Jo Rowling even owns the feathers on Buckbeak, I own nothing really.
Chapter 12: Did Harry forget?
**************************Hogwarts*************************************
September 19, 2005
Today was Hermione's birthday, it marked her official majority in the magical community (though she had been able to do magic over the summer due to a friendly Minister of Magic) and more importantly it was her first birthday with an actual boyfriend. (She was not with Viktor Krum long enough to have a birthday pass) The day dawned bright and clear, the sun rising over the Loch.
It had been three weeks since the death of her parents and she still woke up every night with the nightmares of the disastrous day of August 31st. But she was functional more or less. In her more philosophical moments she now thought of herself of a member of the "walking wounded". By now, it seemed as if Voldemort had attacked all of her friends in some form or another to cause them grief. From Ginny and Ron, loosing Percy on the same day as she lost her parents, to Neville loosing his parents, more or less, to the Death Eaters, to Harry, Harry who lost both of his parents to Voldemort before he even had a chance to know them, and Sirius after he had regained a family.
In her weaker moments, she even occasionally wanted to blame Harry for the death of her parents, but with every flash of anger at him, a much deeper anger at herself would beat down the thought. For she had heard his thoughts that day he came to her after the sorting feast. She knew he would sacrifice himself in a heartbeat to bring the dead back if he could, but he could not. She knew that he would always blame himself for the deaths, and assume that they had been an attack on him. They had been of course, but she knew they had also been an attack on Ron and herself directly, and Dumbledore too. Ron and her had helped defy Voldemort, and so were marked for death in their own right. Dumbledore was made to suffer as the message was left, "He could not protect his own."
The DADA classes had proven cathartic along with the more specialized training that she and Harry and the rest had been under since last year. She had started soon after Harry, and after two weeks Alastor had told her that she had advanced faster in those two weeks than any of the Aurors he had trained in the last twenty years. In fact he had grudgingly admitted she had progressed almost as fast as Harry, and faster than he himself had so many years ago. She now generally worked out with the other new young members of the Order helping with their training or with Harry or Dumbledore as very few could actually push her any longer.
She woke up, half expecting Harry to be sitting and waiting on her to wake up, he could after all get into the other head students room, his was across the head's small common room. And wasn't that a mistake, Albus, she thought with a sense of mischief. But Harry had not woken her up, however she wasn't terribly concerned. He was somewhere about in the castle she could feel his presence, but she wasn't practiced enough yet to exactly pinpoint him. I figure he is either working out again or he and Ron are out getting some extra Quiddich practice before the first game in a couple of weeks.
But when she went to the pitch she didn't find him. And he wasn't at breakfast either, but Ron and Luna were. Due to the events of the assault at the Ministry at the end of her 4th year and her proven loyalty and courage, the sorting hat had taken the unprecedented step of resorting her into Gryffindor last year, which had resulted in a crowed 5th year girls dorm. Hermione's appointment as Head Girl this year had probably resulted in cheers among the rest of the girls in the year, as the 6th dorm was able to switch with the 7th years as they had more room due to only Parvati and Lavender being left in Hermione's old room. Which of course annoyed the older girls to no end. Hermione stalked up to Ron and Luna and plopped next to Luna. "Ron have you seen my boyfriend?" She asked in a somewhat exasperated tone. "I can't seem to find him though I can feel he's around here somewhere."
"Hmmm" Ron responded after an elbow from Luna, he hadn't been paying attention, he had been staring at Luna. "What?"
I'm just glad he got past the blushing stage, "Ron I asked if you had seen Harry this morning."
"Just about five this morning, he yelled at me to shut up about the damn spiders, I had fallen asleep in the common room. I don't know what he meant? Anyway, I went back to sleep, I don't know when he left, he was gone when I got up at seven." Ron responded with a shrug and went back to looking at Luna.
Are Harry and I that bad, yeah probably when one or both of us aren't drowning in flashbacks or nightmares, walking wounded indeed. Hermione thought with some insight. I guess I'll see him in advanced transfiguration; it's a double, he should find time to talk to me.
But that thought was not to be, yes Harry did show up and took his normal seat next to her. He even gave her a kiss on the top her head as he sat down, to the accompaniments of several "AWWs" from the female population and one "BOO" from Draco, but he didn't answer where he had been.
"Harry, where were you this morning? I couldn't find you." She whispered over to him, concerned.
