Harry sat down on the porch steps, watching as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley cleared out the lawn with the twins and Charlie. Bill and Fleur's wedding had been one hectic and long day. First, he had been woken up quite early in the morning and spent the entire day getting ready and sitting around with Ron while Hermione was off with the other girls. The actually ceremony itself was amazing and almost everyone he knew was there. Including Dumbledore and Professor McGonnagal. The party was held at the Burrow as well. It was fun and he even got to dance with Hermione a few times. Ginny of course tried to dance with him but he avoided it every time.
There were only a few more days until he would have to leave the Burrow for Hogwarts. It was their final year and Harry was still trying to grasp that. It hadn't even dawned on him until they had received their letters that morning before wedding. They were to go shopping in Diagon Alley the day after next before they boarded the train. He had no expectations or any clue what was going to happen that year. Or even how long the school year was going to last for that matter.
He glanced behind him as Hermione joined him outside on the porch. She pulled her blanket a bit tighter around herself before sitting down on the stairs with him. Even though it was mid summer it was very cool outside. She looked over at him and gave him a soft smile before turning back to look up at the sky. It was so nice to just sit and be with her. With Ron, he would constantly try to find something to talk about or push Hermione's buttons. With her, she enjoyed silence as much as he did; there was no need for words.
All too soon that silence was broken with a loud clang of the front door. Harry looked over his shoulder to see Ginny coming through the door. Her hair was now pulled up in a tight ponytail but she still had on her bride's maid dress that was a pale yellow simple dress.
"It's nice out," said Ginny breaking their comfortable silence. Hermione pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, not saying a word. If he wasn't mistaken, something had happened between the two girls when he first came to the Burrow. Neither of them had been talking to the other after he arrived. Harry simply nodded at Ginny and kept his eyes fixed on the twins chucking things at each other.
"Hey Harry…do you wanna take a walk with me?" Ginny asked softly. He looked up at her couldn't help but give her a look of annoyance. She'd been trying so hard to get him alone. Probably try and make him rethink their break-up. He honestly thought it also had to do with the fact that him and Hermione were together a lot lately.
"Thanks Gin…but I think I'm going to walk around by myself…" He got up rather quickly and headed away from the house. He didn't turn back to look at Ginny, but to see if Hermione was going to follow him. She stayed sitting on the stairs watching him leave. He almost called out for her to follow him but he kept walking by himself. He wrapped his arms across his chest and let out a loud sigh. Why did things have to be so weird? He knew dating Ginny and breaking up with her would cause serious problems. He couldn't be around her; he might give her a slight implication that he wanted to be with her again. And he knew he was the reason for why Ginny and Hermione weren't getting along. It was the same thing that happened with her and Cho. Hermione hated her now. Then of course, there was the growing feeling he had for her. She was constantly in his thoughts and he always felt at ease when she was within arms reach. She knew him better than anyone else he knew; Ron just pretended to be there for Harry. He only ever wanted to talk about Quidditch or anything that wasn't going on at that moment. Ron was so scared of the war and things to come, Harry understood but he wished he could just talk to him at times.
Harry stopped at the small pond and plopped down on the plush grass. The thoughts of Hermione puzzled him even further as he sat there staring up at the sky. There wasn't anything serious there, it wasn't like he actually liked her…or noticed how beautiful she looked. Harry shook his head hard and covered his face with his hands. She was off limits; even thoughts of her were banned. She was clearly Ron's…even if Ron was too thick headed to realize it and ask her out. It would be betrayal beyond relief.
He heard a rustle next to him in the bushes and he jumped up quickly, nearly falling on his face. He fumbled trying to pull his wand out of his back pocket when he heard a soft meow. He frowned and looked around the bush and laughed, feeling incredibly stupid. A small black cat sat near the pond, staring up at him with startling bright green eyes.
"Well hello there…" Harry laughed softly and knelt down. The cat purred loudly as it walked over, nearly jumping onto his lap. He laughed again and sat down on his butt, allowing the cat to curl up on his legs. He ran his fingers slowly along its sleek fur, it's purring slowly calming his over load of thoughts. He rubbed his eyes and lay down on the grass, the cat curling up in a ball on his chest. The next thing he knew, he was asleep.
