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Harry Potter and the Curse of Atlantis by R K Thompson
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Harry Potter and the Curse of Atlantis

R K Thompson

Ch 2: Summer Vacation

It was still dark when he awoke. There was a terrible buzzing in his head that he struggled to ignore. The sun had not yet appeared on the horizon, but there was enough light in the room for him to realize this wasn't his bedroom. In a slight panic, he thought maybe he had been captured by Death Eaters and leaped from his bed. He wished he hadn't moved so quickly since it took a moment for the room to stop spinning. Then he realized he wasn't chained down, he had been sleeping in a comfortable bed, and he had on a pair of comfortable pajamas, though the top seemed to be on backwards. Most importantly, he did not feel like he had been beaten nearly to death. He doubted any of those would have been true if he were a prisoner somewhere.

His mind raced through other possibilities. There were no snores from his fellow Gryffindor roommates, so he wasn't at Hogwarts. The mattress wasn't lumpy and there was no strong smell of disinfectant spells, two telltale signs of the school infirmary. "At least I'm not hurt," he thought to himself wryly. "Except for that throbbing ache in the back of my brain." There were no Chudley Cannon posters covering the walls or that warm, homelike feeling he always found at the Burrow. He couldn't hear Dudley's buzz saw snores through the walls nor feel the cold draft that came through the window seals around his bedroom window at Privet Drive. So where on earth was he?

Glancing quickly around the room, he noticed a small desk with a telephone and a chair near the bed, a television on the far wall, two closed doors, one with several towels on a nearby shelf, and a sliding glass door. He decided a little exploration might help him orient himself.

Opening the far door, he stepped out and saw only a dimly lit hallway with several other doors. He closed the door and tried the other door. It opened into a bathroom where he recognized one of his shirts and a pair of his trousers. As he turned around he saw something hanging from the curtain rod. It looked like someone had peeled the skin from a human pair of legs. And it was still dripping! Horrified, he watched as another drop fell and splattered on the floor. But it wasn't red, it was clear. It was only water!

Disgusted, he turned and saw something else hanging from the rod. For a moment he thought it was some sort of a noose, but upon closer inspection realized it was a very oddly cut piece of stretchy fabric. Curious, he pulled it off the bar and looked at it closely, trying to figure out what its purpose might be. As he twisted and turned the straps, puzzling over the piece of clothing, his eyes happened to notice a blue skirt and a light grey blouse in the corner. His eyes widened as he realized what he was holding and he threw it across the room where it hit the door with a soft thud and slid to the floor. Stumbling, he bolted from the bathroom, hastily locking the door as he left.

His mind whirling, he stumbled across the room towards the glass door, hoping that going outside for a moment might help him clear his head and think more coherently. He jerked the door open and stepped out on a small balcony where he could see dim shapes of buildings crowded all around him over a narrow street.

The early morning air, cool and brisk on his face, seemed to promise a day of perfect weather. Letting the wind softly ruffle his messy mop of black hair, he closed his eyes and let his other senses tell him of the events swirling around him. With his eyes closed, the pain in his head seemed to recede slightly, though he kept a tight grip on the railing. A brief hint of salt from the sea lay beneath a variety of other smells as shopkeepers and street sellers began setting up their displays of clothing, spices, and fresh vegetables and fish. The buzz of a thousand conversations competed with bicycle bells and car horns as traffic began to pick up. As he tried to pick up pieces of conversation, he realized he couldn't understand a word that was being said. Nobody was speaking in English.

Fighting down panic, he tried to put together the clues he had discovered so far. Apparently he was in a hotel in a foreign country and there was some naked, invisible girl hiding in his room somewhere who had blindsided him with a rogue bludger. But that didn't make any sense at all! What the hell was going on? He needed to find out. But how?

"Harry!"

Whirling around, his eyes searching the shadows, he raised his right hand instinctively and summoned his wand without thinking. "Who are you? What do you want? Show yourself! No don't!" he demanded.

