Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
A/N: Mmm… yeah. A bit later than I anticipated - this chapter is also LONGER than the last… XD sorry guys. The last chapter didn't get as many reviews as I'd hoped :( which kinda sucks but meh. I'm hoping that an update with the month (or two months, lol) will help show people I really am back and wanting to write.
For those of you who are flexible with their couples in HP, I have written a Hermione/Ginny story on my ff.net account which will be up hopefully soon - waiting for my beta to get back to me. I decided to upload this without editing because I'm impatient, as, I'm sure, you guys are. StarAngel613, please get back to me about that other oneshot. Sorry for not sending this one to you.
On that note, I shall allow you to read :P and please remember to review guys… it's nice and provides me with insight into my own writing. Also, if you'd like the final scene continued please tell me so.
Read on, my dear readers! :D
The Return
Chapter 10: Newspapers
The morning with Ginny was spent out in the living room, Harry first telling her about the final battle, and then how he came back. Ginny sat there in silence for most of the time, seeming to still be in shock.
"I suppose I should be getting back to Neville now," Ginny said reluctantly once Harry's story was finished, "I promised him I'd meet him for lunch to tell him whether or not the story was true."
"Will you bring him around?" Harry asked, "Or Hermione and I could come over or something."
Ginny smiled, "Of course. He'd love to see you. I'll be off then," she leaned over to kiss his cheek lightly, "I'll see you soon, Harry."
Harry smiled back and nodded, "Definitely."
Ginny stood up, "Walk me to the door, Hermione?"
The two girls walked to the front door, talking quietly.
"Let me know if you find anything else out about that scar," Ginny said softly, glancing over her shoulder at Harry, who was now rubbing his eyes and sitting back in the couch.
"I will," Hermione replied, sighing, "Although I doubt I'll find anything else out. Oh, don't tell anyone about how he came back. Not even Neville. Harry should be the one to tell people how it happened."
Ginny nodded, "Alright. See you later then."
"Bye," Hermione said, hugging and kissing her best friend on the cheek. Ginny smiled once more before disapparating.
As Hermione made her way back to the living room, Harry stood up off the couch, looking very thoughtful and beginning to try to go back to Hermione's bedroom.
"Whoa Harry," Hermione said quickly, noticing his legs shaking after a couple steps. She rushed to his side and slid her arm around his waist to support him, "Don't start walking without me."
"Sorry," he said, glaring at his legs, "I want to go back to your room though."
"Why?"
"I need to read that story," he said stubbornly.
She sighed, "Alright." They hobbled into her room as fast as Harry could go. Once there, he sat down gratefully on the edge of the bed while Hermione fetched the newspaper that she'd dropped to the floor upon getting out of bed. She handed it to Harry and sat next to him, reading the article.
'The Boy-Who-Lived: Returned?'
"You'd think they'd come up with a more original title for the article," Harry muttered under his breath irritably. Hermione just smiled weakly.
'But has he returned a friend or foe? Since Harry Potter disappeared 5 years ago there have been many conspiracy theories concerned with what exactly happened to him. Did he really die along with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Did he defeat the Dark Lord and took leave of earth with so-called aliens? Or did he secretly fake his death in order for him to start over in a new country with a new name and appearance? These were just some of the questions we, here at the Daily Prophet, would love to ask.
However when faced with an opportunity to tell the world the truth, Mr Potter seemed to resemble that very evil he had claimed to extinguish. You, my dear readers, have a right to know what happened to our saviour and I simply wanted to find that out. When I approached The-Boy-Who-Lived to ask him for an interview, he retaliated by throwing me from the balcony on the second floor of one Miss Hermione Granger's apartment, to the street below. Luckily for me someone in the crowd was smart enough to cast a softening charm on the ground so that when I hit it I didn't suffer any major injuries.
In the past, Harry Potter has saved the world. I would never dispute this fact, and I praise him for it. He has given us salvation more than once, and I'm sure that each and every one of you would love to thank him yourselves. But this man who has returned, claiming he is Harry Potter does not resemble the hero we remember.
