The Life He Never Knew
Ch. 5 Ring and Tears
AN- Many apologies for the delay in getting this chapter written. Real life sucks, that's about as deep as I'll go into it. I've had the story on my mind a lot, but I just didn't have any desire to get sit and write anything down. I'll try to make this chapter worth the wait, and will likely fail miserably. While waiting for my updates I suggest reading some of the other authors here on Portkey Witowsmp has a few really good stories in the works right now that I really enjoy and I advice you to read absolutely anything by the author. Barmy-Old_codger has been writing a series of stories starting with "That Night & the Next Morning" it's a really good read. And the fic "Muggle Summer" by canoncansodoff is another fic that I've really enjoyed reading.
And now on with the show.
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It was the most beautiful ring Hermione had ever laid her eyes on. A white gold and diamond master piece of the highest quality. With the large square-cut diamond at center and 3 round cut diamonds along the band on each side. She didn't dare look at the price tag as she knew one glance and she would be lying on the floor waiting for Harry to wake her.
"Will take that one." Harry said walking up behind her and wrapping her in a hug. "Its as perfect as you are."
"No you can't Harry, that ring is probably really expensive." Hermione replied. Her eyes had yet to leave the ring but she knew it would be asking too much of Harry to actually purchase it. "We can get something simpler its ok."
"Mione if you want a simpler ring then by all means pick one out. But I see in your eyes that you really like that one, so why should price matter."
Hermione sighed before trying to explain to Harry what she meant, "Harry the ring is absolutely gorgeous and yes I do really like it, but I don't want you thinking you have to go buying my love."
With a smile he spun the girl in his arms and brought his lips crashing into hers. The older woman who had been helping them simply turned and placed the ring Hermione had been looking at into a black velvet box and placed it on the counter.
"We have a payment plan if you need more time to afford it." She said to the kissing couple. Young love was a wonderful thing. "We can have it set up to be taken directly from your Gringott's Vault."
Pulling away from Hermione with a smile Harry turned to the lady and did something that he'd never thought he would do. Pushing his hair up off his forehead he smiled at the woman before saying, "A payment plan won't be necessary ma'am."
The woman was stunned for a moment. Then regain her composer she spoke again, "Sorry Mr. Potter, would you like to pay us here now or would you like to have the money transferred from your Gringott's vault to the Jewelry stores."
Harry laughed at the crimson faced clerk. "A transfer would be fine thank you." Hermione stood with mouth agape, not only had Harry bought her a ring that likely cost 10,000 Galleons he had used his fame to embarrass the poor female clerk. She eyed Harry oddly as he took his receipt and the ring box from the woman. "Ready to go?"
It took her a second to realize the question was directed at her, but once Hermione realized Harry was taking her arm and leading her from the store and out into Diagon Alley she broke out of her stupor. "Harry, you didn't just buy me that ring, I was dreaming all that right?" Harry just laughed. "Harry, that ring must have cost you nearly 10,000 Galleons what were you thinking, and what was with showing off your scar?"
Harry laughed before answering her, "Well I just decided to have a little fun with her, you would think with how often my picture had been on the Prophet's front page in the last week she would have recognized me. As for the spending, well, your worth it. Besides I checked with the goblin in charge of my Gringott's account the other day and what I just spent didn't put a scratch in vault." Hermione looked aghast, when did Harry ever act this snobbish, it was almost Malfoy like, with the exception that he wasn't acting like he was better then anyone. Harry noticed her expression immediately and it only took a second to figure out with she looked so distraught. "I'm the same Harry I always was Hermione, I just felt it was ok to splurge on you every so often. I only got in touch with the goblins to see how much I had so I could decide what to do with my inheritance. Between the Black family vault that Sirius left me and the Potter vault I have over a billion galleons to my name. I planned on setting up charities to help families cope with the loses due to Voldemort."
