Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.
It's for the Best
Chapter 7 - Here Comes Hermione
"Happy birthday, Ginny!" said Harry when his girlfriend appeared in the kitchen where Harry was standing at the stove scrambling eggs. He'd asked Mrs. Weasley if she'd let him cook Ginny's birthday breakfast since he'd given her birthday gift the day before Uncle Vernon's funeral and didn't have anything to present her with at the party. He had sausages and pancakes in other pans on the stove cooking. He and Ginny had been getting along well since he'd been staying at the Burrow instead of going out for whole days at a time. He and Ginny had gone on a few bike rides, but only to the nearby town.
She walked up and gave him a kiss on the cheek (she didn't want to make him burn breakfast by snogging him). "Thank you. I didn't know you could cook."
"That's one thing the Dursleys made sure I knew how to do," he said with a blank expression as Ginny sat down. "I wanted to make your birthday breakfast."
"That's so sweet! I'm surprised Mum let you near the stove, though."
"It was…" said Harry, but he was interrupted.
"Good morning, Harry. And to you, Birthday Girl!" Arthur said jovially as he made his way into the kitchen. "Let me get you two a glass of pumpkin juice."
"Thanks, daddy."
Mr. Weasley got the beverage out and poured three glasses, putting a few drops of a clear potion in two of them and performing cooling charms on all the cups. "Here you go, Ginny." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and gave Harry his cup.
-
Ron showed up at the exact moment that Harry began serving breakfast, and Molly came in from the living room, where she'd been reading Witch Weekly since Harry was making breakfast. They all complimented Harry's cooking, saying it was only second to Molly's. When they were done, Ginny dragged Harry to the broom shed for some `quality time' before anybody noticed they'd left.
-
At the same time, Hermione was packing the last of her things into her trunk. She would be going to Ginny's party this afternoon, and staying at the Burrow for the rest of the summer. Before packing it away, she reread the letter Harry had written her the day before.
"Hi Hermione!
I just wanted to say how happy I am that you'll be coming here tomorrow. We're all looking forward to seeing you again. Ginny is so excited about her birthday party, she's positively glowing! She has such a nice smile.
I want to thank you for coming to the wake and letting me cry on your shoulder. That really helped me. You are a true friend and you mean a lot to me.
I'd suggest bringing your car here so that the four of us (me, Ginny, you, and Ron) can drive around together without taking the Knight Bus. My bike only fits two people. Maybe you could get Mr. Weasley to charm your car to shrink so you could bring it with to Hogwarts. If not, you could have your parents meet us at Kings Cross station and have one of them drive it to your house. I definitely don't think you should leave it at the Burrow all year with Mr. Weasley. He'll probably take it apart and who knows if he'll be able to put it back together.
I just finished reading about magically claiming houses, and think I know what to do, but I wanted you to look at the book before I try to claim Grimmauld Place to make sure I don't mess up. You're so smart. I know you'll be able to help.
I also want your opinion on something. On the day I moved my relatives to their new house, I got Dobby to help me. Don't worry - I paid him five Galleons despite his protests. He told me that Winky is still drinking, and that she'll be depressed until she gets a new master. Now that I know I have a lot of property, it occurred to me that I may need help with it and could use the services that house elves provide.
I'm considering trying to hire both Dobby and Winky. I'd try to get them to agree to being paid. I'm sure Dobby would agree, but I'm not sure about Winky - she may demand that I don't pay her. I would be as kind and considerate of them as possible, and would NEVER punish them like the Malfoys did to Dobby. I know how strongly you feel about house elf enslavement and would never hire them without talking to you first. I highly value your opinion. I feel that this would make them both very happy, and for now, isn't that the most important thing?
Maybe one day, you'll be able to reach your goals with S.P.E.W. and house elves will be happy and free, but right now freedom is turning Winky into a depressed alcoholic. I think she'd be better off happy and enslaved than miserable and free.
Our O.W.L. results came in yesterday. I got an `O' in Defense Against the Dark Arts, an `E' in Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration (I know I owe that to you because of your encouraging us to study), and an `A' in Astronomy. I got a `P' in Divination and a `D' in History of Magic. Ron got about the same except he got an `E' in Defense. I'm confident that you did much better than both of us. I guess I won't be an auror. I really wouldn't want to be in class with Snape another two years anyway - especially after my dream. The less contact I have with him, the better! With the money I have, I don't even need a career, but I'm sure I'll find something to do after I'm done with school. I'm not that worried about my career right now. I just want to survive this war.
