A/N: I know some of you seemed upset with the actions of both Harry and Ron back in their school days. I tried to explain their reasons on this chapter.
I wanted to thank my fellow-writer and e-mail pal, Elysium, for her insight into writing this chapter. I'm sure she will recognize some of her own lines here, as we discussed the chapter before I actually set out to writing it. She put things into perspective for me and I couldn't have explained it better than her. To you, my friend, many thanks! This chapter is for you.
There is another line you might recognize from Fantastic Four: Raise of the Silver Surfer. I thought it was perfect to use here.
Also, an anonymous reviewer decided to leave me a list of songs dedicated to this fic that was quite hilarious, as Kermit the Frog was the MC. I wish I could thank you properly by name, but since I don't have it, I hope this suffices. The list was great and I especially like Mahna, Mahna by the Muppets!
Argh, long note. Off to reading you go!
MATCHMAKERS TO THE RESCUE
CHAPTER SEVEN
Harry and Hermione went into the resort dining room expecting to eat breakfast by themselves and were pleasantly surprised to see their friends still there lingering over cups of coffee. They reached the table and Hermione smiled inwardly when she noticed Ron would not meet her eyes. She exchanged a knowing look with Luna as she greeted everyone.
"What has Ron done now?" inquired Ginny noticing their exchange and Ron's slight flush.
"Nothing you need to worry yourself about," Ron told her quickly.
"Uh oh, the weasel's in trouble with Mione again!" Draco said in a singsong voice. "I can see the top of the palm tree now," he finished smirking.
"It won't be so bad this time around," Hermione told him as she sat down. "Harry might be up there as well and can keep him company."
"Merlin, this must be bad," Ginny said raising her eyebrows. "Do enlighten us."
Luna looked at Hermione before opening her mouth to explain. Hermione just shrugged her shoulders indifferently as she buttered some toast.
"Our Mione just found out last night that the reason she didn't have that many male suitors while in Hogwarts was because there was an unspoken death threat to all the male population from these two," Luna told Ginny and Draco while pointing at Ron and Harry.
"Oh," was all Ginny came up with.
"Scar-head and the weasel are going down!" Draco said as he laughed merrily.
"Ferret-boy, I wouldn't go there if I was you. I remember how mean you were to her back then too, so shut it or you might find yourself on the top of a palm tree as well," Ron told him.
Draco was a smart man and knew when to be quiet. Ginny patted his hand lovingly in approval.
"Is not really as bad as it sounds," Harry began meekly, trying to keep the situation from escalating. "We just didn't want Hermione to be taken advantage off by some of the prats in school. We didn't do anything to directly discourage others from actively seeking out Hermione's affections. And if the boy had made her happy, we would have approved of him. Maybe we wouldn't have gone as far as giving our blessing, but would have approved of his courage in the face of our possible wrath if he ever hurt her," he finished explaining, proud of himself for sounding so rational and smart.
The others seemed impressed as well. Especially Hermione.
"I am so hot for you right now," she told him, surprising him and the others with her unexpected words.
He smiled like a silly idiot and dropped a kiss on her lips. Ginny and Luna beamed at them.
"Harry is right," Ginny said. "It's in the past, and Hermione shouldn't dwell on it when she can't do anything about it. It would be incredibly impractical to hold a grudge against Ron and Harry over that little fact. Hermione is strong-willed and stubborn. She is also incredibly brilliant. A regular guy wouldn't have done it for her. She would have been bored to tears in no time."
"What Harry and Ron did back in school was kind of uncalled for, but it's not like they were verbally or physically preventing the other chaps from asking her out. If those chaps were too much of a coward to ask her out because of who her two best friends were, she was definitely better off without them!" Luna added.
Harry and Ron both looked at Ginny and Luna, thankfulness etched on their faces. It would not do to end their holiday on a bad note with Hermione for something that had happened all those years ago.
"I have nothing to add that hasn't been said already. Harry and I did what we thought was best at the time and our only worry was making sure no one harmed you, Mione. We didn't do it to hurt you or make you mad or because we thought you couldn't take care of yourself. It was just the brotherly thing to do at the time, same as we did with Ginny."
