Title: Harry Potter and the Girl Who Lived
By: S'Eleene Paris <torres_01@yahoo.com>
Disclaimer: see chapter one
"Leave him alone!" Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of dislike. "What's he done to you?"
"Well," said James, appearing to deliberate a point, "it's more of the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..."
Lily Evans (Potter) and James Potter on the matter of Snape in J.K. Rowling's latest novel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
*****
Chapter Four
Hermione's House
The sun brightly beamed down into the window at number seventy-seven Yorkshire Road. The warm, happy sunrays floated into the room in which Harry Potter stayed in while he spent the last few weeks of his summer holiday with his friend Hermione Granger. With a tapping noise annoyingly coming from the direction of the window, Harry moaned as his sleep-filled eyes opened. A ball of white feathers, his owl known as Hedwig, patiently waited for him to open the window to allow entrance into the room. Attached to her leg was a letter and in her mouth, a small parcel dangled from a string. Harry freed his owl from her burden and opened the letter. It was from Ron.
Hey Harry,
Happy Birthday, mate. Everything is going well here. Since we've been here, I've been spending a lot of time indoors because I have second and small third degree sunburns on my back...you know us red heads don't have a certain pigment in our skin? I didn't. Something called melanin or something like that. So anyway, of course Fred and George are making fun of me, but their own burns are not much better. Everyone here is burned to a crisp, except Bill of course. Mum and Dad are having a great time visiting Bill again, not to mention meeting his new fiancé` Sandra. Yes, in a few months, there will be another Weasley lady. Bill says that they want to have the wedding back at the burrow. I think it would be wonderful to have another girl in the family. I hope you and Hermione are having a wonderful time at her place. You lucky devil! I haven't been able to go over to her house. Well I'll be back next week, so we will go to Diagon Alley and get our school supplies then.
-Ron
Harry opened the small parcel and found several boxes of Chocolate Frogs. He smiled at the small birthday offering because he knew the Weasleys did not have much money. Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in."
In stepped Hermione wearing a long cotton nightgown. Covering most of it from complete view was a long emerald, green silk bathrobe. To him, she looked breathtaking. "Oh, bloody hell! Harry!" She covered her face.
"What?"
"Look at yourself!" she blushed ear to ear. "Get a shirt on."
Harry looked down at his shirtless body. Quidditch gave him the six-pack most Wizards (and most of the witches too) at Hogwarts only could dream of. His well-sculpted chest made Hermione blush even more. Normally he would have teased her a little before slipping on a tank top, but he did it with out a word because he concluded she was embarrassed enough already.
"Come on. Mum has breakfast on the table already and we have big plans for the day." Hermione tossed him a bathrobe and together they descended the stairs, walked through the living room, dinning room, and the family room, and then they came to the Kitchen. Once Harry reached the room, Harry stopped because the bright yellow room was covered in red and yellow balloons and streamers. Not that anyone seemed to pay attention because Mr. Granger seemed busy reading the local newspaper and Hermione's mother stood at the stove frying eggs and bacon for her daughter and Harry to eat.
As Hermione's mother continued to fry the breakfast, Hermione escorted Harry to sit down at the table with a bright yellow sign hanging above them, saying in bright red letters "Happy Seventeenth birthday, Harry." Hermione's mother finally turned around, once she had shut off the gas stove, to greet the two. "Happy Birthday, Harry."
"Yes, indeed!" John Granger looked up from his paper. "How old are you today, my boy?" Mr. Granger smiled knowingly.
"Seventeen."
"A proud age." Mr. Granger claimed. "Any thought what you want to do with the rest of you life?"
"John, he's still a boy! Let him be!" Emma Granger hugged at her husband, placing the gathered group their breakfast on the table.
"I was just wondering, Emma."
"Well, actually, I have put some thought into what I want to do with my life." Harry told them.
"And what is that, Harry?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"Probably a Quidditch player on a national team or something."
Hermione guessed pouring herself a glass of grape juice.
"Actually, I was thinking of being a teacher, or an auror."
"Really?" Hermione seemed surprised for some reason.
"I've always liked kids. Someday I hope I have kids of my own." He admitted from the group and Harry's eyes seemed to linger at Hermione as he said this. Some where deep inside him told himself that he had high hopes Hermione would help him with this particular desire. He then continued audibly. "I never had any brothers or sisters...That's why I would like to teach. I want to be an auror because that is what my parents did before they died."
"So, what are you guys going to do today?" Emma asked changing the topic to a more happy thought.
"Well if Harry permits me, I thought maybe we could go to a public pool for a swim." Hermione offered.
