Disclaimer: Who could actually believe I own any of this?
of Friends and Family
When Harry arrived in his bedroom on Privet Drive, he was surprised to see his trunk, and Hedwig's cage had already been put in the respective places, but Dobby was nowhere to be found. Thankful to be alone again, he opened his window so his owl could get back in, and collapsed on his bed.
It had been a horribly long day, and the last thing Harry had ever expected when he woke up was trying to put on a happy face, but between Hermione's breakdowns, and being surprised with meeting her parents, there wasn't much of a choice. Having spent the most of the last few days being inwardly angry about everything, he had finally come to grips with the fact that nothing he could do would ever bring back Dumbledore. During the funeral Harry realized that someone had to be an example, and get back to life as much as possible. He decided that the best way to honor the memory of his friend was to be that person, but now that he was alone at last, he could feel the grief that had been welling up inside him begin to take over, and the tears streaming from his eyes slowly soaked his pillow.
Harry had lost track of time as he lay there, but immediately jerked up off of his bed when he heard someone running through the lower level of the house. He looked at his clock; there was no way the Dursley's had made it back from King's Cross yet. Just as Harry drew his wand, and prepared to blast anything that came through his door, he heard the person running up the stairs trip, and land heavily on the landing outside his room. Recognizing the grumbling, and knowing no one could fake being that clumsy, Harry threw open his door.
"Tonks! What do you think you're doing running around like that? I was ready to blast your head off!" Harry almost immediately regretted these words when he saw how well the angry look on her face went with her blood-red hair.
"ME? What the hell do you think you are doing sneaking away like that? Did you never even think to tell us that you weren't going to take the train? NO! You just leave me and Remus standing on the platform waiting for you! At least he finally had the good sense to check with Ron, otherwise who knows how long we would have been looking for you!" As Tonks' face slowly darkened to match her hair, Harry couldn't help feeling a little guilty. Of course somebody from the Order would have to be at the station to make sure he safely made it home. Dumbledore's death had probably shaken them to their roots, but Harry was fairly certain that some of them (Remus in particular) would never let that get in the way of insuring his safety.
Harry lowered his head and returned to his room, expecting to be thoroughly chewed-out. Looking back at Tonks, still in the doorway, red-faced as ever, he muttered, "Well, come in and get on with it. I doubt an apology will work at this point, so why not just hex me a bit so you can feel better?" She stared blankly at him for a moment before looking over her shoulder to greet Remus, who gently nudged her into the room. Harry looked to his father's last friend, preparing to see disappointment, only to find a very closely guarded face.
"Remus, I'm sorry, I really am. The last few days at Hogwarts were horrible, everywhere I went people were questioning me about what really happened that night, and all I could do was run away from them. The last place I wanted to be was trapped on a train with them all again. I should have let you know, but really, Hermione and I had a talk with Professor McGonagall, and she was fine with us Apparating back to the station." Harry was slightly shocked when the werewolf's shell finally cracked and he burst out laughing. Tonks, who had been expecting him to be as mad at Harry, if not more, quickly rounded on him.
"What the hell is so funny about all of this? Just because you finally wised up and asked me out doesn't mean I won't turn you into a slug! If it'd taken you any bloody longer I might have on principal alone!" Remus quickly fell silent, and Harry noticed for the first time how much younger he looked, or rather that he was looking more his own age. The grey hair was still there, but the lines or worry and wariness that seemed etched into his face had all but vanished.
"I'm sorry, to both of you," Remus finally managed to get out, "Harry, you know why we're upset, but I suppose it is our fault if you cleared this with Minerva-"
"And the laughing?" Tonks demanded.
"Well… It just came to me, but when James, Sirius, and I were all seventeen, we were planning on Apparating to platform with every intention of turning the ground to quicksand, but Minerva found us out. She had threatened to lock us all in the dungeons, which we all readily agreed to. In the end she simply had Hagrid `escort' us all onto the train. She must be growing soft to have let you go without a hassle."
"More like she knew that Hermione would keep me from causing any trouble." Said Harry.
While Remus and Harry were both smiling to themselves, for different reasons, Tonks was still quite annoyed. "What are you doing Apparating around Harry, you can't even test for a license until next week? Are you trying to get your wand snapped?"
