Chapter 6: The ties that bind.
Hermione and Harry retreated to the drawing room of Grimmauld Place and they were each nursing a beer and relaxing after their long day. She was surprised that Harry had reverted to his natural form but chose not to comment on the development. If she were being truthful with herself, she was very pleased that Harry was comfortable enough around her to not hide behind one of his many masks.
Breaking the comfortable silence with her lilting voice, she said, "Harry, I think that you should leave the Dursley's before your seventeenth birthday." When he didn't respond, she took that as a clue to continue with her train of thought, "The Death Eaters know where you live during the summer and they will probably be waiting for you the moment that your mother's protection ends."
Harry nodded his head in acceptance of her theory and replied, "I have been thinking something along the same lines. I should probably move in here permanently and we can redo some of the wards once I'm seventeen." Seeing the look of concern on her face, he quickly added, "You and your parents are welcome to stay here if you don't feel like your house is safe enough after we put the rest of the wards up."
"Thank you." Hermione said as she beamed at him for his offer. She looked around the drawing room, lost in thoughts of what they needed to do in order to get ready for the daunting task that was in front of them. After a few moments, she said softly, "I've been thinking about what we need to gather for the Horcrux hunt."
Torn from his thoughts at the mention of the Horcrux hunt, Harry looked into Hermione's bright cinnamon colored eyes and said in a gravelly voice, "So have I. We need a sure fire way to destroy the Horcuxes without activating their protections. The best thing that I can think of is a Basilisk fang and that means that we have to sneak into the Chamber of Secrets."
"Do you want to do that tomorrow and then head over to The Burrow?" Seeing the brief flicker of emotion in his eyes, she hastily said, "I know that you don't want to hurt Ginny's feelings, but it will be better in the long run if you get it over and done with sooner rather than later." Hermione reached out and clasped Harry's hand in hers and said softly, "I'll be there with you the whole time."
Harry gave her a small smile and said, "Thanks. I'd like that." Looking down at his watch, he realized that it was getting quite late and Hermione must be exhausted, he stood up and held a hand out for Hermione and said, "You must be tired after all of that casting, why don't we turn in for the evening?"
She accepted his help up and they headed upstairs together. When they reached the second floor Harry turned towards the room that he normally shared with Ron during the summers and she silently followed him into the room.
Surprised that she had entered the room with him, Harry said in confusion, "Um, what are you doing?"
Hermione looked at Harry and said simply, "I'm going to sleep and I don't like the idea of sleeping alone in this house."
"Oh. Well, which bed would you like?" Harry asked while he rubbed the back of his neck, slightly nervous for some reason.
To his surprise, she chose the bed that he usually slept in when they were in residence. He looked at her sheepish expression and the light pink blush on her cheeks and gave her a smile and with a wave of his hand towards Ron's bed, he said, "Don't worry, I don't blame you for not wanting to sleep in this orange covered bed either. Ron's taste in colors and Quidditch teams is absolutely horrible."
Hermione covered her mouth with her hand to help muffle her giggle. She ducked her head slightly to help hide her blush. Softly, she said, "Thanks. I don't like the color orange that much either." What she wasn't telling him was the other reason she chose his bed.
During their sixth year Professor Slughorn had a cauldron of Amortentia brewing in class she identified the third smell in the cauldron as something that reminded her solely of Harry. It was why she blushed and refused to mention what smells she associated with the potion during class. In fact, she had never told another soul about her love for Harry.
Realizing that Hermione was lost in her own thoughts, Harry quietly excused himself and headed towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. When he returned to their room, he found the room empty but the bed covers on his bed were no longer orange. They had been changed to the familiar colors of Gryffindor. Smiling at Hermione's thoughtfulness, he removed his shirt and climbed into bed.
Hermione was just returning to their room and was greeted to the sight of a shirtless Harry Potter climbing into bed. She watched him climb into bed before making her way completely into the room.