"That sounds like fun. I'm assuming you will be meeting up with some friends of yours, Hermione?"
"That is possible, but after that I'd planned on visiting the zoo."
"Sounds like fun." Mrs. Granger smiled casually. "Just make sure you two are home by dinner."
"I'm going to need one of you two to ride along with me, since I only just received my permit yesterday." she smiled at her parents with a full grin.
"I'll do it." Mr. Granger picked his newspaper back up and read the comics section. Hermione cringed at the thought. She could only imagine what questions her father would inflict on Harry if the two of them were left alone. "Just make sure you take your cell phone with you. I don't plan on staying in parking lots all day. You can drive there and back because I know you need to get your hours in because you are not able to because of school."
After breakfast, Harry changed into his blue swimming trunks and climbed down the stairs with a towel and a duffle bag filled with a change of clothing, shampoo, conditioner, and a pair of swimming goggles. Mr. Granger waited for him in the living room, at the bottom of the stair well.
"Hermione isn't down yet?"
"Not yet."
Harry reclined at the couch next to the doorway leading from the foyer, in which he just came. Mr. Granger reclined on the armchair across from him. Harry began to grow uncomfortable as Mr. Granger assessed him. When he finally spoke, he asked a question. "What are your intentions toward my daughter?"
This caught Harry off guard. Had he really been that obvious about his feelings toward Hermione? Had he passed by his room, when it was her invading his dreams? Harry gulped. "I don't know what you mean, sir."
"Don't play stupid with me, Mr. Potter."
Harry began to feel the sweat forming on his brow. "I'm not," he squeaked. "I really do not know what you're talking about."
John Granger sighed, because he knew this boy wanted his daughter and wanted her badly enough to deny it in front of her father. He had passed by his guest bedroom one evening, the room in which this boy stayed, and heard moaning coming from the room. When he opened the door, Harry was struggling in his sleep chasing after Hermione and finally confessing his feelings. "Hermione! Come back!" he had called after her. "Hermione! I love you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Please don't leave me! Everyone I love has left me! Please don't go!" Even in the darkest room, John could have seen the tears streaming down his face.
Coming back to the present, John Granger noticed Harry looking as if he was waiting for a response. This is when Dr. Granger took the moment to speak. "Hermione is my only child, Harry, and I like to know about every thing dealing with her and her life. You see, Mr. Potter, she is my only child to survive childbirth. All the children my wife tried to give me before and after Hermione were either stillborn, miscarried, or died young. So, now you can understand why Hermione and her mother are my total world." Mr. Granger paused then he continued. "So you can understand, Mr. Potter, I want her to be happy. Like any good father should, but I want to ensure my daughter's happiness. That is why I am asking you: What are your intentions toward my daughter?"
"She is my friend, Dr. Granger. If more happens, it happens. I'll admit, I do have some feelings, but she has not said anything to me about wanting to be more than friends, so I think it is safe to assume she does not want to be more than friends for the time being. I am okay with this because her happiness is important to me as well."
Before Dr. Granger could respond, his daughter came down the stairs in a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt. "Ready to go?"
"Where is your swimming suit?" Harry asked her surveying her outfit.
"I'm wearing it underneath. Come on! Let's go before it gets too crowded!" Hermione grabbed Harry by the arm and dragged him out the door and toward the garage. The three of them stepped into the vehicle and drove off.
*****
Harry looked around and smelled the chlorine in the air from the pool. He had rinsed himself off with the hose provided before he had entered the indoor pool. Harry took a moment to take off his glasses and put them neatly by the railing in which hung his towel to keep it dry.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye coming from the girl's locker room. Her dirty blonde hair seemed more brown than normal because it was wet. It also seemed curlier as well, but Harry assumed that was because her hair had a natural frizz to it that just would not straighten. It finally seemed appeased with being curly when wet.
Harry had also seen why she had worn another outfit over her swimming suit, for if her father had seen her, he would have killed her. She wore a red two-piece halter-top swimming suit with a bikini style bottom. Harry felt himself grow hard and tried to control his feelings for his best female friend, but it was getting pretty hard. Especially with her wearing that. She approached him and smiled, which turned him on even more. "Sorry, I kept you waiting."
"No, your fine." Harry shuddered as he watched her dive into the pool. She swam gracefully halfway out and turned around to see what was keeping him.
"Harry, what are you waiting for? Jump in! The water's fine!"
Harry gulped and jumped in after her and felt the cool water drown his heated musings from before. Something inside of him gave him the evil idea of going under the water and pulling her down into it with him. He stopped and put on his goggles and swam toward her. He got up close to her and dragged her under the water. She was caught by surprise and opened her eyes under the water to see who had brought her under. Harry smiled as he held his breath. He waved at her and the two of them came up for air.