"I'm sorry Harry, its just the way you were talking at first it almost sounding like Malfoy. I think the charities are a wonderful idea maybe we can get in touch with someone from the order and work it all out." Hermione said with a smile, and Harry nodded in agreement. Her moment of panic was gone, this was just her Harry, the man she fell in love with. His fortune wasn't changing him. "Still that ring wasn't necessary, I already love you, there's no need for you to go out and by things for me."
"I know there isn't a need to buy things to show my love, but this is something special. I'll only ever buy you one engagement ring, so I wanted a ring I knew you'd love. When I saw your face, the smile, how your eyes lit up looking at the ring, it reminded me of your face this morning when I said we should pick it out. I knew that was the ring for you. So what if it cost me 12,000 galleons, knowing that you love me and you'll marry me, I'd have paid a million. And that's what this ring means to me, it's a symbol that you love me, and want to marry me. Hopefully it's a symbol that you'll want to be with me forever."
"I wouldn't take that ring from you if I didn't think I'd be with you forever. I love you Harry James Potter." Hermione said hugging him tightly, she leaned her head up and planted a soft kiss on his chin. Taking her hint Harry tilted his head downwards and captured her lips with his own. For the moment they were in there own world, until a ball of red collided with them and began dragging them towards a far corner of Diagon Alley.
"Bloody mad, you realize that, do you want to give the Prophet more headline fodder?" The red ball said as it drug them into a back door of a shop. Once through the door they realized it wasn't a red ball that collided with them but a brightly dressed George Weasley. "Good to see the two of you by the way, and also its about bloody time."
Hermione was blushing madly, her face was so red you would almost think she was George's sister. " Thank you for saving us from what could have been an embarrassing moment, but what exactly do you mean by about time?"
"You two finally realized your feelings for each other." George replied.
"Umm ok, I'm kinda confused here."
"What's got you confused there Harry. We all knew it. Well I guess I'll have to owl Hagrid, I owe him a few galleons." George said.
"What do you owe him a few galleons for?" Hermione asked, now slightly confused herself.
"This was his month in the Harry-Hermione dating pool. If you would have held off a few more weeks McGonagall would have won it."
Hermione was shocked into silence but Harry spoke what was on her mind, "There was a dating pool? You mean to tell me people were betting on when me and Hermione would get together?" George smiled and nodded his head in the affirmative. "Who was in this pool?"
"Well its been going for a while now, Remus and Tonks were in it, so was Fred. My dad was in it, McGonagall, Flitwick, Hagrid, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, and myself of course."
"What that's half the order?" Harry was stunned, most of the order thought he and Hermione were going to end up together.
George laughed, "Pretty much."
"People were betting on Harry and I having a relationship." Hermione finally said.
"Yes Hermione, thank you for joining the conversation. Don't act so shocked, just because the two of you were blind didn't mean the rest of us were." George told her, the smile still firmly planted on his face. "Now if you don't mind I've got to get back to business, I'd hold off the public shagging until you guys want the rest of the wizarding world to know you're a couple."
"We were not shagging!" The couple shouted in unison.
"What ever you say, I've got to get out on the sales floor, Gin was expecting me back a while ago." No sooner had George finished the statement when the youngest Weasley entered the backroom.
"Thank Merlin your back, I need a break." Ginny said before noticing who was in the backroom with George. "HARRY!" She ran and engulfed him in a hug. Harry looked to Hermione to see her biting her lip hard enough that she might draw blood, he couldn't tell if she wanted to laugh at his terrified expression or if she was angry with the young girls affection. When Hermione's eyes locked onto his he mouthed the words "help me".
"Ginny its so good to see you." Hermione said, she was being sincere, Ginny was a very good friend and they hadn't spent much time together over the last year.
"Oh Hermione you're here too, sorry I didn't notice." Ginny replied, she released Harry to give Hermione a hug, although this hug wasn't quite as enthusiastic as the one she gave Harry. "Ron's up front if you want to see him, we decided to come work for George since he'd need the help without Fred around." That last statement left a sad look in her eye and a tear slowly began to form.