What I would like the public to ask themselves is this - is this man really Harry Potter?'
"What?!" Harry burst out angrily, staring daggers at the paper.
"Shh," Hermione shushed him soothingly, rubbing his back and trying to calm him down.
"No, Hermione," Harry snapped, jerking away from her slightly, "No, this idiot has the bloody nerve to put this in print then he can deal with me."
"Do you really want him to be right?" Hermione asked sharply, glaring at him.
Harry turned his head to look back at her, frowning, "I can't stand for this, Hermione."
"Calm down," she said very firmly, "You need to think about this calmly because if you don't, we'll have another incident on our hands."
"Another…?"
Hermione cut across him, "Harry, the bottom line is, you did hover Mark fifty feet above the ground, and let him down that way. Mark is a reporter; he has a way of making the public believe his side. They'll change their stories and they'll begin to actually believe that what they saw was a very angry Harry Potter casting Mark out of my apartment like he was some sort of cancer."
Harry sighed and slumped his shoulders, staring down at the ground. "What are we going to do then?" he asked.
"I'm not entirely sure yet," Hermione said thoughtfully, frowning, "We should read the rest of this article if we want to know what the public's thinking now."
"I don't want to," Harry said, glaring at the newspaper, "It'll just send me into another temper tantrum."
"Fine, I'll read it then."
Hermione took the paper from Harry and moved back on the bed to lean against the headboard so she could read comfortably. He spun his body around on the bed so he was facing her, sitting with his legs crossed beneath him, watching her expressions changed as she read further and further into the article.
He found himself silently thanking her for all she'd ever done for him - being there for him when no one else was, knowing what to do when he didn't and supporting him when even his so-called best friend wasn't - Harry paused and remembered Ron had died fighting for his cause. He felt slightly ashamed of himself and sighed heavily.
Hermione looked up from the article, hearing the heavy sigh and asked, "What's wrong?"
Harry looked up at her and shrugged, "Nothing."
"Harry," she said in that tone of voice that used to make him come out with it and tell her what was going on.
He sighed again, "I was just thinking about all the times you've helped me and been here for me, and how you were here even when Ron wasn't. But then I remembered he died fighting for what we were fighting for, and I felt horrible for thinking badly of him at all."
Hermione frowned and slid down the bed to hug Harry tightly, the newspaper left forgotten on the pillow, "Ron did some very stupid things before that," she whispered to him, "He made life very difficult for you at times. Don't feel bad for what he did… it's all in the past." She pulled back from Harry and smiled sadly at him, "He would certainly agree that he was a dickhead over the years, Harry."
Harry smiled weakly back at her and pulled her into another hug, "I miss everyone, Hermione," he whispered, closing his eyes and breathing her scent in deeply. "I miss how life was before all of this happened."
"Everyone does," Hermione whispered back, "We just need to support each other and make a new life for ourselves."
Harry nodded, relaxing and moving back so he could see her face. "I really do love you," he insisted softly.
Hermione smiled, moving her head forward to kiss his lips softly, "I love you too."
They looked at each other for a moment, maintaining eye contact like it was some sort of contest. Green eyes bore into brown, searching for some sort of sign that what he was wanting to do would be well received.
Hermione was the first to move, kissing him again, biting down on his bottom lip and begging for entrance to his mouth. Harry granted her wish, opening his mouth quickly to touch her tongue, probing deep into Hermione's mouth.
They weren't in the most comfortable position so they moved up the bed, back towards the pillows and Harry lying down with Hermione on top of him. His hands found their way down to her backside and pulled her even closer to him, wanting to feel as much of her on him as was possible. Hermione couldn't help but giggle in the back of her throat as she felt his hands clasp around her bottom, and certainly couldn't help but thrusting her hips into him slightly, giggling again as he made a small, strangled moan.
"Mean woman," he muttered in a strained voice, keeping his eyes closed as she broke the kiss to grin widely down at him.
"Thank you," she replied huskily, turning her attention away from his lips to his neck…
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To be continued…
A/N: remember, let me know if you'd like this scene continued.