A/N: Ahem. So, after a very long break, I return to the happy confines of this old house. I hope to bring you back into the swing of things. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Wet."
"Rain."
Yasmine pulled the covers tightly over the bed and looked at it in satisfaction.
"Green."
"Cucumbers."
Katy tossed the pillows into their place as Yasmine said, "Funny."
"Ron."
They both laughed.
"Go on," Katy said, "another word."
"Blue."
"Ice."
Yasmine arranged the books on her bedside table (in the order she wanted to read them as soon as she and Katy finished their chores.)
She paused.
"Orange."
"Crookshanks."
"Me too!" Yasmine said with a smile, "I miss him still, don't you?"
"Yes," Katy said, "But it's a happy sort of sadness now."
"Yes," Yasmine agreed, "a bit strange, isn't it?"
"Maybe. Are we going to keep playing?"
"Yes," Yasmine said, "ask me one, go on."
Katy thought.
"Warm," she said.
"Hermione," Yasmine said immediately, and Katy nodded in agreement, tugging her braid.
"Me too. Ask me one."
"Erm… loud."
"Mrs. Granger," Katy and Yasmine stifled laughter.
"All right, I'll ask you one now." Yasmine said, "Strong."
"Harry." Katy said, and Yasmine nodded.
"He's a lot of words for me," she said thoughtfully, "Hermione, too. The more you know someone, the more they come up in this game."
Katy shrugged her shoulders. "It makes sense, though, doesn't it?"
They surveyed the bed for a moment, satisfied with its neat situation. After a moment, Katy spoke up again.
"Safe."
"Family." Yasmine said, and Katy fell silent.
After a pause, Katy said tentatively, "Family?"
Yasmine reached out and squeezed Katy's hands.
"Us."
Smiles broke out on both girls' faces. Suddenly, the silence seemed brighter, more delicate, and neither of them spoke. Instead, they hurried downstairs in silence to finish their chores.
~*~
"I got a letter from Ben today," Adrian said, in a slightly too casual tone. Hermione glanced up briefly, fixing her face into a mildly interested expression. It was dangerous to act too interested when Adrian spoke that way, or before you knew it, you had agreed to something without even knowing what it was.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah," Adrian said, passing her the dishes, "and he said that everyone is getting ready for Halloween there."
Suddenly, Adrian's purpose seemed crystal clear. Hermione held up a plate, pretending to check it for spots.
"That's exciting," was all she said, "careful with those cups, Adrian!"
"I'm careful," Adrian said brightly, "you see? I haven't dropped a single one."
"Let's hope it stays that way," Hermione said, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. Perhaps she had diverted him.
"It will," Adrian promised with a dangerously bright smile, "if I don't drop any dishes from now until dinner, will you…?"
"No, Adrian," Hermione said exasperatedly, and his face fell in a comically pitiful expression.
"Please, please plee-eeze!" he begged, clasping his hands dramatically under his chin (Hermione supposed living with Yasmine almost half a year did have its effects), "I won't tell anyone!"
He widened his eyes and Hermione clapped a wet hand to her mouth, stifling laughter.
"Drop that ridiculous expression from your face, Adrian," she said, trying to look stern but only managing an affectionate smile, "The answer is and will remain a firm `no'."
Adrian stuck out his lip and Hermione snorted with laughter, tapping his nose with a damp finger; he wrinkled his nose and dried it with his sleeve.
"Always?"
"You'll just have to wait and see," Hermione said very briskly, "in the meantime, you can help me finish these dishes."
Adrian groaned exaggeratedly but cheerfully helped finish the remainder of the dirty dishes.
"Halloween is six whole days away," Adrian said with the expression of someone suffering severe torture, "Six whole days!"
"Oh, I know," Hermione said dryly, "I'm sure you'll just die from the suspense."
"We'll find his wasted body draped across the bed," Yasmine said in a deep, very loud voice, entering the kitchen with a laughing Katy in tow, "and you'll regret never telling him what we're doing for Halloween."
She paused.
"What are we doing for-"
"Oh, honestly, you three," Hermione said as Yasmine, Katy, and Adrian looked at her hopefully, "it's not even a week away. Can't you wait?"
"It's not that we can't," Katy said at last, speaking for all of them, "But it's very hard to wait, and besides, Harry said-"
"I didn't say anything!" Harry's voice called suddenly from outside as the kitchen door swung open. He entered the kitchen looking ruddy and windswept, Jackie clinging to his back. "Honest to Merlin, I didn't."
"He said the wait would be worth it," Katy finished as Harry leaned over the kitchen table and placed a quick kiss on Hermione's cheek. "Which made everything worse."
"That was the intention," Harry quipped, making the three children groan. "Where's Dusty and Jack?"
"They went to the park with Ron."
"Oh, that's right," Harry said, "did you hear from Molly by any chance, Hermione?"
"No, why?" Hermione said, acutely aware that Katy, Adrian, and Yasmine were listening intently. Harry grinned impishly.
"Oh, just something about Halloween…"
"Tell us!" the three children shouted in unison, crowding around them anxiously.
"Oh, I'll go mad," Yasmine said rather agitatedly, "I really can't wait anymore!"
"Please?" Katy begged, and Adrian began to chant, "Tell us, tell us, tell us!"
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look.
"They're going to tell us!" Yasmine danced around them happily, "Look, she's telling him it's all right!"
Harry grinned and let a dramatic pause ensue.
"Oooh, stop it!" Katy said, breaking the silence and tugging his hand, "Go on, go on!"
Harry paused.
"How do you four," he said, slowly and deliberately, "feel about meeting Ben in Hogsmeade this weekend?"
Delighted smiles and shouts filled the room, as Harry attempted to explain.
