Alterations
Chapter 4
Alterations
Summer faded into autumn as a routine was established for Harry. He had decided he'd had enough of hiding his relationship with Ginny. Knowing he wasn't in love with her and never would be, he enjoyed most of the time he spent with her. She was fun. He invited Ginny to his flat for supper and subsequently invited his two best friends, one of which was Ginny's brother.
"I met the delivery owl at the door, hon," said Ginny as she swept into the room. "You owe me seven Galleons. What on earth did you order? This is a lot for the two of us."
"I invited Ron and Hermione. I wanted to tell them about us." Harry replied. "I don't want to hide anymore. You were right, of course. It's been horrible keeping it from them."
Ginny slid into his arms and rested her head against his chest.
"Oi, Harry," called Ron. "Are you here yet?"
Harry and Ginny sprang apart, as Harry responded, "In here."
"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Ron asked.
"Harry invited me for dinner, but I really can't stay. I was just…"
"Please stay," Harry begged.
Ron smirked.
Hermione arrived as Harry was putting the meal on the table. She greeted them each with a hug.
Harry went into the kitchen to get the wine from the fridge. Ginny was already there piling up the plates. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tight against him.
"Where were we before interruption?" she asked turning around.
"Right about here," he said with a kiss.
She melted into his embrace. They heard a gasp from the door and again sprung apart.
"Hermione! Sorry," stammered Harry as he followed her back to the dining area.
"Honestly, Harry," Hermione said. "It's fine. I was just surprised, that's all."
Ginny was nowhere to be seen. Ron perked up at the exchange.
"What's happening?" Ron asked.
Harry examined his shoes at great length. "You see…er…well…ummm…"
"What Harry is trying to say is that he and I have been seeing each other for a few weeks now."
"I knew that," smirked Ron.
"I also knew that," stated Hermione.
It was Harry's turn to gasp. "What? How did you know?" he spluttered.
"It was easy, mate." Ron explained. "You have 'errands' always at the same time Ginny is 'working late'. You're less tense than I've ever seen you. You were even relaxed on the islands. It wasn't hard. Well...plus, did you think I wouldn't recognize my own sister's voice on that floo call I walked in on? I didn't recognize it right away, but I worked it out."
Harry grinned. "So you're not furious at me for not telling you?" he asked.
"No. It's great!" said Ron.
Hermione added, "What did you think we'd say?"
"Well, when we decided to keep it a secret," offered Ginny. "Harry, the prat, thought I meant to keep it secret from everyone. I thought he'd told you."
Hermione looked pensive and said nothing.
Ron said, "That's Harry for you. You have to be specific. Instead of saying 'it's a secret,' say 'Let's not tell the Daily Prophet' otherwise he won't tell a soul."
"Can we change the subject, please?" asked Harry.
"Oh, no, Harry!" teased Hermione. "Ron doesn't yet know exactly what I walked in on…"
"What were they doing?" Ron ribbed. "Let's think. Was there fully clothed body contact, Hermione?'
"Yes."
Harry thought he was going to be ill. "Enough," he said.
"Was there tongue involved?"
"Yes," Hermione said.
"Anyone's hands in improper places?" Ron went on.
"NO!" said Harry, scandalized.
Ron, Hermione and Ginny laughed. Harry didn't find it a bit funny.
They finished their supper and went to the living room to talk over pudding. Ginny sat very close to Harry and absentmindedly rubbed his thigh.
"How is Blaise?" Harry asked Hermione.
"He's fine," Hermione responded.
"Well," said Ron. "Since we are playing 'who's got the Veritaserum" here tonight, I'd better come clean as well." They all looked over at Ron. "I've also been seeing someone. I think she may be the one."
"Well done, mate," replied Harry. "Anyone we know?
Ron examined his fingernails closely. "Lnvgd," he muttered.
"What was that?" prodded Ginny. "You and Luna?"
"Yes," Ron retorted. "I'm in love with Loony Lovegood and from now on I don't care who knows it."
"Might I add," said Hermione, "I also knew that. Luna told me last month when she came into St Mungos to pick up a certain potion…"
Ron blushed a deep red then hurried to change the subject off that. "How is it that you know everything?"
"I pay attention, Ron," Hermione gloated. "Anyway, I need to run. I'll see you later, then."
She tidied her glass and plate from their pastry and said her goodbyes. "I just want you to be happy," she whispered in Harry's ear. "Above all else, that's what's important."
