I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Chapter 8: Instant Karma
A/N: This is really a milestone for me. When I last wrote an extended fanfiction (Ultimate
Flash for an Ultimate DC Universe site (that's comics)), I got to chapter seven before the
admin took too much power and started making up rules that hindered my creativity. So
now this is my longest fanfiction ever!

Also, It appears that I've lost interest since my break. I hope to gain them back and more as time goes on. Thanks to those who have stuck by!

P.S: Kind of cheating on the title here. It's a John Lennon song, but U2 covered it for the
Instant Karma campaign.


Harry and Miranda stood looking at each other with a bit of discomfort and confusion.
Miranda knew this conversation was going to come, but she wasn't entirely sure how she
felt about it coming. All she really knew about Harry is that he more or less saved the
wizarding world before he could talk and Hermione was deeply taken with him. Though
the first aspect seemed a bit more important, the one she cared about most was the
second. It had been evident since first year when she sent letters describing all her time
with Harry, well, not everything as they both found out about after her fourth year.

Last summer, she came clean with everything that she'd been involved in and frankly, it
frightened both her parents. It frightened them to the point where they almost wanted to
pull her out of Hogwarts all together, but they knew that would probably end up killing her
faster. For the first time in her life, she belonged to something.

For sometime, they also tried to be mad at Harry. He seemed to really be the source of all
the danger that Hermione got herself in, but for some reason they couldn't blame him either.
Or at lease Miranda couldn't. She knew her daughter was as stubborn as an ox and
extremely loyal. No matter what Harry could have told her, she wouldn't have listened and
gone right along with him. And Harry was the first friend Hermione made since Jack
moved to America.

"Of course, Harry. Anything you want to talk about." Miranda swallowed all her doubts
and worry and said affirmatively. Her smile calmed Harry down and a visibly calm Harry
calmed her down too. "The pie has some time to cook, why don't I fix us a spot of tea
while you have a seat at the table."

"Okay... That'd be great." Harry said as he walked towards the table and sat down. Tea
seemed to be a common occurrence in the Granger household. Miranda found everything
as if it were clockwork and there were countless tea cups near the sink for washing.

"So, what's on your mind, Harry?" She asked in the kindest of voices. Harry hadn't spent
anytime with her since they got home two nights ago, it was all with her father, which was
someone he didn't want to spend much time with ever again.

Harry choked on his words. He wasn't entirely sure what was on his mind. He knew she
had a right to know, but he wasn't sure what she had the right to know. "Well, um, I just
felt you had the right to know."

"About what?" She turned around from making tea and looked straight into Harry's
emerald green eyes.

"About me." He shot out without thinking his statement through. 'Damn, this'll have to be
good then...' he thought to himself before going on. "I've caused you all so much trouble,
that I feel you should know more about me than I'm just a friend of Hermione's."

Miranda looked deep into his eyes, studying him and then she smiled again. "Harry, you're
literally the most famous sixteen year old in the wizarding world. I know everything there is
to know about you from reading books and Hermione's novel length letters."

"Did you know that my greatest fear is loss and death of loved ones? Did you know that
while we were in the Forbidden Forest, I barely slept at all, just because I was worried
about Hermione's safety? Did you know that my good dreams are about killing Voldemort
for all that he's done to be and my friends?" Harry began to feel weathered again like he
did back in the forest and everything that Hermione had helped him.

Miranda was completely speechless. She'd read about his hard life in books and Hermione
told her that he didn't live an easy life, but she couldn't even imagine what hid beneath
Harry's skin. "No... no I didn't." She finished fixing the tea and sat down at the table across
from Harry and looked into his eyes the way Hermione always did when she was trying to
read him.

"Mrs. Granger, to be completely candid, I'm dangerous. My magic frequently becomes
uncontrollable and dangerous wizards are out in force looking for me. And I hate myself for
getting all of you into this." Harry looked down at at the floor. "I couldn't live with myself if
the fate of my parents came off on your family."