"That's ok, Ron hasn't exactly been on the best terms with Harry and I since last week." Hermione told her.
"That explains it, the family was wondering why we hadn't seen the two of you around the Burrow yet."
"Yeah, we had a bit of a row when Ron found out that I didn't have feelings for him, at least not the feelings he was hoping I had." Hermione told her.
"Oh, and I guess Harry defended you and that got Ron upset with him?"
"Well yes and no. Ginny, Hermione turned down Ron's advances because she loves someone else, someone that loves her very much." Harry said, a sad smile was in his eyes, the smile was for Hermione, admitting his love for her instantly put a smile on his face. But his eyes showed sadness because he was about to break Ginny's heart, he felt terrible about it. He loved Ginny, she was a great friend, but it wasn't the same as his love for Hermione.
"Well don't keep me waiting Hermione, whose the lucky bloke?" Ginny asked, she was eager to know who had stolen her best female friends heart.
"Ginny, I don't want to break your heart, but I'm the one Hermione loves." Harry replied. The young girl stood silent, the lone tear that had trailed down her face at the mention of Fred a moment before soon was followed by others.
"You love Hermione? But Harry what about me? I thought you loved me?" the broken hearted girls sobs got to Harry and tears of his own soon started trailing down his cheeks.
"I do love you Ginny, your one of my best friends, we had a good time together, we really did. But its not the same, Hermione loves me, and I love her, and it feels right. I'm not saying it ever felt wrong with you, but well with Hermione it just feels like I finally found where I fit." Harry said, he pulled the younger girl into a hug, not a loving hug but a friendly embrace. Hermione stepped forward and put her arms around the pair.
"Ginny your one of our best friends, you're my best female friends, and I'm so sorry that Harry and I being together is breaking your heart. Please realize we didn't mean to hurt you." Hermione whispered.
"Even if you didn't mean to, you still did. But I'm glad that you at least told me yourselves rather then letting someone else do it." Ginny said in between sobs.
"We know, we're sorry Gin." Harry said hugger her a little tighter. He gently kissed her forehead before letting go of her. "You're a great girl Gin, any guy would be lucky to have you."
"Not you though." She wailed loudly.
"That's not true, I was very lucky." He told her, placing his hand on her shoulder and adding. "Hopefully I still am, because I don't want to lose a friend."
Ginny sniffed some, her tears slowing, "I need time. I don't want to lose you guys either, but I'm gonna need time."
"Take all the time you need Ginny, we're at Grimmauld if you want to come see us when your ready." Hermione said giving her one last hug. "We better get going, tell Fred it was nice seeing him and will try to stop in again sometime soon."
"Ok. Bye." Ginny replied. "Wait, before you guys leave. Ron's a hot head, I guess that makes me a crier, but anyway, give him time to cool of. There's no need to go throwing 7 years of friendship away over this."
"We were thinking the same thing, take care Gin." Harry said with a wave, before heading out the door.
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Later that night in George's room above Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes
"Harry and Hermione. Well I knew it was coming, just a shame they couldn't wait till September. That was my month, and I'd be alive again to claim my winnings."
"Can't have everything your way Fred, sorry." George said with a laugh.
"Yes, well I'm quite happy to see Harry happy like the both of you, but we have an elixir to finish. Mr. Weasley if you could add that horntail scale, and give five stirs counter clock wise and then 3 clockwise we should be finished. After that just allow it to brew for a month on medium heat." Spoke a third voice.
"Certainly head master, so glad you agreed to help us with this project." George replied while adding the final ingredient.
"Well while I still I somewhat disagree with your plan I feel that its meaning is very well meant. Just remember, after this is all done the stone and the research is to be destroyed. I didn't go falling from a tower just to have some dark arts supporter find your research and bring back Voldemort." The voice said once more.
Fred Weasley looked at his ghostly counterpart noting the twinkling blue eyes, "Quite right you are headmaster."