Once you're here, there's something important that I want to discuss with you, Ron, and Ginny that can't be put in a letter. That's all I can say about it for now.
Don't tell anybody this, but McGonagall sent me the badge for Quidditch Captain. After thinking about it, I don't want the responsibility. I have more important things to worry about than a game. I think my training with Dumbledore will take up a lot of time, not to mention any extra training I do on my own. If practice is interfering with that, I may even decide not to play at all. I sent the badge back, telling Professor McGonagall that, suggesting that she give the badge to Ginny.
I know what you're thinking - that it's only because she's my girlfriend, but that's not the reason. I'd never want to set her up to fail. I know she could do it! It was between her and Ron, but the truth is that Ron barely has enough confidence to play, to say nothing about being in charge. Ginny would have no trouble yelling at someone who's not doing their job while Ron would be stuttering. Ron only did well for one game out of three last year, while Ginny caught the Snitch in two games out of two. That makes her a better player, or at least more reliable. Ginny will be at Hogwarts for a full three years, which would provide some stability in the captain position like we had when Oliver was captain for his fifth, sixth, and seventh year. Both Ron and I will only be there for two years (if I stay on the team).
See you tomorrow!
Harry"
She glared at the logic in Harry's argument about Winky. She couldn't find a rational reason to make Winky suffer when a solution easily presented itself. She was touched that he valued her opinion enough to ask before he did it, because he could always enslave the elf and say it was none of her business. She also wondered what it was that Harry wanted to talk to her about.
Sighing, she put the letter in her trunk and closed it, and then struggled as she carried it to her car and put it in the boot. She got into the driver's seat of her vehicle and drove off.
-
Ginny watched in fascination as Harry pumped fuel into his motorcycle. He'd taken her to lunch in town and needed to stop off on the way home. She'd heard from her father that muggle vehicles required petrol, but her Muggle Studies teacher said they used horses and buggies. She'd asked the teacher about cars like the one her dad had lost, and he said there were horses inside the front of some buggies that wore special bridals called `engines,' and that the owners would put straw in there for the horses to eat every day. She wondered what else her muggle studies class was wrong about. She decided to ask Harry once he paid for the fuel.
"Harry?"
"Yeah, Ginny."
"My Muggle Studies professor said that muggles use horses and buggies instead of cars and motorcycles, and never talked about getting fuel."
Harry smiled but stopped himself from laughing. "Hermione said that the class was a hundred years out of date."
"Why didn't she tell me that when I signed up for it?"
"Maybe she didn't think of it," he answered, shrugging his shoulders.
"No. She knew I was taking it. She asked me what classes I signed up for when she was staying with us before the Quidditch World Cup."
He grinned. "How did she react when you told her you were taking it?"
"She said that she'd dropped out of it, but not why. She really didn't comment much on it, except that she much preferred Arithmancy and Ancient Runes."
"Maybe she just didn't want to badmouth the class."
"But she told you!"
"I don't know. I do know that we need to put on our helmets and get back to the Burrow."
They did just that, and soon were on the road toward the Burrow. She was sitting there with her arms around Harry's waist. When they'd left for lunch, she'd felt excited to be in that position, but now it didn't seem very exciting. She supposed she was getting used to having her arms around Harry's waist and was no longer getting the `goose bumps.'
She was broken out of her musing by a sound she'd never heard before and nearly jumped out of her skin as she held Harry tightly, knowing that he could save her from whatever monster had roared like that. She turned her head around to see Hermione's car behind them, with her waving at them. She nodded at the brunette, not about to let go of Harry. Suddenly the car roared at her again. The sound reminded her of a horn. It had been quiet when she'd ridden in the car before. She wondered if the sound meant the car was hungry and needed petrol or that it was angry at either them or Hermione.
-
Harry had heard the beeping and looked in the side mirrors to see Hermione driving behind him. He smiled but didn't know what to do to acknowledge that he'd seen her. He wasn't comfortable enough driving the bike to try waving his hand at her, especially with a passenger, and he couldn't talk with his helmet on. He simply kept driving to the Burrow.
