The next week passed quickly and soon enough it was July. A week into the seventh month of the year, Harry received a letter and an invitation.
Hey mate-
How is your summer going? Mine is all right. It's filled with wedding plans and really annoying females. Mum is going spare over all the preparations and Fleur is attached to Bill at the hip. Ginny is just plain annoying. I swear, it's like she's permanently pissed off. I dunno what her problem is but she needs to get over it. Most of the time I just spend my time passing the quaffle back and forth with Charlie. He came home from Romania for the wedding; he's Bill's best man.
Bill and Fleur told me to send you an invitation and a letter, so be careful when you open the envelope.
See you soon mate.
Ron
Harry took out the other pieces of paper and opened the invitation first. The invitation was beautiful. He pulled out the letter from Bill and Fleur.
Harry,
How are you? Is your summer going ok? We hope so.
As you know, the wedding will be the first week in August. We would like for you to be one of the ushers. You've done so much for our family and for us personally and we would like to thank you in some way. We want you to partake our special day. It would mean a lot to us.
We hope to see you soon.
Bill and Fleur
Harry set the letters down on his desk. He was honored that Bill and Fleur wanted him to be in the wedding, so he wrote his reply to both Ron and the soon-to-be married couple. He quickly sent them off with Hedwig.
After reading for a bit and doing extensive researching on Horcruxes, Harry got up from his bed and stretched for a few seconds. He took out a pair of his new jeans, his black button-up shirt, and a pair of boxers before he headed to the shower.
After drying off and getting dressed, Harry brushed his teeth and ran a comb through his damp hair. Trying something new, he took some hair gel and ran his hands through his hair. He nodded at his appearance and left the bathroom and headed back to his room to grab his wallet and wand.
He walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing Hermione's number. The other end of the line picked up and a soft soprano voice sounded.
"Hello?"
"Hi. This is Harry," he said. The voice on the other line laughed softly.
"Hello dear. How are you?" Hermione's mum asked.
"I'm good. How are you?" he replied.
"Quite well, thank you for asking. I suppose you would like to speak to Hermione?" her mother asked.
"If she's there, yes," Harry said.
"Hold on, let me go get her," Elizabeth said. It was quiet for a moment before another soft soprano voice came onto the line, slightly out of breath.
"Hello?" Hermione asked.
"Hey Hermione," Harry said as he leaned back against the kitchen counter.
"Hey Harry," Hermione said.
"How are you?" he asked her.
"I'm good, what about you?" she replied.
"I'm fine. I've got a question for you," Harry said. Hermione's silence led him to proceed. "Are you doing anything today?"
"No. My parents are taking my grandparents to the airport but that's it," she replied.
"Do you think it would be okay with them if I took you out for the day?" Harry asked.
"I think so, but let me ask to make sure," Hermione said. There was a silence between the two phone lines.
"They said it was fine," she said as she came back to the phone.
"Good. Can I pick you up at ten?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, that's fine," Hermione said.
"Okay. See you soon," Harry said. She replied and they both hung up the phone. Harry set the phone back on the receiver.
"Who's Hermione?" came his aunt's voice. Harry jumped slightly before he turned around.
"She's one of my friends from school. Her parents are muggles," Harry said.
"What do they do?" Petunia asked.
"They own a dental practice somewhere close to London," Harry replied.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Petunia asked, raising an eyebrow. Harry shook his head.
"No, she's been my best friend since we were eleven," he replied. "I just felt like doing something special for her today." Petunia smiled.
"Is there something you need me to do before I leave?" Harry asked. Petunia shook her head.
"No, go have fun with your friend," she replied. Harry nodded.
"I'll see you later then," he said. As he left the kitchen, he did something he never thought he would ever do. He bent down and kissed his aunt on her cheek. He didn't notice the tears that had formed in her eyes as he left the house.