Miranda had to admit that she was at first a bit worried about that too, but she also felt that
Harry brought something to Hermione that no one else did or could. "I must admit Harry...
I am a bit worried about all of this, but there's one thing I truly know about you and it's
the most important thing. You're a good friend to Hermione and she needs you as much as
you need her."

Harry suddenly felt a warmth in his stomach again. He had never really thought of it that
way. He never really thought that he effected his friends in that way. They were always
there for him, but he never felt he was there for them and that really made him angry with
himself at times. "It's just that I've lost everyone in my life. I can't lose Hermione." Harry
wasn't this used to being vulnerable with anyone, not even Hermione. Somehow he felt
comfortable with Miranda, which he also found odd.

"You won't lose her, Harry. I have faith in my daughters stubbornness. She won't die on us
until she says she is." Miranda smiled widely and Harry snickered a bit. He knew that
Miranda was right. "Now, we'll talk more later. No sense getting all worked up all at once.
I look forward to hearing about the Chamber of Secrets." He got up from the table,
nodded at Miranda and ran off into the rest of the house. Usually Harry wasn't a fan of
telling his stories, but he was somewhat looking forward to telling Hermione's mom about
his exploits. It would probably end up clearing his conscious.

Rather than going downstairs to see Hermione he went upstairs to his bedroom to grab his
wand, which he found himself carrying less and less. Suddenly, the doorbell to the house
rang and almost simultaneously Hermione called from the other room. "HARRY!" She came
running in through the joining bathroom.

"Oh, I thought you were downstairs in the studio."

"Not the problem right now, Harry. The Weasley's are at the door." Hermione screeched
in a frantic voice. "Mum said that she attended a funeral for us as a show for the ministry
and The Death Eaters. To help our magical protection. Did I forget to tell you that?"

Harry's mind was racing back and forth trying to process all that she was telling him.
"Wait... what?"

By this time, Hermione had cooled down a bit and had sat down on Harry's bed.
"Dumbledore figured that if the Ministry and Voldemort thought we were dead, our
magical signatures couldn't be picked up, because our link would be severed. No need to
look for someone who's dead. It's a fairly low-magic technique, but quite effective, but it
can't be effective if too many people know. I'm sure the main teachers know and certainly
Lupin, maybe Tonks and Kingsley and of course our parents, but if everyone finds out, it
just wouldn't work well." Harry really hadn't ever seen someone say so much in such a
short amount of time, well except on another one of Hermione's little rants.

"Hermione... if the Weasley's think I'm dead, I'm not going to let it go on. Ron's my best
mate and Ginny's yours. We can't just do this to them. No matter the intentions." Harry
stood up and started walking towards the door. "If you want to be dead, fine. I'll think of
something to tell them, but I won't let them mourn over me."

Hermione's mind began to race like it did back in Dumbledore's office when thinking about
who Anton LaVey was. She was obviously weighing all the consequences that were
aligned with each decision, but finally, she looked up at Harry. "You're right." Harry
walked back towards his bed and reached out his hand to Hermione. She took it and he
led her out into the hall way and down the stairs where the Weasleys were all facing away
from them.

"Hey Guys." Harry meekly stated to get their attention. At the sound of his voice Molly,
Arthur, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny turned around and stood shocked at the two people
in their pretense. They all stood in a noisy silence for a few minutes before Ginny teared up
and threw herself at Hermione in a vice like hug.

"Bloody Hell, mate. I knew you were clever, but coming back from the dead? Brilliant."
Ron exclaimed as he walked towards Harry with hand out stretched. Rather than accept
the had, Harry greeted him with a short friendly hug.

"Yeah, some of us can do it better than others." Harry spoke in a very melancholy voice
that worried Hermione, but she didn't let it spoil the reunion.

"Harry Potter! How dare you put us through that. You should have told us from the start!"
Molly Weasley walked over to Harry and smacked him upside the head, but then
amended her feelings smothering hugs and kisses.

"I think we should all sit down and we'll explain everything." Harry was the first to invite an
explication, but he looked at Hermione for further permission. When she nodded, he lead
the group to the large assembly of couches and chairs. Naturally, Harry made sure that he
was in the overstuffed chair with Hermione.