"Sorry, love but I had to do something." He responded, also in a whisper. "We'll talk later ok? I have to take notes, McGonagall will kill me if I don't keep the O I had last year." With this declaration McGonagall caught their eyes and gave one of her patented glares. They both shut up instantly and paid attention, to a degree at least.
Since it was her and not Ron that comment was addressed to, she couldn't very well argue with it. She resolved to solve this mystery after class, and wondered again if his behavior had something to do with his meeting with Dumbledore a couple weeks ago. Harry had never told her what Dumbledore had told him, but he had behaved weirdly for a couple of days after that, especially towards Dumbledore.
After class though, Harry met Ron and the rest of the Gryffindor team outside of the classroom and with a wry expression he told her that they would be practicing the rest of the day. He did ask her sweetly, if she wanted to come watch, but she figured that she could use the time in the library to work on classwork and tomorrow's DADA plans. I'll even make up plans for Him, that git. She thought with amusement at herself. Harry gave her a goodbye kiss, and headed off down the corridor, already talking to the rest of the team about strategies.
It's not that I don't like Quiddich, especially when Harry's playing. But I do have work to do. He did ask me to go, it's not like he's hiding from me. She rationalized as she headed off to the library already thinking of the subjects that she should look up.
***********Gryffindor Tower, Head Students Common Room***************
7pm.
The rest of Gryffindor tower had left for dinner almost an hour ago, but Harry had asked Hermione to wait for him. She had followed his request, but now she was getting hungry and annoyed.
"Harry, come on supper will be over soon!" She yelled in the direction of his room.
"Not for you" He replied as he appeared in his door with a grin.
Her heart skipped, as he was in her favorite of his dress robes, the dark green fabric matching his eyes. "A little over dressed for dinner aren't we?" She asked, a smile twitching at the corners of her lips.
"Not really" and with a muttered incantation and a wave of his wand, the room transformed itself into a romantic rendezvous. The center worktable became a table set for two, steaming food already served. Candles lit the room and the fire ignited and filled the room with a soft glow. "Dumbledore taught me that." Harry said with a sparkle in his eyes, to her unasked question.
"Ahh, wait I'll change, I guess..." she started to return to her room, but then ....
"That's ok I wouldn't want to make you late for dinner" Harry responded with a chuckle, and before she could say another word his eyes glowed just a bit, her robes transfigured themselves into her favorite green dress, which just happened to match his robes and eyes, and her hair came loose from the ponytail it was in, to fall in graceful waves over her shoulders. He walked over to her and taking her hand, he led her to her chair, holding out her seat as he sat her down. Walking over to his seat, he sat down and snapped his fingers.
With a soft POP, Dobby apparated in, holding a bottle of wine. She could barely contain her laughter as Dobby was wearing a complete miniature tuxedo, heck his socks even matched. "Would Miss Granger like some wine?" Dobby asked.
"Yes, please Dobby." With a chuckle in her voice "Thank you" as he poured the wine.
After pouring the wine, Dobby snapped his fingers and vanished. Hermione broke out in laughter "Is that where you were all morning?" She asked breathlessly, between laughs.
"Yeah, sorry I was hiding all day, but it's really hard to hide anything from you now. Anyway you couldn't imagine, how hard it is to get Dobby to understand that socks are supposed to match." They ate, making soft conversion, occasionally leaning over the table to share a kiss, or two. As he looked her over, Harry asked softly, "Would you care to dance?"
"But there's no music." Hermione objected, but she stood anyway, afraid to spoil this evening.
Harry took her in his left arm and with his right he waved his wand behind his back; suddenly her favorite muggle band began to play a slow ballad. They danced to the music, her head on his shoulder, and kept dancing for several minutes after the music had stopped. Leading her by the hand over to one of the couches, they eased down into it, her eyes never leaving his. Harry pulled a box from his robes and handed it to her. "Happy Birthday."
Hermione glanced down at the box then back up at him. She pried open the box to reveal a small, silver and gold, heart shaped locket. The locket was inscribed with her initial with a small emerald set above the initial. As one would normally do, she tried to pull it open, but failed; looking for a latch she found none. With a brief expression of annoyance she glanced at Harry's laughing green eyes.
"You can't open it that way, it's a wizards locket; it'll only open by magic." Harry said, trying desperately not to laugh at her expression. Hermione grinned and started to get out her wand, but Harry stopped her, with a hand on hers. "Do me a favor, try to open it without the wand"
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow but tried anyway. "Alohomora" The locket danced a bit in her hand but didn't open.
"Try again for me, please?" Harry murmured to her disappointed expression, Please, Mione I'll help in her head.