Harry pulled into the driveway of the Grangers. He hadn't really taken a good look at the house when he was there the previous week, but today he did. It was a large two-story home which was painted white and had dark blue shutters. The lawn was well trimmed and the flower beds were filled with beautiful bushes that were neatly kept. A large willow tree stood in the front yard and it had a swing hanging from one of its branches. The fence that surrounded the back yard was painted white to match the house. It looked very homey to Harry and he really liked it. As he got out of the car, the front door to the house opened and out stepped Aaron Granger carrying suitcases. Harry hurried out of the car and ran up to Hermione's father.
"Here Mr. Granger, I'll help," Harry said. He grabbed one of the suitcases and carried it to the Grangers sedan.
"Thanks Harry," Aaron said. "You'd think it'd be light since it was my father-in-law's stuff but I guess not." He and Harry shared a laugh.
"I'll help with the others then," Harry said. He followed Aaron into the entrance way and he bent down to pick up one of the cases. He felt the muscles in his bicep flex as he lifted the case and walked back out to the large car. Hermione, her mum, and her grandmum stood in the doorway and watched the two carry the bags out to the car.
"He's a keeper," Hermione's grandmum said as she observed Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"We're not dating," she said. Harry came back into the house with her dad behind him and as soon as he saw Hermione he grinned. She smiled back at him. Elizabeth Granger rolled her eyes and shared a look with her mum.
"Hey," he said as he hugged her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in the crook of his shoulder. She inhaled deeply and let her breath out slowly. His cologne lingered around her nostrils and she felt him nuzzle her neck.
"Hi," she said as she leaned back to look at him. Their noses brushed each other slightly as he bent down and kissed her on the cheek.
"Could've fooled me," Hermione's grandmum muttered to Elizabeth. Elizabeth nodded her agreement. The two let go of each other and Harry stepped back slightly to look over Hermione's shoulder. He smiled at her mum and grandmum.
"Hi Mrs. Granger and…" Harry trailed off when he saw Elizabeth's mum.
"Catherine Stevens," Hermione's grandmum said. Harry held out his hand.
"Hi Mrs. Stevens," Harry said politely. He shook her hand gently and turned to Elizabeth.
"Hello dear," she said. The hug she gave him didn't surprise him as much as the last time. He liked Hermione's mum; in fact, he liked both of her parents. They were very nice people and it was obvious they cherished Hermione.
"What are you kids doing today?" Elizabeth asked. Harry glanced at Hermione before looking back at her mum.
"It's a surprise," Harry said. Elizabeth smiled. Harry looked back at Hermione, who had raised both her eyebrows at Harry. He smiled. "I know, I know, you hate surprises. I promise you'll like this one."
"And what if I don't?" Hermione asked, wit obvious in her voice. A sheepish look came over Harry's face.
"I haven't made the backup plan yet," he said. All three ladies laughed and Aaron appeared with Mr. Stevens.
"Are you all ready?" Aaron asked his wife and mother-in-law. They nodded and Harry and Hermione let the adults go in front of them as they all filed out of the house. Hermione said her good-byes to her parents and grandparents.
"Bye Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Harry said. He turned to Elizabeth's parents. "It was nice meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Stevens." He said his good-byes and walked to his car with Hermione.
Catherine and her husband got in the second set of seats of the sedan. Aaron and Elizabeth got in the driver's and passenger's seat. They waited for Harry to back out and all four watched the kids leave in the opposite way they were going to go.
"He really is a keeper," Catherine said out loud.
"Yeah," Elizabeth agreed. "Both of them have danced around that subject since they were fourteen. We'll see if they can get it together." Aaron Granger looked at his wife, who rolled her eyes.
"She's almost eighteen Aaron," Elizabeth said as Aaron backed out of the driveway. "She's growing up and falling in love."
"She's still my little girl," he grumbled. Catherine and her husband exchanged looks. It was almost the same conversation Catherine had with Matthew when Aaron began dating Elizabeth.