Both Harry and Hermione traded off in telling all of the story including what happened with
Dumbledore earlier that day (the first Miranda had heard of it). The Weasley's made a
good audience if not a bit humorous.

"You mean you can do magic over the holiday?" Fred asked in shock.

"Yeah, they never let us do that. Shame, really." George said with the same shock that
Fred displayed. The rest of the group just sat there listening rather intently. Ginny and Ron
looked genuinely interested and seemed to be hanging on every word. Molly sat there
shaking her head, obviously angry that Dumbledore would do such a thing, quite the
contrast to Arthur who found it to be quite intelligent.

"Wait... why are you guys here?" Harry asked curiously. He hadn't really thought about
since they showed up, but now that he thought about it, he didn't hear what they were
talking about to Hermione's mother.

"Damn, Harry. You're really oblivious to everything aren't you." Ginny winked at him and
pointed towards the table that was standing near the door. On top next to the lap was
Hedwig in her cage clicking her beak and hooting loudly and underneath the table,
Crookshanks was lying down with a distinctive purr.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione squealed, running towards her cat and hastily scooped him up
into her arms.

"Thanks... I was worried about her."

"Yeah well, we were going to hold on to him for you, but we figured that the Grangers
would want an owl to keep in contact with the Wizarding world." Ron explained to Harry.
It made sense to him. At this point, he couldn't think of anyone else that he'd trust with
Hedwig more than Mrs. Granger or the Weasleys.

The Weasleys stayed for the rest of the afternoon where the children laughed and joked
about the old times back at Hogwarts. The adults used the time to get acquainted and
explain more things about the war going on to Miranda.

Harry found the time with the Weasleys therapeutic. He barely remembered why they were
here in the first place (the part about their death, not Hedwig). He was completely at ease
for the first time he had been in a very long time. That is until, Ron asked to see Hermione
in private. "What was that about?"

"Ron's been really broken up over her alleged death. He fancies her you know." Ginny
explained to Harry and a quick pain shot through his body that he wasn't entirely sure he
knew how to explain. He looked over into the other room and saw her quickly embrace
Ron and give him a quick kiss on the cheek and they soon walked out and joined the rest
of the group. When they got back to the living room, Hermione lazily flopped back into the
chair mainly landing in Harry's lap.

"Hey." She smiled up at him. He almost felt guilty enjoying this after what Ginny had told
him about Ron, but it's not like they meant anything romantic about it.

Before too long, Molly Weasley came back into the living room with Arthur. "Come on,
we better be going. Have to leave Harry and the Grangers to their lives." They all got up
and walked towards the door, saying their goodbyes but Ron turned around and faced
Harry.

"You know mate, if you wanted to you could spend the rest of the summer with us. You've
been there a lot. Might feel more at home." Ron offered to Harry and a few hours ago, he
might have taken it or at least considered it.

Harry looked back at Hermione and Miranda who both looked a little bit upset. Hermione
probably would have gone with him, but Miranda was upset that she wouldn't have the
chance to get to know Harry better.

"Thanks, Ron, but I'm enjoying myself here quite a bit. Plus, I feel the time has come for
me to spend some quality time with Hermione. It's always all of us, you and me or you and
her. Never me and her. I'd fancy some time alone with her." Ron nodded and rejoined his
family outside the door.

Harry turned around and saw that both Miranda and Hermione were beaming at him. "Oh
Harry!" Hermione sighed and pulled him into a big hug. "You didn't have to say that. You
could have just gone."

"Nope. I meant it. You saved my life this summer." Hermione hugged him again and then
pulled him towards the couch where they discussed anything and everything that was on
their minds while Miranda tended to a effectively burned Shepard's pie.

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this one. I had a lot more fun writing this one then the last two. This one felt more connected than the rest and it flowed a lot better for me writing. I was able to stop and then pick up with out much trouble, which was nice. Well, next issue we get Hermione's grandparents, who take quite a large direction away from what Ann had set up. Hope you all keep reading and reviewing!

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