"It didn't work with Ginny, though," Hermione said. "She had plenty of attention back in school and sometimes I envied her that."
"You didn't miss out on much, believe me. I had to use my famous bat-bogie hex more than once on unsuspecting boys when they thought they could cross certain lines. You were better off in the library or saving these two prats."
"I'm not going to be mad at you two for something that is over and done with. However, I am no damsel in distress and I can take care of myself. This is never to happen again, is that clear?"
Ron and Harry looked at each other before nodding. "But if we think you are in danger at any point, we won't ask for permission to intervene, right Harry?"
"That's right, Ron."
"I'm adding myself to that," Draco finally spoke. "And the same goes for the two of you," he finished pointing at Ginny and Luna.
"We can take care of ourselves and have been doing it for years," Ginny protested.
"Be that as it may, we are your men, and as such, we protect what we love," countered Harry. "No one is putting a finger on any of you without suffering the consequences."
"Darling, no need to act like a Neanderthal," Hermione reminded him softly patting his hand. "I can understand the need to be macho. I can even picture you ripping off your button-down shirt and thrusting your chest forward like Superman, but it isn't really necessary. And please don't start beating your chest a la Tarzan even though my middle name is Jane!"
"Would someone like to enlighten us wizard folks as to what in bloody hell you just said?" Ron asked perplexed. "Seriously, Hermione, sometimes I think you're a bit barmy."
Hermione laughed at him and explained what she was talking about. Then she had to promise to have them over one night to watch the movies so they would understand better.
"As much as I am enjoying our time chatting, we do have to pack to go back to London in a couple of hours," Ginny reminded them a bit later when Harry and Hermione had finished eating.
"I don't want to go back at all," Ron told them. "I'm having so much fun here."
"We'll come back. In fact, we can make it a yearly occurrence," Luna suggested.
The others agreed and they headed to their rooms to pack.
~*~
Harry locked the door to their suite a few minutes later and smiled sexily at her. "We do have a couple of hours, don't we?"
Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Well," he said as he walked over to her and put his arms around her waist. "You said earlier that you were hot for me. Do you still feel that way?"
Hermione's sultry smile was all the answer he needed. He wasted no time stripping her naked and pressing her against the wall. He waved his hand and his clothes disappeared. He was ready for her just as she was ready for him. He kissed her as he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He entered her in one swift thrust and she moaned into his mouth.
As before, their magic connected and their loving was unrestrained. It did not last particularly long, but it was fully satisfying. When he felt her tighten around and call out his name, he could not hold it anymore and came with such force it was all he could to not to drop to his knees. Slowly, still inside of her, he walked over to the sofa a few minutes later and sat down with her on his lap. He kept kissing her and caressing her softly for a while until they recovered from their frenzied loving.
"I love you, Mione. I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying those words to you."
"That's a good thing because I will never tire of hearing them. Let's go take a quick shower before we pack. We don't want to be late again," she suggested.
After kissing her thoroughly one more time, he stood up and carried her to the bathroom.
~*~
"I'm glad that went over well," Luna told Ron as they packed. "I told you not to worry too much. Hermione is not a vengeful person."
"She's still scary when she gets mad, Luna. You've just never seen her wrath. I still have nightmares about those bloody canaries she set on me back in sixth year," Ron finished shuddering at the thought.
"She was just mad at the time and you can't blame her. You were acting like a right git back then."
"Oh thanks, love. I feel much better about it now."
"Don't be sarcastic, Ronald. You know I'm right. You went out with Lavender just to spite her and that's what you got in return."
"I guess you're right," he finally conceded. "I hope Harry never has to experience those damn birds in his lifetime. As powerful as she is now, she's bound to conjure up a hippogriff and set it off on him."
Luna laughed at him. "Can you just imagine Harry running away from a mad hippogriff?"
"It would be funny," Ron agreed as they finished packing.
"I'm sad to be leaving this place."
"I know love, but we already agreed that we'd be back every year. Besides, you also have our wedding to plan and we can go anywhere you want on our honeymoon," Ron said as he hugged her.
