Invisible Magic
Harry fidgeted in his hard chair, discreetly casting a cushioning charm and then followed that up with a cooling charm. Moving his wand ever so slightly, under the robe that covered his arms, he pointed it in Hermione's direction and wordlessly cast one in her direction.
He saw her turn towards him and mouth "thanks", as her hand touched his arm lightly then disappeared back into her lap.
It was hot. And it was the last day of school. The seventh years, teachers and parents had been sitting out in the boiling sun for over an hour and Harry wished that this was one of the smaller seventh year classes. He could only imagine how hot many of the Muggle parents were, since they couldn't cast a cooling charm.
Harry only half listened to Headmistress McGonagall talk about how proud she was to graduate this class and how she hoped they that they would do the best they could in their chosen field. The other half of his brain was trying to remember the last time he had sat down and actually talked with Hermione.
After unpacking all day Saturday and buying some furniture on Sunday, Monday came in like a lion. Exam after exam was given, distraught students, especially seventh years were consoled and calming charms seemed to be cast just about every day.
Harry and Hermione both stayed late at Hogwarts just about every night helping to grade exams or tutoring students who thought they didn't know the needed material. Often, either Harry or Hermione would be home later than ten at night and immediately they'd kiss the other one hello only to say good night five minutes later, proceeding to collapse into their bed. They would sleep soundly, just to get up at six to begin the process all over again. The last time he spent any quality time with Hermione was Sunday morning when he came down to find her cooking breakfast. What started out as a hug, meant to thank her, ended up with them snogging so long, the bacon burnt and had to be thrown away.
Now, at three in the afternoon, Harry was almost free. He had a whole week off until he met with McGonagall to learn about renewing the magical wards around Hogwarts. Hermione would leave for a two week vacation with her parents, that same day. He sensed it deep in his heart just how much he was going to miss her. He tried to question her about what Muggle Books she was going to look up at The Library of Congress and about what she was going to read at the beach. The way she seemed to vaguely answer him gave him the idea that she wasn't really in the mood to talk about her vacation. He chalked that up to maybe her missing him too and, maybe, she didn't want him to think she was going to have more fun without him. He tried explaining to her that he was going to be in training for five days and wouldn't be able to do anything, so it made sense for her to go do something entertaining. Hermione had just nodded, then changed the subject to George dating Lavender Brown. So, he pitched in his two cents on how those two were made for each other and professed the thought that a wedding would be happening in the next year or so.
A sudden roar interrupted him from his thoughts and he began clapping, seeing students rising from their seats. He was genuinely happy that, yet, another group of Hogwarts Students had finished and were ready to move onto the real world.
A half hour later, Harry had made his rounds to a few of his students who wanted their parents to meet him and he was finally inside his cool, stone office gathering up the books he wouldn't need again until the following year.
"Harry?" Professor McGonagall knocked on his door, which was wide open.
"Come on in," Harry waved her inside and finished locking up his cabinet.
"Did you talk to Christie Bell by chance?"
"I just did on my way into school. I told her the club was all set to begin next year and that I'd sponsor it. All she needs to do is pick a date to start the meetings and get out the information to the students."
"Wonderful. And, thank you for taking this club under your wing. I'm not sure I could've added another item to my plate."
"Not a problem, Professor. I'm free two days a week so it gives me a lot of time to play around with it." Harry snapped his bag shut and held it in both hands, meeting his Headmistresses gaze.
"Well, that's one of the reasons I am here," she said, hesitantly, perching herself on the edge of the front most table. "I would like to offer you the DADA position full time. All seven class years."
Harry felt his heart jump as a smile crossed his face. Finally, a full time job! This was something he truly enjoyed doing and now he'd be able to do it himself, with no one to share the responsibility or trying to work around the discrepancies of teaching styles.
"I accept! Thanks Professor!" Harry answered excitedly, holding his bag tightly. He felt like jumping up and running to tell Hermione, but knew, at the moment, that acting like a fourth year wasn't appropriate.