"Harry, calm down." He could tell the voice he heard inside his head seemed amused. "It's me, Hermione. Just go unlock the door and…"

"Hermione! Are you OK? What door! Where have they taken you! I'll come rescue you! Where are you?"

"Harry, I'm fine. Nobody's taken me and I definitely don't need you to come and rescue me. Just unlock the bathroom door."

Still confused, Harry returned to the bathroom door and opened it to reveal a widely smiling Hermione Granger clad in a warm bathrobe.

"Why didn't you just open the door with a spell? Have you lost your magical power? Are you sure you're OK?" asked Harry with great concern.

"For the last time, Harry, I'm perfectly fine. And put that wand down. Neither of us is seventeen yet. We can still get into trouble for casting spells outside of school. Though there probably aren't any detection wards around here." She leaned forward to give him a good morning kiss and then pulled away quickly, with a look of disgust on her face. "Harry James Potter! You're DRUNK!!!"

Harry backed up a step, dropping his wand and clasping both hands to the sides of his head. "I am NOT DRUNK!!! OWWWwwww my head."

"I can smell it on your breath…"

"Can you please talk more softly, Mione? My head feels like it's about to split right open any second now. I am not drunk, I just have a really, really bad headache. It must be my scar. I must have had another dream sent by Voldemort. Uhh, by the way…where are we Mione? What are we doing here? What's going on?"

"Harry, you defeated Voldemort. He's dead. He is not sending you any dreams or making your scar ache. We are on vacation with my parents in Greece. Don't you remember?"

"Everything seems a little fuzzy right now, Mione."

"Why don't you go sit down on the bed for a minute."

Harry sat and the trolls who were happily hammering away inside his skull decided to take a short break for tea. "Mione, how on earth would I have gotten drunk last night?"

"Well, my dad insisted on taking you out after we all had dinner last night. He said something about wanting to get to know you a little better. I cannot believe he let you get drunk. In fact, I can't believe he bought you drinks. What on earth was he thinking? In fact, I think I'll go over right now and…"

"Hermione, there is no way on earth I would be stupid enough to get drunk while having a one-on-one chat with your dad. I doubt he would have bought me a drink in the first place."

"Well, I guess I'll know in a minute then. As for you, that's the last time you ever drink anything stronger than butterbeer, Harry Potter."

Harry just muttered a reply but then a rather frightening thought occurred to him. "Uhh, Mione. Umm, did anything happen between us last night?"

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"I mean, I found all of your stuff, at least I guess it's your stuff, I mean I'm sure it's your stuff, at least I'm sure it's not anybody else's stuff and it's not my stuff. Anyways, there's a bunch of girl stuff in my bathroom. And, uhh…"

Fixing Harry with a cool stare that caused Harry to wonder what on earth had forced him to open his mouth just a moment ago Hermione replied, "That is a bathroom between our two rooms that we share Harry. And though I love you more than you can imagine, I assure you that nothing happened between us last night. I'm not that kind of girl, Harry-you should know that. Now I'm going to go speak to my father about last night. I suggest you get some more sleep, Harry. You obviously need it because you're not thinking very clearly." She then turned and slammed the door behind her.

Harry put his hand to the side of his head. "Way to go, Harry, you absolute prat! Looks like you've made a real mess of things now. I don't envy her father right now." Harry turned and rolled over on the bed. He laid down and tried to calm himself down enough to sleep for a bit. Just as he got comfortable, the trolls inside his head decided break time was over and returned to work. Apparently they thought jackhammers would be more effective than hammers and cheerfully went back to work as Harry curled into a little ball on the bed.

-----

The door across the hall from Hermione's room was still vibrating from where she had pounded on it for the fifth time. A bleary eyed woman opened the door as Hermione bulled her way through the opening crack. "Where's dad?"

"Shh. Hermione, you'll wake him up. He's still sleeping. Apparently he and Harry had a very good time last night."