He hugged her tightly, even though a bit confused by her words, and said, "I'm working on it."
Ron said he should get going as well. Luna was expecting him to drop by. "Say, since we are all seeing someone, we should all get together. See what happens. Who knows, say, if any one of us gets married or something, the other person would feel better if they were part of the group."
Harry smiled. He knew which one of them was most likely to marry. It clearly wasn't him.
"Alone, at last," breathed Ginny as she approached Harry.
"I bought you something," Harry stated softly.
Ginny giggled. "I love it when you buy me things. It means you were thinking of me when we weren't together."
Harry smiled and held out the small box. He watched as she opened it.
Her eyes got huge as she looked at the bracelet contained in the box.
"Harry!" she exclaimed. "I was saving up for this. How did you know?"
"In the words of the great Hermione Granger, 'I pay attention.'" He chuckled.
She flung herself at him. He staggered in surprise as she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her over to the couch and sat down with her in his lap.
"Harry," she sighed between kisses.
"Can you stay?" he asked hesitantly.
"Let me send Mum a note"
Harry called his beloved owl as Ginny quickly scribbled a few lines. They retreated to a room that only Harry had been in since moving in. He was adamant that his bedroom was off limits to everyone and now he was carrying Ginny into his private domain. He was more than a little nervous. He had always been prone to nightmares. What if he had a particularly bad one? Would Ginny be afraid of him? He wished he'd been more prepared for this. 'Too late for a Calming Draught now,' he thought. He then wondered as he laid Ginny across his bed if a Calming Draught would be a help or hindrance. Snape never exactly gave them the side effects of the potions. What if it made 'things' not work properly? He groaned at that thought. Since Ginny was kissing his neck, she hadn't noticed his distraction. 'Ok, no more thinking about Snape right now,' he told himself and relaxed into her embrace.
The next morning Harry was in his office looking over his schedule. "Not bad," he said aloud. "Three days out of town in the next week." He felt tired mentally from the escapades of the previous evening. He smiled to himself. He didn't feel physically tired despite getting very little sleep. 'I suppose nightmares weren't a problem,' he told himself. 'Maybe I've found an interesting treatment for them,' and chuckled. He definitely felt mentally drained. He didn't think he'd ever talked so much in his life. He wasn't sure why he'd said the things he did; it just felt right at the time.
That night at dinner he compared schedules with Ginny. "Barring any new attacks, I've got only three days in the field," he said. "What days do you have off at the shop?"
"I think I want to quit there," Ginny responded. "It's dead boring most of the time. Maybe I'll try something else. Maybe I'll try at the Ministry again."
Harry was puzzled. She'd only been at the shop for two months and was already bored. "At the Ministry, we can see each other almost every day," Harry offered with a smile he didn't really feel.
As they left the restaurant, Ginny noticed, with a frown, several witches staring at her boyfriend. This happened every time they went out. Harry didn't notice at all. He didn't even notice when their hostess or waitress flirted with him. He'd been approached for an autograph, which he'd politely signed. He had detected a decline in her mood.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I will be," she responded.
He kissed her at the corner and watched her head toward the Burrow from behind a tree. He couldn't wait until he could proudly walk her to her door.
"Damn!" cursed Harry, a week later, as he struggled through the door with his crutches. The last raid he gone on hadn't gone very smoothly, as he'd known it wouldn't. Thankfully his damaged leg was the worst injury of his squad. He threw the crutches in a fit of anger, knocking several knickknacks off his desk. He swore more viciously at the damage.
"Reparo!" he shouted and the statues mended themselves as he hobbled to the couch.
"Harry!" called Hermione as she rushed into his open door. "Are you okay? What happened? I heard you all the way downstairs."
"Come on in the living room room, Hermione." he called back. "Fair warning, I'm in a lousy mood and not good company for anyone."
"Oh, Harry," she gushed running over to assist him when she saw his bandaged leg and various cuts and bruises.
"It's fine," he said. "I should have dodged left rather than right. Seeker reflexes mean nothing when you go the wrong bloody way."
Harry let out a string of curses that would have made Ron proud, but Hermione didn't dare reprimand him.
"What can I do for you?" she asked.
"Nothing," he grumbled. "I just need to park myself on the sofa and work out what went wrong."
Hermione knew Harry was no stranger to pain and a master at covering it. She tried to surreptitiously remove her wand to scan him to see what injuries he was hiding.