-
Hermione was surprised, though pleased, when she saw Harry and Ginny on the road in front of her. She recognized the matching dragon leather jackets and the red hair sticking out of Ginny's helmet. Ginny had nodded at her, and she continued to follow them to the Burrow. She figured that Harry must have taken Ginny to lunch for her birthday. They soon pulled into the Weasley property and she parked just behind Harry, who promptly took off his helmet, jacket, and gloves, and put them (along with Ginny's) into a storage compartment of the bike before shrinking it down and walking up to her. She had just exited her car when Harry pulled her into a tight hug.
"It's great to see you, Hermione!" he exclaimed as he released her.
"It's great to see you, too, Harry." She then looked at the youngest Weasley. "Happy birthday, Ginny!"
"Thanks," she said with a smile as she walked up to her friend.
Hermione pulled her into a tight hug. "So what time is your surprise party?"
Harry chuckled at Hermione's little joke. She knew full-well that it wasn't a surprise party, and that if it were one, Ginny would be the wrong person too ask about it.
-
Sighing, Harry thought this might be the best time to talk about the prophecy. It was a few hours before other people would arrive for the party, and he really wanted to get it off his chest. "Let's see if we can find Ron. I'd like to talk to all three of you."
They found Ron flying around outside, and Harry called him down. "Oi! I need to talk to you about something."
"Fine, but this better be good!" Ron called out as he landed. "I was practicing a new Keeper move."
"It is important," said Harry. "Come on." Once they'd closed themselves into Ron's room, Harry began. "It's about why we were at the Department of Mysteries."
"You mean the prophecy that the Death Eaters were after?" asked Hermione.
"Exactly."
"The Daily Prophet's been calling you the `Chosen One,' lately," commented Ginny.
Taking a deep breath, Harry responded. "For the first time in history, the Daily Prophet is spot on. I guess you can't be wrong all the time. About six months before I was born, Dumbledore was interviewing Trelawney for the Divination teacher position. He was about to politely decline her offer to teach since he thought her to be a fraud when she went into a trance just like the one she had the night Wormtail escaped. She said,
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches....Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."
"A Death Eater heard the beginning before he was caught spying. He reported it to his master who proved his bravery by going after babies. Both myself and Neville could have qualified, but Voldemort chose to mark me with my scar. Anyway, that's why Dumbledore hired Trelawney and why he's taken such a personal interest in me."
The others stared at him for about ten seconds without saying a word. Finally Hermione broke the silence. "Do, do you think it's a true prophecy?"
He half-smiled at this. "That is a good question. I know that both Voldemort and Dumbledore believe it, and part of it seems to have come true. I know that she was right when she predicted Tom's rebirth. The point is that Riddle is going to keep coming after me until either he kills me or I kill him, which means that he's going to make it come true eventually."
"Do you have any idea what this power is?" asked Ron.
"Dumbledore says it's love," Harry said, shrugging his shoulders, "although I don't see how."
"Maybe you can snog him to death," joked Ginny.
"Or give him an STD," muttered Hermione with a smirk.
"A what?" asked Ron while Harry was glaring at her.
"Never mind," she said, holding back her laughter at Harry's expression. "Bad joke. The only way I can imagine love as a weapon is if you have to sacrifice…" Her voice trailed off.
"So let's hope the lying thief is wrong," said Harry. He and Ginny had told Ron about how Dumbledore lied about Grimmauld Place and the wards around Privet Drive so he understood that remark. "I'd prefer the power to be a bomb on Tom's house."
"It certainly is conceivable that muggle weaponry, which Voldemort has rejected along with everything else non-magical, could be the power he knows not," said Hermione. "He probably has no idea about any technological advances for the past fifty years."
"Just like love, that's something Tom knows a little about but doesn't think is of any value," commented Ginny, "so it's just as likely."
"It could also be a spell that he actually doesn't know about," said Ron.
"That actually would be a power he knows not," said Harry.
"The point is that Harry needs to start training," said Hermione, "and we should train with him."
"Dumbledore wants me to start training with him once school starts," said Harry. "I don't know if he'll want you to join it or not."
"Why hasn't Dumbledore been training you since you could walk?" asked Ginny.
Harry let out a snort. "He said he wanted me to enjoy my childhood."
"With the Dursleys?" asked Ginny and Hermione together.
"Yeah. What a laugh! He knew I hated every moment of my life with them!"
Hermione looked deep in thought for a moment. "If he's convinced himself that love is your weapon, then he probably didn't see any reason to train you."
"I can train him in that," said Ginny seductively.
