding Examinations Authority
Ministry of Magic
OWL Results
Written / Practical / Total
Ancient Runes - O / - / O
Arithmancy - O+ / - / O+
Astronomy - O+ / E / O
Care of Magical Creatures - O+ / O / O+
Charms - O+ / O / O+
Defense Against the Dark Arts - O+ / O / O+
Divination - - / - / -
Herbology - O+ / O / O+
History of Magic - O+ / - / O+
Muggle Studies - - / - / -
Potions - O+ / O / O+
Transfiguration - O+ / O / O+
Caption:
P and D - Fail
A - 1 OWL
E - 1,5 OWLs
O - 2 OWLs
O+ - 2,5 OWLs
Congratulations, you've got 24 OWLs.
-
"Wow! 24 OWLs! It must be some kind of record." Said Harry in awe. She'd got twice as much OWLs as him, that was just amazing but she didn't seem to share his enthusiasm, in fact, she seemed to be trying very hard not to cry.
"What's wrong?" Asked Harry pulling her to his lap. "Aren't you happy with your results?"
"I am." She replied in a small voice. "It's just… It's just… They would be so proud." She finished finally giving in and breaking down in sobs.
Harry comforted her again until she stopped crying. He still felt a bit uncomfortable around crying girls but Hermione needed him so he would be there for her. He thought that it was better to get used to it anyway because he would probably have to do it a several more times before she got over it.
"So much for not crying anymore…" Chuckled Hermione, obviously in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"That's ok, honey." Said Harry hugging her and kissing her forehead. "You can cry all over me as much as you want."
"Thanks, love. You're the best boyfriend a girl could wish for." She said smiling up at him.
"Love?" Asked Harry grinning at her. All his life he'd been called only foul names and now the greatest girl in the world was calling him `love'. If it weren't for everything that happened the day before he would be bouncing up and down in joy.
"What? If you can call me `honey' I can call you `love'." She answered defensively.
"Hey, I'm not complaining." He answered quickly and then leaned down to kiss and reassure her.
They spent several minutes like this, just enjoying each other's touches and kisses. But Harry knew that although he would like to stay like that forever, they had a lot of things to do today, so he broke the kiss and went right into discussing the first thing on his `to do' list for today.
"So, have we decided if we are going to tell everyone about us or not? I thought about it and I really think we should, I don't want to hide what we have and after yesterday I really don't think that they would believe it if we tried to deny it." Harry said all of this very fast so Hermione wouldn't have an opening to interrupt him.
"I know." Hermione sighed, burring her face on Harry's neck. "I was fine with telling them yesterday, it's not as if it would be much use to try to keep it a secret anymore. But the more I think about their reactions… I don't know, I just… It's just… Ron and Ginny are like family to me and I really can't have them mad at me right now."
"I know they might be upset at first, but they will come around. It will be worse if we keep this from them and they end up finding out on their own." Harry understood why she wanted to hide it, he didn't want them mad at him either, they had gone through too much this past weeks to have a huge fight with Ron right now but it was the right thing to do.
"Fine then, but you do the talking. I might explode again if he starts acting… well, like Ron." She said half-hearted.
"Ok, but I might explode too. You're not the only one who lost your temper with the redheads yesterday." He said with a sigh.
"Well, then maybe that's why nobody came here to bother us yet. I was wondering why none of the adults have come check on us yet, seeing that we slept in the same bed, but now I think that they might be scared of us." She said with a light laugh.
"Well, that is also the fact that is too damn early." Said Harry looking at the clock on the wall that showed 7:15. "But why don't we go downstairs and find out? I'm starving." Harry said getting up and bringing Hermione with him.
"Sure, but first I wanted to brush my teeth and maybe take a shower. I did a little exploring yesterday and found out that Sirius bought you everything you would need to live here so do you think I could borrow some clothes and your tooth brush?" She asked sweetly making puppy eyes at him so that he wouldn't have the heart to refuse, not that he would anyway.
"Of course. You can grab anything you want." He said smiling at her. At that she got a mischievous glint in her eyes and pressed herself against him, grabbing his bum.
"Anything I want?" She asked seductively.
"Anything and everything." He said in a husky voice leaning down to kiss her passionately. They kissed for a while and Harry was once again amazed at how Hermione could make him feel like he had died and gone to heaven.