"We both know that's not going to happen-"
"No you don't, just because Fudge is on the outs, doesn't mean you're in the clear as far as the ministry goes. There are plenty of people who would love to get you back in that courtroom."
"The entire Order has been Apparating around this house for the last two years, and I've never gotten in trouble for that-"
"Of course not, we're all of age! We're licensed!"
"Stop trying to fool me, Tonks! I know they can't tell who did what, Dumbledore told me so!" She suddenly bit back her retort and looked over to Remus, who had been watching their exchange with a very amused expression.
"Harry, you're not supposed to know that. No one is, in fact, I'm amazed Albus even considered telling you that."
"Well," Remus interjected, "He always maintained Harry was much more mature for his age that he needed to be. You won't be spreading that little fact around too much now, will you?"
"Oh, I guess not." He hadn't really thought about it, but it was a pretty poorly written law, basically requiring the wizarding public be lied to. "Though, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep it from Hermione. Between Apparating the both of us to London, and casting a silencing charm on Uncle Vernon at King's Cross, She'll probably be asking more than a couple of questions."
The older couple stared in disbelief at Harry before both trying to talk at once.
"You Side-Along'd Hermione?" said Tonks.
"You silenced your uncle?" said Remus.
Not really sure who to answer, Harry just nodded.
"Well, tell us the story. I'm sure it's interesting." There was a note of defeat in Tonks' voice, as she finally gave up her commanding attitude from earlier.
For some reason Harry didn't want to tell them about his time with Hermione in the common room, he liked the fact that most of what happened was between them, and Dobby, whom Harry knew would never say a word without permission. "After I decided to skip the train ride, Hermione offered to stay behind with me, so we waited around Hogwarts for a few hours, then I brought us both the King's Cross. I didn't know what to do with our luggage, so I got my friend Dobby to bring it along for us. After we got there, I met Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and they didn't really understand how we were there before the train, so I Apparated Emma and myself to an ice cream stand in a park near here. The Dursleys must have recognized my things, and when Emma and I returned, Vernon was shouting at Hermione and her father about not wanting me here, so I silenced him, and told the three of them to go home. Vernon did look oddly happy as they left, but none of them put up a fight."
"You took her Mum out for ice cream?" Tonks was staring incredulously at him. Harry shrugged; he didn't really understand why Hermione, and now Tonks seemed that surprised by this. She was now smiling mischievously at him, "When did you get to be such a charmer?" Harry felt his face grow staggeringly hot, and he could only imagine how red his face must be. Lupin seemed to be finding all of this highly amusing.
"You really are turning out more like you father every day, Harry." He managed to get out between breaths, but Harry couldn't help but notice the pride in his voice.
"So, did you two see the Grangers off? Were the Weasleys upset that we weren't there?" Asked Harry.
Tonks and Lupin looked to each other for a second before she said, "Well, Molly was in a right state when she found out the two of you took off alone, but Arthur whispered something to her and she calmed down quite a bit," Harry could only imagine what he had told his `Mollywobbles' to calm her down, "and Ron and Ginny were both in pretty bad moods, which I'm sure you had nothing to do with, right?" Her biting sarcasm was not missed on either of the men in the room.
"By the time Tonks and I figured out what had happened, the Grangers were already gone, though I must say we were hoping to see them out, just to be safe." A slight wave of panic passed through Harry. Did they really think a couple of dentists were in danger?
"Do you think they're alright? Should we check in on them just to be safe?" Harry had already pulled his mirror out of his pocket and called into it, "Hermione Granger!" Nothing happened, and Harry tensed, not knowing what that meant.
"Where did you get that?" Remus demanded, his mouth hanging open.
"Sirius gave it to me, and I had Kreacher get the other one from Grimmauld Place earlier so Hermione and I could use them, but she's not answering. We have to find her, something might be wrong!" Harry was already halfway to the door when Remus grabbed him.
"Wait a minute Harry. These mirrors. Did you give Hermione the one you had, or the one Kreacher brought you?" The question caught Harry off guard, what difference did it make?
"She has the one from the house, why?"
