The Edge of Seventeen-Chapter 9
Harry realized he had done what was right where Ron was concerned. He wondered if it would speed up the healing process. He tried to imagine himself in Ron's shoes again. The pain of losing a girl like that to your best friend would still keep them from becoming bosom buddies in the real near future. Harry knew that there were powerful images of someone you love being intimate with their new boyfriend or girlfriend that would haunt anyone. Those, while tough enough if you didn't know the new partner, would be like a dagger in the heart knowing both people. Harry felt sick about that. It was the one thing he couldn't cure with words. He and Hermione needed to be mindful, if not careful, to restrict their public displays of affection around Ron.
At first, he had no intention of telling anyone what he'd told Ron, but he would tell Hermione. The reason he was hesitant about telling her was that he didn't want her to feel obligated to do anything that would make her uncomfortable. He knew that from time to time she thought about how things might have been handled differently. He knew they both wanted the best for Ron.
As Harry came back down from the attic, he noticed that the house was nearly empty of people. Mrs. Weasley was doing some baking but she too had stepped out to watch the Quidditch display in one of the nearby fields. He noticed that Ron was out there now too. He stood at the window looking for Hermione and wondered why he couldn't see her.
"Looking for me, handsome?" she put her arms around him from behind. "I was just going to join the crowd. It looks like the fun Quidditch game Ron was hoping for weeks ago. It never happened because of the mood with our little drama. I was surprised to see him out there from the window in Ginny's room."
Harry wondered how the two of them zeroed in on the same subject so easily and so often. He knew it was coincidence sometimes and routine deduction based on circumstance at others. There were fifteen or more people outside and limitless possibilities, but she thought of Ron too. "I talked to Ron a little while ago. Something made me want to apologize to him for not seeing his side and for not apologizing sooner. I didn't say we were wrong, really. I said we didn't stop to think of things from his side. And believe it or not, I told him that I loved him." He explained. "Imagine how awkward that was for a second or too," he said with a smile.
"Harry, women always wonder why guys don't admit that they love their best friends and stuff. I mean, I can see why they don't say it to each other's face, but like you're doing now talking about it with me. Anyway, that takes a confident and secure man to say that. I wrote him a letter, too. It was two days ago and put it under his door. I didn't tell you because I felt it is between him and me. I didn't want you to feel like you had to do anything," she said.
Harry laughed. "Do we share the same brain sometimes?" He said jokingly. "No, that's not possible because I feel thick and stupid too often to share your brain. But I felt the same way this afternoon. Somehow I knew you'd take it the right way and wouldn't feel guilty."
"It just felt right to do it now before your birthday. I want your birthday to be sort of our coming out party and also a new start on all fronts." She explained. "I want all the guilty stuff in the past and look toward the future. That's all."
"Well, you did it for a different reason, but it's one that I'll keep in mind for my b-day. I'll try to remember it that way. It's a good way to start off life as a full-fledged adult in the wizard world," he said. "I mean with a clean slate and all."
"Harry one more thing that came up. I've been suffering a little today trying to figure out how to explain it too you so, here goes. My parents will be at Bill's wedding. They were invited before this all happened between us while Ron and I were still dating," said Hermione.
"Oh, that's cool, Hermione. I'll get to meet them. That will be a little weird, but it was going to happen one day anyway," replied Harry looking at Hermione biting her lip. "Ooh, that's not good Hermione. I've never seen you bite your lip before. There must be more too this than meets the eye or ear in this case."
"Well, there sort of is. Remember that I said I rarely tell them details about things going on in the wizard world. Well, this was one of those times when I said more than usual because of all the things going on here," she paused and walked a little way away from Harry. "I sent them a letter with Hedwig, remember?"
"Yeah, sure. I still don't know why you look so uptight, Hermione," said Harry. "You're kind of acting weird right now though and it's kind of confusing."
"Harry, I told them about you and how I thought this guy was special while I was home. My Mom and Dad were glad for me, but I never said we were dating. I just said we had this special friendship. I was being too slick for my own good," she said.
