Chapter 12: Love Shack
A/N: Lest I be accused of pandering to my wonderful (and concerned) reviewers, I'd like to point out in advance that the object mentioned in the chapter title appeared way back in the first chapter.
Disclaimer: Not my characters, no money being made, etc., etc.
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Ron had lived through a terribly rotten, no good, horrible day.
It started that morning, with a proper row between him and his mum about where he was going and how much he was needed at home. That argument made use of the Burrow's floo connection out of the question. Planning on trying to hail down the Knight Bus, he had therefore levitated his trunk out to the road and stuck out his wand. And waited.
And waited some more.
It was only until he started to think desperate thoughts about facing his mum again that the bus appeared. With Stan still in Azkaban, Ron had to deal with the replacement conductor, who was anything but friendly. When forced to explain his need for "emergency" transport, Ron was threatened with a citation and hefty fine for a frivolous call. As it was, he was given a stern warning and left alone (again) in the dust.
With no better alternative in hand, Ron made the three mile long walk into town. With the nearest muggle household only a half-mile down the road from the Burrow, he had to hand carry his trunk for most of the trip. Dusty, sweaty, and extremely irritated, he arrived at Luna's doorstep and prayed that she was home. In his first bit of good luck that day, she was.
Luna almost seemed disappointed when he explained why he'd shown up at her house with his trunk. Her mood brightened a bit, though, when Ron accepted her invitation to stay for dinner. Her father was gone on a special assignment, so they ate a simple meal with only each other's company. Ron had been forced to admit that it had been a lot easier for him to find things to talk about with Luna than he'd ever imagined possible.
Once dinner had ended, his nightmarish journey continued. Knowing that the twins had stood watch on Privet Drive the night before, he used the Lovegood's floo connection to get to his brothers' shop in Diagon Alley. Fred and George had made it clear to Ron that given how well Harry and Hermione had dealt with Dawlish and Umbridge that he'd just be getting in the way. But on Ron's insistence, they'd pointed their floo connection towards Arabella Figg's fireplace and kicked him through the grate.
The argument between Ron and Hermione had reached Harry's ears well before he reached them. It wasn't a pretty sight. Ron was upset that Hermione hadn't contacted him sooner, she was upset that he was being so presumptuous, that he hadn't bothered to announce that he was coming to Little Whinging, and that he was an overall git.
Once they started talking about the Hogwarts Express and levitation spells Mrs. Figg tactfully suggested that they find someplace a little less public to sort things out. Harry agreed, suggesting that Hermione go talk to her parents while he took Ron into Number Four.
Introductions went about as well as could be expected. Uncle Vernon grouched about running in a boarding house, but made sure it was said softly enough not to reach Brian's ears. Ron was quite impressed with Harry's new bedroom, and appreciated the fact that there were two twin beds already in place. The wide-screen plasma telly was fairly mesmerizing, but with the promise of a pitcher of iced pumpkin juice Harry was able to lure Ron out onto the backyard patio, where Harry had told Hermione to meet them.
Ron and Hermione's second attempt at civility went much more smoothly. Harry didn't know if it was the pumpkin juice, or that the initial shock of Ron on their doorstep had lessened, but really didn't care. Despite how incredibly well things had been with just Hermione and himself in muggleland, he had to admit that he was glad to see Ron. They talked well into the night about their experiences over the past two days.
For their part, Harry and Hermione gave a fairly accurate description of what they'd been through. Little things like kisses for good luck were omitted to protect the not-so-innocent, and neither of them was all that forthcoming about the extent of their new relationship with the Royal household. Harry said that he'd gotten some help from a friend of Dumbledore's, and that Brian and the guys across the street were part of that assistance. They said nothing about their knighthoods, or about their Order of Merlin badges...which, they decided, had been a very good idea when they realized that a certain tabby cat sitting on the side yard fence was paying close attention to their conversation.
The Headmistress's arrival completed the transitioning in Harry's mind to the challenges that he faced within the wizarding world. It was probably for the best, given the enormity of their task, but Harry was very reluctant to let go of what he and Hermione had shared the past two days. He suggested that they call it a night and convene their own little war council in the morning.
Harry had been to afraid to ask whether Hermione was going to return to Number Five to stay with her parents, so he was pleasantly surprised when she led the way upstairs. Harry noted that Brian had already tucked in behind the new six-paneled door to his old bedroom. Hermione stopped at the top of the landing, gave Ron and Harry hugs that were exacting in their sameness, and retired to the master bedroom. And as the two boys went to their new bedroom, they passed by the open doorway of the guest bedroom, which, despite the Dursley's protests, had been left vacant. After all, they never knew when Harry's Aunt Marge might stop by for a visit.
Karma's little helpers had done good that day.