"Don't even think about it," he protested. "I was close to Hogwarts, so I visited Madam Pomfrey. I swear that woman misses me. She was trying to get me to stay overnight! As if by this time I wouldn't recognize an effing Dreamless Sleep Potion!"
Hermione knew Harry detested hospitals or any other medical facility. She was also certain that he'd still be at St. Mungos if he'd been checked there, especially if she were the one to examine him. From her quick scan, she'd identified several curse wounds, including the Cruciatus Curse. He needed someone to stay with him, not that she'd tell Harry that. He would go ballistic at the mere mention, especially in his current mood. Maybe she should ask Ginny to see if she'd stay with him. That might even lighten his mood. Then again maybe not. She'd noticed that Ginny seemed to irritate Harry rather quickly.
"Harry," she started hesitantly. "Is Ginny coming over tonight, as well?"
"No," Harry snarled. "She's washing her hair or some such. I wasn't sure if I'd be back yet, so we made no plans." Harry rose carefully and struggled into the bathroom and closed the door.
Hermione made a floo call to Ginny and found she wasn't home. She couldn't reach Ron at home or at Luna's either, so she decided she would stay, at least until he fell asleep.
Although Harry was trying to be quiet, when he knocked his injured knee on the door, he let out another loud stream of swearing before he caught himself and bowed his head in shame. He normally didn't swear because didn't want to show any weakness to anyone, ever. He wondered if Hermione would ever leave, however in his current condition, while knowing she wouldn't unless someone else was there. It wasn't as if he minded her being there exactly, he just wanted to be able to scream, swear, get sloppy drunk, or whatever else was necessary to deal with the pain.
Harry made his way back into the living room. Hermione rushed over to assist him. He grudgingly accepted her help. He was exhausted, hurting and he was furious. He just wanted to be alone to get piss drunk and forget everything for a while.
"I'm fine, Hermione," Harry once again complained. "You can go. I'll be fine, I swear. I just want to get plastered, and then collapse. That's the extent of it."
"I'm staying for sure, then. I know you've taken several potions. You shouldn't drink while on them."
"Look," Harry said curtly, "I don't want or need a minder. If you want to stay as a friend, go ahead, I really need to take the edge off of this pain. I'm going mad here." He could not believe he just said that, especially to Hermione, soon-to-be Healer Extraordinaire.
"Please let me check you, Harry. I trust Madam Pomfrey implicitly, but being the resident 'Know-It-All' I'd prefer to make sure she didn't miss anything."
"She didn't," Harry shot back. "But go ahead if it makes you feel better. After you bring me the firewhiskey that is." he smirked at her.
Hermione fetched him the smallest bottle she could find. Harry stretched out on the soft leather couch. He took a long swallow straight from the bottle and closed his eyes.
Harry could feel the magic evaluating him. Although he didn't like the vulnerable feeling, he allowed her the assessment. He didn't dare open his eyes to see the shock and pity he knew would be in her eyes. He was just doing his job. Things like this happen and he was used to it. He'd think about the mission's failure later, he decided groggily.
Harry awoke with his head in a soft lap. He smiled without opening his eyes wondering how he had gotten so lucky. She smelled so good. He'd always loved the fragrance of her perfume. She smelled just like….
"Hermione?" he gasped as his eyes flew open.
"Good morning," Hermione responded with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Harry answered automatically. He did a quick check on himself. Knee still ached, expected; headache from hangover, no, didn't drink much; facial cuts, healed; body cuts and bruises, healed; remnants from painful curses, gone.
"You've been busy," he stated.
"Yes, well, you've a bad habit of getting yourself into trouble. One of the reasons I became a Healer was to be able to fix you up to my own satisfaction."
Harry ducked his head so that she couldn't see the eye-roll he couldn't prevent.
"You can't keep doing this, Harry," she said. "You need to find something else…"
"Don't start, Hermione," Harry interrupted. "I know about the limitations of magical healing. I know about scars, possibly more than anyone. I also know about many other things that you don't. Things I can't talk about so please just drop it, alright?"
"You were already asleep when Ginny came over last night," she stated, hoping to calm him.
"Oh? I'm sorry I missed her," he said.
"She started at the Ministry today. She was eager to tell you about it. She'll be by after work today."
"I hope she likes this one," he offered.
"Well, you know Ginny," Hermione responded. "What's her average, three months before she gets bored?"
Harry smiled at that. "That's fairly close. Like a butterfly, she is, in a never ending pursuit for the perfect flower."