Professor McGonagall smiled and extended her hand. Harry quickly scooted around his desk and shook it firmly.
"And, I offered the same to Hermione, just so you know. Though, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," she said slyly then turned around and walked quickly out of his room, her heels tapping an echo that faded away.
`She knows,' Harry thought. He had hoped that he and Hermione could discuss over the summer how they would tell their Headmistress they were an item, but it seemed she knew. It reminded him a bit of Professor Dumbledore knowing things before most people did. Smiling to himself he locked up his desk and made his way down to Hermione's class room.
"Harry!" she launched herself at him as he stepped through her door and he fell back against the wall, hugging her just as tightly. "I got offered full time!"
"That's great! Me too!" Harry laughed holding her a bit longer than usual. Finally, he gently pried her away as he heard footsteps in the hall. "I take it you accepted?"
"Of course!" she slapped him on the arm, turned and grabbed her bag which was lying on the table. "Come on, let's go home. I need to change into something cooler then maybe we can take Molly and Arthur up on dinner at their place. We haven't been there in a long time."
Harry held the door for her on the way out, feeling slightly nervous about going to The Weasley's for dinner. Would Molly or Arthur, and probably everyone else, be able to see his feelings for Hermione? And, if so, how would they feel about it?
---
"We're never going to get to Molly's if you keep doing this," Hermione mumbled against Harry's lips, hands intertwined in his dark hair.
"Me? You started it," Harry said good-naturedly, pulling her closer and giving her one last, heart racing kiss; his fingers curled against the bare skin on her sides as her tongue moved against his, tasting of cherry candy. Hermione sighed and slowly slid her hands down his chest as he forced himself to pull away.
"You finished it so nicely though," she answered back, feeling him pull his hands out from under the back of her shirt. He gave it a tug and released her, but not before he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Molly's going to know as soon as we walk in there you know," Hermione told Harry slowly stepping back then tucking in her shirt.
"I know…a bit nervous about that," he admitted. He ducked into the half bathroom and tried to fix his hair which had Hermione's hands running through it minutes earlier. She followed him in, accioing her brush from her bathroom upstairs.
"Me too," she admitted back and for a moment their eyes met in the mirror. He watched her brush her hair then set it down on the sink.
"We'll be alright. I think everyone there will be fine with us. God knows they've been after us for the past few months with questions about if we're dating."
"Tell me about it. Maybe George and Lavender will be the highlight of the conversation," Harry told her, taking her hand and leading them outside where they would apparate to The Burrow.
"Ready?" he asked, smiling reassuringly. She nodded and squeezed his hand and a moment later they left that `squeezed through a tube feeling' behind them and stared up at the Weasley House in front of them.
"Harry, Hermione, great to see you!" a booming voice came from the side of the house. There, broomstick in hand, stood Charlie Weasley, the stockiest of the clan and definitely the most outdoorsy of them all, since he dealt with dragons all day. His longish red hair was tousling around in the breeze and there were a few more wrinkles around his eyes than when Harry saw him last. Quickly, Hermione dropped Harry's hand as they walked forward to greet Charlie.
"Charlie…I heard you were coming into town," Harry said warmly, shaking his hand. Hermione received a bone crushing hug and a few spins in the air. They hadn't seen him since the funeral last year, but Harry didn't feel any uneasiness being with the second-eldest Weasley.
"The lot of us are going to strike up a game of Quidditch. I haven't played in ages…why don't you get your broom?" Charlie asked them as the three of them entered into Molly's kitchen.
"Sounds great. Let me go say hello to everyone first," Harry answered excitedly. He had never seen Charlie play, and with both of them being first rate seekers it would be interesting to see how they faired against each other.
He could hear Fred, George talking to Bill in the living room. Hermione immediately went up to Molly and asked if she
could help with the cutting of the vegetables but was told to go relax.
"Harry my dear, how are you?" Molly lifted her cheek for kiss and Harry granted her one.
"I'm doing great, thanks."