Harry sighed. "Hopefully I'll be able to get some real training, because up until now I've trained myself for the most part - for the tournament and then the D.A. - with Hermione's help of course. The point is that I wouldn't know how to stupefy someone if I'd counted on Hogwarts to train me."
"Maybe he wanted you to train yourself," suggested Hermione.
"Why? Because he was too lazy to do the job? He must know a million hexes even you've never heard of and could have been teaching them to me all this time!"
"Discussing what should have been done is pointless," said Hermione. "At least now you'll be trained. I do have other ideas for training beside spells. I think we should exercise."
"WHAT?" asked Ron.
"It'll build endurance in a duel so that the Death Eater will tire more quickly than us," said Harry, agreeing.
"And allow us to move quicker," added Ginny.
"Over the next few weeks I'll make up a schedule that we can follow at Hogwarts. We can use the Room of Requirement for whatever we need. I'll bet it can even provide muggle exercise equipment." She began to get excited. "I need to get a quill and parchment!" She got up and left the room in a hurry.
"I guess our, er, meeting's over," said Harry.
"Yeah," said Ginny. "Ron, you can go back to your broomstick. I want to talk with Harry for a little while before the party."
Before Ron could respond, a handsome tawny owl flew through the open window and straight to Ginny.
"That looks like a Hogwarts owl," said Ron as his sister opened the envelope.
She pulled out a letter as a patch fell to the floor. Harry hid his smile as he watched her stare at the piece of parchment in disbelief.
"Is that a prefect badge?" asked Ron. "Did McGonagall change her mind? Mum'll be thrilled."
"No," she said while picking it up and showing it to them. "It's the Quidditch Captain badge."
Ron's face turned pale while Harry said, "Congratulations!" and hugged her.
"How did you get it? It should've been Harry," said Ron coldly. "I've been on the team longer than you!"
"McGonagall said she wanted it to be a fifth year who could keep the position for three years," she said nervously.
"Let me see that letter!" Ron said, reaching for it.
"No you don't!" she yelled as she pulled it out of her brother's reach.
"I don't know why you're not mad, Harry!" he said, turning to his best mate.
"I've got other things to worry about. Dumbledore probably told McGonagall that I was gonna be busy training and wouldn't be able to handle the extra pressure."
"I suppose. But why Ginny?" He grabbed at the letter again, this time surprising his sister and ripping it out of her hands.
"RON!" she shouted as she pulled out her wand.
He looked it over quickly, reading aloud. "…most reliable performance…not affected by negative feedback from the crowd like others…most…" At that moment, he dropped the parchment as bat bogeys came out of his nose and attacked his face, sending him running outside.
She closed the door and faced her boyfriend. "I can't believe it!" she shouted and proceeded show him how excited she was.
-
Mrs. Weasley had been pleased, though surprised, that Ginny had been made captain, and promised to get her a new broom before school started. Despite Ron's sulky mood, the party was a success. All the Gryffindors from Ginny's year, along with a few Ravenclaws (including Luna) and Hufflepuffs, came along with Neville. Dean had been invited but opted not to come. Harry noticed that Ron seemed to be watching Luna rather closely, but then he denied it as his face began to match his hair. Ginny made it a point to show everyone the pigmy puff, who she named Arnold, that Harry had given her as a birthday present when it was time to open her gifts.
-
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny woke up early the next morning. Although Ron was still sulking, Harry had talked him into coming with them to headquarters so Harry could claim the house. Hermione had read the chapter of Harry's book the previous evening and was carrying it.
Harry confidently walked up to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder, threw it down, and clearly said, "Black Manor," the way he'd done it the day his uncle was killed. He felt himself moving uncomfortably through the floo network until he saw Grimmauld Place in front of him, but instead of falling forward, he felt himself pulled backward. He began panicking, not having a clue what was going on until he felt himself run into someone else. They were moving backwards together until they were both shot backwards out of a fireplace.
"Ouch!" shouted Ginny as Harry looked around at where he'd landed. He was lying on his back with his girlfriend beside him. He looked around and saw the concerned faces of both Ron and Hermione, which made him smile. At least he was back at the Burrow and not in Knockturn Alley.
"What happened?" asked Hermione as both victims got up.
As Harry was rubbing a bruised shoulder, he said, "I could see Headquarters for about ten seconds but couldn't leave the fireplace. Suddenly I was pulled back like I was being vacuumed. I didn't know what was going on. Then I ran into someone - apparently Ginny - and we both kept going backwards until we were thrown out just now."