"That's how it goes son," Matthew Stevens said to his son-in-law. Aaron sighed and tried to keep his mind on Heathrow Airport for the rest of the drive there.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O
"So, what exactly are we doing?" Hermione asked as she and Harry walked the street to the Elstree Aerodrome.
"I suppose I can tell you the first part of the surprise since you'll find out in about two minutes anyway," Harry said. Hermione looked up at him, waiting. "We're taking a helicopter ride that follows the Thames River and goes over the whole of London which then goes all the way into Hertfordshire to an 18th century country home where we're having lunch."
"No, seriously, what are we doing?" Hermione asked.
"I just told you," Harry said. "We're here." He stopped her in front of the Aerodrome. Hermione blinked up at him.
"You weren't kidding," she said. Harry laughed.
"No, I wasn't," he said. He led her through the building and back to the helicopter where the pilot was waiting. Harry handed him the tickets he had bought the previous day.
"Are we all set then?" the pilot asked. Harry and Hermione nodded. The pilot told them how to buckle in and told them what to do if something happened to the helicopter before the three of them climbed in.
The Helicopter took off and they began their journey across London. They went over Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Tower, the Thames River, the Tower Bridge, St. James Park, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abby, and Hyde Park. They followed the Thames River all the way to the gorgeous countryside.
"This is beautiful," Hermione said to Harry as she observed the countryside of Hertfordshire. Harry smiled and nodded.
The helicopter eventually landed at Bush Hall and the two of them plus the pilot climbed out of the helicopter. Harry led Hermione into the large home. They met the caretaker of the home by the door and she led the two of them back to the small but cozy room where they were having lunch.
The conversation between the two friends sparked and they talked about everything they could over their three course lunch. The friendship that that had been fractured was repaired and more. Eventually, lunch was over and they headed back to the helicopter.
After the ride was over, Harry thanked the pilot and led Hermione out of the Elstree Aerodrome.
"Harry that was amazing, thank you," Hermione said as they walked along the street.
"You're welcome, but we aren't done yet," he said. Hermione looked up at him and smiled.
"Harry, that was enough right there. Where else could you possibly want to take me?" she asked. Harry smiled down at her.
"Well, I know you love art and history and from previous conversations from the past, I know you love the British Museum," Harry said. Hermione's eyes widened. "So, I'm taking you there. I've never been there, and I figured since you teach me most of what I know, why not learn about something you love." She smiled but she didn't look up at him.
Their time at the museum was one of the best times Harry had ever had. By the end of their stay, his like of art and history had grown. The passion that Hermione had for the subject was obvious to Harry as she led him around the museum. Every time they came upon something she liked, her smile grew, and when they came upon something she loved, the sparkle in her eye was prominent.
"What'd you think of the Egyptian section?" Hermione asked as Harry led her down another street.
"I thought it was very interesting. The mummies were cool to see," Harry said. "What's your favorite thing there?"
"Probably the paintings," Hermione replied. "What's yours?"
"I loved the sculptures," Harry said. Hermione nodded.
"Those are probably my second favorite," she said. As they kept walking, Hermione grew curious.
"Where are we going now?" she asked. Harry smiled.
"We're going to Rubens for afternoon tea and then I'm taking you to Buckingham Palace," Harry said. "It overlooks the Royal Mews."
"You surprise me more and more," Hermione said.
"Good. I wanted to accomplish that today," he said. She smiled.
"You've succeeded," she told him. Their tea time at Rubens was fun and they liked overlooking the Royal Mews. Harry bought Hermione a book about the area around Buckingham Palace, including Rubens. They explored Buckingham Palace with a tour group and Harry enjoyed learning about the history of the place. Inside the hotel part of Rubens, there was a picture booth.
"Come on," Harry said, leading her towards the booth. She laughed and followed him. They sat down and Harry set up the camera.
"Funny face," he said. Both of them looked at the camera and screwed up their faces. They paused for a second while the camera took the picture.
Fifteen minutes quickly passed with them getting pictures taken. Finally, the two of them got out of the booth, laughing with several pictures strips in hand.