"I'll bet," grumbled Hermione as she rounded the corner into the bedroom area. She pulled up a chair, sat by the bed, and kicked the lump wrapped up in the blankets.

"Mmphff. Go away, dear. I'm tired and have a terrible headache."

"It's going to get a lot worse if you don't wake up and give me some answers, Dad."

"What? Who?" exclaimed the lump as it sat up in bed. "Is that you Pumpkin?"

"Don't try and Pumpkin me, Dad. I want to know what the hell you were doing getting my boyfriend drunk last night. Was it some sort of test or something? Were you…"

"Don't talk to your father like that, Hermione."

"Mom, did you know about this? Did you know Dad got Harry drunk last night?"

"No dear. I only know that he wanted to talk to Harry by himself."

"Listen dear, I did not aim to get Harry drunk," responded her father. "I ordered a glass of wine for myself and what I thought was a soda or something for Harry. But you know my Greek is terrible and the waiter's English was not much better. Judging by the strength of this headache, I imagine they brought both of us wine and it was some pretty strong stuff. I'm sorry dear, really I am. Like your mother said, I just wanted to talk to Harry."

"But what did you want to know that I haven't already told you?" asked Hermione.

"Well we know from you that the boy is nearly perfect. We just wanted to get to know him better for ourselves."

"And…" probed Hermione.

"And your father and I like him very much. There's no doubt he cares for you very much. And the two of you act like you've been together forever. It's almost eerie how the two of you interact, as if you could read each other's thoughts. But…"

"But what, Mom?" asked Hermione with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Well, two things. Though Harry acts very nice and seems very pleasant, your father and I are concerned about his upbringing."

"His what?" Hermione nearly shrieked.

"Let me explain. You told us he was orphaned as a baby and brought up by a very nasty set of relatives. And his school years, from what you have told me, have been very wild and dangerous. You mentioned a godfather who had been in jail and then killed after knowing Harry for only a couple of years. We're just concerned about what kinds of role models he might have had or not had growing up. We are just worried about how he might treat you in the future."

Through grating teeth, Hermione asked quietly, "And what was your second concern?"

"Well, though Harry seems to be a very nice boy, he does seem to draw quite a bit of trouble. We understand that he, along with friends like you and Ron, have been in danger a number of times over the years. Though you never said very much about it, your father and I could sense there was always more to your stories than you were telling us. For example, last year you came home with those medicines that you had to take. You acted as if everything was alright, and refused to see a doctor, even though I could tell you were in quite a bit of pain for several weeks. You barely left your room while you were home. You told us you had a nasty fall off of a broom."

"So you think I'm inventing injuries for sympathy and that my boyfriend is some sort of dangerous anti-social thrill-seeking psychopathic lunatic time bomb just waiting to explode. Thanks a lot, guys. I appreciate the vote of confidence."

"That's not what your mother said, Pumpkin."

"She didn't have to, Dad. I'm deeply moved by the depth of your trust in me."

"If you want to talk about trust, Hermione, we could discuss the reasons why you don't trust us with the whole truth," snapped her mother. Her father looked sharply at Hermione's mother.

"What are you talking about Mom?" bristled Hermione as she stood up from her chair.

"I'm talking about the two versions of your school years at Hogwarts. There's the version you've told us on your brief visits home, and then there's the truth."

"WHAT?"

"You remember that after our home was destroyed last fall that we spent most of last year hiding at some wizard's home protected by those two Aurors, right? Well, Tonks was one of the witches and we had plenty of time to chat. It turns out that even though she hasn't known either of you more than a year or two, she knew more about what the two of you have done at Hogwarts than your father and I. And what she didn't know, I was able to read about in some of those magical newspapers. It seems like most of the magical world knows more about what has happened to my daughter over the past six years than her own parents."

Hermione just stared at her parents with her eyes wide in shock.

