Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything Harry Potter related.
[AN]: So I saw from Chapter 2 reviews that you guys are curious with how Ron and Ginny are doing and why did Harry join the Department of Mysteries. Well, you'll be getting those answers in this chapter. No doubt about that. Plus I'm getting more hits then reviews. Don't be shy!
Hope all of you have a happy New Year! =]
Chapter Three: So What Did I Miss?
Hermione got out her keys to lock her door up. Once she locked it up she started walking down the hallway, placing the keys in her pocket. Quickly she made her way down the hallway and looked over at Harry signaling him to keep up with her.
"This way," Hermione said in a whisper and opened up a door.
Harry raised his eyebrows but stepped inside, looking around interestedly.
Just like back at the Dursleys', Harry thought, giving a small smile.
Hermione stepped into the closet and shut the door, pulling the chain that was dangling from a lightbulb in the ceiling. As the light flickered on Harry noticed that Hermione's body was only inches from his own.
"You Apparate from a broom closet," Harry commented quietly as Hermione reached forward and grasped his hand tightly. Oddly both of them looked at each other and back down at their joined hands. Hermione closed her eyes and felt her stomach dropping.
Harry suddenly felt the dark, suffocating pressure of Apparition. Just as the pressure lessened, Harry felt a yank on his hand and he reflexively reached forward and grabbed Hermione as she fell backwards. Pulling her back up he saw a magazine rack behind her, lying on its side with magazines spread across the carpet.
"Thanks for catching me," she said and smiled up at him.
Hermione let go of his hand and leaned down to pick up the magazines. Harry in the meanwhile looked around the room they were standing in. He noticed books everywhere so he made a good guess that this was probably her house that they were at.
"Alright," Hermione said placing back the magazines and looked over at Harry.
"Here let me take your coat. I'll make us something to eat if that's alright with you?"
"Oh of course," he said slipping off his jacket quickly for her to take. "Want help making the food?"
Hermione shook her head at him. "No, you're the guest. You're suppose to relax."
Harry smirked at her as she left to hang up their coats. He gently placed aside his bag on the couch and started to adventure around the room he was in. Picture frames were hung up on the wall with her family and some of them were from school, too.
"If you want anything, Harry, just rummage through the kitchen," Hermione said poking her head in the living room.
"Just in the kitchen? Not upstairs?" he asked with teasing grin.
"If you're thinking of a room upstairs, you're hardly going to get in."
"And why is that, Granger?" he asked coming over to her, leaning against the door frame.
"Because you won't be seeing anything you like."
"Oh really? Who said I wouldn't like it?"
Hermione just swatted his arm and began going up the stairs. Harry just laughed to himself and watched her head up the stairs.
"Need company?" he asked with a smirk.
"I'm good at the moment, but I'm sensing that the famous Harry Potter is flirting with a certain know-it-all," Hermione said as she got up to the second floor. She looked over her shoulder with a smile and all he did was wink at her.
"No one will know," Harry said with a smile and Hermione just shook her head walking away.
Harry walked into the kitchen and immediately went over to the fridge.
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Hermione entered her room and placed down her things onto her queen sized bed. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around her room then at herself.
"Maybe I should change out of this skirt," she mumbled to herself and walked over to the door, locking herself in.
She quickly went over to her closet and rummaged through jeans, sweatshirts, t-shirts, you name it. Finally she picked out a nice pair of jeans that were a faded grey, a navy blue t-shirt that had small writing on the corner near her shoulder saying her book company, and from there she put her hair up into a ponytail. Usually when she got home she would wear things like this around the house since she never got to wear anything comfortable anymore. She looked at herself one more time and decided she was alright for the time being.
She opened up her door and made her way towards the stairs, going down each step. Once she landed on the bottom, she heard Harry in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge.
Harry was rummaging through the contents of the fridge when all of a sudden he felt a quick swat on his rear end. Jumping, Harry's head collided with the top of the fridge's interior and he backed out of the fridge rubbing his head. He glanced sideways and saw Hermione.
She just continued on walking over to the cupboard to get something and she bit her bottom lip from giggling after what she did.
She took out a small glass for herself when she felt a hand gently rest against her back and she stopped moving. Her heart started to beat fast but then she felt her bum being smacked as well. She looked over her shoulder to find Harry strolling over to the table with a bag of chips. She rolled her eyes and heard him laughing to himself.
"Very funny, Harry … Very funny," Hermione said as she came over to the fridge to get water.
"I have to admit myself flattered that you found my bum worthy of a smack," he said, chuckling as he watched her get her water.
She sent him over a look and stuck out her tongue. After that she couldn't help but smile. Hermione sat herself down at the table once she got her glass filled up with water.
A sudden pound of thunder outside drew Harry's attention to the window and he felt a faint smile curl his lips.
For reasons unknown, he had always enjoyed thunderstorms despite it all. There was something so entrancing about the brilliant ribbons of light that danced through the sky and vibrated the ground. Harry returned to the potato chips, smiling at their salty goodness.
"Why don't we make ourselves some sandwiches, Harry. You know you'd like to go along with those chips, don't you?" she asked and he nodded.
Hermione sipped some of her water quickly and got up once more. She fetched her wand and saying a small little charm, a swish of the wand, sandwiches were about to be prepared.