Harry heard Hermione come into the room and was just about to say goodnight when his mind caught up with what his eyes were seeing. Hermione was wearing a burgundy, knee length, sleeveless nightgown with spaghetti straps. It accentuated her figure in ways that made him extremely thankful that he was already under the covers.
Hermione saw the look on Harry's face and gave him a radiant smile that made her even more beautiful. Climbing into her own bed, she purred, "Goodnight, Harry. Sleep well." With a wave of her wand, she turned out the lights and lay down.
"Goodnight, Hermione." Harry managed to say without his voice breaking. She had her hair down and when she turned around to climb into bed and he could see her bare back. He was pretty sure that it was the same back as the woman in his dreams. Shaking his head in the darkness, he couldn't believe that he had never put the pieces together before.
She had been right in front of him for years and it had taken a set of dreams to make him realize it. Not knowing what to do about this revelation at the moment, Harry decided to try and get some sleep and perhaps deal with it in the morning.
Hermione was lying in Harry's bed with a huge smile on her face as she thought about the look on his face when he saw her. As she drifted off to sleep, her dreams were filled with images of her best friend dancing in her head.
The sun's rays were shining in through the window onto the face of a sleeping Harry Potter. The unusual thing was that his face was relaxed; the stress lines that were usually present had been replaced by a small smile that was almost angelic.
Hermione awoke at first light and had spent the past thirty minutes Harry watching. She usually indulged in this practice during the school year. It was the first time that she had ever watched him sleeping outside of the Hogwart's Hospital Wing and it brought a small smile to her face.
Deciding that she should get ready for the day, she silently slipped out of bed and grabbed a fresh set of clothes and softly padded to the bathroom. As she passed by Harry, she stopped momentarily and slowly reached out and ran her fingers gently through his fringe. After she brushed his hair out of his eyes, she lovingly cupped his cheek before heading off to take a shower.
Harry was in that peaceful state somewhere in between sleep and wakefulness. He had been having `The Dream' again but this time it wasn't preceded by his usual nightmares. As the beautiful woman began singing softly to the baby in her arms, Harry was pulled from his dream by that very same voice coming from the bathroom.
Sitting up in bed slowly, he let Hermione's lilting singing wash over him. This was all the confirmation that he needed to verify that it was Hermione in his dreams. Harry was so wrapped up in her singing that he didn't realize that he had unconsciously closed his eyes and was slightly swaying with a smile on his face.
Hermione stepped back into their room fully dressed and singing softly as she toweled her hair dry. She was so lost in her own little world that she forgot that Harry was still in the room. When she realized that harry was there she almost let out a yelp of surprise before she got a good look at him.
He was sitting there with his eyes closed with a hint of a smile playing at the edges of his lips. His voice was so soft that Hermione almost missed it when he said, "So beautiful."
Her reply stuck in her throat when Harry opened his eyes. His bright emerald pools were glistening with tears but he had the largest smile that she had seen on his face since their first year at Hogwarts.
Warmly, he said, "You sing beautifully."
"You could hear me?" Hermione squeaked in embarrassment as the blush crept down her neck. When he nodded, she groaned, hung her head, and mumbled, "I'm sorry, I know it must have been horrible. You don't have to lie to me and tell me that you liked it."
Surprised at her uncharacteristic outburst, Harry quickly stood up and enveloped her in a hug while whispering in her ear, "I wasn't lying. You have an amazing voice."
Stunned by his admission, Hermione pulled back from the embrace and looked into his eyes. Seeing nothing but love and acceptance, she simply said, "Thanks." When she realized how nervous Harry was, she frowned slightly and asked him, "What's the matter?"
Harry was nervously twisting the hem of his shirt in his hands as he struggled with how he was going to tell her about his dreams. Seeing the look of concern on her face, he quickly said, "I have something that I want you to see." He grasped her hand and led her to the library where the Black Family Pensieve was kept.