Her mother continued. "Why didn't you tell us you had been petrified during your second year? I remember the weeks without letters and thought you were just very busy with your studies. I didn't know how you nearly drowned your fourth year during that silly tournament, or about all those terrible lies and slanders that awful Rita Skeeter made up about you. Then last year when you came home with those potions and that nasty cough you kept trying to hide. You just laid around in your room most of the time. You told us you were just relaxing, but I could tell that you weren't feeling very well, but you wouldn't tell us what happened. Tonks told us you were nearly killed by a bunch of evil wizards while going with Harry to rescue his godfather. You had barely recovered when you went back to school early…for extra classes you told us. Instead, you went back to the headquarters of that secret group of wizards with Tonks and the others again, like you had the summer before.

Then, several weeks ago, Tonks and the other witch disappeared one morning. Some other wizard returned that afternoon, and told us that the evil wizard had been defeated. We could return to our new home that had been rebuilt if we wanted to, we were safe now. And he said that we must be so proud of everything you had done to help Harry Potter defeat the evil wizard. But you know what Hermione? We still don't have a clue about how you helped him. We spent a couple of days at Hogwarts while you and Harry recovered from what we gathered was a huge battle or something, but we never really knew what was going on. After you woke up, you were more concerned about Harry and finishing the school year than filling us in on any details. The only message we got from you after we left was to let us know the day and time we could come to pick you up at the train station, and how excited you were to go on vacation with us this year and would we mind if your friend Harry Potter could come along with us.

So don't you dare come in here complaining about our lack of trust in you. We want to trust both you and Harry, but you have to trust us as well."

Hermione snapped out of her shock at the last challenge from her mother and moved to the door. Then she spun and spat out, "Don't tell me what I have to do. You don't trust either Harry or me, just because I don't tell you every single detail of my life."

"Hermione, your mother and I aren't asking to know about every little detail of your life. But if you've been in danger at school or with young Harry, we should know about it. We want to know about it. We are your parents after all. We love you and worry about you."

"If I've been in danger, it's been my choice. My choice! It's not Harry's fault."

"Sweetie, we never said it was. We just don't understand why you never told us about all of this. Why didn't you trust us? Did you think we wouldn't understand because we can't do magic? Are you ashamed of us? Why?"

Hermione looked first at her father, then at her mother, then dropped her eyes to the floor. "No, I'm not ashamed of either of you. It's just that…I…I can't talk about this right now. I need some time to think." And without looking at either of her parents she quickly left the room. She didn't notice the twin looks of worry and concern that followed her out of the room.

-----

Returning to her room, Hermione sat on her bed in shock. Her parents knew! What was she going to do? She always knew that she would eventually have to tell them the truth, but she hadn't thought the time would come so soon. What was she going to do?

Moving to one of her bags, she reached in and extracted a small metal cylinder and moved to the door of the bathroom that she shared with Harry.

"Harry?" she mindspoke softly.

"Owww. Who is this? Hermione?"

"It's your princess in need of rescuing."

"I thought you didn't need rescuing."

"I changed my mind. There's something I really need to talk to you about."

"If you want, though I don't think I'll be much help. I'm really not feeling too good right now."

"I think I can help with that. I'll be there in a minute."

Hermione quickly walked through the bathroom and found Harry curled up on his bed, both of his fists digging into his eye sockets. Hermione set down the glass of water she had filled in the bathroom and opened the metal cylinder she had brought from her bedroom. Using the cap, she measured out some of the powder into the glass and swirled the cup.

"Here, drink all of this, Harry."

Harry took the glass from Hermione and downed the drink in three swallows. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and blinked widely at Hermione.

"That was amazing! I feel so much better. What was that?"

"Just a simple pain-relieving potion, Harry. I'm sure you've taken hundreds of them under Madame Pomfrey's care." smiled Hermione.

"Well, yeah. But how did you make it so fast?"

"I made it before we left Hogwarts. I thought if you were going on vacation with us, it would come in handy."

"Very funny. But that didn't taste like one of Pomfrey's potions. It tasted sort of minty-no bad aftertaste. I'll bet you could sell them like aspirin or something."