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The following morning was blissfully uneventful on Privet Drive. Brian and Hermione decided to ease up on the Dursleys (it was Sunday, after all), allowing Vernon to take Dudley to the gym for a workout. Harry and Hermione took Ron across the street to meet her parents, Wally and Steve. Harry insisted that he cook breakfast, so that Brian could take the car into London to pick up a few things from an organic farmer's market. It was the one sure way Harry knew that he and Ron wouldn't go hungry.
While discussing where the best place would be for Harry, Ron and Hermione to hold their mini-summit, Harry remembered that there was a magical tent inside his bag of tricks. After retrieving his knapsack from upstairs, they rolled out the tarp in Number Four's backyard and staked down corner poles that magically telescoped out from their grommets. When fully erect, the tent was about the same size as the ones they'd used at World Cup.
"Harry," Hermione asked, "you said you got this tent from Filch's stash of confiscated items?"
"Yeah, seems kind of strange for something so innocent looking to be on the banned list, doesn't it?"
Hermione's eyes brightened up a bit. "Not if it's the tent that I heard about at one of the Prefect's meetings last year."
"Nothing dangerous, was it?" Ron asked warily.
"Only if you're worried about your morals," Hermione replied. She looked around the fence line, and not seeing any neighbor's noses, drew her wand. "One way to find out," she said, and dove into the tent flap before either Ron or Harry could stop her. "Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, as he grabbed his wand from his back pocket and followed right behind.
That it was a magical tent, there was no doubt. The interior space was much larger than its footprint. Harry couldn't immediately tell whether there was more than one room, since his brain was too busy processing what was immediately before him.
Hermione was sitting on the edge of a large king-sized bed that was covered with a red, pink and white checked duvet. A very large mirror stood in lieu of a headboard; the ceiling itself was also mirrored. These mirrors reflected red and white blobs which were forming, growing and combining on the walls as if they were covered in magical lava lamp patterned wallpaper. The floor was carpeted in red shag; the room was lit by candlelight and smelled of jasmine and sandalwood.
"Hermione…where are we…why did you do that?" Harry asked.
"Because I knew you'd be right behind me," Hermione said with an amazed look on her face.
"Well, sure, I was going to be right behind," Harry said. "but what was so important to find out that it was worth scaring me to death?"
"Whether you'd be able….erm, Harry, where's Ron?"
"Probably right behind me…" He turned to look back at the flap. Puzzled that Ron hadn't already burst through, Harry poked his head out of the tent flap. His Aunt and Uncle's backyard was still there, but Ron had gone missing.
Harry popped his head back inside and turned back towards Hermione, whose look of minor shock had been replaced by bright eyes and a smile.
"Hermione," Harry said, "why do I think you know what's going on?"
"Erm…because I'm the smartest witch in my generation?"
"Well, yeah," said Harry, as he walked up towards a nightstand and spied a toy not typically left by Father Christmas under the tree. "I just wouldn't have expected you to be in the know about this, erm…this kind of magic."
Hermione laughed, a bit nervously. "Well, there's always the possibility that you don't know everything about me," she cooed, as she patted the bed with her hand. "Have a seat, Harry?" she asked
Harry looked at Hermione within the context of her surroundings and suddenly decided that sitting might be a very useful thing to do. Declining her invitation, though, Harry instead took a seat on the ground with his knees up in front of him.
"So where did Ron go?" he asked.
"Probably wherever the distraction spell that we activated sent him."
"We activated a distraction spell?"
"Yes, and a silencing spell as well, if this is the tent that I'm thinking of," said Hermione.
"And what kind of tent is that?" Harry asked.
"It's called a Love Shack," she said. "Japanese magical import, designed for couples that don't have a place to, erm…to be together when they want to be alone. You know…get away from your parents…or friends…Japanese muggles have something similar…they're called Love Hotels."
"Oh," Harry said, "well I guess that makes sense, given the décor." Harry looked at her with some concern. "So you've been in one of these before?"
"No," Hermione said quickly. "I just heard about it after it'd been confiscated from a couple of Hufflepuffs."
That's good," Harry said, almost to himself. "So…they wanted something a little less crowded than the Astronomy Tower?"
Hemione returned the look of concern. "Yes they did…and just how do you know about the crowd of couples at the Astronomy Tower?"
"Erm…so I've heard…" Harry replied, with a guilty-looking smile. Changing the subject, he asked, "So, with the distraction charms in place, how did the owner get caught?"
"With his pants down," Hermione said with a grin. "Oh, you mean…well, Hagrid spotted it on the Forest's edge…they must have forgotten that giants are immune to most charms."
It was then that Hermione and Harry decided to check out the rest of the tent.
A sliding door along one of the sidewalls revealed a room nearly as large as the first, decorated and furnished to resemble a Japanese bath house. A wall of large stone boulders dominated the left side of the room, with water cascading down from the top of the wall in a waterfall that emptied into a recessed pool. Steam rose from the water's surface and spilled over a short stone wall that divided the pool from the central tiled section of the room, which held two wooden benches laden with scrub brushes, buckets and hand-held shower heads. On the right-hand side of the room an elevated floor was covered with tatami mats made of woven straw. Large throw pillows and cushions were strewn around the floor mats; beyond that a large charmed window showed a blossoming cherry tree with boughs that framed a mountain vista.