"There's one last thing," Harry said as they left Rubens
"What?" she asked.
"It's a Shakespeare Tour Walk," Harry said. A smile began to form on her face. "I know he's your favorite author, and your name comes from his play A Midsummer Night's Dream. So, I figured it would be interesting to you to learn about him. I guess the tour covers a lot about him. You visit two houses that he used to live in and you get to see the monument created from one of his speeches. We visit the spot where he was believed have written Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. It covers the churches where he was believed to have attended and you hear some of his speeches. The tour guide is a former professional actor who used to do some of the plays over at the Globe Theatre and the Blackfriars Theatre."
"You're sweet," Hermione said, her hand coming up to touch his cheek. He leaned into her touch.
"Only to you," he said as he kissed the palm of her hand. "Come on, we don't want to be late." He took her hand in his and he led them to the Blackfriars underground station.
On the walk, Harry could tell Hermione loved it. Hearing about her favorite author and hearing his famous speeches set an excitement in her. She never took her hand away from his as they walked the streets of London, visiting famous places that the even more famous author had been.
"That was incredible," Hermione said as the tour ended. The group had ended back at the underground station and after getting a packet of information that they had learned, they left.
"I'm glad you liked it," Harry said as they walked back to his car.
"I think this has been the best day of my life," she said. Harry laughed.
"I doubt that but I'm happy you had fun," he said. Hermione stopped and looked up at him.
"Seriously Harry, I had a brilliant time today," she said. She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Harry felt his cheeks warm slightly and he smiled. He looked at his watch. It was already six in the evening.
"I bet your parents want you home," Harry said.
"What time is it?" Hermione asked.
"Six. It'll be eight before you get home," he told her. He took her hand again and they continued their walk to his car.
Harry pulled into the driveway five minutes after eight. Hermione got out of the car at the same time as Harry and they walked up the pathway to the front door.
"Have dinner with us," she said.
"I'm not going to impose am I?" Harry asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Of course you won't," she said. She led him into the house and the smell of spaghetti hit their noses. "Mum made spaghetti. You'll love it, come on." Harry followed her into the kitchen. Aaron was setting the table and Elizabeth was still fixing dinner.
"Long time no see kids," Aaron said as he looked at the kids when they entered the kitchen.
"Yeah, you two have been gone for nearly ten hours," Elizabeth said as she turned around.
"We did a lot of stuff today," Hermione said, her eyes gleaming. Elizabeth smiled at her daughter. She looked happier than ever. She noticed Harry looking at Hermione, his fondness for her clearly shining in his eyes.
"What did you do?" she asked.
"A lot. It was absolutely wonderful!" Hermione said as she joined her mum over by the stove. Harry's cheeks reddened slightly once more and he busied himself with helping Aaron set the table. Elizabeth smiled at his reaction.
"We went on a helicopter ride that took us over the whole of London before it took us to Bush Hall in Hertfordshire for lunch," Hermione began. And from there she went over the whole day. With the remarks about how adorable it was (courtesy of Elizabeth) and how wonderful it had been (courtesy of Hermione) Harry's face steadily grew more heated.
"Wow ladies, I think Harry's face turned more than twenty-five shades of red in the past twenty minutes," Aaron said as he looked at Harry. "Oops, make that twenty-six." Harry looked down at his plate of spaghetti and busied himself with it. Elizabeth and Aaron shared a smile.
"How sweet Harry," Elizabeth said as Hermione finished up her narrative of the day. Harry smiled weakly at his best friend's mum.
"Glad she liked it," was all Harry could come up with for a response.
"Liked it?" Aaron said. "I think she loved it." Hermione's face turned red slightly and Harry slipped down in his chair a bit more.
Once everyone was done with dinner, Elizabeth stood up and began collecting dishes. Harry stood up also and began taking the dirty plates and silverware over to the sink, only to be stopped by Elizabeth.