"A super aspirin potion, huh?"

"Yeah, you could call it a SAP. You can put me down for a hundred of those potions."

"It's not really a potion, Harry. Well, it was, but then I made the potion into powder, making it much easier to carry." Noticing Harry's confused look, Hermione continued. "As you know, healing potions are fairly easy to make, if you have all the ingredients and equipment. And they can be stored and saved for later use, but they slowly lose effectiveness over time. They're most effective just after they have just been created. This powder provides the maximum potency of the healing potions with ease of creation-just add water. I talked with Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape, and with their help I developed this healing powder." Hermione beamed at Harry.

"You worked with Snape?"

"Well, you did didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess. But it still seems wrong somehow. Gryffindors and Snape." Harry thought for a minute. "Umm, Hermione. How many times have you used this potion on people?"

"Ahem, yes, well, uhh…Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape were closely monitoring the creation of the powder and they both seemed satisfied…"

"Hermione, has anyone used this potion besides me?"

"Uhh, well, technically, errr…no." replied Hermione in a quiet voice. "How do you feel?"

"Well, not so good now that I've learned that I'm just a big fat lab rat for your mad science experiments."

"Ohh, Harry, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I did that. But I thought it would help and I was sure there wouldn't be any side effects…"

"Relax, Hermione. I'm just kidding. I'm just glad you didn't try it on yourself first."

"Ohh." replied Hermione, looking a little relieved.

"OK. Uhh, Mione? I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry, Harry. I'm not mad at you. Forget about it."

"Why didn't you give me a SAP before you went to talk to your dad?"

"I wanted the lesson about drinking to sink in some more first."

"Ohh-how very kind of you. Uhh, what was so important that you needed to come in and see me right away?"

Suddenly Hermione's eyes widened and in them Harry thought he saw a variety of emotions pass through them-sorrow, anger, regret, and fear.

"Why don't we get cleaned up first, and then we'll go have some breakfast. I'll tell you after breakfast." She then spun around and headed back to her room. Harry just sat on the bed, confused as he watched her leave.

-----

Hermione quickly got ready and then returned to her room to wait for Harry to finish. A few minutes after Harry jumped into the shower, Hermione heard a light knock at the door over the sound of the running water. She heard her mother's faint voice calling her name but she ignored it. A few minutes later Harry entered her room fully dressed but still trying to get his damp red hair to lay down.

Grinning at him, she laughed. "Give it up, Harry. That's one battle you'll never win. Not even with a metamorphmagus transformation."

Harry chuckled and asked, "Ready then?"

A few minutes later, they were walking together outside the hotel and down the street to a little café they had eaten at several times before. They settled into a small white table outside on the edge of the sidewalk where they could watch the morning traffic yet not be overheard.

"Are your folks going to join us?" When Hermione refused to respond, Harry tried to make small talk as they ate a delicious breakfast of fruit, almond pastries, and juice.

Finally Hermione spoke and described the argument she had had with her parents earlier that morning. Harry sat in complete shock.

"I don't understand Hermione. Why wouldn't you tell your parents the truth about your years at Hogwarts?" Sensing Hermione was drawing in breath to explode at him, he continued. "Take it easy, Hermione. I'm on your side. I just don't understand why you kept all of that secret."

"Don't you, Harry? Didn't you keep a few secrets all to yourself last year? Tell me, why did you do that?"

"Well, that was different. I was trying to protect you and Ron and everyone else I cared about. You don't know what it's like to lose your family, to be afraid of losing everyone you love so dearly simply because you're a target…"

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!!! Did you forget that I nearly lost both of my parents last year? That I've nearly lost you every year we've gone to school together? How dare you sit there as if you're the only person who's ever lost a loved one or been afraid of losing someone close to you!"

"You're right, Mione. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that at all. It just came out wrong. I'm sorry. I just tried to keep everything secret because I thought I could protect people better that way. And I wasn't sure I would get as much help from the members of the Order if they knew more. But I still don't see what this has to do with your parents."

