Disclaimer: I don't own it, otherwise OBHWF would be just a delusion of someone and not canon…
A/N: My response to the challenge "Harry at Hermione's" by vivitribal. The requirements can be found here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=1356&st=0 Please if you read leave me a comment, it takes you few minutes and it makes me happy! *grins*
Helping Hermione Find Her Parents
Chapter Five: Back To England
The following days went more or less the same way. Harry and Hermione would stay at the beach as long as possible, and that resulted in both of them developing great tans. Hermione had to admit Harry's appearance, already impressive in her opinion, could only gain from being tanned.
They continued the surf lessons, and while on the first day it had been Hermione to learn faster, once they arrived to the point they had to face the waves and control their equilibrium on the surf while facing them, Harry was the one who found it easier. Maybe because he was used to fly on a broom, but he had no problem on maintaining himself on the wave crest once he had understood how to balance his weight on the surf to remaining standing.
Hermione was amazed and a bit envious.
"Not fair" she pouted while they were walking home, and Harry heartily laughed.
"I can't believe it, I am better than mighty Hermione Granger at something!" Harry said, improvising a victory dance.
"You're so silly" she stuck her tongue at him.
"What did you say?" he retorted, starting to tickle her. Soon, the two of them were rolling on the warm sand in a tickle war, raising the looks of some other tourists, but they didn't care.
Hermione's crystal laughter was music to Harry's ears and he couldn't stop the goofy grin spreading on his lips as he heard it.
When she finally gave up and admitted defeat, he found himself on top of her, green orbs meeting brown ones, and they stayed still for a minute or two, Harry's hand automatically going to push a strand of her loose hair behind her ear, before he broke the moment standing up and offering her an hand to get up.
She eagerly took it, and then they walked to the house both thinking about what had happened.
"Why haven't I kissed her?" Harry asked himself. "Of course you didn't, you git. She's your best friend and you don't do such things with your best friend!"
Frustrated at the internal debate he was having, Harry didn't hear Hermione calling him.
"Sorry, spaced out a bit" he sheepishly said when she touched him on the shoulder to have his attention.
"Ok. Now, could you tell my mother I'll have a quick shower and then I'll be immediately in the kitchen helping her?"
"No problem" he said, flashing her a grin that almost made her weak at the knees. She nodded and got out of the same room he was in before she did something rash.
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It was already a week since Harry and Hermione had moved from the hotel to stay with the Grangers, and Ellen had been able to witness their antics together, which strongly confirmed what she had guessed.
Her baby girl had become a young woman, and as such she had fallen in love with Harry, who did love her back, although they had not admitted their feelings to the other yet.
As she was washing the dishes after dinner, she had a brilliant idea.
"Roger, dear" she called, and her husband pocked his head into the kitchen. "Yes, luv?"
"I was thinking, why don't we give Harry and Hermione some more time together on their own?"
"But Ellen, you know we signed the contract for selling the house this morning, and the four of us are due to leave in a couple days…"
"I know, I know. But it's not easy to pack everything, it surely will take us more than two days…" she suggested with a smile, and Roger sighed.
"You really think he's the one for her? I mean, I know it's not his fault but he put her in a lot of danger through the years…"
"And he always did his best to protect her from that danger. This is good enough for me" Ellen said, turning to give her husband a pointed look. "Plus, since she is in love with him, there's nothing we can do if not support her, right?"
"Right" Roger said, a bit tightly. The concept of his baby girl being in love was still a bit difficult to accept for him, for he should recognize she had grown up before he could fathom her being in love.
Still, they followed his wife's plan, and told the teens that they would need some more days to settle things there so they would return to England few days later than Hermione and Harry.
As much as they tried to convince her parents that they could help and make things quicker, Ellen's decision was final, and Hermione knew better than to try and change her mind.
Their final night in the Australian territory rolling up, Hermione and Harry decided to have a night tour of the town.
"Oh, Harry, we can't leave without seeing the Sydney Opera House!" Hermione squealed, and he chuckled at her enthusiasm. However, once they were there, he had to admit the view was astounding.
"This was engineered by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon and Queen Elizabeth II inaugurated it in 1973" Hermione read from her guide, and Harry had to smile.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as she read all the info about the structure.
Then they proceeded to take some pictures of it, and asked a man who was passing by to take a photo of them with the Opera House on the background.
While walking back to the house, Hermione was on cloud nine, and snuggled into Harry's embrace. She looked lovely and he would have wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but restrained himself.
"No need to ruin a wonderful friendship like that, Potter" he chastised himself while entering the house and heading to bed. They had developed a way to go around the problem of their sleeping arrangements.
After the Grangers had gone to sleep, Hermione would snuck into his room and join him in bed, setting the alarm for an early hour so that she could wake up and go back to her room before her parents got up and could catch them in a compromising situation.
Next morning, Ellen and Roger accompanied them to the airport with their car, and waited with them till their flight didn't board its passengers.
"We will see you in a week at the most" Roger called to the two teenagers while thye were walking away. Hermione and Harry nodded, then got to the airplane and found their seats.