"Come on, Hermione, you're driving me nuts. I have no idea why this would make you seem so nervous," said Harry.
"In my letter I told them that I was in love with you and you might be the most wonderful guy I'd ever meet in my entire life," she said. "If you had a teenage girl for a daughter and she started talking like that while she was living under the same roof as that boy, would you get a little upset?"
Harry was starting to see the picture a little clearer, but he still needed more information. "So, what happened?"
"I got a letter today that says that they expect me to go back with them for the rest of the summer after the wedding. They are afraid that the temptation of this environment is too much," she said. "I'm not going to go Harry and I sent Hedwig this afternoon with a note telling them that very thing. Things could be tense between me and my parents."
Now Harry understood. Harry would be meeting her parents under a little strain to put it mildly. "What did you tell them in that letter that would make them think that things might get out of control?" he walked toward the chair near the door and sat down in a heap.
"Harry, we've all grown up so fast. If I were in a muggle school coming home every night, they would have seen how I reacted to my relationships with guys. I mean more than what they see here. Anyway, it seems they just realized their baby is growing up," laughed Hermione nervously. "I'll spare you the details, but that's the gist of it."
"You never mentioned Ron as a possible boyfriend after all that time?" asked Harry. "That's hard to believe."
There was an interruption from the door. "Hey, Harry, are you going to join? We could use one more," said an out of breath Dean through the screen door.
"Hey, sure, just give me a couple of more minutes here. Okay?" replied Harry.
"Oh, sure, take your time. This is a blast though Harry," he said excitedly as he ran a few steps and then sped off into the air on his broom.
"Harry, I talked to Mrs. Weasley about the reply from my Mom. She said that my mom probably was confused now. There was a standing agreement that if Ron and I ever started to get out of hand, the Weasleys would either send me home or send my parents word to come judge for themselves," said Hermione. "I never said I loved Ron to them or anything. But they knew we had a crush on each other."
"So, now there is no longer the safety net of the Weasleys to tell them what's going on. Is that part of it?" he guessed.
"I really don't know, but I have one little part from my Mum's letter that stuck in my mind. It may give you a clue of how they're thinking. It did me. Hermione had magically copied it from the letter and put it on a sheet of paper.
`Sweetheart, are you sure about this boy? I hope you understand the repercussions of getting `too close' with a boy. Your father and I feel that it's inappropriate for you to be living under the same roof with him at your age. We trust you sweetheart, but we don't know him.'
I was shocked at the reference to sex from my mother. We've talked about sex before, my mom and I. We spoke straight about it. So I suspect she said it that way to avoid having my father out here tomorrow with a shotgun looking for you." She giggled.
"Oh, so they think, I'm taking advantage of you, great." said Harry warily. "What, a shotgun?"
"Yeah, if British law allowed handguns he'd just bring one in a valise and kill you on the spot," she smiled. "Gosh, Harry, lighten up. The worst that could happen is he'd beat you with the nearest large stick."
Harry realized now that she was having a go at him. "So, you think that's funny, do you?" He laughed with her now. "Seriously, though I can understand their side, but what are we going to do?"
"Harry, there is a lot about my family no one knows here. The muggle world pays really well for dental work, so they're pretty well off. I only say that because they want to take us to dinner when they get here a day or two before the wedding so they can get to know you," she explained. "I want you to be comfortable in a super-fancy restaurant before they get here. It is a huge pain in the `you-know-where' because of the highbrow attitude in some places. My parents aren't like that at all, but they know how to deal with that class of people and expect me and my friends to do the same."
"Okay, so what are you suggesting?" asked Harry.
"It's funny Harry, my parents still don't understand the wizard world money system so they send me muggle money to exchange, lots of it. Well, we both know it's really hard to exchange in large quantities. So I have this stash of cash that has been growing for quite some time. Anyway, I thought that I should use it to take us out for your birthday to one of those kinds of restaurants to let you see what to expect. That way, my parents will not be so intimidating and you will fit in better. We have to go shopping for some clothes for you though, dress robes won't do," she giggled.