"Glad to see you haven't returned completely to the life of a Muggle since you've been out of school," he commented. "Me, I've been using so much magic at work I almost enjoy the tasks of doing simple things like that at home just for a break. Although I suppose you can't use a lot of magic at your work, can ya?"
"I hate it so much that I can't do anything or else I'll disrupt something. I swear, some people next door to my office have ears like you can't even imagine. I had dropped a pen one time and one of the ladies walked in saying if I dropped something. To me that is just too creepy," she said and looked over at the made sandwiches on the counter.
She snapped her fingers and the plates started to drift over towards them. One plate settled itself in front of Hermione and the other plate in front of Harry.
"Thank Merlin for magic," she said and literally jumped in her chair when a huge rumble of thunder was heard.
She sighed heavily and covered her eyes for a second. She looked over at Harry to find him worried and she just shook her head at him.
"You know how I'm afraid of storms," she said softly.
"Aw Hermione, they aren't that bad."
"Whatever you say, I still won't like them."
Both of them started eating their made sandwiches which was consisted of ham, turkey, and cheese. Just a simple thing that they could snack on at the moment.
"So I never got to ask you how you're doing," Harry said looking over at her.
"I've been good, I suppose. Nothing life changing or anything like that, well … unless you run a book company," she said and shrugged a little. "That's a long story though that I can tell you another time."
"I can't wait to hear that one," he said with a smirk.
Hermione playfully swatted his arm once more and he looked over at her.
"I was kidding!" he said with a smile.
"Anyways," she said with a smile of her own, "Everyone's been doing great. I haven't talked to Ron in about two years. He hasn't owled me back or anything. The only thing he has left me in the past two years are my birthday gifts and Christmas gifts. But he is doing a lot better now in life than before, Harry. You can't even imagine the changes he has gone through."
"Changes?" he asked curiously.
"I've been talking to Molly and she's so proud of him. He found a job up in Romania where Charlie was working before. He's working with dragons, but he's just helping out others who are a bit clueless on the topic."
"So he's a teacher almost?"
"If you want to put it that way," she said. "Charlie has been giving him pointers here and there. He's just so busy now these days. Molly said she hasn't seem in awhile either."
"I bet he's enjoying it up there. I'm glad for him," Harry said and plopped a chip into his mouth.
"By the way, how are the Weasleys?"
"They're alright. Ginny has been a major change though and it's worrying us a bit."
Harry stopped chewing and looked at her. "What?"
Hermione shrugged and put down her sandwich on her plate.
"What happened to her, Hermione?"
"She's been … drinking too much lately. She was actually going to get married about a year ago and her fiancé just cancelled it off."
"Really? For what reason?"
"I really don't know. Ginny doesn't want to say or go into the depth of the story and so far Molly's been looking after her because how much she drinks. Once she thinks about it she goes into some sort of major depression almost and just drinks till she's pissed."
"I … I never would've guessed she would do such a thing."
"Neither did I, Harry."
"Well, how is she in general?"
"Ginny's been doing good overall. She works at a flower shop down one of London's streets and they make good business there."
"That's good to know she's somewhere in life," he said. "So much has changed…"
"It was almost a decade since you were gone. Eight years is a lot."
"I know, I know. It's just that after the war, Kinglsey came up to me and we both had a talk on what my life would be after all of this. He didn't want to put me back out there in the world so he gave me a job to do at the Department of Mysteries. Said I would be good there for the time being. He topped me off with the best people."
"But why did he keep you there for 8 years?" she asked curiously.
Harry looked over at her, seeing already the concern in her eyes.
"He knew I wasn't ready to go back yet. I told him over and over I was ready after the first couple of years I was working there, but he said not until he thought I was fully recovered from what I went through."
Hermione shook her head at him and sighed heavily.
"That is rubbish, Harry."
"You're telling me…" he said looking back down at his half eaten sandwich. "But I'm glad I'm out of there."
"Me too," she said softly and reached out over the table, gently grabbing his hand.
Harry smiled over at their hands and looked up at Hermione.
"Do you think I'll be able to get myself to a normal life now?"
"No doubt about that," Hermione said with a smile.
They finished eating their sandwiches and cleaned up right after themselves. Harry wandered around her house and looked outside one of the windows. It was dark, rainy, and cloudy outside. The talk that Harry had with Hermione seemed to relax him. His life would be changing now and he knew she would be helping him along the way.
He felt a pair of arms circle around his waist and he looked over to see Hermione.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, looking up at him.
"How my life will turn out to be," he said softly.
He looked down at Hermione and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him, making her wrap one of her arms around him.
"Just promise me something," he said looking out the window.
"What is it?"
"Promise me that we'll stick together. I don't want to leave you like I did."
Hermione rested her head against his shoulder and answered softly, "I promise."
[AN]: Hopefully I answered your questions! Again I wish you all a good New Year!
Please review. It makes me happy that someone liked my story and that you enjoyed it very much.
Coming up in Chapter 4:
"Hermione, you need to relax here a bit. This is just too much pressure on you now," Harry said standing in front of her, holding her face in his hands.
"Who knew that something like this would happen. Now I have this to worry about alongside with Ron coming home finally and me almost losing you," she said through her tears.
Harry embraced her into his arms and kissed her forehead gently, letting his lips rest there.
"You won't lose me."
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