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Hermione wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as she slipped out of Ginny's room. They had all retired back into the house shortly after Harry had ventured off. She didn't see him come back and was ushered to bed before she could make sure he was inside the house. Remus and Tonks had tried to reassure her that he was in his room asleep and that they had looked around for him. She didn't believe them one bit. It was entirely too quiet in Harry's room. She tapped on Ron's door and didn't get an answer. Gently pushing it open, she poked her head in. Ron was asleep on his back snoring loudly. She shook her head and closed the door. Where was he? As quietly as she could she hurried back down the stairs and down the hall to Harry's room. There was no sound, not even his gentle snores.
"Harry?" She called out softly pushing the door open. His bed was still made; there were no signs at all of him ever being in that room. Panic surged through her as her breathing hitched in her throat. He wasn't in the house; he never came back from his walk.
"Accio Shoes!" She hissed pointing her wand towards Ginny's room. The door opened and her shoes flew to her. She pulled them on and didn't care if she made any noise anymore. She ran down the stairs and tore through the front door.
"Harry!" She called out turning every which way trying to see if he was hiding somewhere. The wind whipped her hair around her face, blocking her view several times. She opened her mouth to call out his name again when she noticed the trees weren't moving. The wind moved around her again, a very familiar scent filling her senses. It nagged at her, almost as if it were pulling her in a certain direction. She didn't wait to go through the files and files of rational thought in her head; she took off in that direction. The wind suddenly died down and left her breathless.
"Lumos!" She whispered pointing her wand out. In front of her she saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind a group of bushes.
"Harry!" she cried and moved to the other side of them to find him laying on his back, snoring. She stopped short and laughed. He'd fallen asleep. She knelt down beside him and gently shook his shoulder.
"Huh?" He groaned and shook his head to wake himself. She smiled softly and grabbed his glasses that had somehow fallen off his face.
"It's ok Harry…you fell asleep," she said softly, afraid to speak any louder. He cleared his throat as he pulled on his glasses. He looked around as if he were looking for something then leaned back on his hands. She sat down facing him, studying his face under the soft haze of the moon. She had to admit, he had gotten very attractive over the weeks they'd been away from each other. There wasn't much change except for the older look on his face and eyes.
"How long have I been out here?" He asked noticing her light nightgown. She blushed and looked over to where her blanket had been blown off her shoulders. Remembering the soft warm breeze that lead her to him, she glanced back at him.
"Were you dreaming again?" she asked. He nodded briefly and scratched the back of his neck.
"It was different this time…it was only you in my dream and that voice was stronger…" he answered looking down at his feet, wringing his hand together. She bit her lip a little and grabbed his hand.
"What happened?"
"It's just a dream Hermione…it's not real," he said squeezing her hand a bit.
"Harry… they're recurring dreams…its not a little thing."
"Why are you so concerned about it?" He asked eyeing her. She took a deep breath and shook her head.
"Because…I don't know how or why…but I think I felt you calling for me," She answered. Harry gazed at her and squeezed her hand again. She nodded and laughed a little. She knew it would sound weird but that's how it felt, the smell alone was still strong in her mind. He slowly got to his feet and offered her his hand. She took it and stood up, catching that scent again. It had been him, somehow his unconscious mind had called out to her.
"Let's get back to the house…you're probably cold," he said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She shivered slightly, and it wasn't from the chill growing around them.
****
She watched him leave the pond and go back inside the house. The girl next to him leaned against his shoulder and stayed silent. They were very cute together but as she had watched them for the past couple of days, she usually kept her attention on the other boy. She never got a good look at him; he was always looking down or inside. She wanted to study all of them, to make sure they were truly going to protect him. The two adults that claimed to be protecting the grounds were a joke. They weren't, it was their excuse to be alone and have time with each other. She'd been the one protecting Harry, as he lay their sleeping, not them. They never even came that way, only that girl.
