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*
This is going to be the last chapter of the fic, I hope I can wrap it up nicely…
Helping Hermione Find Her Parents
Chapter Eight: Wizarding World, Again
The summer was drawing to a close and with it also Harry and Hermione's time in the Muggle World. They would need to go back to where they really belonged, the Wizarding World, although Harry wished he could stay at the Grangers' some more.
"You know, we would still need to go back soon or later" Hermione reasoned, and he sighed.
"I know, Mione, I know" he said, while packing his things. They had managed to convince her parents to let them enlarge her room and have him stay there too, so the room was currently a mess as both the teens were searching for whatever they might need to bring with them.
Suddenly, Hermione stopped.
"You think the Weasleys are ok?" she asked, a bit concerned, and feeling guilty for not having thought of them in months.
"As well as you can expect them to be" Harry said. "George will be devastated for much longer, and the others…I don't know, I just hope they can adjust"
"Maybe we should keep our relationship secret for a while…for Ron and Ginny's sake…" she suggested, hoping not to make him grow angry.
"I don't think I could even if I wanted to" he admitted with a chuckle. "I've become addicted to you, Hermione Granger" he said, nuzzling her neck, and she relaxed in his embrace, forgetting the stress of having to face their friends, the fear at how they would take the news.
It was just the two of them, and nothing else mattered.
But, things could not stay that way. They could not simply escape, as much as they might desire it. Forcing herself to resume her packing, Hermione gave him an apologetic look, as she knew he was frustrated at her at the moment. But if she didn't stop it immediately, things would easily get out of hand.
"So you think we should just tell them?" Hermione asked.
"I dunno. I mean, you're right that it may come as a shock to them and Ron and Ginny will be hurt. But, on the other hand, since they fancy us, if we keep it secret, they might think they have a chance. It would be almost like leading them on…"
"I think the wiser thing is to just go with the flow, then. If the occasion arises, we tell them, otherwise, we keep it secret for a while" she suggested, and after a minute or two mulling over this idea, Harry nodded.
"Now that this is settled, I guess we should head down and have breakfast" she said, hearing Harry's stomach rumble softly.
He sheepishly grinned at her and followed her downstairs.
After having grabbed a bite, they shrunk their luggage and put them in their pockets. Then, they went to say goodbye to the Grangers.
Ellen pulled Harry in a tight hug, and then smiled at him.
"Harry, it's been a pleasure to meet you. Please come whenever you want, although, I'm sure we will see a fair share of you from now on" she ended winking at her daughter, who blushed.
Roger clapped Harry on the back as Ellen was saying her goodbyes to Hermione, then the two teens vanished with a soft "pop".
As they landed in front of the Burrow, Harry felt the palms of his hands cover in sweat, due to his nervousness. However, just a look at Hermione's smiling face reassured him that all would be fine.
Knocking on the door, they waited for someone to let them in.
"Harry! Hermione!" Arthur said, welcoming them. "It's so good to see you!"
Soon everyone was reunited in the living room, and Harry noticed that George was the quietest, something unusual for him. As predicted, Fred's death was really affecting him more than anyone else.
Ron and Ginny, instead, were still a bit sombre but much more similar to their normal selves than they had been when Harry and Hermione had left.
The two redheads kept firing them questions on Australia and such all morning. After lunch, Harry went for a walk in the nearby woods, as he found it all to be overwhelming. "And I haven't met the press yet" he thought, rolling his eyes.
"Quiet, isn't it?"
He turned and saw Ginny smiling at him.
"There she goes" he thought. Taking a long breath, he waited for the moment she would ask him to get together again. Probably, the occasion to tell them would come sooner than he and Hermione had expected.
Instead, Ginny just sat near him, looking longingly toward the village.
"I know what you're thinking" she said softly.
"No, you don't" he retorted.
"Not like her, no" she wistfully said. "I just wanted to wish you good luck for whatever you're going to do now" and with that, she was gone.
Harry wondered if they had been so easy to see through, even if they had tried to restrain themselves from physical touch and everything since arriving there. Walking back to the house, he set for a game of Wizarding Chess with Ron.
He was losing, as usual, when they heard a voice call.
"Ron, are you there?"
The redhead suddenly stood up, and walked toward where the voice was coming from. At the same time, Luna peeked into the room, and Harry could see her smile brighten as she saw his friend walking toward her.
"Luna" Ron said, more cheerful than Harry had expected him to be. After all, Ron had always stuck with calling her "Loony"…
But he could see things had changed in the months he and Hermione had been away, because before he knew it, the other two were locked in a tight hug.
Then, Ron turned and met Harry's puzzled look.
"She's been around a lot lately, and we talked, and it was just what I needed, you know" he started, and Harry listened to him rambling for while, with Luna comfortably snuggled into his embrace, her expression serene as usual, but with something different in her eyes.
Something Harry found reflected in Ron's, and he understood then that the two of them had found each other, just like him and Hermione.
"Congratulations, Ron" he grinned. "Just, don't give me too many shows of the two of you snogging, ok?" he teased his friend, while leaving them alone.
He felt a need to see Hermione and have some quality time with her, as they had barely spoken to each other since reaching the Burrow.
"Hey" he said softly, finding her outside, reading a book while leaning on a tree trunk.
"Hey" she replied, looking up, affection filling her warm, brown eyes. "Can you imagine what has just happened inside?" he said as he sat near her, pulling her close.
"Harry" she warned him, but he shrugged. "Ron and Luna are together" he said with a grin. Hermione couldn't help but smile back.
"Was about time" she said, relaxing and leaning on him a bit more.
"And, Ginny seems to have guessed about us" he told her about the previous encounter in the woods. "She seems to have taken it well"
"That's good" Hermione said. "Because I've wanted to do this all day, and was going mad because I couldn't" she whispered into his ear before claiming his lips, her book forgotten on the grass as they got involved in a battle of the tongues.
The last coherent thought Harry had before surrendering to the burning passion he felt for her was that whatever the future may have in store for him, he would be able to face it, as long as he had Hermione on his side.
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