"I get the window seat this time" she warned him, and Harry complied.
"You know what?" he said, while waiting for the plane to take off. "I really enjoyed this holiday here with you"
"Me too, Harry. Me too" she replied smiling affectionately at him. "Too bad you are so daft that you haven't picked up my feelings even with all the flirting I've been doing" she thought, looking outside.
She took out a book and started reading, while Harry was browsing between the aircraft radio channels to find something he could like to listen to. Later during the trip they would also project movies so there was a chance to pass time, at least for part of the almost 24 hours of flight.
When he thought she had fallen asleep, Harry sighed.
"What am I going to do with you, Hermione Granger?" he whispered while looking a her. "I want so much to be with you, but I'm scared of ruining our friendship…"
Hermione had to force herself to stay still. She wanted to shout in joy, because she knew now that he felt the same for her, she just needed to get him to admit it.
A smile playing on her lips, she fell asleep for real, and the long flight passed in a blur.
Once landed on the British soil, the two teens hired a taxi to get to Hermione's house. After paying for the bill, Harry helped Hermione with her luggage.
"I guess this is it then" he nervously said.
"Yes. I'm really glad you came with me for this trip, Harry" she said, kissing him on the cheek. He blushed a bit, then ran his hand through his hair.
"Oh, come on you git" he scolded himself. "Ask her already!"
Finally, he stammered some words. "Hermione…I was wondering…would you mind if I stayed with you the rest of summer? I'm really having fun and as good it feels to be at the Burrow, the Weasleys can be a bit overbearing at times, plus I still don't feel like being around them yet"
Hermione smiled brightly at him.
"Of course, Harry! You're always welcomed in my house!" she said with a playful bow, as she indicated for him to enter the house.
Harry shook his head in amusement. "Same guest room?"
"Yeah, but we are going to tidy it some if you're going to stay there for a month or so"
"I'll do it" Harry volunteered, but Hermione wasn't having it. After calling her parents in Australia to tell them they had arrived, she set to work and barely let Harry help her, nor she listened to his complaints that they could do it the next day. A couple hours later, the room was shining.
"Ok, now you'll listen to me though" Harry said in a commanding tone but it was still gentle. "Tonight we go out and have dinner, and it's on me as a thank you for letting me stay"
Seeing she was about to protest, Harry spoke again. "I won't take no as an answer"
She smiled and threw up her hands in defeat.
"Good" he grinned. "Now, let's get ready" he said and bolted to the bathroom. Before Hermione could catch him he was locked in, and started laughing.
"You'll have to get faster at getting ready now, as we don't have so much time" he playfully called to her, then set to have a nice hot shower.
When he exited, with only a towel wrapped around himself, he met Hermione coming out of her room. She had just her underwear on and as soon as she realized he was there she ran to hide herself in the bathroom, shouting at him not to look.
Few minutes later Harry was ready, and went to watch the telly in the living room, waiting for her. When she came down the stairs, Harry's mouth dropped. She was wearing a tight pair of jeans and a black top that barely reached her belly, and showed a nice amount of cleavage too. A light sweater was on her shoulders.
"You're smashing" he said, recollecting himself.
"Thanks" she blushed.
Since she knew the zone better, she chose the restaurant, it was an Italian one, so they shared some spaghetti then Harry chose tuna with fries and Hermione set for a lighter chicken salad.
"It was delicious" Harry said while they were walking out of the restaurant. "Good choice"
"I told you this was a great place to eat" she said, smiling.
"I was thinking…since I've never been to one of them, would you like to go to a Muggle Pub?"
"Sure, why not" Hermione taking his hand. "Come with me, I know one you'll like!"
Indeed, Harry liked it. The place had comfy seats, a nice atmosphere and music playing in the background, not too loud though.
After Harry placed their orders with the barman ("One Mohito and one Sex on the Beach"), he commented with Hermione on her choice of drink.
"Sex on the Beach, uh?" he said, wriggling his eyebrows. Hermione swatted him lightly on the arm.
As she did that, she noticed a group of girls entering the pub, and snorted.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
"Nothing, just a group of stupid girls I happen to know from childhood" she said, hoping they would not come their way.
But, as the Murphy Law goes, they did instead pass near their table. "Hey" one said, looking at Hermione. "Look who's here, the bookworm"
Harry instantly knew he didn't like the girl.
"She's with an hot guy though" another commented, checking Harry out. Hermione felt her blood boil.
"Must be someone she paid to spend the night with her, poor him" a third girl spoke, and Hermione was about to retort when she heard Harry speaking.
"I don't know the three of you, and I'm actually glad I don't, but I won't have you talk like this about my girlfriend"
Hermione looked at him almost in shock for a moment before she smugly looked at them. "Suit these cows right" she thought.
"Girlfriend? Come on…" one said, rolling her eyes. "As if plain, boring, bookwormish Hermione Granger could ever put her hands on…" but she fell silent upon witnessing something she would have never expected.
Harry had just pulled Hermione on his lap, and then he kissed her.
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