"What did you do that for?" She exclaimed as they caught their breath. Harry never gave her the answer she sought; all she received from him was an evil grin coming from his direction.
*****
Once the two had dried off some and drove to the zoo, with Mrs. Granger this time in the front seat. Nothing was said between the three of them until they got to the zoo. "Now, be careful. Don't talk to strangers and don't do anything stupid, okay? I'll be back around 4:30 pm to pick the two of you up, so we can be back in time for dinner." She waved as she drove off and left the two standing there.
It was a warm day at the zoo and many people were taking advantage of the misting system the zoo put in for their patrons. Harry and Hermione opted to keep their wet swimming suits on, in order to keep them cool. Harry was having a hard time controlling himself because he could see her swimming suit under her wet white t-shirt and it seemed as if she were oblivious to how he was reacting to it. By the time they reached the artic creature exhibit, he had no trouble controlling himself in the very cold air.
"Hey, look, Harry! It looks just like Hedwig!" Hermione pointed to the zoo's prize snow owl. Harry read the name of which the zoo gave her.
"Who on earth would call an owl Ziggy?"
"I guess they would call her Zigs for short maybe?"
"I guess so." Harry and Hermione walked past the polar bears and seals through and underground tunnel, in which the animals could swim over you. Then they came to a sheet of frozen ice in which you could try to put your handprint in to dictate you came in the exhibit. Hermione tried to melt her hand in the ice, but her hand became numb before she could finish. She went outside to wait for him and to warm up in the sun.
After he checked if the coast was clear, Harry pulled out his wand and uttered a spell. Harry carved a heart deep into the ice. Then inside the heart he inserted the following phrase: HP loves HG forever. He smiled at the picture he made, but before he was done admiring it, someone began to come down the corridor. Harry quickly stashed away his wand and went to find Hermione sitting on a bench. "What took you so long?" she asked.
"I was just trying to see if I could hold out longer than you could." he grinned at her.
"Well, I think you won."
"Yeah, I hope so."
*****
When Harry, Hermione, and Dr. John Granger arrived back at number seventy-seven Yorkshire Road with large bags of souvenirs from the zoo, all the lights were off in the house. Harry opened the door and turned on the light. "What the bloody..." Harry turned on the living room light and then there was a sudden loud yelling of "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Harry!"
With a shocked expression on his face, he glanced around the room to greet the many faces of people he and Hermione both knew including some fellow students and professors from Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnegan, Dennis and Colin Creevy (whom of which was taking so many pictures of the blasted event, it was making everyone blind.), but Harry's eyes fell upon a man whom stood in a corner. Once he had spotted him, he ran over to him and gave his godfather a large hug. "Sirius!"
Sirius Black, Harry's godfather and his father's best friend, stood against the back corner with his arms crossed. "Happy Birthday, Harry."
"Sirius, what are you doing here? What if you get caught?" Hermione seemed to exclaim what Harry was going to ask once she joined the two in the corner.
"Don't worry, I'm cleared!"
"You're cleared?" the two exclaimed in unison and became one giant hug once Hermione heard this.
"Hermione...we can't breath." Harry choked out the words, trying not to allow anyone else notice how he felt for the girl.
"Sorry."
Sirius picked up his train of thought where he left off. "Yes, I'm out. Peter was caught a couple of days ago and they were able to get him to confess the whole thing." Sirius' smile grew in satisfaction. "I thought I owed it to you two to tell you in person...where is Ron?"
"In Egypt." Hermione answered. "He's visiting his brother Bill there."
"From what he wrote me this morning, he's burnt up pretty bad."
"Oh really? I guess it is his fault for not wearing sun protection."
Hermione seemed to roll her eyes at the comment. "How are the Weasleys?"
"Bill is getting married."
"About Bloody time." Sirius smiled.
"Do they have a date?" Hermione asked.
"Ron did not tell me a date, but he did tell me Bill wanted to have it back at the Burrow."
After a few minutes of chattering, Dr. Emma Granger brought in a homemade birthday cake with seventeen candles on it. "Blow out the candles and make a wish, Harry." Hermione said and Harry did as he was told.
"I wish that you, Hermione, were mine...forever." he thought in his head, but did not say it out loud for he knew it would never come true if it did.
*****
"Well, this is going to be our last year coming to Diagon Alley as students." Hermione said out loud toward Harry a couple of weeks later.
"Yeah," Harry stood and leaned against Madame` Malkin's Robes For All Occasion's Wall.