"The floo wouldn't reject you unless…he wouldn't…would he?"
"Wouldn't what, Hermione?" asked Harry with anger in his eyes. "Did Dumbledore do something?"
Looking nervous, the brunette answered, "Well, er, it sounds like a password has been set on the floo, and I believe that he's the only one who could do that until you claim the house. You were supposed to say something while you were looking at Black Manor."
"That son of a…"
"Harry!" said Hermione.
"That's it! He can find someplace else for the Order! I'm driving there, now!"
"We can use my car," said Hermione. "It'll fit us all."
"If you still want to come," said Harry. "This may take awhile."
"I'll write a note to mum that we'll be gone," said Ginny.
"Oh, no you won't!" came Molly's voice from behind them. She'd obviously heard the noise of Harry and Ginny crashing.
Taking a deep breath, but with confidence, Harry turned to face the Weasley matriarch. "Dumbledore lied to both myself and Remus on the day my uncle died. He claimed that Sirius left Headquarters to him, but when I went asked Gringotts, they told me Sirius left it to me. When I confronted him about it, he admitted that he'd lied to make sure I wouldn't stop Snape from going there. I let him continue to use the house. Today I'm going to magically claim it so that I have control of the wards and everything. I went to floo there, but was sent backwards. Hermione says he must have set a password."
To say she was shocked would be an understatement. "He lied? I heard him, too. He didn't tell me about a password. Maybe he has a good reason."
"I don't care what his reason, as the owner of the house, I should've been notified immediately. He's gone too far, and I'm claiming the house today. I'm going over there and taking my house back from that thief! I don't want to defy you, Mrs. Weasley, because I'm very fond of you, and appreciate your wonderful hospitality, but I need to do this. I believe I'll need Hermione's help. Ron and Ginny are welcome to come along."
Molly looked indecisive for a few moments. "I've got to…can't tell the Order or they might…I can't go with you today, and Ron and Ginny have chores to do." At the point the two youngest Weasleys looked upset. "Is there anyone from the Order that you trust to help you and not tell Professor Dumbledore?"
All the kids looked surprised at her reaction. "If it's your house, he doesn't have the right to use it without your permission, and I agree that he's overstepped his bounds in this instance. I wouldn't want him to take over the Burrow."
"How about if you call Remus and have him meet us there?" said Harry. "I don't think it's likely we'll be attacked on the road when no one knows we're not here."
She frowned, but finally gave in. "You haven't been attacked when you've gone on short drives with Ginny, so I don't suppose you'd be attacked on a long trip either. I don't suppose I can control either of you, and at least today I'll know where you are, unlike the days Harry has simply taken off. I wish I didn't have to go shopping today. You both know how to defend yourselves - Harry especially. Just be careful and get back as quickly as possible. I'll simply tell Arthur that you're out running an errand so that he doesn't accidentally tell someone at work."
"Thanks, a lot, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, quickly hugging her to make sure she wouldn't change her mind. "I'll be right back. Hermione, you'll love the motorcycle!"
"But I thought…" she said as he ran upstairs and got the bike.
"I've ridden in your car. Please ride on my bike," he said with his puppy-dog eyes.
Sighing, she said, "Fine." Ginny didn't look too happy, but didn't say anything.
"Bye Gin," Harry said, giving her a quick peck on the mouth. "I'm sorry you can't come, too." He then whispered, "Maybe you can talk to Ron about the Quidditch team." He turned to his best mate. "See you later, Ron."
-
Five minutes later, Harry and Hermione were dressed in the helmets, jackets, and gloves, and Harry was sitting on the bike while she was eying it apprehensively. With his mouth covered by the helmet, Harry couldn't talk. He moved his right arm to signal her to get on the motorcycle. Finally, she gave in and put her arms around him. He turned on the bike and drove off.
Harry smiled to himself as he felt how tightly her arms were wrapped around him. He thought they felt even better than Ginny's, but then shook his head slightly, trying to get those thoughts out of his mind.
-
Hermione closed her eyes contentedly as she held herself closely to Harry. She wondered how she could have hesitated to have an excuse to put her arms around him. She wasn't even worried about the speed he was going or anything else, because she felt completely safe when she was this close to Harry. The only other time she'd felt like that had been on the back of a hippogriff.