"Even if I want to go searching for some weird creature none of you believe exists?" she asked jokingly.
"Yes, love, even then."
~*~
"Ginny, do you think Hermione's really forgiven me for all I did to her in the past? I mean, I was a complete arse to her while we were in school," Draco asked worriedly as he watched Ginny pack their belongings.
"Of course she has, Draco. Have you forgotten who our first supporter was when it got out that we were going out?"
"No, I haven't forgotten and I am grateful that she did that. I know I used to bother you because I was attracted to you and it was my stupid way of ignoring my feelings. However, I really didn't like her back then and I was horrible to her."
"You acted out on what you were taught at home, Draco. You were taught to hate anyone that wasn't a pure-blood by your father. He was not a very nice man and appearances were extremely important to him. You didn't choose to hate her because she was a bad person. It was simply how you thought things were supposed to be."
"It still doesn't excuse my behavior. She was still a human being," he persisted.
"As I said earlier, Hermione is an extremely brilliant witch. She knows how much you have changed. For Merlin's sake, Draco, even your mother likes her now! Don't be so hard on yourself about it. If you still feel this way and have all of these doubts, I would suggest talking to her about it when we get back. It will make you feel better and you'll see I'm right."
"I guess you're right, Red. I'm going to go see her sometime this week and talk to her about it. That way I can just forget about it and move on."
"Good lad. Now come here and kiss me before we have to leave."
"Yes, ma'am!"
~*~
A week later, Hermione and Luna were sitting in the forbidden section of the Hogwarts library going over several leather bound tomes and taking notes furiously. They had both taken the afternoon off from their jobs to visit their school. They'd had an informative talk with Professor McGonagall and she had directed them in that direction. Hermione had blushed furiously while Luna calmly explained what had transpired while they were on vacation and Hermione could have sworn there was a small smile lurking on the Professor's face. However, since it was McGonagall, she was not sure.
Madam Pince had been more than happy to help, since Hermione had always been one of her very favorite students. She was a bit surprised when Luna handed her the list McGonagall had given them, but said nothing and pointed them in the right direction.
Hermione, pausing for a moment to cast a wandless silencing charm around them, looked at Luna. Luna raised her eyebrows at how easily Hermione had taken to doing magic without her trusty wand.
"I found something interesting here, Luna." Hermione turned the book she was reading on its side so Luna would be able to read. "It says the only solution for the problem would be for Harry and me to stay apart."
Luna gasped and covered one of Hermione's hands with her own. "You're not thinking of breaking up with him, are you?"
"No! I would never do that. I waited too long to be with him to just toss our love aside as if it was rubbish."
"I'm glad to hear that, Mione. Don't scare me like that again."
"I'm sorry, Luna, I guess I didn't phrase that right. It's obvious we're going to have to deal with this and learn to live with it because I am not willing to sacrifice our relationship over some magical issue."
"You're both smart and you love each other. I'm sure it's not going to be that bad. How are things since we got back from our holiday?"
"Nothing is different. The only time we notice the most is when we make love," Hermione answered her blushing furiously once again.
"Why is that, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Our magic connects every time we do. It's impossible to separate it, no matter how much we try to focus. And we're both getting used to not using our wands. It's amazing how easy it is to get things done that way. You were also right about us knowing what the other needs before it is voiced. It's been a tremendous help at work."
"How did it go at work when people found out?"
"Better than I imagined. I thought for sure there would be complications, since we're both heads of our department, but everything is still the same. Actually, now we seem to get more things done."
"So you act like consummate professionals and then go home and ravish each other."
"Something like that. It's going to be hard next month, though. Harry has to go on a business trip for a couple of weeks to visit several countries. I'm going to miss him like crazy."
"It won't be too bad, Mione. You will be able to communicate anytime you want with him without the need for owls or the Floo Network. It's going to be interesting to see if distance affects the connection in any way."
"You're right. I'm just being silly. Let's get back to reading a while longer. I'm not sure how long you have to just sit here researching with me."
"I'm actually working. I plan to write an article with our findings on The Quibbler. And Ron is in meetings until late so we're fine."