"Harry, we all had these mirrors in school, even I still have one packed away somewhere at home. You have to key in the person you want to talk to, here let me see it." Harry quickly passed it over, and watched as Remus quietly muttered a few long incantations, tapping the mirror with his wand at odd intervals. Tonks watched him work with a hungry look in her eyes.
"Here, try it now, and you don't need to shout." Harry took the mirror back, and let out a shaky breath.
"Hermione Granger." After a second the face of the mirror turned black, and they could hear some muffled talking. "Hermione!" The blackness quickly vanished as she pulled her mirror from her pocket, looking quite surprised to be hearing from him so soon.
"Harry, is everything okay? I wasn't planning to try and call you until later."
"Everything here is fine. Remus and Tonks just stopped by to yell at me for not taking the train, and we all just wanted to make sure you and you r parents got along alright."
"Actually Harry, we were hoping to have a word with Hermione's parents." Interrupted Tonks.
"Oh. Umm, Hermione? Do you think you could hand over your mirror to your Mum for a bit? Apparently Tonks would like a word her." She looked surprised, but agreed, and Tonks left the room quietly chatting to Emma.
"I can only imagine what Emma must be thinking. They've probably seen next to no practical magic before, and now she has somebody talking to her through a mirror." Said Harry.
"Well Harry. You sound like you hit it off pretty well with Hermione's parents. I don't think I've even heard you call Arthur or Molly by name."
"Er…" Harry had never even considered using the Weasley's given names, they had always treated him like they were his surrogate parents, and it had just never seemed proper. "I don't think I ever have. Do you think Hermione's parents will be upset that I called them by name?" The twinge of panic was unmistakable. Harry felt somewhat responsible for keeping Hermione away from her parents, and the first thing he does when he meets them is show-off. The thought of acting so arrogant made Harry feel sick to his stomach.
"Don't worry lad, I've met them before, and I'm sure they don't mind at all. If you want to be uncomfortable, try being invited to meet your girlfriend's parents, with her mother being one of your best friends first cousin." Remus shuddered briefly as he finished his thought.
"Umm, do you think Tonks' Mum'll give you a bit of a hard time?"
"That, Harry, would be beyond an understatement, but I believe it would be best to not talk about it with her in the next room." Remus smiled shyly as she rejoined them in the room, handing Harry back his once-again blank mirror.
"So boys, do either of you have plans around tea time tomorrow?" Tonks said, sporting a wide grin, which Remus instantly identified.
"All three of us?" He asked to Tonks, and Harry, who was still wallowing in the idea he had insulted the Grangers, didn't even bother looking for her answer.
"Yep, just us. I guess they've even forgiven me for knocking over their clock last summer."
"They?" Harry blankly asked.
Tonks smacked him on the arm, "Come on Harry, keep up! Hermione's parents invited the three of us over tomorrow night, and I would venture a guess that you don't have plans around here."
"Tomorrow?" What was Emma playing at? She had told Harry that she would wait until tomorrow to try and get some answers out of her daughter, but now it was sounding like a bit more than a quiet family discussion. Was she trying to get his help in coaxing answers from Hermione? And just why the hell does Tonks keep winking at him? "Something in your eye Tonks?"
Remus sniggered a bit, "She's just under the impression that you are realizing your `inner-playboy.'"
"My what?"
"Oh come on, Harry," she put an arm around his shoulder and shook him a little, "Molly's been gushing about you for weeks, and now you have Hermione's parents inviting you around on a Sunday evening. Keep this up, and Moony here might be afraid to leave me alone over the next full moon."
Remus tried to laugh at this, but thought better when he saw Harry still not comprehending. "Don't worry, I do trust that you will keep our love lives separate, right Harry?"
And then it hit him. Apparently they had heard about him and Ginny dating, but not breaking up, and for some reason they were trying to bring Hermione into this whole mess just because they spent an afternoon alone. "It's not like that at all, you two. Ginny and I broke up after the funeral this morning, and Hermione," he paused, "She's just my friend. My best friend, that's all." For some reason that didn't sound right to him. After all they had been through together, they were better than friends, but what was that? With a "Humph!" he found Tonks hugging him.
