Just One More Thing
Chapter One
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As he gazed out of his bedroom window onto the streets of Hogsmeade below he wondered, what was there left to do now. From a very young age his life had all been mapped out for him. People had depended on him and the weight of the world or at least the wizarding world had been on his shoulders.
Four years had passed since Voldermort was finally destroyed for good. The final battle had taken place on the grounds of Hogwarts, where students and teachers had heroically gave their lives in order to restore peace to the wizarding world. Of course the final killer blow came from none other than Harry Potter, but still to this day it had never been explained as to how he managed it. Not even Ron or Hermione had been let in on the secret that Harry kept locked away. He smiled at the thought of them. They had been by his side throughout everything no matter how hard he tried to push them away. Forget going out to fight the darkest wizard of all time, he was more afraid of something happening to his two greatest friends. No matter how hard he tried, they would not back down. "We're in this together." Harry gave a small chuckle and shook his head; Hermione's voice always comforted him. They had all the trust Harry Potter could muster, but he still couldn't give the answer to one of the most asked questions in the wizarding community. "How did he do it?" The beauty of having them as friends was that they never pushed him into telling them which he was grateful for. As for anyone else, they were too afraid to ask. In all truth killing someone was never going to be an easy task. Even if it was deserved, Harry still couldn't shake the word murderer from his head. So in the end all that was said was "Its over, he's gone."
It was the fate that had been predicted, kill or be killed, one must die if the other is to live. He never anticipated that he would be the one to survive. Of course every faith had been put into him, people would talk of how life was going to be after the ultimate demise of 'he who should not be named,' as if it was a forgone conclusion that Harry would emerge victorious, but Harry never allowed himself to think this way, though he never let on that fact to anyone at the risk of ruining the optimistic mood. Who knew they would be right? And so this is how he found himself, staring into the busy streets below wondering what to do now. Even though it had been two years, only now were people starting to move on. Students, friends and teachers had been mourned but not forgotten, and those who were fortunate enough to tell the tale were gradually starting to rebuild their lives and looking to the future. Because he never thought he would make it, he had no idea what to do next.
BANG!
A loud crashing sound from another room, along with the voice of a very angry sounding Hermione Granger caused Harry to suddenly turn his neck round and focus his eyes to his bedroom door, curious as to what interrupted him from his reverie.
"Ron Weasley, I swear I am going to kill you!"
At this Harry smiled and thought to himself, "It's good to see some things never change."
Deciding to go and investigate the commotion in the next room, Harry retreated from the window and headed for his bedroom door. Closing it behind him he suddenly stopped and was instantly amused to see the brightest which of her age in the kitchen taking up a crouching position, surrounded by large plastic bowls and saucepans with both arms covering her head. Upon hearing Harry's door close Hermione dropped her arms from her head and looked across at him.
"I'm sorry did I wake you?" she said apologetically.
"No I was up ages ago." he replied. Hermione remained crouched when Harry started to walk toward her.
He stretched out his hand down to her. "I think it's safe for you to get up now."
"Thanks," she said gratefully whilst being pulled up.
Hermione looked up into the twinkling eyes of Harry Potter and couldn't do anything to stop the butterflies that started to swarm within her stomach. 'God why does he have to be so thoughtful and cute? Why couldn't he have just walked past and laughed like Ron would have?' Over the years Hermione had been forced to deal with new found feelings for her best friend. She started to see Harry in a way that that she never could have anticipated and tried to reason that it had been down to the approaching fate with Voldermort. 'It's nothing more than an intense concern for ones best friend.' Even when she uttered the sentence whilst staring into Lavender's full length mirror in the room she shared at Hogwarts, Hermione couldn't even believe herself. Harry became the first person she thought about when she woke, and the last person she thought of before she fell asleep. For once Hermione Granger had a problem that her intellect couldn't get her out of, matters of the heart. It had always been her worst subject, and she was crap at it, but one thing she had always reigned queen of, and that was denial. She could give Harry a run for the ultimate crown when it came to bottling up emotions. There was no way she was going to reveal some loved up puppy feelings to Harry, and risk losing a relationship that meant the world to her. Nothing would be worth that. So life went on, and five months ago Hermione officially put herself out there and started dating Steven Atkins, a herboligist that she met through Neville. 'I have a boyfriend that I'm very happy with,' she thought to herself. 'Harry does shag anything that moves so he obviously doesn't care about me that way, I'm doing the right thing by moving on, so I don't -
"Hermione?" Harry's voice pulled Hermione out of her daydream.
"Yeah," she stared back at him with a dazed expression.
"Are you ok? You kind of spaced out for a minute there," said Harry.
"Oh no I'm fine. Sorry I woke you" said a flustered Hermione.
Harry looked at her strangely. "Hermione, I already said you didn't wake me, I was up." He looked down at himself and then again in her eyes. "Unless that is of course you are insinuating that I sleep in my clothes?"