"What are you doing?" she asked. Harry stopped in the middle of the kitchen and looked at Elizabeth, his eyes slightly wide.
"Er…helping with the dishes?" Harry said.
"I think not. You had a long day today, go sit," Elizabeth said. "Aaron, help." Mr. Granger did as his wife asked and Harry sat back down at the table with Hermione.
"I thought your mum was going to yell at me or something," Harry muttered to her. Hermione laughed.
"That's about as likely as pigs flying," Hermione told him. Harry smiled. He looked down at his watch. It was twenty after nine.
"I better get going. It'll be half past eleven before I get home," Harry said. He and Hermione stood at the same time. Harry said goodbye to Hermione's parents and the two of them left the kitchen.
"Thanks for today," Hermione said. Harry smiled at her and put his hands in his pockets. Hermione smiled at the slightly nervous gesture.
"So I guess I'll talk to you later," Harry said. "Maybe I'll even see you." Hermione nodded and Harry waited a second before he leant down and kissed her on the cheek. Her hands automatically came up to his waist and his hands came out of his pockets and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Their noses brushed for a second before they let go of each other. Harry smiled at her one last time before he left the house.
The next two weeks brought vigorous training and researching for Harry. He wanted to get as much done as he possibly could before he went to the Burrow, which was only a day away.
Monday went quickly and soon it was Tuesday morning. Harry woke up at five and completed his run and then headed off to the gym. He worked himself harder and harder until his muscles were too tired to follow his message. He packed up his stuff and headed back to Privet Drive.
Once he was in his bedroom, he grabbed a pair of jeans, another Manchester United t-shirt that he had bought and a clean pair of boxers and headed to the shower.
After his shower, he dried off and got dressed. He brushed his teeth and ran a comb through his hair along with some gel. Once he was done, he packed up all his toiletries and headed back to his bedroom where he packed up all of his clothes and books.
At ten till twelve, the doorbell rang and Harry calmly walked down the stairs with his trunk. He opened the front door and Tonks stood there with Remus and Moody.
"Wotcher Harry," Tonks said.
"Hey Tonks, Professor, Moody," Harry said. Remus and Moody greeted him in return.
"Do you have your stuff all packed?" Remus asked. Harry nodded and held up his trunk. "Then let's go."
"Wait, I want to do something first," Harry said. He turned quickly and walked into the kitchen, where his aunt was sitting at the table.
"Aunt Petunia, I'm leaving," Harry said.
"What time will you be back?" she asked. Harry was silent and she looked up at him from her book.
"I won't. It's the end of the summer," Harry said. Petunia was silent.
"I just wanted to say thank you. You gave me a home during the first eleven years of my life and then during the summer. I know it wasn't easy having me around but I appreciate all that you did do for me. I want to let you know that once my birthday comes around, the protection that is on this house is gone. Someone from the Order, whether it is McGonagall or Flitwick, will come by and restore as much of it as they can. Just be careful and be safe. I'll try to visit," Harry said. Petunia still said nothing but a second later she stood up.
"I'm sorry that I didn't give you what you deserved. You know you're welcome here anytime," Petunia said. Harry nodded and stepped forward to give his aunt a hug.
"Stay safe," he said softly as he left the kitchen and met up with his escorts to the Burrow.
The familiar feeling of portkey overcame Harry as he touched the old muggle magazine at Mrs. Figgs. There was a blur of colors and before he knew it, he was landing in front of the Burrow. The door to the house opened quickly and out stepped Molly Weasley.
"Harry dear," she said. Harry had a second to catch his breath before he was enveloped in strong arms.
"Hi Mrs. Weasley," Harry said. Molly let go of him and led him into the house. Ron was standing in the kitchen with Ginny, Hermione and her parents, Bill and Fleur, Fred, George and Charlie.
"Hey mate!" Ron said as Harry came in the door properly. Ron came to him and clapped him on the back. Everyone exchanged greetings and pleasantries. Harry's greeting to Ginny was slightly cold and it didn't go unnoticed by Ron and Hermione.