"They think I'm ashamed of them or something. But part of the reason I didn't tell them was because I thought it would be easier on them if they didn't know about the dangers I faced with you. That they would worry less if they didn't know everything. But part of me was afraid they might never let me go back if they knew the truth."

"Go back?"

"Go back to the magical world. I mean I love my parents and everything, but when I'm at Hogwarts with my friends learning about magic and using it everyday, I feel like my world is finally complete. Like I'm whole. I never felt that way in my other schools or at home-I never felt like I really belonged. All those times out breaking rules with you and Ron, I felt so alive. But at the same time, part of me was terrified that I would get caught and expelled from school. And my worst fear was that my wand would be taken away and I would never be allowed to learn about or practice magic again. Ever." As she finished, she leaned her head forward into her hands and began crying softly. Harry slid his chair over and tucked her head onto his shoulder and just let her cry.

Once Hermione had settled down a bit, Harry asked her, "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know what to do. I have no idea."

Tilting her head up to look at him, Harry suggested cautiously, "I think you should go back and talk to them. Tell them the whole truth. And tell them what you've told me."

"That's excellent advice, coming from the Boy who never revealed a secret until it was discovered and only then did so reluctantly," she replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, and you saw what the effect of trying to keep all of those secrets to myself did to me."

Hermione looked at Harry and grasped his hand and squeezed it as Harry stared at the tabletop. "Don't make the same mistakes I did, Mione. You're smarter than that. I really think it would be for the best, for you and your parents." He looked back at her. "If you like, I could go with you to give you some support," he offered.

"Thanks, Harry, but I should probably do this on my own. Besides, I always have your support up here," she smiled as she tapped her head with a finger.

"Whatever I can do to help, just let me know," grinned Harry and put his arm around her again. They just sat there, enjoying the signs of life swirling around them.

-----

Returning to their hotel, Harry left Hermione in front of her parents' door with one final hug and then he headed back to his own room. Hermione hesitated for a moment, then knocked softly and waited for the door to open.

Three hours later, Harry left his room and walked to the Grangers' door. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened and Hermione let him in and showed him to a chair. Her parents were seated next to each other on the edge of the bed, both looking a little pale.

Mr. Granger looked at Harry and said, "Hermione just told us about her owl form and showed it to us. She says that the two of you can communicate telepathically. When I asked her if you were listening to the conversation, she said yes and I asked her to have you come over. You might as well be here physically as well as mentally." Both of the Grangers looked uncomfortably at Harry.

"Well, thank you for the invitation. Actually, I can only hear Hermione's side of the conversation." Both of her parents looked confused. "I'm not really much of a telepath. I mean I can talk to Hermione, we call it mindspeaking, and I've done the same thing with Professor Dumbledore a couple of times, but that was under very strenuous circumstances. I can't read your minds. Hermione is the one that has the real gift for communicating telepathically with other people." Both of the Grangers turned to look again at their daughter.

Hermione continued telling the story of the events of their sixth year, leaving out only some of the quiet, personal moments she and Harry had spent together and glossed over her visits inside of Harry's mind. When she told them about the Battle at Hogwarts and the final battle against Voldemort, her mother gripped her father's hand so tightly the blood was squeezed out of it.

When Hermione finished, her parents just looked at her in shock. The minutes seemed to drag by as the silence continued. Finally, her father spoke. "Why did you keep all this from us Hermione? What were you afraid of?"

Hermione looked quickly at Harry and he just nodded. "I wanted to protect you from the worry and the fear, the same worry and fear I felt all those years for Harry."

Harry's head snapped up at that. He had known of course that she always worried about him, but had never really thought about how awful it must have been for her until now. "I'm so sorry Mione to have caused you so much pain."

