Chapter 14-Blindsided
His head resonated like a bell as the ceiling swam in front of his eyes.
"Still alive?" a man's face peered down at Harry who lay flat on the floor in the training room at the Ministry.
"I believe so. You weren't trying to kill me were you?"
"No…you'll get this soon. Trust me," the man extended his hand and gratefully Harry grabbed it and hauled his sore body off the floor.
This was his second day on the job and the physical training he did for four hours each day was almost harder than fighting Voldemort.
"One more time, Harry," Vince said giving Harry a chance to catch his breath. "Remember, to shift your weight and balance to keep me off balance."
"Yeah," Harry muttered thinking that's what he was doing the last five times. Turning around he began walking down the padded room, pretending to mind his own business, when he felt the trainer's arms grab him from behind. Shifting his position slightly, he reached back, grabbed the trainer's arm and managed to flip him, somewhat sloppily, onto the ground. The trainer landed with a grunt, but was smiling nonetheless.
"Good! You got it. We're done now…it'll become second nature soon enough. Why don't you head to the showers and then go home and rest."
Harry's muscles were screaming at him from every part of his body. Even his brain hurt. When he wasn't pouring over rules, procedures and other dull pieces of information that the Ministry insisted everyone know, he was physically training or he was worrying how Janie was doing in day care. Her first day hadn't gone well; she had cried for an hour according to Lavender when a toy was taken from her. Her nap wasn't as long as normal which led her to being very cranky that evening. And with Harry being so sore, his temper was short as well. Luckily, Hermione had seen that he was about to explode with Janie's stubbornness about going to bed and had somehow gently intervened and soon had Janie sitting in her lap, reading her a story.
Harry was asleep before Janie was that night. But, today, so far, he hadn't received any calls about Janie crying which he chalked up as a good thing.
He also had forgotten that Ginny was able to peek in on their daughter and as Harry was walking, freshly showered, back to the office she had called out to him and given him a brief update on how Janie slept for her full two hour nap.
"Don't you miss teaching?" Ginny had asked next while he stood in the hall for a few seconds. He thought for a moment then shook his head.
"No, not really. I liked it when I was there but these hours are much better…as is the pay," Harry smiled slightly, surprised by the fact that it hurt to do that too.
"Like you need more money," Ginny retorted smiling.
"Yeah, well, I'd like to buy a new place at some point and it's not cheap. I think Charlie and his fiancée
are finally moving back to the area so I was thinking of offering Grimmauld to them," Harry said quietly, not
wanting Hermione to overhear as he hadn't even told her yet.
Ginny nodded solemnly. "I was wondering when you'd get tired of living in that place…and I know Charlie would love it, though you know he'll insist on paying you or something."
"Yeah, I haven't thought that far ahead though," Harry replied then, giving her a little wave, he opened the office door and slipped in to retrieve his bag and some paperwork he had to go over.
"Wow, you look beat," Hermione laughed from where she was standing by her bookshelf. She had slipped her newest volume of Hogwarts: A History back into its slot next to Hags: Witches Gone Wrong and Illnesses Among the Magical, volume 45.
"I'm afraid if I sit, I'll never get up," Harry sighed shutting the door behind him, and then looked longingly at his chair.
"You don't have to get Janie for another thirty minutes. Have a seat…I'll rub your shoulders for you." Hermione walked around and pulled out his leather chair. Not having to be asked twice he collapsed into it and felt her hands massaging their way across his shoulders.
"You still need to teach me how to do that hand warming thing," Hermione whispered, afraid that Ginny may hear it through the frosted glass door.
"I told you how…I just say the spell and it happens."
"Not for me; not yet anyway."
"Maybe it's my very own special trick. You know, like how I could channel Voldemort? Only, this one is much more enjoyable," Harry teased then sighed as Hermione massaged her thumbs up his neck.
"Ha ha. Well, I guess I should go find my "own special trick" then," she teased back, squeezing her way down his biceps. Harry let his head fall forward thinking that this was much better than a hot bath any day.
"I think this can be your special trick," he let out a contented hum as she ran her hands back up his arms. Suddenly, he felt a pair of warm lips kiss the back of his neck as her hands stilled on his shoulders. For a moment, his breath hitched painfully in his chest wondering why she had just done that. They had talked about keeping things platonic at work as not to contribute to the gossip and out of respect for Ron and Ginny. Now, he fought to keep the rush of hormones down as the silence grew a bit longer and the tension mounted between them.
"I'm sorry," Hermione finally whispered knowing that kissing him was something that they had said wasn't going to happen at work. She reluctantly let her hands fall away.
"Don't ever be sorry, Hermione," Harry spun around and looked up at her. "I would've done the same if the roles were reversed." He grinned, shattering the tension between them, "And I know you have a hard time keeping your hands off me."
"I really don't feel any difference in your muscles than I did last week," Hermione quipped and ducked as Harry tossed a rubber replica of a Quidditch snitch at her. Soon, he had his paperwork together and went to collect Janie, leaving Hermione to update some records that she insisted she'd do herself, since it was incredibly boring.