Harry was surprised at how nervous she'd seemed at first and how much she'd calmed after telling him about it. "Why were you so nervous in telling me this?"
"Harry, I love my parents and I want you to make a good impression. I thought you might take the news of their mistrust of you too much to heart," she said. "I would never have been so gushy about you in my letter if I knew what it would mean later."
"Gushy?"
"Harry, my letter was to my Mom. The way we talked when I was home we were on one of those `you can tell me anything levels'. I didn't think that she would react so strongly when I told her my feelings for you had become a reality. I told her she was right about how it felt when you kissed the right guy for the first time. I forgot that her description had been pretty graphic. She probably thinks I gave in to the excitement of meeting the right guy too soon," she explained. "I should never have thought I could tell my Mom some of the things I said. It wasn't meant to be misunderstood. I was just telling her how happy you make me, sweetheart."
"Well, I'll be careful to not seem overly affectionate while they're here then. No need to give them cause to worry," said Harry.
Hermione looked relieved that Harry understood the situation. "Run along, Harry. Don't miss out on the fun with the rest of them," she said smiling and giving him a little kiss on the cheek.
Harry turned and ran up the stairs to get his Firebolt. He was excited. He'd only flown around on it for fun a few times since the last Quidditch match he played months ago. It will be fun to play again.
He got to the steps behind the house and zoomed into the air ruffling Mrs. Weasley's gardening hat she wore to keep the sun off her as he took off. He dashed in and picked off the Quaffle and sped toward Ron. He was positive he could use his speed on the Firebolt and a few moves to get it past Ron. He raced past Ron on the left once, gained altitude and turned right. He dove in as fast as he could shooting the Quaffle at the makeshift rings. Harry was surprised that he didn't have a chance. Ron followed every move like a cat and saved the shot. "Haha, Harry, losing the touch are you?" he challenged with a triumphant smile.
"Yeah, there still a lot of time to play, Ron. We'll see," Harry smiled and headed the other way as Ron cleared the Quaffle to Fred.
The game intensified with Harry playing since his broom was the fastest in the game, but as hard a George tried, he was no where near as good as Ron at playing the goal and Ron was on fire. Ron's side won the game hand's down with Harry only scoring twice on Ron in many, many tries.
"Mate, you were on fire out there," Harry said as a compliment to Ron. "You shocked me."
"Well, you usually play seeker so you're not used to it either," said Ron.
That was all they said to each other, but it was more than they had said to each other in month except for their conversation in his room. Their friendly competition in the air and the brief interaction on the ground made everyone feel better. The mood changed almost instantly. The joking and laughing seemed to increase amongst everyone. Harry had never noticed how subdued things had become until now. He supposed the gloomy little cloud had just seemed normal after a while, but it was gone for the moment. He hoped it was permanent.
Midday the next day after the morning's training; Hermione came to Harry with an envelope. This is the money, Harry. Can we get away to London this afternoon? I mean maybe we can tell everyone we're going to see Bill and organize that stuff for the wedding we've been put in charge of," she suggested.
"You know that's a reasonable excuse, but what are we going to use for an excuse on my birthday?" asked Harry.
"No excuses, Harry. We are going to tell them that you and I want to be alone for a while to enjoy each other's company," she said simply. "I just don't think it would be wise to flaunt taking off to London three times in two weeks. Remember my parents will want to eat in London too. It's probably not a big deal; I just don't want it to become one. People don't need to know that we both have a great deal of muggle money to spend."
"Oh, gotcha," said Harry. "Good point. You know there's another thing we should think about too."
"What's that?" she asked.
"If we come home today and someone asks about the suit, we should tell the truth. We shouldn't sneak anymore at all. We're proud to be together. We don't have to announce our every move, we need to be less self-conscious," he said.
She looked at him for a second and agreed, "We have been spending an awful lot of time thinking that everyone cares about what we do. I'll bet there are questions, but probably fewer people care than we think. We probably just got that way from being teased before."