"When is Ron going to be here? Did he say in his letter?"
"I'm right here!" Ron raced toward them. The Egyptian sun had really scorched his skin. His ivory (now bright pink) began to peel. Ron decided to go with out his shirt due to the extensive burns on his back.
"Ron!" they shouted in unison. The two raced over and Hermione hugged him tightly, before Harry could remind her about Ron's sunburn. Ron screamed in pain as Hermione hugged him, but once she realized what she was hurting him, she let go quickly. "I'm sorry about your burn. I forgot. Are you alright?"
"I'll be alright." Ron winced as the pain on his back burned and subsided.
"How big are the blisters?" Harry asked, as Ron was able to stand up straight once more.
"Big. Want to see?" Before either one could object, Ron tore of one of the medi-wizard pads off to show them how big exactly he was talking about. When they saw his blisters, measuring at least two inches in diameter, the two of them hissed in pain for him. Harry counted seven to eight rather large pads on his back.
"Are you sure you're okay? You wrote and said you had third degree burns." Harry seemed to feel a great pang of sympathy for him.
"The medi-wizard in Egypt healed them for me since I could not have traveled very well in that condition, now could I? He also took a scalpel and popped the big ones on my back so they could heal over with out it scaring over too bad."
"Did it hurt, much?" Hermione asked.
"Duh." Ron rolled his eyes as the trio began to walk down the alley toward Gringott's bank. As they approached the corner of the street, Harry spotted his cousin Dudley and Aunt Petunia coming out of Gringott's.
"Oh, Bloody hell." Harry muttered under his breath as he saw them. He turned away and pretended to be interested in the store window.
"Come on, Harry. You can window shop later. We need to get to
Gringott's so we can buy our school supplies." Hermione complained as she pulled at his arm for him to go inside Gringott's with them.
Before Harry could turn away, he heard his name. "Harry! Hey,
Harry!" Ron and Hermione turned to the voice in which called their best friend.
"Harry."
"Yes, Ron."
"Isn't that your Aunt Petunia and Cousin Dudley?" Ron asked him, confused to as what Muggles, especially his aunt and cousin, were doing in Diagon Alley.
"Yes it is, Ron."
"What are they doing here? I thought they were Muggles." Hermione seemed to be confused as Ron was over the issue as she said this.
"Me, too, until right before I left for your house, Hermione. She actually began acting like a normal person and nice to me. It was all strange. She actually apologized to me for treating me so badly for the past sixteen years. Then at dinner, she and Uncle Vernon had a fight and she confessed to being a witch and she was coming back."
"Betcha that made your uncle blow a fuse." Ron seemed to think this whole situation was funny.
"I'd bet she was under the Alzheimer's curse." Hermione stated and both Harry and Ron seemed confused. "My goodness, don't you ever read? Harry you are from a muggle background. You know what Alzheimer's disease is don't you?"
"Yeah, isn't that a dementia disease?"
"Yes, and like the disease, family members often notice the behaviors opposite from what the person suffering from the spell did before the spell had been cast. It's a timed curse and only the person who cast the spell can know exactly when it will stop. The longest known case so far recorded lasted thirty years. I read about it in Magical Medical Spells: the Ones Magical Families Need To Know About. Written By Guinevere Pickleson.
"Hermione, you need to get a life." Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione, obvious jealous Hermione knew the answer and he did not.
"At least she did not fail potions class." Harry came to her defense. Harry's aunt and cousin approached the group as he finished saying this.
"Hey, Harry." Dudley seemed eager to see his cousin, once again.
"Hello, Aunt Petunia, Dudley. I did not expect to see you here."
Harry smiled courtly at them. "How are you doing? Has Uncle Vernon returned?"
"No, but I did get a letter from our lawyer saying Vernon wants a divorce."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Harry said with a smile on his face once he noticed she smiled when she said that.
"I'm really torn about it, let me tell you." she grinned.
"How are you enjoying Diagon Alley?" Harry asked his cousin.
"This place is the coolest! I can see why you want to come here."
"Just wait until you get to school, then." Hermione offered in his direction.
"Who are these people, Harry? I think you need to introduce us."
Petunia motioned toward Ron and Hermione. "I'm Harry's Aunt Petunia. This is my son, Dudley."
"Well, you remember Ron. Him and his family came over a couple of times to take me to their place."
"Ah, I remember now. How could I forget that vibrant red hair?" she smiled at Ron and then turned to Hermione. "And who is this charming little lady? Your girlfriend, perhaps?"
Harry blushed. "No, this is Hermione."