She contemplated these feelings of security that were only associated with Harry and came to a frightening conclusion - she was starting to fancy her best friend. She blinked her eyes to make that thought go away. `I can't fancy Harry because he's dating Ginny, and seems quite content with her! Besides, she's prettier and more fun. She plays Quidditch while I read books. Of course he likes her better!' she thought to herself. `If I want a boyfriend, I should look for a Ravenclaw who studies like I do. But he won't be brave and noble and…Stop it! I CAN'T fancy Harry and that's final!'
-
They finally made it to London, and Harry pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving," he said after pulling off his helmet.
"Do you think it's safe to just leave it out here?" she asked when he didn't shrink it.
"Muggles do that all the time. Besides, Sirius put some antitheft charms on it. The first one simply makes someone not want to steal the bike. That should work on any potential thief." He smiled broadly. "I pity any thief that charm doesn't work on."
"Why? What does it do to them?"
He chuckled as he put on his disguise cap. "Trust me. You don't want to know."
They walked into the restaurant and were soon seated. After they'd ordered their breakfasts, Harry said, "You don't happen to know exactly, er, where Grimmauld Place is, do you?"
She stared at him for about ten seconds before she burst out laughing. "You don't know where we're going?"
"Not so loud," he said, glancing around. "I know about where it is, but…"
"Don't worry. I know where it is. I'll give you the directions before we leave."
He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Thanks. I know that I can always count on you."
-
An hour later, they found themselves on the street where Black Manor was located. Harry pulled into an alley where they dismounted, took off their helmets, and shrunk the bike. Harry put it in his jacket. He was wearing his disguise cap and Hermione was carrying the book on claiming houses. They soon saw a man sitting on the porch at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Harry walked up to him and shook his hand.
"Remus! I'm surprised you're out here. Why aren't you in the house?"
He looked angry. "I can't get in. I couldn't floo in. I couldn't apparate in. The door won't open. I don't know what Dumbledore's playing at, but you can solve the problem. You can claim the house from out here, right?"
"Yes," said Hermione, "and no one should see or hear us on the porch either." She opened the book where she'd left a bookmark. "Harry, put your hand on the doorknob."
She directed him through a fifteen minute process that began with him saying, "I, Harry James Potter, claim this house as the legal heir to Sirius Orion Black, the previous owner of this house."
He continued claiming control of each protection in the house, including the door (getting it to open to people he named), the fireplace (naming a new password - `mischief managed'), the apparition wards (allowing only those he named to apparate inside), and the Fidelius charm (changing the Secret-Keeper to Hermione - he found out that the owner can change the Secret-Keeper any time they want to - something Dumbledore would have to know, which should have given him reason to at least talk to Sirius after he was arrested). They were surprised, though pleased that no one was in the house when they entered.
He'd thought about making Remus Secret-Keeper, but felt that it could become a problem if someone needed access to his house during the full moon, besides, Hermione was Harry's best friend and he trusted her more than anyone else. When he told her so (while Remus was in another room), she hugged him tightly and said, "Thank you, Harry. That means a lot to me."
At that moment, he looked deep into her eyes. "You mean a lot to me." He leaned his face toward hers.
-
She watched Harry's eyes get slightly darker as his face moved closer to hers. She found herself licking her lips in anticipation as her face moved a bit forward. She was beginning to close her eyes when their lips were millimeters apart. Suddenly she remembered that he was dating Ginny. She turned her head, causing him to kiss her cheek.
"This is wrong," she said, "You're dating Ginny."
He closed his eyes and shook his head in disgust at himself. "I, I'm sorry. I don't know what…" He sighed. "Sometimes I'm so happy with Ginny and sometimes…I'm sorry. Can we pretend I didn't just act like the world's biggest prat? I'm really sorry. I don't know if it's that we're alone together and you look so beautiful or…"
"Thank you."
He looked at her in confusion. "For what?"
Blushing, she replied, "You said I looked beautiful."
"It's the truth," he said shyly, "but it doesn't excuse my behavior. I shouldn't have tried to kiss you while dating Ginny. You should've slapped me in the face." He sighed again and mumbled, "Maybe if Ginny and I br..."
"Break up?" she asked with her eyes wide. "But you seem so happy with her."
"I usually am. I don't know what's wrong with me today. This usually does happen when I'm away from the Burrow."
"What usually happens?"