Hermione remembered that Harry had come straight out of his room after the noise in the kitchen, and would have had to have been dressed in seconds if he was in bed naked and asleep. 'Naked! Stop it Hermione,' she scolded herself. "He could have used magic. 'Gee Hermione he's not that lazy.'
"Are you sure you're ok?" again interrupted Harry.
"I'm sorry my head is all over the place this morning," Hermione said. "The last thing I needed was all these bowls and saucepans falling on top of me."
"You didn't hurt yourself did you?" Harry asked concerned.
"No not at all, just didn't expect half of our kitchenware to coming crashing down on me when all I wanted was an egg cup," answered Hermione. She put a hand on her hip and a hand on her head. "Now where was I?" she asked as more of a question to herself than anything else.
"I believe you said that you were, going to kill Ron," Harry said.
Hermione looked at him and pushed some loose strands of hair behind her ears that had escaped from her ponytail. "Right, thanks Harry." she said, and started to walk out of the bowls and saucepans that had pooled around her feet on a mission to find and punish Ron Weasley. Just as she stopped and turned around to look back at Harry, he put a hand in mid air to stop her from talking.
"Go and kill him, I'll take care of this mess," Harry insisted.
Hermione smiled at him and said, "You are my hero."
Harry smiled back. "And don't you forget it."
Hermione once again turned and walked across the living room into the small corridor that led to her and Ron's bedrooms.
As Harry started to pick up the bowls and pans his mind started to remember the day that he, Ron and Hermione decided to buy this flat. After the dark lords demise, the golden trio were the tender age of 17. After endless discussions about what was going to happen next, the three of them decided that they should get a place together so that whilst they sought out different careers, they would still see each other regularly. It turned out to be a plan that worked very well. Just as everyone expected, Hermione aced every test on her Hogwarts exams and studied to become a qualified healer at St Mungo's, a job she absolutely adored. She also baffled everyone when she agreed to work a few hours at Flourish and Blotts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What was it with her and books?!
Ron excelled in the position he was only ever going to want to hold, captain of the Chudley Cannons, and then there was Harry. He still wasn't one hundred percent certain what he wanted to do so he did the only job he thought he could be good at, he became an auror. Even though Voldermort was dead and buried, there were still plenty of his followers loose who would stop at nothing to try and raise their master once again. Death eaters were also being suspected of working towards electing a new leader. Nothing would be put past them. Harry did enjoy the occasional ass kicking confrontations, and his work took him all the way around the world. He got the added bonus of working with his close friend Remus Lupin.
Ever since Sirius died Remus, along with Hermione, Ron and the Weasleys of course were there for him. He had become somewhat of a father figure with whom he loved spending time with.
Shortly after securing their jobs they found a flat in the centre of Hogsmede. First impressions were great. Hermione's only question had been, 'Is it to small?' But she was promptly reassured by Harry who said, 'anything's bigger than an under the stairs cupboard.' Ron also said, 'It sure will be different sharing any kind of space with less than 6 people'
As you walked in the door it revealed an open plan setting. Immediately to the left was a narrow breakfast bar with four stools and on the other side of that a small kitchen. The other side of the kitchen was separated by a small wall, that lead to a little area which would later become home to a few high shelves and vast amounts of Hermione's books, and two lone recliner chairs. Beyond the mini library could be seen a door that lead to what is now Harry's room. At this thought Harry grinned. 'With my room practically being in the kitchen, if I wasn't awake before it rained bowls and pans earlier I certainly would have been disturbed. But if it bothered me that much, I know silencing charms!'
If from the front door you looked straight on, you would see a medium sized dinning table with 6 chairs, and above a huge window, with a ledge that a person could lie on if they wanted too. A little to the right was a oversized sofa, a table in front and two huge single chairs at either end to make up a living room. There was also a little corridor that lead to the rooms that Ron and Hermione would occupy and the Bathroom.
Harry still owned Grimauld Place, but didn't think it was practical to stay in something so huge. At the same time he couldn't bear the thought of getting rid. It still remained an amazing landscape and an important piece of heritage for him, but for now the place in Hogsmede, where he had lived for four years and shared with his two best friends provided him with something he'd missed since Hogwarts, a place to call home. 'Yeah', he thought. 'A place to call home.' Harry was brought back to reality when he heard the sudden sound of footsteps. He had just finished levitating the bowls and pans into the cupboards above the kitchen sides when he heard the voices of Hermione and Ron.
They were having a disagreement. 'Who would have guessed?'
Hermione walked over to the breakfast bar and perched on one of the stools. "All I'm asking Ron is how hard is it to put things away without stacking in shape of a pyramid?"
"Hermione, you said it was my turn to put away the dishes, pots, pans and whatever, and I did that ok?"
Ron said as he went past Harry who was leaning against a counter, into the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice. As he tried to make a diamond shape hole out of the carton, Hermione was getting angrier by the second, he still hadn't apologised for the fact that his stacking skills lead to the incident that scared the crap out of her.
"When I said put them away I meant so they would be accessible. Not so that the slightest movement would cause fear to go through the poor suspecting victim, who was unlucky enough to open the cupboard door in search of an egg cup, only to have our entire dinner service fall on her!"
