Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.
A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!
Thanks to my beta Gingercat!
Depressed? No, Aroused!
Chapter Two: The Grangers
While Harry was "enjoying" the trip back to Privet Drive with the Dursleys, Hermione was in her parents' car, and was about to ask them if it was ok for Harry to spend the rest of the summer with them.
She had been hopeful till then, but right now that she had to talk about it, she felt a bit scared they would refuse. That would mean she would have to break her promise to Harry to expect a surprise after a week.
Taking a deep breath, she finally cleared her throat and spoke.
"Mum, Dad" she started. "You know about my friend Harry, right?"
"Of course, darling. He is one of your best friends" Cathleen Granger replied, while her husband Tom nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Well, yes, he is. We're really close, and these last days he's been quite depressed because his godfather died in an…accident, and Harry feels responsible for that"
"Oh, poor boy!" Cathleen gasped.
"Now, you also know that his relatives aren't too kind to him, and I'm worried he's going to become even more depressed. I talked with the Headmaster and he suggested Harry spends part of the summer there anyway, because of complex magic being in place that can reinforce his protection from harm. But he said a week would be enough" Hermione rambled, becoming more and more nervous as she neared the moment of asking them to host Harry for the remain of the summer.
"I was thinking maybe he could spend the rest of the holidays with us?" she tentatively asked.
Tom and Cathleen exchanged a look for a few moments, and Hermione was strongly reminded of the times she and Harry had managed to communicate that way too. The thought made her tingly as she realized her own parents, a married couple, were doing that.
She didn't dare to get her hopes up too high though.
"Sweetheart, we will be happy to have him" her father said. "You said he can leave his relatives in a week?"
"Yes" Hermione confirmed, a radiant smile spread on her lips as she realized Harry was going to spend the holidays with her.
The rest of the trip passed smoothly with casual chatter now that the matter had been settled.
--
As Hermione had predicted, once at Privet Drive Harry resumed his fall into depression, due to his mourning for Sirius and still thinking it was at least partly his fault.
He didn't count the days, so it was with a great surprise that one day, around eleven in the morning, he heard the bell ring. Uncle Vernon had left a few hours prior and it couldn't be him back already. Petunia was in the house, and Dudley was out with his gang, as usual. He rarely returned before dinner time, so it couldn't be him either.
Running down the stairs to go open the door, he was rendered speechless by the sight in front of him.
He couldn't help look the girl smiling up at him from head to toe, her curly brown hair, her much more relaxed stance now that she didn't have to wear robes or bring a heavy bag of books on her shoulder.
He couldn't believe how different Hermione looked in the summer, but he knew he liked it. She wasn't fully tanned yet, of course, but still her causal attire of a white T-shirt that left her belly bare and a pair of khaki shorts did wonders to show how pretty she had become in the last few years. Not to mention that her clothes underlined very well that she had developed some very interesting curves in all the right places. Harry found it difficult not to linger too much on her cotton covered breasts. Finally, he grinned at her.
"Hermione! What are you doing here?" he asked. He didn't even notice the man behind her.
"Honestly, Harry! Didn't I tell you to expect a surprise in a week time?" she mock scolded him, putting her hands on her hips.
Harry was about to laugh, but the moment was ruined by Petunia's appearance behind him.
"What's all this ruckus, boy?" she shrilly said.
"Boy?" a fourth voice said, and Harry for the first time noticed Hermione's father, who was currently glaring at his aunt. "Is that how you call your own nephew?" he said, bewildered.
"Who are you to come here and tell me how I should rule my own house?" Petunia said, affronted that someone challenged her treatment of Harry. She had been kind enough to listen to that old fool of Dumbledore and not give him chores to do. Not too much at least.
Hermione, sensing the possible explosive situation, took Harry's hand and led him up the stairs to his room, to help him pack. From his reaction, she realized he wasn't prepared to leave yet.
As she dragged him up the stairs, Harry marvelled in the sensation of Hermione's hand in his own. He found her skin to be soft, and he loved the feeling of having her delicate fingers wrapped around his rougher ones.
He was still a bit in a daze about it when they reached his bedroom. Hermione, instead, was appalled at the sight of the cat-door. The result was that they stood there, hand in hand, in front of his bedroom door, for a couple minutes, neither of them talking or moving.
