Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
The Time Meddlers
Chapter Twelve - Finishing up the Holidays
The rest of Christmas Day passed happily, with Winky popping up later with gifts - a dozen huge platters stacked with Christmas cookies for Harry and 6 large cakes for Hermione. All the cakes were decorated with pictures of Christmas scenes inside different houses. A small Santa would set gifts under the tree in one house, step into the fireplace while throwing powder into it, the flames would turn green and he'd appear in the fireplace of another and start spreading out more gifts. Each of the houses looked different and had a different toddler sleeping on the couch that would occasionally be woken up.
It was the next day that Hermione had one of the most awkward conversations of her life.
--HP--
"Hermione," said Marissa Granger.
"Yes, mum."
"Since your father is out picking up dinner with Harry, I thought it might be a good time for us to have a little chat."
"Oh," asked Hermione, "what about?"
Marissa sighed. "You seem to have changed quite a bit since you went to Hogwarts."
The twelve/nineteen-year-old girl got nervous. "Really?" she said, trying to look nonchalant. "In what ways?"
"For one thing," the woman said, looking into her daughter's eyes, "You seem happier."
"I am," she replied. "I really like it there a lot more than any other school I've been to." She sighed and honestly admitted, "I've finally got friends."
"I'm happy for you." The older woman seemed to hesitate for a few seconds. "Which brings me to Harry. You've called him your best friend."
"Oh, absolutely. You saw that we became friends before we even got on the platform, and he's helped me make other friends. Without him, I don't think I'd have any other friends, so I wouldn't enjoy my time at Hogwarts at all."
"Is he just your best friend?"
Hermione coughed at this question as her cheeks involuntarily colored. `Oh, no,' she thought. `I'm about to get the talk.' In the previous timeline, she'd avoided this until just before her third year. She decided to misunderstand. "No, he's good friends with other people as well. I think Neville Longbottom would also consider Harry to be his best friend, too."
With a slight grin on her face, Marissa gently countered, "That's not what I mean, and you know it." Hermione swallowed. "If I must spell it out, I'm asking if you fancy him."
The young woman in a girl's body couldn't stand how this younger body was responding to this inquisition. Whereas before traveling through time, her eighteen-year-old body had stopped blushing at these kinds of questions, this twelve-year-old one couldn't help it. She didn't say anything as she desperately tried to keep her expression under control.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," assured her mother. "He's a nice boy and has been good to you. He's also cute, don't you think?"
Hermione absolutely hated the stupid grin that forced its way onto her face with that question. Deciding she had to say something, Hermione decided on being a bit honest. "Er, yeah, a bit, I suppose." It was partially honest. The truth would've been a much stronger statement.
Marissa giggled just a bit. "And those eyes…"
"Um-hm," Hermione replied, not trusting herself to say anything, such as describing how looking into those emerald eyes makes her want to do things that no twelve-year-old should think about, at least in her opinion.
Taking a deep breath, her mum continued. "I was going to wait a few years for this, but since you're already close friends with such a fine young man, I think we should have this discussion now. You see, you're just on the threshold of your feelings about boys, er, expanding to the point where you'll want to…do things with them."
Hermione suppressed a laugh as she saw how her mother was now getting embarrassed. "Like what?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"Er, well, kissing for one."
"Kissing a boy?" Hermione repeated, pretending to be revolted. "You think I want to kiss Harry?" The girl/woman decided to have fun with this conversation, acting like an innocent little girl. Yet, she hadn't actually said she didn't want to kiss Harry.
"Maybe not now," her mother assured her, seeming a bit happier, "but soon."
"I don't know," replied Hermione.
Pressing on, the woman added, "I wanted to talk to you about that small apartment Harry carries around on his wrist."
"His trunk?"
"Yes. You see, your father and I realized that it's a perfect, private place to…kiss, and we wanted to make sure that you remember that with the vanishing cabinet we can walk in on you anytime."
"That's NOT why Harry got that trunk!" said Hermione defensively.