Harry turned his attention from Hermione on his right to Ron on his left. He was also biting his lower lip in order to stop a giggle that desperately wanted to come out. Ron raised the carton of juice that he finally got open and looked as though he was going to take a swig before he shook his head and smiled. "Wow Hermione, I never took you for a drama queen."
As the carton got closer to his lips, Hermione fell over the edge. "Don't you dare drink out of that carton Weasley, get a glass!!!" shouted Hermione.
Both Ron and Harry flinched, it was always a bad thing when Hermione used there surnames. It meant that she was severely pissed off. A number of things could cause this, for instance not putting the cap back on the toothpaste, squeezing the tube from the middle, using one of Hermione's books as a doorstop or Harry's personal favourite, leaving the toilet seat up. Luckily for them it didn't happen often. But Ron never let things go and like Hermione always wanted the last word. Harry knew it was coming; he leaned back, folded his arms across his chest and waited for the inevitable.
"Blow it out your arse Hermione," proud of himself, Ron winked at Hermione, grinned and raised the carton to his lips.
"Why you smarmy Basta--" started Hermione, only to be interrupted by Harry who took two steps toward her, and took her hands in his.
"Heyyyyy listen, why don't we go out and get some breakfast my treat?" asked Harry.
Ron dropped the carton in the trash and said, "Sure just let me get showered."
Hermione's eyes narrowed and Harry turned and looked at him with a 'stop winding her up look.'
"Your staying right here Captain Cannon, or did you forget that Luna is stopping by to pick you up in half an hour?" Hermione looked over Harry's turned shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Ron.
Ron started to walk back where he had come from, and without a glance to either of them said in a joking kind of way. "Fine, I know where I'm not wanted."
Harry's eyes followed him out of the room until they landed again on Hermione. He flashed a toothy grin at her. "What am I going to do with you two?"
"Oh I know Harry, he is so immature," she said with a look of distaste amongst her face.
Harry simply smiled at her.
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Harry and Hermione had found a table at one of their favourite places in Hogsmede. Storm in a Cup café, was a newly opened establishment that thrived on a friendly and toned down atmosphere. It was the perfect place to come and just chill out when a calming effect was needed. 'What better way to get over an argument with Ron than to come here. Harry always knows how to make me feel better.' thought Hermione. Both were engrossed in their menus when one of the café's owners came to their table to take their orders.
"What'll be today then buddies?" asked Seamus Finnegan in a broad Irish accent.
"Harry, you go first" said Hermione who was still scrutinizing the menu.
Harry looked up from behind his menu. "Ladies first, Hermione."
Seamus focused his attention to Hermione who pursed her lips together whilst making her decision.
"Right, okay I know what I want. Could you fetch me a large cup of herbal tea with two part squeezed lemon and half a teaspoon of honey? Also could you make sure that you put the lemon in first before the honey, or if you put the honey in first add the water and then put the lemon in last?"
Hermione smiled up to Seamus who had his mouth agape, and across from her Harry was leaning on one hand staring in wonderment. "Oh and can I have a croissant and half a grapefruit as well please that would be great." finished Hermione, as she handed back the menu to Seamus.
Seamus turned to Harry and smiled. "And for you Harry?"
Hermione looked at him curiously.
"Well I must say that I don't want any of that," he glanced over to Hermione who shook her head and smiled at him.
"Black coffee, four sugars and a fry up for me Seamus thanks," Harry said as he handed back his menu.
"Nicely done Harry," said Seamus. "A proper man breakfast."
"A proper sick breakfast you mean?" retorted Hermione. "Have you got any idea what that stuff does to your veins?"
"You have to understand Hermione that all growing men need their meats and fats,"said Seamus.
"Yeah Hermione, I'm trying to get things on my body to grow," Harry said along with a wiggle of the eyebrows.
"Harry, don't be crude." Hermione chided.
"What's so crude about a chest hair?" Harry looked at Hermione with a straight face while she had a look of shock on hers.
"Oh err, nothing," she must have been going red she could feel her cheeks burning.
"What did you think I was referring to Hermione?" Harry asked.
Seamus just laughed upon seeing Hermione's face going the colour of a tomato.
"Listen I'm going to get this order placed for you, Lavender should be down in a few minutes ok?" With that Seamus left.
Harry still pressed for Hermione to fess up. "So?"
Hermione looked at him. "You know exactly what I thought you were talking about Harry, don't make me say it."
He laughed.
"God you can be just as bad as Ron sometimes," Hermione chided.
"I don't really know how to take that. You're certainly not looking at me like you were looking at him earlier," reminded Harry.
"I guess when Ron does it I go completely mental and fly off the handle. When you do it I find it endearing," Hermione said shyly.
Harry continued to look into her eyes. "Would you want me to change?" he asked jokingly.
Hermione looked in to the depth of his eyes. "I wouldn't want you to change a single thing about yourself." she said in soft and sincere voice.
Harry's smile slowly disappeared from his face. The comment shocked him; it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him.
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