"What're your plans for the summer? I think Bill said something about helping out McGonagall?" She looked at Hermione who was standing very close to Harry. Then her eyes flicked to Harry and a small smile tugged the corners of her mouth.
"He's going to be renewing the wards around Hogwarts," Hermione answered quickly for him as Harry snuck a biscuit and shoved it into his mouth. He pretended to be hurt as Molly swiped his hand.
"That's pretty powerful magic there, my boy," Arthur said from behind Harry, peering over his shoulder at Molly's dinner. Hermione swore she saw Molly wink at her before she turned back to her steak and kidney pie.
Hermione glanced up at Harry and she could see the same thoughts were going through his head; Molly knew something more than friendship was happening, but thankfully she wasn't advertising it at the moment.
"I've a week of learning, reading and training, week after next. Should only take about three weeks to do the whole school…that's what I am told anyway," Harry explained, guiding Hermione to the side of the kitchen as Charlie came up and tried to steal a biscuit.
"Have you seen the get-up you have to wear for renewing those wards?" Arthur asked leaning back against the counter. Harry shook his head as Arthur laughed. "Well, you never know what spells might bounce back and hit you, so you'll be wearing something short of Muggle armor. From the sunglasses to the shoes. Though, I hear the uniform is very fancible, but definitely expensive and powerful. It's designed to deflect 99% of the spells used on wards and the spells used by people to try and break through them."
"Wonderful," Harry mumbled. "I can't wait to see what Professor McGonagall dresses me up as then. Good thing you'll be on vacation," Harry nudged Hermione. She just smiled, a bit to evily he thought.
"Who knows? Maybe I'll come home early and take pictures so we can all partake in how you get gussied
up," Hermione nudged him back, then moved so Bill could try and sneak a hand in towards a biscuit.
"Stop it all of you. Go play or something," Molly scolded and Harry took that moment to whisper to Hermione he was going to apparate back to his house for his Quidditch broom.
Harry popped onto the front lawn of his house, unlocked his door and sprinted down the stairs to the basement, realizing it was only the second time he had been down there. He maneuvered his way through empty boxes, a few miscellaneous pieces of furniture and Hedwig's old cage when he saw his broom and the trunk with the balls in the corner furthest from the stairs. As he went to grab his broom, his hand skimmed along the stone wall and a jolt of magic surged up his arm, literally making him throw the broom on the ground.
"What the hell?" Harry gasped rubbing his arm where it was tingling near his elbow. He let his eyes travel along the floor and up to the ceiling but didn't see anything except the undulations of the stone wall. Hesitantly, he reached out and slowly moved one finger in towards the wall. As he got closer, he could actually feel the hum of magic and paused with his finger a few hair breadths away from the stone He concentrated on the feeling, trying to locate any information he had about what the spell or charm was that could be cast on this part of the wall.
Nothing. Nothing about the feeling, texture or sensation of the magic was familiar to him. He had the house swept for curses and hexes and it had come away clean, but this one escaped the estate agent's attention. He needed Bill, who specialized in curses, and without thinking, shot is patronus through the wall to his right. As he waited, he moved down the wall taking note to where the magic energy seemed to stop.
"Harry?" a voice came from the floor above him and the footsteps moved towards the basement door.
"Down here," Harry yelled and a moment later saw Bill, followed by Hermione who had a very concerned look on her face.
"It's okay," Harry immediately reassured Hermione. She didn't look convinced but stood next to him wondering what he was staring at. Harry quickly recapped what had happened when he reached for his broom and saw Bill nodding as if he dealt with this all the time. He waved his wand over the wall, then asked for Harry's proceeding to do the same movment.
"The reason your estate agent didn't pick this up," Bill demonstrated by placing his hand on the wall and leaving it there, "is that this spell isn't for us. It's for you. Something is behind this wall, or written on it, but just disguised or invisible at the moment; you or someone in your family was to find it."
"What? How could that be? No one knew Harry was going to buy this particular house," Hermione insisted, touching Harry's forearm protectively.