"That's what I think too," said Harry. Harry still hated that they referred to her as the Misses every time she wasn't around. "Are you ready to go now? I am. There is nothing to tell anyone. We just can't use the Floo, since it is regulated heavily now."
"We'll Apparate to the entrance of St. Mungo's then. You want to side-along with me, Harry? That way we end up in the exact same place." He placed his arm in hers and they disappeared from the upstairs hallway and reappeared twenty feet from the St. Mungo's entrance. "Pretty good, huh?"
"Yeah, it was," he said. He still hated the sensation when Apparating but it was something he'd have to do anyway. He followed her in.
"Hey, Bill," he said as he walked into the room. Bill was sitting up now. The scars on his neck and face were starting to fade a bit. "Ten, no, nine days now until the big day."
"Yeah, Fleur's really excited," he said. "She's gone back to the house to talk to Mom about the reception."
"You're not?" asked Harry realizing he was ignoring Hermione. Or was Bill ignoring Hermione?
"Harry, I am looking forward to being her husband, but I'm not going to be much of a husband for a while yet. So the normal excitement of the wedding night is dampened," he said with a sad smile.
"Why don't you guys wait and get married when you're in better health then Bill?" asked Hermione.
"Hi, Hermione, I'm sorry for ignoring you," he said genuinely. "I just don't know what to say to you these days."
Both Hermione and Harry realized what a nice way of putting the situation behind them. Bill had been one of Ron and Hermione's biggest supporters until the break up and word was that he took it hard. That's probably why they hadn't come in such a long time to see him. "I know, Bill. It's not easy for Ron either and I'm truly sorry for any pain I caused him."
"Hermione, you're a nice girl. I was more disappointed in Ron's loss than I was angry at you. While I was angry, I understood how break ups can happen," he said.
"I wasn't that pleased with Harry either. I had a period where I spent most of my time in thought about how to castrate the bugger. First, he dumps my sister. Not once, but twice. Then he professes his love for my brother's girlfriend," he said with a straight face shocking Harry to the core.
Harry truly didn't know how to take Bill at the moment. He'd seemed friendly when they first came in, but this was truly strange.
Slowly a smile came to his face. "Harry, I have no idea what was going through your head, but if you so much as smile at Fleur or touch her you'll learn where Ginny got the bat-bogey hex from," he said jokingly. "You should wear a sign that says `Unmarried women off the street, Wolf Approaching.'" Bill was trying to be funny.
"Bill, you don't have to worry, Fleur is safe. I have the girl I want," said Harry.
"So, Bill, you sent word that you wanted Hermione and me to do something for you for the wedding?" asked Harry. "You mentioned some sort of banner or something?"
Bill described that he wanted a banner that had some catchy phrase that summed up Fleur and him. He knew Hermione was good with words and, he admitted, it would have been Ron as the helper. He had just gone with the flow in the note since Ron wasn't in Hermione's life anymore. Hermione liked to be involved; she never wanted to be ostracized from the Weasley family.
"Harry, my Dad comes to see me a couple times a week and he's the reason I can deal with this okay now. You're still like a little brother to me. He said that, Hermione, you and Ron were having problems anyway. Is that true? You know, I'm sorry. You guys have probably gotten over it, where I've just been sitting here in a chair or lying in bed wondering. I should just mind my own business." Bill admitted.
Hermione looked at Bill and answered anyway. "Ron is a wonderful guy. We got along great for the most part. The difference between Harry and Ron is that Harry talks and is more open. Eventually, we realized that our friendship, Harry's and mine, was more romantic than the one between Ron and me. It was really that simple. It isn't that I don't care for Ron a great deal; I do."
"Okay, that's fair enough. We all saw that, but no one thought it would ever come out so quickly or so intensely, I guess," he said. "Anyway, what else are you guys up to? You could have sent an owl to do the part about the banner?"
Harry hung his head. "It's that obvious we snuck away for an afternoon?"
"Why are you sneaking? Or is that just semantics?" he asked.
"Both," said Hermione. "If someone asks, we'll tell them. We just didn't tell anyone we were leaving."
"Ah, okay," said Bill. "Did you need something from me?"