"We'll meet the Weasleys and Ben at the Three Broomsticks and do some sightseeing-"
"We'll be learning about the Shrieking Shack and Hogsmeade history in lessons this week-" Hermione interjected.
"And then Floo to the Burrow for dinner." Harry finished, but he may as well have been speaking to the wall, for now the eldest three were trying to explain to Jackie, not at all pleased at having been left out on the excitement. Harry looked over at Hermione, who smiled and shrugged.
"We tried," was all she said, laughing, "we tried."
~*~
Yasmine crept to the top of the stairs and curled up tightly against the banister. Harry and Hermione had emerged from the kitchen. She could just make out Hermione's arm wound tightly around Harry's waist, and she couldn't help but smile.
Everything seemed right.
She curled her fist around one of the banister's posts, peering through the shadowy foyer and watching Harry kiss Hermione good night. She hugged herself, suddenly feeling herself shiver. It was a bit drafty now, though Harry had said he was going to see what he could do about it.
Suddenly she realized Hermione had spoken.
"Come on down, Yaz."
She jumped. Hermione smiled and held out an arm.
Her heart skipped a beat and she caught her breath, suddenly feeling rather shaky. She stumbled down the stairs, and soon she was running, and moments later she was in between Harry and Hermione, and they were holding her in a warm joint embrace.
She rested her cheek against Harry's middle as he put an arm around her.
"You shouldn't be up, you know, Yaz," he said, gently patting her shoulder. She smiled, suddenly feeling shy.
"Look, Hermione, she's got a book," a deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, "Well, no one's going to have any trouble seeing whose she is, now are they?"
And Yasmine's eyes suddenly felt very hot and very wet as Hermione laughed and kissed her forehead.
"No, I suppose not."
Some wall seemed to burst open as a flood of terror and happiness rushed through her.
"Am I?" Yasmine heard herself choke, "Am I?"
There was a pause, and if Yasmine had been brave enough to look up, she would have seen Harry and Hermione hold each other's gazes, an unspoken, tender, almost frightened agreement flitting across those scant inches between them. But she didn't look up. Her heart was beating fast in her throat and her hands held fistfuls of Harry's shirt, and for one horrible moment she could swear that heard them say `no'. Then her knees gave way and she curled up on the floor between them and cried into her knees. There was movement above her and she was sure they had left her on the floor to cry-
"Yes, Yazzy."
Hermione was on her knees beside her, and when Yasmine looked up, barely daring to breathe, she saw tears streaking down Hermione's cheeks.
"Yes, you are. You're ours."
Yasmine had never held anyone as tightly as she held Hermione that night. She threw her arms around Hermione and sobbed into her neck, unable to breathe or say anything.
And then Harry was holding them both, and he was stroking her hair gently, not speaking, and this time Yasmine looked up at him, and he smiled his crooked smile.
"Am I?" she blurted out again, just wanting to hear them both say it. His smile widened.
"Reckon you are, Yaz." He patted her cheek with his hand.
She let go of Hermione and curled up in his embrace, his warm, strong embrace, and she closed her eyes and rested her chin on his shoulder… everything was as it should have been.
Hermione gazed at Yasmine's face and felt herself quiver suddenly-for it struck her then, the enormity of what she had just done. She clapped her hand over her mouth and stifled the last of her sobs.
"I'll take her to bed, eh?" Harry said after a pause, in a very low voice. His eyes met hers, and Hermione lowered her hand, feeling as though he was holding her again.
"Yes, you'd best take her to bed," she agreed after a pause, hearing her voice shake, "Don't wake the others; especially Jackie-"
"Don't worry," was all he said, and he offered a tender smile that made her blush. He paused again, and repeated reassuringly, "Don't worry."
As he took Yasmine up the stairs, Hermione sat on the bottom step, gazing into the dark foyer.
What was she doing? She asked herself for the millionth time in the past few months, what was she thinking?
"I thought I told you not to worry." His arm went around her shoulders and she leaned into him.
"Not worrying," she heard herself protest softly. He laughed and rested his chin in her hair.
"So you're not worrying… but you are a terrible liar."
She elbowed him and he laughed again, squeezing her shoulder with his hand.
"We both know it was only a matter of time."
She closed her eyes.
"Did you know you're the most beautiful woman in the whole world?" his whisper came comfortingly close to her ear. She smirked softly.
"I don't recall learning that before."
"I suppose I'll have to teach you, then," he said in a low voice, and Hermione felt herself shiver suddenly, and she realized then his lips had found her neck-very shyly, very tentatively. Her heart fluttered and she took several deep breaths, curling her fingers; his lips began to wander with more confidence, and she took a deep gulp of cool air as she felt her cheeks warm.
"Red light," she whispered, and he drew back slowly.
There was a heavy pause.
"Sorry," he cleared his throat and coughed. "I… erm… sorry."
"You're the only one who would know what that meant, I suppose," she tried to joke feebly, and he laughed awkwardly.
"I didn't mean to… I-"
She squeezed his hand, holding on tightly when he seemed to pull back.
"I know." She leaned against him. "I know."
"I should have married you the moment you said yes," he said, making her laugh. "We could have invited the kids down and Crookshanks could have presided over the-"
"Really, Harry," Hermione said, laughing, "sometimes, you just aren't amusing in the slightest."
"No one would think any less of us if we didn't wait," Harry said after another pause. Hermione bit her lip and took a deep breath.
"Nevertheless," she said with difficulty, "we're going to. We can."
"Only you," Harry said, laughing softly, "Only you, Hermione Jane Granger."
"Only for you, Harry James Potter," she said, relieved to hear him laughing, "only for you."
A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope the characters didn't seem too off the mark, as I'm just getting back into my writing mode again. Please let me know what you think!
-->