"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry to hear about Ginny, and I'm so sorry for giving you such a hard time. If I had known, I never would have- I mean all the teasing, really, I'm sorry. This whole day has probably been so horrible, oh Remus, let's go. We need to stop bugging Harry here." She said all of this very fast, and was almost in tears by the end.
"Tonks, it's alright. You didn't know. I'm sure one of the Weasley's have already sent Errol with a letter telling me off, but that doesn't mean you have to go. Besides, the Dursley's should be back soon, so you might want to stick around and play damage control." Harry sat down on his bed, and let out another long sigh. It had been a long day, and the sun was still shining brightly. "So, what's this about tomorrow? If the three of us are invited over, how are we going to get there?"
"Well, apparently you have no trouble Apparating yourself between here and London." Said Remus with a shrewd look.
"True, but I've never been to their house, so how am I supposed to concentrate on my destination?" Tonks and Remus both chuckled a bit before she answered him.
"Oh, I'm sure you could find a way, if you tried hard enough. We'll come by to collect you. Or at least I will. Don't think I could handle guiding you while pulling this loaf along with us." Harry looked at his former professor with a look of utter amazement.
"You don't know how to Apparate?"
He shook his head and said, "Did you never wonder why I was on the train in your third year? No Harry, I never could get the hang of Apparition. I used to have to rely on James and Sirius to get anywhere when we were young, but after… Well, let's just say I've learned how to dress for a long broom ride."
They enjoyed some more pleasant conversation, mostly Tonks teasing Remus about his lack of proper mental control, but it almost seemed to Harry that she was talking about something else. They were soon interrupted by a car door slamming just outside the house. Harry darted to the window to see his Uncle Vernon down in the drive, glaring at him through his open window, and made a snap decision. "I expect there'll be a bit of yelling going on here, could the two of you ignore it, please? This is my last summer here, and I just think it would go a bit smoother if they didn't know the two of you were here." The two of them looked quite unhappy, but were saved from answering when they all heard Vernon bellowing from the floor below.
"BOY! Get down here NOW!"
Harry tucked his wand under his pillow, just to avoid the temptation of using it, and darted down the steps, only to find Vernon waiting in probably the worst mood Harry had ever seen. As soon as he was within reach, Harry felt himself be thrown into the wall next to the door to his cupboard. He could just make out his cousin's gleeful face around the massive form pinning him down.
"What do you think you are doing in MY home? How did you get in here? We've never given you a key; did you use your unnaturalness to sneak in?? Answer me boy!"
"Honestly-"
"Don't try to feed me your lies boy! We only let you a room here to keep that freak of a headmaster of your off our backs, but then we get a letter telling us he's died, so for all I care you can take your freakish self and leave NOW!"
"Please Uncle Vernon, I just-"
"Vernon!" Petunia shrieked. "He needs to stay, remember? It's safer!" The three Dursley's and Harry were all equally shocked to hear someone standup for Harry.
"I DON'T CARE!" Vernon resumed bellowing, his hot, sticky breath turning Harry's stomach. "We got along fine without him, so I say chuck him back out there with the other freaks!"
Petunia started sputtering, "Please! Just until-"
"Fine! You want him to stay, then he will, but he's going back in here!" Vernon wretched the door to the cupboard under the stairs open, and tried to fling Harry through, only to slam the taller-than-he-remembered boy's head into the door jam, promptly knocking him out.
When Harry came to, he realized he was back in his bed, and it was nighttime. Hedwig had returned and was looking down at something on his desk… It was his mirror, and he could hear someone on the other end, "Oh, Hedwig, would you please just try to wake him? I'm sure one good poke could do it." The owl hooted in annoyance, which made Harry wonder how many times she had been asked to wake him. Reaching over to retrieve his mirror, he was greeted by Hermione smiling brightly, "Harry! It's so good you're awake! Professor Lupin called and told me what had happened, but he and Tonks had to go, so I told them to call Dobby to watch over you, but they never got back to me and I wasn't sure-"
"Hermione?" Harry interrupted, "Could you slow down a bit and maybe just tell me what's going on? Last I remember, the Dursley's had just arrived home, and I went to head my Uncle off, but why does it feel like I just fell head-first off my broom?"