"I get doubts about Ginny. It's probably nothing. Can we talk about something else?"
"Alright, Harry. I read what you said about Dobby and Winky."
He looked at her expectantly. When she didn't speak, he said, "and?"
"I can't fault your logic. I wish I could, but I can't. It's alright with me if you hire them, even if you have to enslave Winky. I know you won't mistreat them."
"Thanks," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it for a moment before letting go quickly and looking at the carpet.
Before he could say anything, Remus came back into the room carrying a box. "Harry, I found some photos of Sirius. A lot of them include your father; some even your mother. I thought you might want to look through them later, so I put them in an album. It's in this box, along with a few other things from Sirius I thought you'd like."
Harry smiled. "Thanks. I'm gonna hire a few house elves, now. Dobby! Winky!"
Both elves appeared, although Winky looked completely drunk. "Harry Potter has called Dobby and Winky, and we has come!" His ears drooped down. "Dobby is sorry for Winky's state."
"Whatz wong wiz Winky's state? Azides fwums she's disgwazed."
"What is Harry Potter needing? Dobby is still delivering mail to your Petuny."
"That's good Dobby. I would like to hire the both of you, if you'd like to work for me."
Dobby's eyes immediately began watering as he hugged Harry's legs. "Harry Potter asks if Dobby would like to work for him! Dobby is happy to be working for Harry Potter! Dobby isn't needing any pay from the great Har…"
"You will be getting the same pay you got from Dumbledore, including the days off." He turned to the other elf and squatted down to her height. "Winky, would you like to work for me?"
"You, you iz wanting to hire Winky?" The prospect of a new master seemed to be helping her sober up.
"Very much. I know that you're a good elf. Do you want pay?"
"No! Winky isn't wanting pay! Winky is wanting to be enslaved!"
"Then that's how it will be." He looked at both of them. "How do I hire you guys?"
After they'd guided him through the spell, he said, "I'd like you to completely redecorate this place, and if Kreacher tries to stop you…"
"Pardon me, Master Harry Potter," said Winky, "but the traitor Kreacher is dead. He betrayed his master, causing his death, so the house elves gave him justice!"
"His head is with his ancestors," Dobby added.
Harry decided not to comment on elf justice, and surprisingly, neither did Hermione. "That's one of the many things I want changed here." Harry started listing the things he wanted changed.
When he mentioned Mrs. Black's portrait, Dobby immediately removed it. "It was being held up by the house elf sticking charm. Wizards isn't able to remove it."
"Does that mean Kreacher stuck her there?" asked Hermione.
"Yes, Miss Grangey," said Dobby.
-
Once he'd finished instructing the elves, Harry and Hermione bid them, along with Remus, farewell and left, putting the box from Moony in the storage compartment of the bike once it was resized. They then took off toward the Burrow.
-
When the noise of the motorcycle reached the Burrow, Ginny was sitting inside reading one of her schoolbooks. Her dad, who'd come home for lunch (which was quite unusual) walked up to her carrying two cups of tea.
"Honey, would you bring those out for Harry and Hermione. Remember to give Harry the blue cup. I don't think he'd like getting the pink one."
"Okay, dad," she said, carefully marking her place and closing the book. She walked out the door toward them with a cheerful smile on her face. They'd just removed their helmets and Harry was shrinking the bike. "Hi, Harry! How was your morning?" She threw her arms around him and kissed him.
He broke it up as fast as he could without being rude. "The morning went fine. Now Dumbledore won't be able to get in the house," he said, sounding almost bored.
"That's good. Here's some tea. I'm sure you're thirsty."
She handed Harry the blue cup, and gave Hermione the other.
"So," said Ginny in a seductive voice, "what did you want to do for the rest of the day?"
"Oh, I thought I'd go flying with Ron," he said nonchalantly, causing Ginny to frown while Hermione stopped herself from giggling. She thought that maybe she would eventually have a chance to date Harry if things kept going that way.
While Harry was drinking his tea, Ginny continued, "Are you sure you don't want to spend some time with me?" She winked at him.
As Hermione watched, Harry's countenance changed a moment after he swallowed the tea. With a broad smile and an excited demeanor, Harry pulled Ginny to him for a long kiss, saying, "I think I would like to be alone with you," and pulled her by the hand without even glancing back at Hermione.
-
Please review. Thank you to those who have. I'm sorry I took so long to update. I hope the length makes it worth the wait.
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