Finally, the brunette regained her bearings, pushing her rage at the Dursleys away.
"Come on, Harry. We need to pack your things, you're going to spend the summer with us from now on!" she enthusiastically said. Maybe a bit too cheerfully for it to be genuine, as she was still fuming over the treatment he had to endure over the years, but was trying not to show it for his sake. She knew he hated to talk about it.
Luckily, Harry hadn't unpacked much since his arrival there, so only ten minutes later they were ready to go.
Tom Granger was more than eager to leave himself, the taste of how things were in the Dursley household enough to disgust him.
He slammed shut the door of his black BMW X5, started the engine and started driving away. Harry looked worriedly at Hermione, who shrugged. Truth be told, she would have liked to express her own anger, but she kept it hidden for his sake.
A couple minutes later, Tom finally had calmed down enough to speak.
"Sorry about that, Harry. I was just pissed at how you have been treated all these years, and I know I saw only a small part of how bad it was. I'm really glad Hermione asked us to invite you over for the summer, and I hope you will enjoy yourself" he said, looking at the teens from the mirror, and smiling at the raven haired boy.
"Thank you for having me, sir" Harry politely replied.
"Aw, Harry, don't make me feel old" Tom joked, and Hermione giggled. Harry snapped his head toward her, because it was such a rare occurrence, it startled him. Actually, he believed he never heard her giggle, and it was such a beautiful sound he found himself smiling at her, with a sparkle in his eyes.
She smiled back at him once she calmed down.
"I'm glad to see you two are having fun back there" Tom teased them, a conversation with his wife coming back to his mind. He could see why Cathleen thought Hermione might have a thing for Harry, and from what he saw, he'd wager the boy wasn't completely indifferent about his daughter either.
Both blushed and Tom laughed. "Anyway, Harry, just call me Tom, ok?"
"Ok, si…I mean, Tom"
"That's better" the older man said with a nod.
The three of them soon involved in meaningless chatting to pass the time, and Harry felt this was the best car trip he had ever taken part in. If that was the beginning, he let himself think this summer was going to be brilliant, and honestly he knew it was just what he needed.
Not that he wanted to forget Sirius, of course. But deep down he knew his godfather, and his parents, wouldn't have wanted him to live his life moping for them. They died for a good cause, and in a honourable way. He shouldn't waste his life crying or being moody, he should value what they had died for, to protect him, and live his life to the fullest.
--
A couple hours later, Tom stopped the car in front of a very well kept house just on the outskirts of London. It had a big garden, from what Harry could see, and if he wasn't mistaken, in the backyard there should be a pool too.
"Here we are, kids. Hermione, why don't you help Harry with his things while I tell your mother we're here?"
"Of course Dad" she said, and opened the door so that she and Harry could leave the car. Harry insisted to take his own trunk. Hermione huffed something like "Boys!" and settled for carrying Hedwig's cage, with the slightly disgruntled animal inside.
"Sorry for the car ride, Hedwig. I know you would have preferred flying, but we shouldn't attract too much attention to us these days" she whispered to the snowy owl, which hooted softly, as to say she understood.
Leading the way, Hermione showed Harry to his room, which was just next to hers.
Plopping down on the bed, she beamed at him. "It's so good to have you here, Harry! We are going to have so much fun!" she squealed, and Harry couldn't help smiling back.
"I'm sure we will" he quipped, "as long as you don't force me into doing all our essays in two days!"
That last comment earned him a pillow in his face. "Oh, is that so, Miss Granger?" he said, taking the pillow in his hand, a mischievous look in his emerald eyes.
"Uh oh" Hermione thought, before she was attacked. Harry had grabbed her with Seeker reflexes before she could even think about fleeing, and now he was tickling her sides.
"Harry…please…stop it…" she gasped, but he had no intention of letting her go.
"Harry, Hermione, lunch is ready!" Cathleen called from downstairs, so he had to stop. The moment he did, both the teens realized the awkward situation they were in.
Hermione was on her back on Harry's bed, him hovering over her, their faces just inches apart. Both were flushed, and locked eyes with the other, until Harry finally looked away and cleared his throat. Moving back to his feet, he offered her a hand to help her up, which she gladly took.
"We better go" she said, moving out of his room, and he quickly followed, still a bit shaken by the feelings that had passed between them.
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