"Lunch everyone," Molly called. She levitated the food to the table and everyone sat down, filling up their plates. Lunch was filled with conversation and laughs from everyone. Once everyone was done, Harry stood up and helped Molly clear the table. As he bent down to take Elizabeth's plate, she spoke.
"You really have a knack for doing that don't you," she said, humor in her voice. Harry laughed.
"Yeah, I guess I do," he said. Molly magically cleaned the dishes and seconds later they were in their rightful places, put away.
"Come one, let's take a walk," Harry said to Ron and Hermione as the others in the room began talking again. The three teens walked out of the door.
"What's wrong with you and Ginny mate?" Ron asked as soon as they were out of ear shot.
"It seems your sister liked me enough that she felt she needed to use a love potion to get me to like her in return," Harry said, a bitter edge to his voice. Hermione grabbed Harry's wrist and Harry felt himself calm slightly.
"She did what?" Ron said, the tips of his ears growing red.
"I've got proof if you don't believe me," Harry said, directing his eyes at Ron.
"It's not that I don't believe you mate, it's just that I didn't think she could go that low," Ron said.
"Well, she did," Harry said, the tone in his voice effectively putting an end to further discussion about the subject. Conversation between the three was slightly off kilter as they walked through the orchards that were behind the Burrow. Hermione hadn't removed her hand from Harry's wrist and he hadn't removed himself from her side either. When Hermione would speak to Ron, he blushed and spluttered out an answer.
The awkwardness remained until the walk was over. Harry stepped in the house first, Hermione second and Ron third. Ginny looked up from her spot at the table and looked at Harry. His eye caught hers and his gaze became steely. Ron looked at his sister, a repulsed gleam to his eye. Hermione noticed this and intervened before anything could come of it.
"Cool down Harry," she said softly in his ear as she moved behind him, standing on her toes to reach him. Harry's stare broke from Ginny and he moved his head slightly to his best friend, though he didn't turn around to look at her. Her right hand came up to rest on his hip as Harry's hand reached back and took her left one.
"Remember what you said. It doesn't do well to get angry about something that already happened," she said. A slight nod from Harry told Hermione that he had calmed himself and she placed a gentle kiss below his ear.
Only three people had taken a notice in what happened, one of them not being able to help it since she was looking straight at them. Elizabeth Granger couldn't help but smile when she saw her daughter place gentle kiss on Harry's neck. She noticed that one of his hands was in hers and her other hand was on hip. Even though she knew it was to calm Harry down from being upset, she thought it was cute. At a simple touch her daughter could calm him down; when from past conversations with her daughter she had learned Harry had a fiery temper.
Aaron Granger had also observed the exchange. It was easy to see that both of the kids had strong affections for each other, though whether they knew it was a different story. He knew that Harry had the best interests at heart for Hermione, if the wonderful day in London she said she had had was any account. And he did like Harry; he was kind, humorous, loyal, and he protected Hermione with everything that he had. It was knowing that he was losing his little girl that hurt. The old saying went: a girl's first love is her daddy. Harry was a nice guy that could take care of his daughter how she should be taken care of, but Hermione was still his little girl. The same little girl that, when she was younger, jumped in his arms when she was happy to see him; the same little girl that would make ice cream sundaes with him and laugh at the mess they had made in the kitchen; the same little girl that, when she was younger, would sit in his lap and ask him to read her a bedtime story and then would fall asleep against his chest. Hermione was still his little girl, no matter how old she was, would get and regardless who she would date, get engaged to, and marry.