"I do appreciate this Luna," Hermione said as squeezed her hand before she lowered her gaze to the book in front of her.
Hermione continued reading in silence for a while. Luna did the same, but watched her from time to time. She had a feeling there was something bothering Hermione and she wasn't sure how to ask her about it, so she waited for her friend to open up on her own.
Half an hour later, she did.
"Luna?" called Hermione hesitantly.
"What is it, Mione? You've been preoccupied for a while but I've been waiting for you to bring it up first."
Hermione smiled at her dear friend. "Can't keep much hidden from you, can I?"
"I'm sorry. I cannot help it sometimes. I just get this visions or feelings out of nowhere."
"Its okay, Luna. I did not really trust in seers until I saw it first hand with you. You made a believer out of me, unlike Trelawney and her supposed predictions. She might have been right a couple of times out of thousands, but you're always right."
"It's something I must have inherited from my mother's side of the family. But let's forget about me and concentrate on you, shall we?"
Hermione looked down at her clasped hands and worried her bottom lip. "I was wondering about something. When you did your research, did you come across anything having to do with having children?"
Luna's eyebrows shut up. "Is there something else you want to tell me?"
"No. Yes. I don't know."
A hesitant Hermione was never a good thing, Luna thought to herself. "Let's start with that. Are you pregnant, Hermione?"
"Not that I know," she answered vaguely.
"But there's a possibility then."
"Yes."
"When?"
"The day we came back to London. When we went to pack, we sort of got carried away and I forgot to do the contraceptive spell."
"Does Harry know?"
"I haven't mentioned it and he hasn't said anything either."
"Have you tried doing a charm to find out?"
"I'm afraid to."
"Would you like me to do it for you?"
"Maybe later. I want to discuss what could happen first."
"What is it you're afraid of, Mione?"
"I'm afraid of what our combined magic can mean for our child and how it can affect my body since I am muggle-born."
"Oh, dear, I hadn't thought about that," Luna said a bit surprised.
"It could be bad, right?" Hermione asked in a small voice.
"Maybe or maybe not. I've heard of some muggle-born witches that have had a hard time during their pregnancy and their delivery, but it's not horrible. They just need to take really good care of themselves and they need a lot of bed rest on the last trimester. Look at Harry's mum for example. She was a powerful witch, muggle-born, and she had no trouble delivering Harry, also a very powerful wizard. And from what Ron has told me, Mrs. Weasley had a really hard time with Charlie's pregnancy and delivery, and she's a pure-blood."
Hermione was still not convinced. "But this isn't going to be a regular witch or wizard, Luna. This child will belong to Harry and me and our current state of magical powers could be dangerous for me, correct? I could even lose the baby."
"Hermione, sweetie, that's a possibility with any pregnancy. Yes, you're both very powerful and this baby is bound to inherit both of your powers, but I'm sure you will be able to handle it."
"How can you be so sure?" Hermione persisted stubbornly.
"Remember second year when you were petrified by the basilisk? There were no repercussions from that incident. Your muggle-born body handled it. Then in fifth year, you were hit by that powerful spell, and even though it knocked you on your arse, you came out of it well. Also, let's not forget the bloody war. How many times were you hit and able to sustain it? You might have been born to muggle parents, but you are a witch through and through Hermione Granger, and don't let anyone tell you any different, you hear?"
"You really think so, Luna?"
"Stand up a second."
Hermione frowned but did as she was told. Luna came around the table and put her hand gently on Hermione's stomach. She closed her eyes and murmured a few words in Latin, concentrating hard as she did so. Hermione could feel heat pooling low on her belly and closed her eyes as the warm sensation traveled through her body.
"Open your eyes, Mione," Luna whispered a few minutes later.
Hermione did and gasped. "Sweet mother of Merlin," she whispered as well.
A bubble floated in mid-air in front of them and clearly visible inside, surrounded by clear smoke, was the small figure of a green-eyed baby boy with a full head of chocolate-brown curls. He was looking back at her, his eyes trusting and wise, gurgling happily, as he played with his tiny feet.