"Thank you." She said as they broke apart. "I'm going to take that shower now." But as she was heading to the bathroom Harry grabbed her hand and pushed her back to him.
"You know it would save us a lot of time if we just took a shower together." He said teasingly. He normally wasn't that forward, up until now Hermione was the one pushing their relationship further but after that little stunt of hers he was too turned on to be shy.
"Hardly." Interjected Hermione with a smile. "If you got in that shower with me I would want to take my time with you, Mister. And as much fun as that sounds we don't have time for this right now. Maybe another time." She whispered in his ear before kissing him again and walking into the bathroom.
Harry just stood there dumbstruck, staring at the closed bathroom door. He hadn't expected her to act so casual about his proposition, but on the other hand, Hermione hasn't ceased to surprise and amaze him this summer. So, with a smile, he plopped down on his bed to ask himself once more how could he have gotten so luck as to have a girl like her in his life.
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After they had both showered and dressed they made their way to the kitchen. Hermione was so cute dressed in one of Harry's new sweatpants and a big T-shirt that he almost convinced her to skip breakfast, well, almost. To tell the truth Harry was a bit nervous about meeting everyone and explaining what the both of them had been doing for the past couple of weeks. They had decided that they shouldn't mention their earlier `agreement' to anyone and just say they had started dating the day Hermione aparated to his room, which wasn't completely lying, just a mere technicality. But, other than that they would be as honest as possible, as long as nobody asked for specific details of what a hormone-driven teenager boy was doing all alone with a teenager girl in a room with a big bed.
When they reached the kitchen door Harry stopped and looked at Hermione as if to ask if she was ready, only after she nodded and lightly squeezed his hand he led her into the room.
"Good morning." Said Harry politely as they entered the full kitchen. Everybody stopped talking at the sound of his voice and turned to look at the couple that was now making their way to the table. After they sat Harry started pilling food in both their plates; since they hadn't had dinner he was famished and even if Hermione wasn't hungry he would make he eat. And when he finished devouring his meal and saw her still full plate he decided to do just that.
"What's wrong, Mya? You barely touched your food. We have a very busy day today; you will need your strength. You have to eat." Harry said softly but seriously, letting her know that he wouldn't stop nagging her until she ate everything on her plate.
"I know. I just can't eat when people are staring at me." She said in a neutral tone of voice as she looked around the table at the people who had been, indeed, staring at them but now were trying to cover it by looking at everywhere else but them.
"Okay." Said Harry with a sigh. "We all have things to do today other than sit here and stare at each other so if you could just tell us what it is that you want and get it over with, we would really appreciate it."
Hearing this the occupants of the kitchen exchanged glances as if trying to decide who was going to speak first since there were quite a few people present. All Weasleys minus Percy were there and also Remus, Tonks, Moody, and surprisingly Professor McGonagall, who, at last, was the one to address them.
"We know that this must be a terrible time to bring this up, and be assured that if we could postpone talking about this matter we certainly would but unfortunately it is of extreme importance that you both relate to us what exactly happened last night. And also, to help us get a better understanding of the whole scenario, it would be good too if you could explain a few things about your summer." Professor McGonagall said all of this very kindly and everyone could see by her expression that she really cared for Hermione and as Harry thought about it he could really see why she was the one chosen to speak. Of all the people in the room, with exception of himself of course, the professor was the one that Hermione respected and trusted most, therefore making it easier for Hermione to respond to her rather than anyone else.
"That's fine, really. We were expecting something like this." Said Hermione in a business like manner. "I guess it would be more helpful if we started telling you about our summer up until yesterday. What exactly do you want to know?"
People were clearly taken aback by Hermione's cool tone but Harry was not at all surprised. He knew she would keep this as much formal as possible so it would be easier for her to keep her façade and not break down in front of them. Harry also thought they deserved the treatment they were getting and intended on behaving the same way when his time came to speak, if only the Order had been more open with them last year things could have turned out much different.
"Well, …" Started Remus awkwardly. "I talked to your Aunt Catherine, Hermione. I wanted to tell her about what happened so she could help with the necessary arrangements and all. And, well, I asked her a few questions since we didn't know when you two would be up to talking… anyway, she told me about a fight you had with your parents over your muggle boyfriend …" Several gasps were heard at the mention of her boyfriend. Some people were looking incredulously at Hermione as if they didn't believe she could have a secret boyfriend that wasn't Harry or Ron and much less a muggle. "… And that Harry couldn't have been at your house since your were grounded until the end of the summer and was forbidden to have any contact with your friends, be they magical or muggles. So I was wondering…" But what he was wondering Harry didn't find out because Moody chose this moment to interrupt.