"I have that money you exchanged for me in that bank, but I can't remember where it is from here. Hermione's going to open account there too," Harry said.
They got directions to the exact part of the financial district and said their goodbyes to Bill. "We'll see you soon," said Hermione.
"Yeah, Bill, you'll be out of here before you know it," said Harry. "See you later."
Harry and Hermione found the bank and afterward just went crazy bouncing from shop to shop looking at everything. They went into music shops, flower shops, cheap and expensive jewelry shops, and even into a little ice cream parlor where they made a mess feeding each other ice cream. Hermione just couldn't help but keep trying to feed it through Harry's nose, so revenge was in order from Harry. They were a sticky mess and paid the ice cream store clerk an extra ten pounds for the work it would take clean up the mess and for not getting security on them for being rowdy kids in the shop. They played around pinching each other or swatting each other's backsides playfully. They just let loose in the most fun they'd ever had together. Finally under a tree, Harry caught her and gave her a soft swat on the behind while crumbling breathlessly to the ground in sheer delight from the day.
"Harry, don't think I won't get you back for that," she teased. "Isn't this is just so cool," she added as she looked around the plush park with its fenced in flower beds and quaint sandboxes and swing sets. The sun was getting lower and they still hadn't gotten his suit.
"I know where we need to go for your suit though Harry, so rest a bit and then we'll go. I just didn't want to carry it around all day."
"Did you see that young couple with their kids as we came in the park, Sweetheart?" asked Harry.
"Yes, wasn't that just like a painting? I mean the blanket, the bag could have been a picnic basket, and Mom and Dad looked just so in love." The couple they spoke of had a small baby the mom was changing and Dad was playing with their toddler as he was attempting to kick a ball at one end of the blanket. Harry knew exactly what Hermione meant.
"Could that be us one day?" asked Harry.
"Do you want it to be?" she replied.
"More than anything in the world right now, Hermione," he said without thinking.
"This has been a perfect day so far, hasn't it? All we have to do is what we came to do," she giggled.
Hermione traced her finger across Harry's chin and lips. "You are really something, Harry Potter." She said with a tear.
Harry was confused. Why was she crying? "What happened now, Hermione?"
"Oh, I'm sorry Harry." She was talking softly and not in a panic. She seemed rather melancholy all of a sudden. "I just think how lucky I am that my parents got to see me grow up and how sad I am that yours didn't. That was probably your Mom and Dad sixteen years ago," she said referring to the couple they saw. "I'm so sorry for opening that wound for you Harry, but you are such a good guy to have been through so much." She kissed him lightly and backed off again.
"Yeah, isn't it ironic that I'm training sixteen years later to kill the man who ruined that picture?" said Harry bitterly. "I'm sorry for my tone of voice. I'm not angry at you, Sweetheart, but you just put into words the thing I often think about when I see young families." Harry smiled hesitantly. "Thanks for being my friend because without my friends I would be a bitter and mean person. I'm sure of it."
"Can you smell the flowers?" she interrupted as she put her head down next to his trying to change the subject.
"Yes, they just make you more beautiful," he answered. "Did you see that huge limousine earlier? What do they call them--stretch limousines?" he mentioned.
"Sure did, do you want to rent one for your birthday and tour the city?" asked Hermione.
Harry answered, "Hey that would be awesome. You know we should talk about our plans for that day. I think we should get a hotel room to change clothes and we should stay the night," he suggested. "I think we could handle it."
Hermione was hesitant. "I thought about that. Do you think we can have a night that is so much fun like today and not end up so excited that we forget about everything else? I don't doubt our intentions, but we've come awfully close to losing ourselves on rocky hard ground. A bed with soft pillows and a mini-bar might make Harry, Jr. a reality before we know it." She smiled. "I don't think so, Harry. I'm sorry."
Harry turned and kissed her softly after pondering her answer for a minute or so. "You're right. It wouldn't be wise considering we just talked about how we need to slow things down. Now that I think about it, there is no way I could hold back if we were in the same room and I saw you come out of the shower in anything remotely sexy in an environment like that."