Ginny Weasley had at first been hurt at the cold stare Harry had give her. What was wrong with him? Did she do something? But that hurt quickly went away and turned into anger and jealousy when she saw Hermione hold and kiss him. Had he broken up with her for Hermione? Was the hero speech followed with him breaking it off just for her? What about Ron? Would they go behind his back and get together, knowing that he liked Hermione and had for some time? She didn't know, but she was going to find out.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O
The days quickly passed and soon it was Harry's birthday. He woke up early that morning and got up to change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Though he couldn't go to the gym, Harry had continued his daily five mile run. It was something that kept his mind off of the things he had thought about too much; Voldemort, Dumbledore, Ginny, his parent, Sirius.
Quietly he went down the stairs and went out the front door. As soon as he hit the beginnings of the woods, he broke into his jog. The woods proved to be a good thing to observe and think about when he was running; it kept him occupied on his surroundings instead of his breathing. The early morning sunshine was starting to peak through the tops of the trees. The river that ran through the woods flowed and Harry could hear it. It was tranquil and calmed him down. Birds flitted from tree branch to tree branch and squirrels scurried up the trunks as Harry passed them.
Harry came to a rest in the small clearing that he had found on one of his previous runs. The woods surrounded it, but the river ran through it. He sat on one of the logs and thought.
It was a process for him, every morning. He would get up, run, and come to the clearing. From there he would sit, think about anything that came to his mind. If it was a problem, he would try to fix it. If it wasn't, then he would think about it for a few seconds and then dismiss it, finding something else to occupy his thoughts.
He didn't know how long he was sitting there, but he figured he ought to head back. He got up and started his jog again.
As Harry stepped into the Burrow, he saw people seated at the kitchen table. Molly was at the stove and Remus was reading the Daily Prophet and was sipping a cup of coffee. Tonks had coffee in front of her and was doing some sort of report, no doubt for her work. Elizabeth and Aaron Granger were at the table, coffee in hand, and were in a conversation with their daughter, who sat across from them, tea in front of her.
"Harry dear, where'd you go?" Molly asked as she saw him enter the house.
"A morning run," he replied. "I'm going to go take a shower." With that, he left the kitchen and went upstairs.
Done with his shower, he dressed in comfortable clothes. His lightweight cotton pajama pants hung low on his hips and the tip of his boxers showed slightly. His Gryffindor Lions Quidditch t-shirt (something he had bought in Hogsmead the previous year) hugged his torso nicely. The crisp, fresh smell of his shower gel and shampoo hung on him as he made his way back downstairs. He noticed the same people were up and he glanced at the clock. It was only seven-thirty.
"Morning," Harry said as he sat next to Hermione at the kitchen table. His greeting resounded quietly through the room.
"Happy birthday," Hermione said, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you," he said. She handed him a light box.
"It's your present," she said. Harry smiled.
"You didn't have to get me anything," he said.
"I wanted to," she said. He carefully unwrapped the paper and pulled out a picture frame. Inside the frame were nine 3x3 pictures from London in black and white. Harry laughed as he looked at each separate one.
"That's my favorite one," Harry said, pointing to the middle picture. Hermione was looking at the camera with a smile on her face while Harry had leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"Mine too," she said. "Though its close compared to that one." She pointed to the one above Harry's favorite. She had her head on his shoulder and his arms were wrapped around her.
"Thanks. It's a great present," he said, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek. He lingered a bit longer and she turned her cheek towards him. He pulled back and their noses sort of nuzzled against the other.
"Morning," said a sleepy voice Harry and Hermione immediately recognized. They shot apart like lightning had hit them and Harry stole some of Remus' paper to read. Hermione occupied herself with the book she had brought down but never touched.
"Morning Hermione, Harry," Ron said as he sat on the other side of Hermione.
"Morning mate," Harry said as he `read' the paper.
"Morning Ron," Hermione said softly as she `read' her book.
"Boys, you're getting fitted for your tuxes today," Molly said as she came to the table and put some toast out. "Hermione, you will be going with Ginny, Gabrielle, and Fleur to get fitted for your dresses."
"You're in the wedding?" Harry and Hermione asked each other simultaneously.
"Yeah," they said again. "Oh."