"Take a look at your son, Hermione. You're not pregnant yet, but this is what he will look like when you do have him, and as you can see, he is beautiful and healthy."
Hermione had tears running down her face and she extended her fingers and caressed the bubble. Her son smiled at her before the bubble disappeared.
"Oh Luna," Hermione whispered reverently as she hugged her friend tightly. "I don't know how you managed that, but it was amazing. Thank you."
"It was nothing. I just thought you needed to see what your future holds to put your fears at ease," Luna explained hugging her back.
Hermione stepped back and kissed Luna's cheek. "I appreciate you doing that."
"Hey, at least I can boast to having seen the son of the Potter-Granger's before anyone else in the wizarding word! I hope The Quibbler gets the exclusive when it does happen," she joked.
"No one else would, Luna. I wouldn't trust anybody else with something so precious."
"It'd be my honor."
"When is he coming?"
"The baby? Not for now. First, you need to worry about having full control of your new powers, and then you can concentrate on your relationship for a while. Remember that once he is here, he will take a lot of your time away from each other, so you should enjoy your love for a while before you decide to stop using the contraceptive charm. He is bound to be a handful!"
"I can only imagine. If he is as mischievous as his daddy, we're in for a wild ride."
"Yes you are, my dear."
By the time they were satisfied with their research, it was nighttime. She let Harry know she would stop in Hogsmeade to have dinner with Luna and promised to be home after that. Over dinner, they discussed their findings and ways she and Harry could better handle their powers when the situation got out of hand.
Then, over a sinful dessert and a cup of coffee, they talked more about the baby and what she should expect during that time. Hermione was feeling more excited than apprehensive by the time it was time to say goodbye.
~*~
Hermione got to their flat right after eight that night and walked down the hall, calling Harry's name. He called back from their study telling her to come over. When she walked in, it was to find Draco and Harry, sharing a glass of Ogden's best, talking animatedly. She greeted them warmly as she walked further into the room.
"Hi, love," Harry said as he got up from the letter couch and walked over to her. He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and smiled at her. "Did you and Luna have fun?"
"Actually, we did. I have loads to tell you about, but it can wait until later. You can keep visiting with Draco while I go and take a shower."
"Actually, Draco dropped by to talk to you," Harry told her.
Hermione looked surprise by this and glanced over at Draco, who all of a sudden looked a bit nervous.
"Draco, would you mind if I still took that shower?"
"Not at all. I'll keep potty here company until you come back."
"You're funny, ferret-boy."
"Ginny seems to think so," he told them smiling.
"I won't be long, children. Do try and behave while I'm gone!" Hermione called as she walked out of the room.
As promised, she came back twenty-minutes later, dressed in lounge pants and a t-shirt. Harry excused himself and told them he would go and make tea while they chatted.
"I hope I'm not imposing on you at this hour. I went by your office earlier and Harry told me you had taken the afternoon off to do the research with Luna."
"It's okay. Next time send me an owl and I can be here sooner." She cocked her head to the side once she had sat down on her favorite chair, leg tucked under her as she had always done at Hogwarts. "Is everything okay, Draco?"
Draco got up and started pacing the room. He seemed nervous and uncomfortable. "I want to talk to you about the past, Mione."
"The past? As in our past?"
"Yes. I wanted to clear the air about a few things that have me twisted in knots."
"Why don't you sit down? You're making me dizzy," she said with a laugh.
"Oh, sorry." He laughed a little self-consciously as he did as she asked.
"This is me you're talking to, remember? I thought we had become good friends and there was no awkwardness between us. What is it, Drake?"
He rested his arms on his thighs and let his hands hang lose between his legs. No one else called him that, other than Ginny. That alone was a testament of how their friendship had grown and he was counting on that to guide him through what he had to say.
"I need to know if you've really forgiven me."
"What are you talking about?" she asked startled by his question.
"I was the biggest arse in the world when we were in school, and you suffered the brunt of that. I really treated you badly, Hermione, and I need to know if you have really forgiven me for that, or if you just pretend to get along with me just because Ginny and I are together," he finished and finally looked at her.
The look on her face was hard to decipher.
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