"Ah, the girl who you keep moaning about in your dreams."
"Aunt Petunia!" Harry exclaimed feeling his face turn a deeper shade of crimson.
Hermione blushed at the comment as well. Just the thought of Harry dreaming about her made her weak in the knees. "We're just about to go to Gringott's to get our money. Care to join us? Then we can go shopping together."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Hermione! Do you mind, Harry?" Petunia asked her nephew.
"Oh, no. Not at all." Ron answered for him. "Besides, we can tell you all sorts of stories about your nephew here, at Hogwarts. Ron ushered the group toward the wizard's bank.
"Umm...Ron, I really don't think that is a good idea."
Ron obviously did not hear him as he began his first tale. "Did
Harry ever tell you about the time..."
*****
"Vault 687." the goblin known as Griphook said as he exited the cart.
"It's about bloody time!" Harry mumbled, his temper flaring as he stepped out of the cart and handed the goblin his key to unlock his vault. "Maybe Ron will shut the bloody hell up and we can get on with this."
Ron, still raving about his, Harry's and Hermione's adventures at Hogwarts was really beginning to grind on Harry's nerves. When Griphook opened the vault, Harry received the reaction he knew he would get.
"Bloody Hell, Harry." Dudley exclaimed as they opened the vault wide enough for everyone to see. "You've been holding out on us."
Harry turned to see Petunia and Dudley's expressions. The two former "Enemies" wore Gemini expressions of shock and disbelief. "Harry, where did you get all this money?"
"From my parents." Harry sighed. "It was left to me when they died." He grabbed a sack full of galleons, sickles, and Knuts and then locked the door shut.
As the five of them left the bank, the group headed towards Madame` Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for Dudley and the rest of them to acquire new robes for the coming semester. When they waited for Dudley to get his school robes, Madame` Malkin approached Hermione with a parcel. "Ah, Miss Granger. Here are the dress robes your parents ordered for you. I had to send all the way to Paris for the material." Madam Malkin turned toward Harry and Ron who stood next to Hermione at the counter. "You two need new dress robes?"
"Actually, yes I do." Harry mentioned and she immediately showed him to the back of the shop. She took his new measurements and then pulled out and emerald green robe. "I think these will suit you nicely for this year. The color matches your eyes perfectly."
The robes were purchased and the trio along with Harry's aunt and cousin headed over to Ollivander's wand shop. When the group came inside, Mr. Ollivander popped his head out from where it was buried in a pile of wands. "I wondered if I was ever going to see you, Mr. Snape."
"Snape?" Ron and Hermione's eyes shot to Harry.
"That was a shock to me, too." Harry cringed at the thought. "I'll explain everything to you once we get outside."
"Ah, Petunia Evans. Long time no see. How is that wand of yours?
Willow and Unicorn mane hair, eleven inches. Really good for charms isn't it?"
"Well, I have not used it much since I live in the muggle world, but all that will change once Dudley goes to Hogwarts."
"Late Boomer, aye? There is nothing to be ashamed of. Even some of the greats were late boomers." Ollivander poked through a stack of wands and handed him one. "Try this one."
Dudley gave it a wave after some encouragement from the group with him. The wand glowed with approval of its destined owner. "Ah, yes. An interesting wand if I do say so myself. Pixy wing and Yew, 9 3/5 inches. I can see that we are going to be expecting interesting and unusual things from you, Mr. Snape." he turned toward Petunia. "That will be, seven galleons."
Petunia handed him the money and the group left for Flourish and Blotts to buy their books. Ron and Hermione took the time to stop him and get the rest of the story from him. "I just found out my aunt went to Hogwarts with my parents. A year after she graduated and my mum and dad were in their seventh year, both my mum and my aunt got pregnant. Dudley is not biologically my Uncle Vernon's son. He is Snape's son."
"Oh, Merlin Harry." Hermione seemed to let it all sink in. "That means Snape is your..."
"Uncle, yes."
"That is so wrong!" Hermione cringed at the idea. "Please tell me you are joking!"
"I wish I were." He responded making Hermione quiver in disgust.
"Hey, you're not the only one who does not like the idea of him being my uncle."
"You realize this may give us an edge in potions." Ron began to plot ways to make Snape pay for everyone of those comments he gave, the detentions they did not deserve, or the points taken away from
Gryffindor house unjustly.
When they turned to go into the store. Ron turned to Hermione.
"We're leaving in a hour and a half. That is all the time you get because we need to be headed over to get something to eat before the crowds get too big."
"That is fine." Hermione grinned from ear to ear. "Besides, I already own most of the books in here already."
*****
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