"We know that, dear, but in a few years, Harry might start thinking about that aspect of it and want to…er."
"Take advantage of me?" asked Hermione, who was now getting upset. "Harry would never try to hurt me!"
"He might not see it that way. He…"
"He will not try to justify forcing someone to…"
"I'm sorry, honey. You're probably right. Harry seems like a very nice young man. But there may be others who will try to do that. Hopefully, they don't all have their own private apartment."
"As far as I know, Harry's the only one who needs one." Hermione was subtly trying to get him some sympathy.
The woman sighed. "Just remember that you want your first kiss to be special - not something you give up because some boy makes you feel obligated to or because he can't keep his hands off you."
`First kiss,' Hermione thought. `If only you knew…' "I'll remember."
"And while we're on the subject, although you're far too young to consider it, I thought we could talk a bit about…"
--HP--
Although Adam Granger had considered talking to Harry about girls, figuring the Dursleys never would, he was afraid he'd only give the boy ideas. He did manage to mention that the vanishing cabinet in the house meant that he and his wife could step into that apartment any time. He figured that would at least discourage Harry from using the special trunk to his advantage. He drove slowly as they picked up dinner so that his wife and daughter would have all the time they needed to talk, which luckily, they did.
Dinner was a very quiet affair, with Hermione acting embarrassed, and afterward Harry asked if he could talk to her. They walked to her newly-redecorated room and closed the door.
"I hope mum doesn't think I'm studying what we talked about," she said once the door closed.
"What did you talk about?" he asked, now curious.
"Boys, and you in general. A conversation we didn't originally have for a few more years."
"Oh," he said with a smirk. "Did you learn anything new that we could try out?"
"Shut up," she said, grinning as she lightly smacked his arm. "It was interesting pretending that I've never even kissed before." Harry silently grinned. "That I don't even want to…that I find it gross."
He chuckled.
"It's not funny. I have to be her perfect, innocent twelve-year-old little girl when I'm…"
"I'm sorry," Harry replied sincerely. "I know you don't like lying to your parents."
"I should be happy they're here, but I'm worried about…" She trailed off as he wrapped her in a hug. She cried on his shoulder for a few minutes before stopping. "You'd better go before my parents do get worried."
"Alright," he replied before giving her a quick kiss. "I can't wait until we're old enough to date openly," he said softly before opening the door and leaving.
"Me, neither," Hermione whispered.
--HP--
It was a few days later that the young couple realized something was very, very wrong. They were alone in the house while her parents were working.
"Harry," Hermione said. "How long has it been since the last time you wrote to Kingsley?"
Harry sighed. "About a week, without any response. I'm worried."
"You would think that Sirius would be free now with the Crouch family out of the way."
"I know!" he replied, clearly frustrated. "I wonder if there's someone else high up in the Ministry that doesn't want to free Sirius."
"It's a possibility," she replied, "but who?"
"I don't know. I think someone was pressuring Kingsley and he didn't like it, but in his last letter he did tell us not to involve him in anything illegal."
"Maybe he was trying to say that the only way we'll be able to free Sirius is illegal."
"Break him out of Azkaban?" Harry questioned before shrugging his shoulders. "Do you know where it is?" She nodded. He stood up from his chair. "Then let's go."
"Harry! We can't just go there and break someone out…"
"But…"
"We've got to plan it out so we don't end up in the cell next to him."
"Oh," conceded Harry. "I suppose."
"Suppose?"
"Fine. Hermione, you're right. You've always been right, and you always will be right."
"That's better," she said with a smirk.
--HP--
The rest of the holidays went by quickly, with Harry getting his cavities filled, and both Harry and Hermione getting braces - all thoroughly unpleasant experiences, along with New Year's Eve, where Harry kissed Hermione's cheek at the stroke of midnight while her parents were properly kissing. Shortly thereafter, the kids were told to go to their bedrooms. Both kids' braces were disillusioned inside Harry's trunk so that no one could tell they had braces without actually touching their teeth. They promised the Grangers they'd make them visible for every adjustment. Plans were made for liberating Harry's cloak from Dumbledore's office (assuming it was there) and the beginnings of the Azkaban break-out plan were made, although much work would be required before they would attempt it. Before they knew it, the couple was back at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters.