"Oh, Harry, from what Professor Lupin told me, you and your uncle got in some sort of fight, and you were knocked out when he tried to push you into a cupboard for some reason, do you know why? I know you've never particularly liked living there, but I had no idea that they could be so abusive towards you. Oh Harry, why didn't you say anything? I'm sure if the Weasley's or Professor Dumbledore knew how badly your relatives treat you, they wouldn't have made you go back there every year."
Hermione's rapid-fire dialogue was not helping subdue his headache, but he was starting to remember what had happened. His uncle had tried to force him back into his old "room" and he must have hit his head. Hard. Remus and Tonks must have still been in his room, and probably came to aide him, before having to leave, and hadn't Hermione said something about Dobby? As soon as Harry thought his name, the little elf was bouncing on his heels at the end of his bed, and Harry noticed the elf, his owl, and Hermione in the mirror watching him nervously.
"What?" Dobby was obviously fighting the urge to wring his ears, so Harry rounded on him, "What did you do Dobby? I'm not mad, just tell me." The elf began quivering, before he broke down.
"I's sorry Harry Potter! First your Hermy calls me, then you's other friends tell Dobby about you getting hurt, so Dobby put them all in an enchanted sleep. They won't wake until Harry Potter wants them to, and he will be safe!"
"What!" Harry looked down to Hermione, "This was your idea wasn't it? Put them to sleep just like you were in during the tournament. And Dobby, you did magic here? Don't you know how much I got in trouble the last time you did that?"
"Don't worry Harry, Dobby says he had a way of doing it so no one would be able to detect it, didn't you Dobby?" Hermione's words seemed to take away most of the tension the little elf was holding onto, but now both Harry and Hedwig were glaring down on her.
"And didn't you try to yell at me earlier for making a house-elf do something for me? Or what, did you plan on trying to pay him off the next time you see him?" He could tell that she was appropriately stung by his words, as in fact she had gone off and done one of the few things she had been fighting against for years. He immediately felt bad for hurting her feelings. "I'm sorry. You were only trying to help, and I'm sure it wasn't hard to convince Dobby to help-"
"Not hard at all Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby chimed in.
"So anyway, what happened?" He was looking down at Hermione, but the elf answered for her.
"Harry Potter's wolf friend left a letter!" Dobby shoved the letter under his nose as Hermione chuckled, before excusing herself to get some sleep, being that it was nearly one in the morning.
"Dobby? Could you please take the enchantment off my relatives? It's great that you could help and all that, but I just don't think it's right to keep them asleep like that. As much as I'd like to."
"But Harry Potter! They's hurting you! What if the big man tries to lock you away again?" Dobby looked close to tears, and all Harry could think to do was put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Then I'll just have to call you before he knocks me out, won't I? Now it is late, and I have a letter to read, but you will take off the enchantments right? I promise I'll call you if I ever need saving from them again." Shortly after that Dobby bounced his way out for the night and Harry tore open the note Remus left him.
Harry,
Tonks and I are terribly sorry we couldn't stay until you woke, she has been called back to the Ministry, and I'm afraid I'd be rather stranded without her.
About these mirrors you have, I am quite certain I know where mine is, and shall retrieve it when I return home, and if you ever need to talk to me, just say "Moony." There is one slight problem I can see. When I told you we all had them in school, I meant all four of us, so if he were ever clever enough to try, Peter could possibly locate you through the mirror you are carrying, but fear not. I am fairly certain I can fix this, just be sure to bring yours along tomorrow night to the Grangers, but for now, it might be wise to lock it away in your trunk, perhaps wrapped up in something to deaden any sounds.
I'm sure you have a few questions about what happened tonight, so for right now, just believe me when I say I've persuaded your relatives to do their best to go on about their business as if you were not in the house, and your little elf friend seems to have taken it upon himself to be your bodyguard for the time being.
I'll explain more tomorrow night, but incase they try to intimidate you in any way, casually ask your uncle when the next full moon is.
Remus
Harry had a shrewd idea of what kind of threat Remus had put out to Vernon, and smiling to himself, rolled over and drifted off to sleep.