"Probably someone he was related to owned this house before him and left the Potter signature. Your magical signature is like the genes inside us. You share certain characteristics with your mother and father, but since your father's parents were magical then it'll logically follow the Potter line back to whatever ancestor left this here." Bill took out his wand and muttered some words in a language Harry had never heard before. Hermione squeezed his arm reassuringly and absentmindedly he reached up and patted her hand, watching Bill move down the wall seemingly to mark the beginning and end of the magical signature.
"Well? Am I doomed?" Harry joked, but was inwardly relieved when Bill shook his head. Turning around, his eyes flicked down to where Hermione was now holding Harry's hand, then moved up to Harry's face.
"It's a charm to hide something from people for which it wasn't intended. It's not a curse or hex; you just need to find the spell to break it and whatever is inside that wall, or written on it, will be revealed. But, since you're the only one that can feel it, and I know it's a charm with the Potter signature, then only you can break it."
"Soooo…someone in my family lived here? I'm pretty sure my father never did."
"Do you know where your grandparents lived, Harry?" Hermione asked quietly. Harry thought for a moment and shook his head, letting go of her hand to take his wand back from Bill.
"All I know is that they were older when they had my dad and he was an only child."
"Well, as long as what is on that wall isn't dangerous," Hermione began, seeing Bill shake his head that it wasn't, "then we should probably go reassure Molly that you aren't hurt or something. Everyone was surprised to see your patronus come shortly after you had just left."
"Sorry," Harry grinned sheepishly, "It was the first thing I thought of. I didn't want to leave the area to use the floo."
"Understandable. Sometimes these kinds of charms do move around. But this one seems pretty stable; and old too," Bill added, taking another reading. "Over sixty five years old I'd say."
"After we're done dinner maybe we can do some research on your family tree and the previous owners of this house? I'm pretty sure you aren't related to the Gladrags," Hermione smiled up at him watching him shake his head vehemently.
"Wouldn't Ginny have loved that, if you were?" Bill said lightly, pocketing his wand and Harry had to laugh. Ginny loved clothes and most of her extra money had gone to her wardrobe; Harry remembered a few shopping trips that left him laden with bags.
"Thank Merlin I'm not. Shopping for clothes the three times I did was enough for a lifetime." Harry laughed, glancing down at Hermione who was smiling. It was the first time they had talked about Ginny with an ease that hadn't be apparent before. It felt almost…freeing…to Harry that he could talk about her with her family. He knew Bill had obviously seen Hermione gripping his hand and still had brought up Ginny. And Bill did it with such ease; without making Harry feel guilty that he was standing here with someone that wasn't Ginny.
"Hermione's right, let's get back to the Burrow. Just don't forget your broom. If you need help with researching let me know; I have numerous books on the subject. Probably some even Hermione hasn't seen," Bill winked at her as her face lit up. Minutes later, all three were back at the Burrow and quickly explained what transpired. Of course, the twins were immediately thinking bodies of Harry's ancestors were buried there, making Fleur cover baby Will's ears.
"I think on that note, its Quidditch time," Charlie interrupted and all the men, along with Hermione who was holding two year old Will (who insisted on watching) began traipsing through the apple orchard to the makeshift Quidditch field.
---
As the sun set behind the trees, and dinner was consumed without a crumb left for any owl that happened to fly by, Harry was walking around with Will, patiently answering questions about "why" a Snitch had wings. Harry tried to explain simply that it was named after a bird and that the name Quidditch was named after a place called Queerditch Marsh. Will had found it fascinating to watch Harry and Charlie zoom around trying to catch the snitch they had charmed to not go above the tree line. He rooted for both of them, screaming "Uncle Harry" or "Uncle Charlie" when he saw the snitch zoom by him, where he was safely perched on Hermione's hip most of the evening.
As he walked with Will settled in his arms, Will suddenly pointed a chubby finger at a picture on the wall.
"Uncle! Uncles!" he chortled and Harry nodded his eyes resting on his best friend. The picture was one of Ron, Harry, Fred and George in their Quidditch uniforms, waving happily to the camera.