Breakfast continued in a quiet manner, until Bill came down the stairs in a hurry. Fred, George and Charlie were behind him, but were walking at a normal pace. Ginny and Gabrielle and Fleur came down a few minutes later.
"The form from the wedding planner came in last night," Bill said. All heads turned his way.
"Charlie, you'll be escorting Fleur's friend Anna," Bill started. The list went on in order until it came to Ron's name. Only two boys and two girls were left.
"Ron," Bill began. Hermione took a deep breath and Harry stiffened. This didn't go unnoticed by Remus, Tonks, Elizabeth and Aaron. "You will be escorting Ginny." Harry relaxed as did Hermione and Ron sighed but nodded.
"Harry, that means you have Hermione," Bill said as he turned toward the two. "All the girls have their dress fittings today, so talk to Fleur. Guys, we've got our tux fitting to be at in about an hour, so get ready."
The hour passed quickly and soon Harry was dressed and waiting with Bill, Charlie and Fred and George. Once Ron joined them, they FLOO-ed into Diagon Alley. Bill led them towards the tux shop.
"How can I help you boys," said the owner of the shop, a small lady who looked to be of seventy.
"We're here for a fitting. William Weasley," Bill said. The woman looked at a book that was in front of her and smiled.
"Right this way," she said. She led them to the back of the store into a room. Tape measures and other things were spread around the room.
"Okay, let's start with the groom," she said, smiling at Bill. He stepped forward and she began to measure him.
Soon all five of the guys were measured and they were led to the front of the store to pick out what type of suit they wanted. Once Bill picked a kind, he took it to the lady.
"I'll make duplicates in the back," she said as she took the suit with her. A few minutes later she came back with five suits in hand.
"Here you go boys," she said as she passed out a suit to each of them. "It says to charge this account here, is it correct?" Bill looked at the number and nodded.
"Well then, have a good day," the lady said. They replied and left the shop.
When the guys got back to the burrow, no one was home. Harry guessed the girls were still at their dress fitting and that the other adults had gone with them.
"Want to play a game of chess?" Ron asked Harry as they entered the drawing room.
"Sure," Harry said. He took his spot on the opposing side of the board and the pieces groaned.
"I'm better guys, I promise," Harry said to them. He had several replies, all of which he thought amusing.
"So, what's been going on around here?" Harry asked as they started the game.
"Wedding plans, crazy girls, things like that," Ron replied. "Did I tell you about the fight mum and Fleur's mum got in?" Harry shook his head.
"Well, mum, Fleur and Mrs. Delacour were picking out the food for the reception. I think they were on the second course and mum and Mrs. Delacour wanted complete opposites. They started yelling at each other and eventually Fleur stood up and was like, I don't want either one of those. I'm the bride, so I get to pick," Ron said. Harry laughed.
"Mum was pissed," Ron said.
"Knight to E-4," Harry muttered.
"Hey boys," said a familiar voice. Harry looked up at Hermione and smiled, as did Ron.
"Hi Hermione," they said in unison.
"What's your dress look like?" Harry asked her, leaning back in his chair. Hermione walked over by Harry and observed the chess board.
"If I told you I'd ruin the surprise," she said. "Move your pawn to D-2." She kissed him on the top of his head and walked over to the couch and picked up a book.
"Aw, Hermione, don't tell him," Ron groaned. She laughed.
"He deserves to win every once in a while," she replied. Harry smiled and continued his game with Ron, eventually winning. His chess pieces started yelling, making all three of the teens laugh.
&---&---&---&---&
Chapter 3. Yeah, the end was a little weak. I couldn't think of how to end it...so I ended it with a chess game. The next chapter is obviously the wedding.
The following are things I take no credit for:
The helicopter ride and lunch at Bush Hall, the British Museum, Rubens and the Royal Mews and the Shakespeare Tour Walk.
Those are real things you can visit and do in London. I didn't make them up so I take no credit for them or their details.
Thanks, WarriorPride23. 15 pages.
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