--HP--
"Now, be careful, both of you, and don't do anything that could get you into trouble," said Marissa Granger to both Harry and Hermione. She turned to Harry while her husband hugged Hermione. "I'm glad to have gotten to know you better. I hope you can visit us this summer." She engulfed him in a tight hug. "If you ever want to talk to an adult who's not your teacher, I want you to write me, Harry." She then whispered, "Or even visit."
"Thanks, Marissa," Harry replied, his face showing that he was touched by what she'd said. Molly Weasley had never actually made that offer in the original timeline, although Harry figured that he could've talked to her about things if he'd asked.
Turning to her daughter and hugging her, she said, "I love you, Hermione."
Adam shook Harry's hand, and together, they carried the trunks onto the train. Harry had explained that he wanted to have a visible trunk so that he didn't call more attention to himself. "Keep an eye on my daughter," Adam said before leaving the train. "Make sure she doesn't study so much she doesn't enjoy life."
"I will, sir."
A few minutes later, Hermione and he had settled down in their compartment and were joined by Neville. "Hi, guys. How was your Christmas?"
"Great," said Harry honestly. "It was the best one I ever had." With a grin he added, "Except that her dad attacked me with a drill."
Hermione's expression turned to outrage as her hands went on her hips.
"What's a drill?" asked Neville.
"A muggle device used to put holes in things like wood," answered Harry. "He used it in my mouth."
"What?" asked Neville, looking scared.
"Harry James Potter!" said Hermione in a no-nonsense tone of voice. "You will properly explain what my father did. I will not have Neville believing him to be some kind of maniac!"
"Fine," Harry sighed. "He was fixing some of my teeth. I don't recall if Hermione told you both her parents are dentists, the muggle equivalent of teeth-healers I suppose."
"Oh," said Neville, looking a bit relieved.
"How was your Christmas, Neville?"
"Good. Gran gave me…"
Finding out what Neville's grandmother gave him would have to wait until later, because at that moment, they were interrupted by the three clowns of Slytherin.
"Well, well, if it isn't Scarhead, the Mudblood and the Squib." Crabbe and Goyle laughed.
"Shove off, Malfoy!" said Harry, getting his wand out, "Unless you want to be humiliated again." He glanced at Hermione and slightly moved his eyes toward the three Slytherins. She winked at him.
"Big talk, Scarhead."
Pointing his wand in Draco's general direction, Harry said, "I don't care which Unforgivables your daddy taught you over break, I can still humiliate you just as badly as I did when…"
At that moment, Draco fell on his knees and proceeded to violently vomit on the floor. While he was shaking and sweating, Harry performed a banishing charm to force him to, "Get your filth out of here, you slimy pukeblood!" He pointed his wand at Crabbe while Hermione aimed at Goyle. "You two, get out of here before we make you lick Malfoy's mess up!" The two ran out of there, stepping in the filth on their way out. Harry quickly vanished it, cleansed the air and closed the door. He turned his attention to Hermione. "Nice hex."
"Thanks," she said, "It should last about an hour."
"I'm surprised you didn't do the same thing as last ride," he commented.
"I forgot."
"By the way, Nev," said Harry, changing the subject. "We got you a little something for Christmas." He pulled a wrapped package out of his pocket while Hermione did the same.
Neville's ears turned pink as he said, "You didn't have to…"
"We wanted to," interrupted Hermione as she handed him hers. When Neville opened her gift, it turned out to be a small guide to magical plants, while Harry gave him some chocolate frogs.
"Thanks, guys. I, er, got something for you, too. I forgot to give it to you before we left for Christmas." He opened his trunk and rummaged through it, eventually pulling out two identical sphere-shaped packages that turned out to be Remembralls. The rest of the train ride went without incident, and before long, they were back at Hogwarts.
--HP--
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