This time she didn't even bother with the incantation, she concentrated on the locket wishing it to open and with a snap it did. "It works!" she exclaimed happily and gave Harry a hug. Inside the locket was a tiny moving picture; it showed Harry and her sometime last year, looking at each other with obvious love in their eyes. She looked a question at Harry, and as usual he didn't have to hear the question to know it.
"Ginny took that last year after the Hufflepuff game, when you came out to congratulate me on catching the snitch. She gave it to me the other day, she said that she knew as soon as she took the picture and was waiting to see when we would figure it out."
Hermione grinned and leaning forward she kissed him on the cheek, "she lied you know, I told her two weeks before then."
"And not me, Hummph..." Harry quickly glanced away so she wouldn't she the laughter on his face. Laughing she grabbed his head and turned his face back to hers, leaning in she approached his lips slowly...
Suddenly a tapping at the window interrupted the moment. They both looked up to see Hedwig wanting in. Harry got up, muttering, and let the bird in. Petting her on the head, he removed a note from her leg. Walking back to Hermione, and setting Hedwig on his shoulder, he took Hermione by the hand and led her down the stairs to the main Gryffindor common room. "Harry what was that note?" She asked as they stepped into the common room. "The signal."
"SURPRISE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Hermione's head snapped around from where she had been looking at Harry and saw the common room filled with people. Ron and Luna were already crossing the room, with butterbeers in their hands for the two late arrivals. He handed one to Hermione and gave her a kiss on the cheek with none of the awkwardness he once had towards her. Luna's been good to him. Hermione thought happily as she gave him a hug in return.
The party went on for several hours, highlighted by a very poor rendition of happy birthday, several WeasleyWhizBang magical fireworks being detonated in the common room and the opening of presents. Including several that were borderline inappropriate for mixed company ones from Luna, Pavarti and Lavender. I'll get them...though some of these might come in handy. At least Harry had the good grace to look embarrassed, bless him. Finally at around one, McGonagall came in and yelled at them all to go to bed, and halfheartedly bitched at her prefects and head students, but every one could tell it was pro-forma only.
**********************Head's Common Room*****************************
1am or so
With a flourish, Harry finished levitating the last of Hermione's presents up the stairs from the lower common room. In their shared common room, Dobby must have come while they were downstairs at the party and cleaned up the remains of dinner, as not a dirty dish, or fallen napkin could be found. Harry closed the door to the stairs and looked across the room at Hermione, a crooked smile plastered on his face.
Hermione turned and slowly walked to the doorway of her bedroom, reaching it, she turned and through long lashes, regarded him with a look that damn near stopped his heart, "Harry," she said softly, her eyes boring in to his from across the room, the little golden flecks in them dancing.
Harry swallowed involuntarily, and choked out, "Yeah Mione,"
"Come here," She replied simply, a crooked finger pulling him forward, at the same time she pointed her wand at her abdomen and muttered something under her breath. As Harry reached her side, her arms snaked around his neck, and he responded instantly. Harry ran his fingers though her curls and pulled her into a long, deep kiss. Subtly, Hermione moved the pair of them all the way into her room. As they cleared the door, she waved her wand at the door and it closed with a muffled thump, and then muttered an incantation. The walls lit up white for a second, before returning to normal.
His jade eyes grinning, "What was that?"
"An silencing charm," Hermione replied with a grin against his lips as she walked backwards towards her bed, pulling him along with her. As her legs bumped the edge of the bed, she laughed happily and pulled Harry down on top of her, and proceeded to trace her tongue around his lips.
Harry pulled away for a moment, and with all of his will he asked, "Are you sure about this, Hermione?"
"Never more of anything." Hermione replied looking up at him though her bangs that have fallen loose, as she nervously bit her lip. Harry just smiled in reply and bent back down and kissed her on one shoulder. His lips trailed his hands as he slid the dress down her shoulders with such a look of utter concentration, that she just had to laugh.
"What?" Harry worriedly asked, as he paused with the dress just north of her chest.
"Nothing, dear, She responded, her eyes dark. Looking deep into his eyes, now somehow devoid of his glasses, she enunciated very carefully. "I love you Harry."
"I love you too." He responded with as much control as he still had.
With a predatory grin reminding him of a lioness about to have it's prey, she pulled herself on top of him and Harry lost any semblance of coherent thought for the rest of the night.
A/N: There ya go, Right now there are those who are screaming at me, cause I dropped away right there. Sorry. It
won't be the last time, and we don't drop away then.