Two pair of thonged wooden sandals bounced up and down off the floor in front of Harry and Hermione like excited puppies. Harry and Hermione took the hint, and slipped on the sandals before clip-clopping over the tile floor to shoji screens on the far wall. When pulled to the side, the screens revealed two separate changing rooms (complete with shower, toilet and sink), and a small, but functional kitchen furnished with a table set for two.
Harry had a mind to inspect the charmed window more closely. Hermione, unfortunately, was too late in warning him not to step onto the tatami with clad feet. As soon as Harry stepped on the mat he was unceremoniously hurled up into the air and thrown head-first into the pool. He surfaced to the sounds of Hermione's laughter and the tatami mat's scolding (its voice that of an elderly Japanese woman).
"Harry, you do know that you're supposed to scrub yourself clean before you enter the bath, don't you?" Hermione asked, as she walked towards the pool. Shethen made the classic mistake of offering Harry a hand out of the tub. Whether it was that she trusted Harry too much, or had not seen enough romantic comedies, the result was the same; Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her into the water with him.
"Harry Potter, you are incorrigible!" Hermione stated, after she surfaced.
"Yeah, well, Hermione Granger, you are very wet," he replied, with a grin and two eyes fixated on her t-shirt.
Hermione realized immediately what Harry was intimating, and dove back down to neck height. Her embarrassment was quickly tempered by agitation as Harry broke out into laughter.
"Oh, Harry…you are terrible. Just you wait."
"Wait for what, Hermione?" Harry playfully responded.
Hermione's eyes narrowed a bit, a clear sign to Harry that she was working something out. She then simply said "Evanesco!"
The look of surprise on Harry's face told Hermione that her little experiment had been successful.
"Wait," she said, "until I determine whether I could cast underwater spells too."
"But I liked those new trousers!" Harry exclaimed.
"Mutual Assured Embarrassment," Hermione said with a smile. "Still eager to get out of the pool?"
Harry looked at her for a second, before smiling. "Your mistake, my dear, is assuming that I would be embarrassed." He grabbed his wand, which had tumbled out of his back pocket when Hermione had made his trousers disappear, and stood up on one of the underwater benches that lined the pool walls. This move gave Hermione a close-up view of dripping-wet pants as they clung to his upper thighs. The boxer shorts were a present from the Weasley twins; crimson in color, they sported a golden snitch which fluttered around the button fly.
"Fancy a game of Quidditch, Hermione?"
Hermione looked up at Harry with a bit of awe, then realized that he was challenging her to display the same kind of Gryffindor courage. She stood up on the bench, just a few inches away from Harry, thrust her chest out with her hands on her hips, and looked straight into Harry's eyes.
"Sure, Harry," she replied, "just so long as it's my snitches that you're grabbing for."
Harry smiled, straining to maintain eye contact. He pointed his wand towards the wall and Accio'ed a kimono that was hanging on a hook. He then wrapped the kimono around Hermione, grabbed the two ends of the sash, and used them to pull her wet body up against his. Hermione's breath hitched as he tied the knot.
Harry smiled. "Another time," he said.
With a tinge of regret, Hermione nodded her head and summoned a second kimono, which she wrapped around Harry. The robes had drying charms within their lining, so that they (and their clothes) were dry before their feet hit the floor. She then hung her robe back on a hook and transfigured Harry's into a new pair of trousers.
"Think it's time we go find Ron?" he asked.
Hermione sighed. "Suppose so," she replied.
Together they walked back into the bedroom and towards the tent flap. Just before the door, Harry grabbed both of Hermione's hands and faced her.
"Thank you, Hermione," he said. "I never could have imagined two more magical days, especially here in Little Whinging."
A tinge of disappointment crept over Hermione's face. "You make it sound like the magic is over."
"Merlin, I hope not," Harry replied.
And then he kissed her.
His two hands releasing hers to reach up and cradle her cheeks as he turned his head slightly leaning forward kissed her. It only lasted a few seconds. When he pulled back to break it off, her lips followed his, stealing a second peck before retreating in support of Hermione's attempts to avoid swooning.
There was a look of wonder on her face…an "I can't believe I kissed Harry" kind of look. She smiled and said sweetly (and somewhat cryptically), "Tin roof….rusty!"
Harry started to say something but she stopped him with a shake of her head and an index finger pressed up to his lips.
Harry smiled in understanding.
She grabbed Harry's outstretched hand and they walked back outside, loosened the lines and stakes, and took down the tent. Harry then tucked their Love Shack under his arm and they walked back inside the house in search of Ron.
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