"See, and I'm sure that being with you in the same room with the love that would be generated on a night like that would make me wonder why that wasn't the perfect time to be with you," she said. "It'll be hard enough to keep from pawing each other in a limousine after a night of dancing and good food. Forget about how we would be in a hotel room." She giggled again playfully.
"Dancing?" Harry asked. "Surely, you jest, my dear?" making a face of pained anxiety.
"No, you're going to take me dancing whether you like it or not," she said resolutely. "And I'll show you where."
For the first time that day, Hermione asked Harry to hail a cab. When none stopped they went to the nearest taxi queue at one of the large buildings nearby.
The taxi ride once they got in one took ten minutes back the way they had come. The cab rolled into the circle drive off one of the most magnificent buildings Harry had ever seen. The glass was so lustrous, it looked like crystal. "The restaurant is right here."
They walked into the hotel as the staff acknowledged them nodding politely. "Sir, Miss," said the doorman. The huge fans in the ceiling near the door were eerily silent as they created a soft rejuvenating breeze. Harry looked around in awe. The sign said that dinner was served at 8:00 PM and the lounge opened at 7:30. "Harry, they have a dance club on the third floor that opens at 11:00 PM."
"Don't they have an age limit?" he asked. "I mean, we might pass for eighteen or nineteen, but this looks pretty posh."
"First lesson of hanging out with the rich is learning to act like you belong there. I mean we will walk in confidently dressed to the nines. They think we are with our rich daddies in the hotel. Rich people respect money and if you act accordingly they will not question you." Hermione seemed to be very confident of this.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Harry, I've been here. I came in here while I was home to see what it was like with my parents. I didn't stay in the dance club long. My parents brought me to dinner here and they ran into one of their clients who invited them for a drink. But believe me, there were others our age that just walked in ready to spend daddy's money. And you're right, the age is twenty-one but we'll pass, because I think you will look very dapper dressed up."
"Why do you want to come to this place anyway?" asked Harry.
"Harry, trust me. You will never forget your seventeenth birthday. The music is loud, you can dance crazy and no one cares how you dance. We won't have to drink to have fun. We can make fools of ourselves all night and laugh about it," she said smiling. "We will have a blast. Trust me."
They left the hotel. Harry noticed that the time was around five-thirty and most of the shops except the big stores closed at six. "Where are we going to get a suit for me at this time of the afternoon?" he asked.
"Be patient, Harry." They walked a block or so as Hermione led as if they knew exactly where they were going. She went around the corner and, lo and behold, there was a small tailor shop amidst the tall buildings in a place he could have never imagined. "My Dad gets all of his formal things here."
"Hi, Jonathan, how are you?" said Hermione to the middle-aged man with the cloth measuring tape suspended around his neck.
"Weren't you just here a month ago with your father, Miss Granger?" he asked politely. "And who is the young man?"
"This is my boyfriend Harry, Jonathan. He is going to meet my father in a week or so for dinner. But we have another dinner engagement in a couple of nights. I was wondering if you would be able to do me a huge favor to help me get Harry fixed up in one of your beautiful suits?" she asked.
"How soon do you need it?" he said smiling as Hermione cringed. He assumed that they needed it immediately from her expression. He looked at Harry and turned him around. "Stand still, Harry." Jonathan took his chest, arm, and inseam measurements. "Of course, Miss Granger."
"Please, Jonathan, it makes me crazy to call an older gentleman by his first name while they call me, Miss Granger. Hermione is my first name; call me that, please.
"Certainly, Miss…I mean Hermione," he replied with a pleasant smile. "He might fit into one off of the rack and only need the pants hemmed and the sleeves of the jacket adjusted; I think the shoulders will be fine."
"So, Harry, how did you meet Hermione?" asked Jonathan.
"We've been friends forever and I finally plucked up enough courage to tell her how I felt," he said honestly. "We're schoolmates."
"Isn't that ironic? My wife and I met the same way in my second year of college. She went on to University and I opened my tailoring business nearly thirty years ago," he said absentmindedly. "My wife is friends with Hermione's mother."