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"So, what are you planning on doing?" Hermione asked Charles that night. The three of them were eating dinner at Harry's--the kids had eaten earlier and were playing in the hall with a tricycle.
"I don't know. I talked to my sisters and they all think I should find out for sure if Hermione is a relation or not. We've decided to not tell my parents. With my mother in poor health it would only upset her more and my father is truly absorbed in his effort to take care of her, so it's just between Carla, Sherry, Becky, Holly and me. And a handful of people here, too." Charles paused to take a sip of wine. "I guess since everyone, including myself, can see that two plus two is on its way to equaling four, it'd be the easiest thing to do. How do you think it would affect your family, Hermione?"
She shrugged and swallowed her piece of chicken. "You and I both talked to my parents and my mother seems more excited right now than my father. I think he's still in shock that part of his brother is still walking this earth. Not in a bad way, but in a surprisingly good way for him. And," Hermione paused moving her eyes down from his, then shyly continued, "It would be nice to have a cousin as I never had any before."
Harry was about to laugh aloud, thinking of Dudley at that moment, but managed to stuff a piece of bread in his mouth to quiet himself.
Charles nodded slightly then addressed Harry, asking about his family. Shooting a glance at Hermione, Harry wondered how Charles didn't know about his family. Harry began asking what he knew; not wanting to repeat anything and found out that Charles only knew his parents had died saving him. So, Harry haltingly told Charles about his upbringing and how up until the age of 11, he hadn't known he was a wizard. That led into a discussion about Janie to which Charles was very complimentary.
"She's coming along marvelously! I think as she gets older, she'll really need to use magic less and less. My theory is by the age of six or so, she won't need that wand anymore."
"I can just see her flaunting it in front of her friends as she goes through her first year of school," Hermione smiled, standing up to clear the dishes. She waved for the men to sit and began to move around the kitchen. "The Ministry would certainly love that!"
"She hasn't shown off yet, but she did ask where Ben's was. Hermione just told her he wasn't ready for a wand yet."
"Good answer. Does she use it a lot?" Charles asked, accepting coffee that was placed before him. For a moment he and Harry were quiet as they added milk and sugar to their drinks.
"She goes in spurts. The last meltdown was just because she was adjusting to day care and before that there was one late at night a few days ago. Hermione showed her how to squirt water from her wand and that calmed her down. Now, that's how she fills up the tub each night for her bath. Ever since she started doing that, things seem to be going well. I'm sure the terrible two's are around the corner."
Hermione sat down next to Harry and patted his hand. "Ben will be ten times worse; you'll probably kick us out to the curb when he has one of his tantrums."
"Never," Harry squeezed her hand quickly then reached for a cookie, still not comfortable with displaying affection in front of others.
"Well, I must thank you for a delicious dinner. I'm going to be traveling quite a bit in the next few weeks, but I'd love it if you kept me updated on Janie." Charles stretched then stood up, draining the last of his coffee.
"Definitely. Thanks again for taking a vested interest in her," Harry replied, shaking his hand firmly.
"Not a problem. Who knows?" Charles smiled as the three of them walked to the door; he interrupted himself for a moment calling out his goodbyes to the children. "One day, I may be related, in a way, to her." Before Harry could ask how, Charles continued seeing the confused look. "If these blood tests come back positive, I'll be Hermione's cousin. If you two ever marry, I guess Janie will be like second cousin to me."
Hermione laughed quietly and Harry was quite sure she didn't see him grip the doorframe tightly as the notion slammed into him that people were already thinking of them marrying; the idea had never crossed his mind as he had never seen himself married to anyone other than Ginny.
Harry was wrong, however. That night after the kids had their bath and Harry tumbled gratefully into bed, nursing sore muscles Hermione called him on it, asking what he thought of Charles' comment and him being related to Janie.
Harry didn't answer for a moment, pretending to be busy pounding down his pillow and making himself comfortable. She didn't take his motions as he had hoped.
"Okay then. If you don't want to answer that one, maybe you can answer the next question. Why did you tell me to wait to go to a doctor to look into the birth control charms?"
With a wave of his hand, Harry doused the lights and for the first time closed himself off from her.
"I'm so sore Hermione, my brain hurts. Can we talk about this in a few days when I'm not beaten to a pulp?" He muttered it and knew she saw through his flimsy excuse. The truth was, he had no idea WHY he had told her that. It had just popped out when he thought of her not having children in the next year or so. And, admittedly, the whole idea of being related to Charles through Hermione and any potential children he and the woman lying next to him could have unnerved him.
Living with Hermione Granger-Weasley was one thing.
Living with Hermione Potter (`Or would it be Granger-Potter?' he wondered. `Or, even Granger-Weasley-Potter?' he had no idea how the hyphenated name worked when you remarried) who was his best friend, a new lover and girlfriend could, potentially, be the mother of his future children. That was definitely something he hadn't thought of in all the years he knew her. But now, he was expected to think about it; especially since he had pretty much promised that he would talk to her later.
He feigned sleep, feeling Hermione's slight anger simmering off her. Eventually, her breathing became even and deep and only then did Harry close his eyes and thankfully slept a dreamless sleep.
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