"Yep, there's your Uncles Fred and George and Uncle Ron, who you probably don't remember," Harry said quietly. He felt Will's hand grab the back of his shirt as he leaned closer to look at the picture. Harry pointed at Uncle Ron.
"There's your Uncle Ron…you've seen pictures before, right?"
"Uh-huh. At home!" he said bouncing up and down, turning his blue eyes to Harry for a second then back to the picture.
Harry pointed out the robes and mentioned what the castle was in the background.
"Your Uncle Ron was an excellent Keeper once he began playing. Maybe you will be one day too," Harry mused, slightly surprised to see Will nod. He was very intelligent for a two year old and understood more than people thought he did so Harry went on. "He was very brave too, you know that?" Harry moved down the hall way, slightly, to Ron's seventh year picture and paused as Will's head swung back and forth between Harry and the photo as if asking Harry to continue.
"He tried to protect your Aunt Ginny and Aunt Hermione when those…bad people…came to hurt us. He didn't hesitate to step out in front of them and use his wand. Know that your uncle was one of the bravest people that I've ever met, along with your Aunt Ginny. I hope you're able to find friends just as loyal, as I did, when you get bigger, Will."
"Dinny," Will said simply pointing to the next picture. Harry cleared his throat trying to disengage the lump that had formed there, and simply nodded to Will as he pointed to Ginny, then moved his finger to Percy and on down the hall.
Hermione watched the exchange between Harry and his Godson as she struggled to keep her emotions under control. She had rarely heard Harry talk so freely about Ron and the Death Eaters, and leave it to a two year old to get Harry to talk. She could tell by the way he ran a hand over his eyes, as he and Will moved down the small hallway, looking at pictures, that he was also struggling with emotions he hadn't experienced in awhile. She hadn't felt them during the past few weeks either, which she thought was a huge step to healing for both of them and a huge step forward in their relationship. It didn't help that Will had the same blue eyes Ron did. The same expressions could be read in them as they could've in Ron's. Hermione quickly forced as smile to her face as Harry turned around and caught her eyes.
Will saw her and shimmied down Harry, running full force at Hermione and tackling her legs. Bending down she scooped him up for a quick hug before he struggled to get down and run over to his mother, who was talking to Katie in the kitchen.
"You okay? I heard what you said to Will," Hermione whispered touching his hand. For a brief second he squeezed her fingers then shoved his hands in his pockets, nodding he was fine and smiling to prove it.
"Just hit me talking to Will, but I'm okay. Really, Hermione," Harry reassured her. "Let's go; looks like Molly is serving dessert."
---
Ron stared at the back of Harry as he walked down the hall, pointing out the different pictures of his family. For the first time, he heard Harry call him brave and shower him with compliments that were almost always associated with Harry himself.
He had seen the tears in Hermione's eyes as she watched Will and Harry look at the pictures; he had heard Harry's voice catch when he mentioned their names. Ron just wanted to reach out, lay a hand on Harry's shoulder and tell him he was the best mate anyone could have. But, instead, he watched his family eat dessert around the table. He took notice on how big Will was getting and let his eyes rest on Fleur for a moment. She was truly glowing with her early pregnancy (he had heard his mother ask how she and the baby were feeling when he came during dinner) and for the first time he could see everyone seemed to be moving on with their life, but hadn't forgotten him or Ginny.
Turning from his family's dinner table he floated outside, wishing he could feel the humid, summer air but instead feeling something akin to a tether, which had been holding him down, had been cut. He actually felt a wave of happiness wash over him, surprising him so much he actually gasped aloud, noticing he shook the leaves on the small scraggly tree in his parent's front yard.
Quickly, he disapparated and made his way to the dungeons where Ginny was hanging out playing cards and talking trash with Draco.
"Ginny!" Ron found her in the corner and rushed up to her.
"Ron? What's wrong?" Ginny could see the look of happiness over his face and wondered where he had been and what had happened. But all Ron answered her with were two words.
"I'm ready."
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