She clung to the tree watching as they disappeared into the house and two sets of lights turned off. He was safe…she knew he would return back to the lake to seek out the cat again. She turned away from the house and made her way back to the little cave she'd been living in since following him here. She curled up in a tight ball and sighed heavily before falling asleep.
******
Harry opened his eyes very slowly the next morning, letting his eyes adjust more and more to the sunlight flooding his bedroom. He couldn't remember much of last night, just the soft purr from the strange black cat. Hermione had come for him, that much he knew. She had looked so beautiful last night. He'd never seen her that way but one look at her and he was hooked. There was no going back now. He sat there on his bed staring at the smudged glass of the window.
He heard a crash from downstairs and Harry was out of his room in a flash. Wand clutched in his hand he edged toward the kitchen. Voices came loudly and Harry stopped. He knew them. He lowered his wand and peeked around the corner. Molly and Arthur stood near the stove while Remus and Tonks stood near the door.
"You can not be serious Arthur, letting him go back to Hogwarts is insane!" Tonks shouted. Her once bright pink hair was now a dark red.
"Harry wants and needs to be with his friends, you know this! It's not just Ron and Hermione; his whole class is willing to fight by his side. He's safer at school than locked away at some safe house. That and Harry's been very clear about wanting to stay away from the ministry!" Arthur argued staring at Tonks. Harry stayed glued to his spot. They were arguing about where he should be "placed". He was glad that Arthur was standing up for him but it pissed him off that they hadn't even asked him what he wanted to do.
"Dammit Arthur, if Snape nearly got to Dumbledore anyone can get to Harry!" Remus shouted standing up. He swayed a bit and had to lean against the table to keep his balance.
"Harry tried to warn you all of that but no one would listen to him! Merlin knows I didn't…no one did," Arthur sighed heavily and looked over at Molly who was now covering her face a bit.
"We all regret that Arthur…but we have to think of Harry's safety…"
"Remus! You are not the only who can care about the boy! He is going to do what ever he wants to do, you can lock him away he will find somehow out of it," Arthur interrupted.
"Stop!" Harry heard himself shout, his fingers gripping at the doorframe. All the adults in the room jumped and turned to stare at him. He couldn't stand them fighting, they should be working together, helping him figure a way to end this war.
"Harry dear…we didn't mean for you to hear all of this," Molly said softly inching towards him. Harry stood his ground and looked between them all.
"But I did…Professor Lupin…I want to go back to school. I don't care what the ministry wants…I'm going back," Harry stated looking right at him. Remus shook his head and sat back down, running his hands through his hair a few times.
"The ministry feels that you would be safer in a well guarded house," he said softly. Harry shook his head and leaned against the table.
"No…what the ministry should be doing is getting off their asses and trying to figure out what to do! We all know what I am going to have to do but I can't do it alone. If you want to help me Lupin, really help me. Don't help me because it's what they said is best," Harry said. Lupin nodded a bit but didn't say anything. Tonks shook her head and her hair slid back into a bright pink shade. Harry nodded and moved between them all to get outside. The fresh air felt soothing against his burning skin. He didn't like the fact that even the adults were arguing about him. He had enough of on his mind already. His last year, what he was going to do afterwards, the war…and of course there was Hermione.
"Just stop it Harry," He growled at himself. She was off limits, completely. Maybe he just needed someone to talk too. He looked over his shoulder to see Ginny watching him again. That was another thing that was slowly getting to him. Ginny simply had to start understanding there was nothing there anymore. He couldn't hurt her by out right saying it to her face, she was Ron's baby sister and he needed Ron's friendship more than ever. Harry looked back again and she was gone. He drew in an air of breath as he quickly made his way back to the pond. He stopped and looked around when he heard that familiar meow. He smiled and sat down on the grass as the cat ran up to him.
" I was hoping to find you," he laughed as his hand stroked its fur. It sat down on his lap and looked up at him.
"I hope you don't run away anytime soon…" Harry smiled and began to talk.
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