The next day, it seemed everything was back to normal around Privet Drive. All three of the Dursleys seemed to find an excuse to leave any room he entered, no matter what. The fact that Harry's owl had perched herself on his shoulder when he went downstairs seemed to go unnoticed by any of them, and all Harry could do was quietly applaud Remus' skills of intimidation. The only odd thing Harry found all day was that it seemed impossible to dislodge Hedwig from himself except for the occasional trip to the loo.
"What's the matter girl, afraid if you leave me alone here I'll end up getting hurt?" He was only half serious when he asked her, but she hooted solemnly in response, her amber eyes filled with more emotion than Harry had ever seen. He snuggled her a little closer to his chest with one arm, and resumed reading.
For Christmas during his fifth year, Harry had gotten a seven-volume set of book called Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts from Sirius and Remus, but unfortunately, between his nightmares, and Occulmency training with Snape, he hadn't had the time to get past the second volume. The past year hadn't been much better, having spent some of his time wallowing in misery, and the rest of the time trying to forget about everything that had made him miserable. He had decided, since he was going to be hiding out in his room for the next two weeks, he was planning on making through as much of the set as possible.
The first four books had been mostly devoted to ways of blocking unfriendly spells, which Harry thought he had a pretty good handle on, so he had jumped straight for the seventh. As he set his bookmark aside (the note from R.A.B.), he began reading up on a spell that he had seen Dumbledore perform during his duel with Voldemort the previous year. When done correctly, the spell produced a long, thin flame-like whip that could completely bind and opponent, as long as they didn't Apparate away. The wand movement required was the most complicated thing Harry has ever seen, but he remembered how well the spell could work, even against Voldemort, so he moved it to the top of the list of things to learn in his mind.
He completely lost track of time, and soon enough, Tonks bounded into his room, having actually made it all the way up his stairs without tripping. Something Harry felt he owed it to Remus to point out as much as he could for the rest of the night. She reminded Harry to bring along his mirror, and the pair of them, along with Hedwig perched on Harry's shoulder, went out to the back garden, where Harry spotted Dudley watching them from his bedroom window. With a quick smirk and subtle wave up to the window, Tonks guided Harry to the garden at the Granger's home in Stratford, leaving Dudley staring in disbelief at the spot they had just vanished from.
Upon arriving, Harry suddenly became very nervous. Dan and Remus were outside standing over the barbecue, which it appeared they were having trouble lighting.
"Honestly Dan, it's just a simple spell, no matches required." Remus was imploring, but Dan seemed to be enjoying himself despite his success, and barley noticed the crack when Harry and Tonks appeared in his yard.
Harry immediately checked to make sure Hedwig had made the trip safely, but was quite sure she had, given how deep her talons were dug into his shoulder. The next thing he knew, Hermione had slammed him into a hug so hard, that they actually fell to the ground, making Hedwig find refuge on the back of a nearby chair.
"Oh Harry, I'm so glad you're alright! I was so frightened when Professor Lupin called last night, what are we going to do, you can't go back there!" She hadn't even bothered try to untangle herself from him, and suddenly Harry was reminded that her Father was just a few feet away, and promptly got back onto his feet. Dan and Remus were looking over at him with highly amused expressions as Hedwig perched herself back on his shoulder.
"So, you're the one that magnificent bird belongs to?" Hedwig straightened up proudly and ruffled her feathers in response to Dan's comment.
"Yes sir, Hedwig was my first real birthday present when I turned eleven. One of our professors got him for me when I went to Diagon Ally for the first time." She hooted warmly as Harry stroked her feathers. "She's been a bit close all day, but I suppose she's just trying to keep me out of trouble." They all laughed as the owl voiced her agreement.
"Well she certainly is welcome here. A right pleasure compared to that cat Hermione brought home with her, and call me Dan, Harry." The two men smiled at each other, and Remus took the opportunity to ignite the barbecue behind Dan's back.
Hermione seized Harry's had and dragged him inside just in time to see Emma ejecting Tonks from the kitchen. They greeted each other warmly, and Harry couldn't help but notice the hopeful look on her face. As she leaned in to give Harry a hug, she whispered in his ear, "Dan and I just thought she could use a friend for support, I hope you don't mind." Harry, who had grown to hate people trying to use him for their own ends, almost reeled back in anger before he remembered that the Grangers had been horribly uninformed, and were just trying to make everything easier for their daughter, while getting answers for themselves. They were acting just the way Harry thought parents should.