Harry shot a glance at Hermione who smiled and nodded her head.
"Jonathan, please don't mention this to Mabel. My mother and father are having a hard time realizing I'm growing up. They'll meet Harry for the first time in a week or so and I want him to look nice. But I don't want them to know that I helped him get his clothes together unless they ask." Hermione explained.
Hermione and Harry looked at shirts and ties while Jonathan took the suit into the back to do the alterations.
"He is such a nice man Harry. I knew he would help."
"How do you know he won't say anything to your parents, or rather, how do you know his wife won't?" asked Harry.
"I don't, Harry. But people who my parents do business with are trustworthy and keep their word fairly well. If they do say something, the worst that could happen would be that my father thinks you have good taste in clothes to come here with me," she said with a smile and a shrug. "What can we do?"
Harry was smart enough to realize that he should pay for the suit. The gentleman was less inclined to make a big deal about it if it appeared that Hermione simply referred her well-to-do boyfriend to his shop. "Sir, thank you very much," Harry said.
Hermione was happy and that meant only one thing to Harry. He knew it was coming from comments she made in the shop. They were going shoe shopping. Harry hung his head.
"Shoes, Harry. Shoes make all the difference," she said knowing he hated life at that moment. "Come on, Harry. I'll buy some spiked heals for me that will make my legs look even more incredible." She teased him. "No, seriously, Harry. We'll be quick."
He was surprised. They went to one of the local department stores and found a pair in no time flat now that they had a suit, shoes, socks, shirt and tie he was set. "Harry, let's go get some pizza and then go home."
Hermione also knew of a place to go for that. After they ate they got a taxi again. When Harry asked why, Hermione just told him to trust her. It wasn't long before Harry realized that the taxi was leaving London, crossing a little river into a bit of the countryside. "Where are we going?" He saw Hermione had given the taxi driver a large note and whispered something to him but he hadn't really paid attention.
She scooted over next to him, as he looked out the window at the passing fences and larger plots of land. "He's our driver for the rest of the night Harry. We'll do the same thing in a limo on your birthday. It will be a tour of the lights and sights in London. Tonight, he's driving us around my hometown and taking us home." She kissed him softly on the cheek. "Lean back and enjoy the ride."
It wasn't long before she pointed out her home, the grammar school she attended and the building where her parents worked. It was a whirlwind tour of her little world, but nonetheless Harry saw where she came from now.
She nestled into the crook of his arm as they spent the rest of the evening with the windows down in a Fiat taxi, chatting and taking in the sights until the sun went down. They stopped a couple of times to stretch, feel the breeze and look at the stars. Finally, the last time they got out it was nearly ten at night and just a few feet from the Weasley's front door. "The heck if they know we had some money," she said as Harry opened the car door. "I'm too tired and there's too much to carry to try to hide anything."
The headlights of the cab caught someone moving ahead of them. Parvati and Seamus poked their heads out of the little place where Harry and Hermione had hidden a month before, covering their eyes from the light. Hermione laughed. "I suppose you lost one of your contacts, Parvati?" She teased.
"Seamus and I were practicing the resuscitation exercises we learned for the DA," she said with a smile.
"She's lying," said Seamus, "we're playing tonsil hockey in the bushes thanks," he croaked. "Did I say that out loud? Mind your own business and find your own place to snog."
Parvati giggled and said, "By the way, where'd you guys get off to today?"
Hermione just told the truth. "I took Harry shopping so we can dress up and go out on his birthday."
"Hey that's really cool, Hermione," said Seamus. "Parvati, my birthday's coming up soon too you know and I could use some clothes." He laughed.
"Shut up and kiss me," Parvati said as she waved at Harry and Hermione.
Harry smiled at Hermione. Finally, things seemed be going the way a summer Teenage Magical Assassin Camp should go, he thought. When he told Hermione what he'd just thought, she stopped in her tracks looked at him and said, "How appropriate, we now have a second name we can be known by, `TMAC'. They laughed all the way inside.
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