She simply smiled back at him before turning back to her parents. "And I was afraid that you might not let me go back to Hogwarts because of the danger there. I was afraid of losing the magical side of me, the part that makes me feel whole. I don't know how to explain it. But I'm so sorry I never told you the whole truth. I should have explained after the attack at our home. I never meant to hurt you. I'm sooo sorry…" As she began crying, her mother quickly moved over and gave her a huge hug, followed by her father.

Harry, looking a bit uncomfortable, moved quietly to leave the room and let the Grangers spend this moment alone.

"Where do you think you are going young man?" asked a teary eyed Mrs. Granger. Before the confused teen could respond, she gave him a huge hug as well. Mr. Granger walked over and put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Uhhh, thank you? I'm a little confused here. I thought you would hate me because of all the danger I've dragged your daughter into…"

"Harry!" protested Hermione.

"Trust me, son. Nobody drags my daughter anywhere she doesn't want to go in the first place. I want to thank you for protecting her as well as you have. Nobody could have done better."

"Uhh, thank you sir."

"You can call me George."

"George?" asked Harry with a smile as he ignored Hermione's sharp look.

"Yes, is there something funny?"

"No sir, I mean George. It's just that I have a very good friend named George. And he has a twin named Fred."

"Oh, that is funny. My father's name was Fred."

"Yes, that is funny."

"Harry, I do not want to hear one joke about…"

Harry quickly tuned her out as Hermione's mother began to speak by his side. "I think Hermione is very lucky to have found a friend like you."

Harry's face turned a bright crimson as he tried to think of a reply. "Actually, I'm the lucky one. I never would have made it through the last six years without the help and friendship of your daughter." Hermione rushed over and gave him a huge hug. "You mean the world to me, Mione. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. I love you." Hermione gasped and pulled back in his arms a bit to look at him.

"What?" asked Harry and then saw the stunned faces of her parents. "Uhh, did I just say that out loud?" His face grew even more brightly red.

Hermione's mother gave them both another bone-crushing hug. Hermione's father walked over, looked at Harry and said, "We'll talk more about this later, Harry. But no wine this time."

-----

They had a wonderful dinner that evening with Hermione's parents. When they left, Hermione and her mother walked on ahead, leaving Harry alone with her father. It was one of the longest walks of Harry's life. After all, he was the father of the girl, no, young woman, that he loved. If he were Hermione's father, he would be very protective of her, too, so he really couldn't blame the guy for wanting to know more about Harry. However, knowing and understanding Mr. Granger's motives didn't necessarily make it any easier for Harry. He kind of liked Hermione's dad, but he still felt nervous and a bit intimidated.

George Granger asked a lot of questions, and Harry did his best to answer them. He hoped he hadn't said anything embarrassing. Hermione's voice kept popping into his head to try and reassure him. But under the continuing barrage of questions and Hermione's constant comments, Harry couldn't keep track of both conversations.

Finally, Harry just turned to Hermione's father and said, "I know you have lots of questions for me, sir, but I meant what I said earlier. Your daughter means everything in the world to me. She has saved my life a dozen times over. She has been the best and truest friend I have ever known. She has never let me down and has been there for me every time I have needed her support. She brings out the best in me and inspires me to do more and be more than I ever could on my own. I love her more than anyone or anything I can ever imagine. I would never do anything to hurt her or to put her into harm's way. You have to believe me when I tell you that I would die before I let anything happen to her." Harry paused and looked intently into Mr. Granger's eyes.

Mr. Granger reached across and laid his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Well spoken, young man. I look forward to getting to know you better, Harry. Come on, let's catch up to the girls."

As they reached the women walking ahead of them, Hermione reached back and grabbed Harry's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "I think Dad was very impressed tonight. Mom, too."

"I meant every word. Do you feel better now that you've talked to your parents?"

"Yes, thanks Harry." They followed her parents upstairs and Hermione gave Harry a quick kiss goodnight before he headed into his own room. She followed them into their room and paused to look back at Harry. "I've got a few more things to sort out with my parents, but thanks again for everything, Harry."

Harry just smiled. "Anytime, Mione. Anytime."


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