"Hey, stop a little there, Lupin. This might be important; this muggle boy might be a spy for the dark side or something. What exactly Granger's aunt told you? Asked Moody eagerly.
"This is ridiculous! This is private business and does not concern any of you. I've known Jason all my life and he's one hundred percent muggle! And since almost no one in the Wizarding world knew of our relationship then there's no way anyone could use him to get to me." Countered Hermione angrily.
"She's right Moody, the details of her fight with her parents are not of our business and my telling them wouldn't help in anything." Remus said before the old auror could reply. "But I have to know Hermione, who knew about this and if you really trust this boy."
"Ginny knew since last summer and I told Harry a couple of weeks ago. And I do trust him. He's my best friend in the muggle world." Said Hermione coolly, now that she had calmed out again.
Ginny, maybe sensing that now it was ok to speak, turned on Hermione with a curious look on her face. "But I thought you guys had decided to remain just friends and broke up. When did you get back together?"
"We didn't." Said Hermione with a resigned sigh. And Harry knew that now was the time to come clean about their relationship.
"But your aunt told me that you admitted spending the night with this boy. And that there was some… err, evidence of it." Asked Remus confused. And several mores shocked gasps were heard after that little bomb.
"I DID NOT admit `spending the night' with anyone" Hermione replied outraged. "I told my parents that I left early in the morning to meet Jason…"
"Oh, yeah, I forgot. It's only that your mother didn't notice you were missing in the morning as she told you. She had had a nightmare so she got up around 2 am to check on you only to find your bed empty. As you had changed out of your pajamas she knew that you had sneaked out. The reason why she didn't say anything was that she didn't want your father to find out his little girl had spent the night out with some boy." Corrected Remus.
Hermione was speechless for a minute, as was Harry. The fact that her mother knew she hadn't spent the night home weighing on their consciences. The whole room was now silent again, waiting to hear Hermione's response.
"Fine, I won't try to deny that." Replied Hermione resigned. "This will only help me make my point which is that just because I `told' my parents I something doesn't mean that it's the truth." As Remus was opening his mouth to add something Hermione raised her hand to stop him and continued. "I know there was `evidence', as you put it, that I was with a boy and I won't deny that either, it just wasn't Jason. I only told my parents that because I thought they would just forbid me from seeing him and forget about it, I had no idea they were going to ground me." Harry was amazed as how calm Hermione was through all of this because he wouldn't be so collected if people were looking at `him' like that. Ron was so red on the face that he seemed like he was going to explode at any second and keep staring daggers at her. Mrs. Weasley was looking disapproving and was probably thinking Rita Skeater was right at portraying her as some sort of scarlet woman. The twins were looking at her as if for the first time in a mix of shock and admiration, Ginny also looked impressed at her coolness and the rest just looked surprised.
Everybody kept silent for a while, probably waiting to see if Hermione would continue and tell them who this mysterious boyfriend was, when she didn't Remus probed her again. "Well, huh, so are you planning on telling us where you were and with whom? I know you may think it's none of our business but after the attack we have to consider all possibilities."
"Oh, but you know where and with whom I was. Don't you remember? You and Tonks may not have seen me but you knew I had been there." Said Hermione amused, looking at Tonks who were sitting beside her, she must had been wondering, like Harry, how they hadn't piece it all together by now.
After a few seconds of confusion, Tonks jaw dropped. "I knew it!! I bloody knew it!! Just friends my arse, I told you the little brat was lying." She exclaimed with a big smile on her face shifting her gaze from Remus to Harry and Hermione, then she leaned over to give Hermione a hug and whispered something in her ear that made her giggle. But the smile that the scene brought to Harry's lips was soon wiped off his face as he looked at Remus and the others. The werewolf looked really hurt that Harry had lied to him and the rest still looked confused. They hadn't got it yet and now it was time for Harry to speak.
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A/N: So, that's it. Don't complain about my OWL results because I have no idea how they are supposed to go. See you next time and don't forget to Review!!
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