Hermione continued showing Harry and Hedwig (who had already seen it) her home, and when they got to her room, he was quite unsurprised to see two complete walls lined with books, which Harry casually perused until something caught his eye.
Categorizing Your Thoughts and Protecting Your Mind
It was a thin, but new edition, which he quickly pulled off the shelf. "When did you get this, and why did you not let me see it?" There was a slight edge to his voice, but he didn't care. She knew how much trouble he had had during his Occulmency lessons, how much better could he have done if she had been studying it along with him?
"I'm sorry Harry, I just got it last Christmas, thinking it might help with my nonverbal incantations, but I just couldn't make much sense of it, so I never even bothered to bring it to school with me… Feel free to borrow it if you want…" She finished quite lamely, and Harry was almost reminded of Dobby when he though he was in trouble. He wasn't really mad before, but seeing her like this made him feel even worse. He pocketed the book and tried to comfort her a little.
"Don't be sorry. I'm just being a prat, thinking you're hiding something from me. I should know you better than that by now, and speaking of which…" He filled her in on what he assumed her parents were plotting, and at first she was quite angry at them for trying to trick her, until Harry reminded her that they deserved to know more about what was really happening then anyone had been telling them.
She resigned her anger, and Harry could see her mentally preparing herself for a confrontation over their meal. She looked a little pale when they were called down to eat. Everything was very pleasant at first, until Dan asked Remus why he liked his steak so rare (it was still quite red on the outside). The Muggles first reaction to hearing that the man sitting at their table was a werewolf was to laugh hysterically, but once they realized he was serious, they apologized profusely, with Remus graciously accepted. Emma decided to use the topic as a springboard into the discussion her and her husband had been planning all day.
"So Hermione, I had a nice chat with Harry yesterday about what has been going on in your magical world, and it seems there has been a few things that no one's thought we needed to know about." Remus and Tonks both noticeably stiffened, realizing what at least some of this night had been about.
"Well Mum, what exactly did Harry tell you?" Everyone at the table knew she was stalling for time, so she reluctantly gave in, and started retelling the story of her magical life.
She went on for the better part of two hours, and Harry didn't have to fill in any bits for her, seeing as how she had viewed his memories of the events only yesterday, but he did make a point to highlight all the times Hermione had stepped in to help him, especially when everyone else thought he was a raving lunatic. It was hard to explain the events that had taken place in the Ministry without going on about the prophesy, and no matter how much she tried to skirt the issue, her parents brought her back to it, until Tonks stepped in and informed them that the very existence of said prophesy was considered close to a state secret, and technically, she should have already arrested Hermione for saying as much as she did. The Grangers quickly let it go.
When Hermione finally got up to Dumbledore's murder (casually excluding what Harry and the Headmaster had been doing), the six people, along with the owl and cat occupying the room sat in silence for quite a while. Harry met Hermione's eyes as she sat next to him and saw the tears streaming down her cheeks, so he quietly reached out to hold her hand between his own.
Dan finally broke the silence to thank them all for finally leveling with them, and everyone broke free of their own thoughts, realizing it was nearing midnight. Harry, Tonks and Remus were making to leave when Harry brought up the mirrors three of them currently had tucked in their pockets. They all put them on the table together, and Remus went through a long series of muttered incantations, while both Hermione and Dan watched in utter fascination. When he finished he told them that he had restricted the charms to only work with their mirrors, thus making Wormtail's essentially useless, given the fact that he obviously never look in it for grooming purposes.
They said their pleasant good-byes, and the Grangers let Harry know he and Hedwig were both welcome in their home anytime he wanted to get away from his relatives. After a final hug from Hermione, and a reminder from Emma to brush his teeth before bed, Harry carefully tucked Hedwig up against his stomach and Apparated them both back to his room on Privet Drive. It had been another long day, but it was much more pleasant than the previous one, and he was quite sure that Hermione's confession to her parents would end up being quite cathartic for her in the end.
After following Emma's advice, Harry tucked himself into bed, feeling more relaxed than anytime in his recent memory, and he barley noticed Hedwig settling herself next to him on the bed before sleep over took him.
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