He opened the cabinet, removed the Pensieve and set it on the coffee table in front of Hermione. He put the tip of his wand to his temple and began withdrawing every memory he possessed of the dreams about her and the baby. When he was finished, he looked into her questioning eyes and said softly, "I want you to take a look at these memories and I'll answer any questions that you may have when you are finished."
Curious, and a touch concerned, Hermione stood up and approached the Pensieve. Taking a deep breath to fortify her courage, she plunged her face into the swirling mass of silver memories. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings before she realized that she was seeing Harry's dreams.
The first couple of memories stirred the feeling that she should know the woman in the dream. When she reached the memory of Harry listening to the woman sing to the baby, it all clicked in her head and she started to hyperventilate slightly.
Tears of joy began streaming down her face as she saw the look on his face as he approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder and she leaned into his touch in the memory of his dream. When the last memory played out, she was ejected from the Pensieve and immediately launched herself into Harry's arms with tears still streaming down her face.
"Oh, Harry." She whispered as she clung to him. When she felt him relax and return her embrace, Hermione leaned back just enough to see his face. He looked nervous and scared at the same time and she did the only thing that she could think of to relieve his fears. She leaned in and kissed him full on the lips, pouring all of her love for him into the embrace.
They separated thirty seconds later both of them slightly blushing before Harry leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers while maintaining eyes contact with Hermione. Seeing nothing but love within her cinnamon colored eyes, Harry smiled and leaned down and kissed her tenderly.
Pleased with Harry's reaction to her kiss, Hermione was a little surprised when he returned the favor a little while later. Loosing herself in the moment, she pressed her body firmly into his and deepened the kiss.
Neither teen was aware of the passage of time because they were so wrapped up in each other that nothing else mattered. For those wonderful moments there was no more prophecy, Voldemort, or the Wizarding World. It was just two people realizing that they were in love and had been for years but neither of them had been brave enough to take that final step and start a relationship.
Now that both of their feelings for each other were in the open, things were going to change. For the first time that Harry or Hermione could ever remember, they both felt complete and comfortable with their places in life.
For Harry, this feeling was why he would fight. He wanted that dream to become reality more than anything and he would do everything in his considerable power to make it come true. Just thinking about Hermione and starting a family filled him with a feeling that took a moment for him to define. Realizing what it was that he was feeling, Harry reluctantly broke the kiss and looked into Hermione's bright eyes and said warmly, "I love you, Hermione. I have for years but I was too scared to say anything in case it would ruin our friendship."
Elated, and a little nervous, Hermione asked softly, "What changed?"
Harry reached up with one of his hands and brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek as he continued to hold her gaze. In a soft voice full of longing, he said, "I realized that I want a family more than anything and that I want to share that with you."
Tears streaming down her face, Hermione smiled at him and said, "I love you too, Harry. I have since our first year but never said anything for pretty much the same reasons."
The couple embraced again, each of them relishing the feeling of love and how right the hug felt. Hermione discovered that she fit perfectly in Harry's arms when he was in his natural form. Her chin settled into the crook of his neck and she decided to take advantage of the face by placing a few light kisses down his neck.
Harry was concentrating on his feelings for Hermione when he felt her begin to kiss his neck. A soft growl escaped his lips and he practically hissed, "Hermione." in pleasure as she continued to trail kisses down his neck and collarbone.
Suddenly, he felt a shiver run down his spine that had nothing to do with Hermione's ministrations. Someone was trying to enter the house and the wards were denying entrance. He disentangled himself from Hermione and put a finger to his mouth indicating silence as he quickly reverted back into his public persona.
Hermione realized that something was wrong when Harry morphed back into the small form that everyone was used to seeing. When he indicated that she should remain quiet, she drew her wand and followed him towards the disturbance.
They reached the kitchen and the source of the disturbance was immediately recognizable. Stuck in the fireplace was the head of Mundungus Fletcher. "Stun him." Harry said immediately and a moment later, the telltale red of a stunner impacted upon Fletcher's head.
Reaching down, Harry yanked Fletcher through the fireplace and into the kitchen. He reset the ward on the fireplace and then hefted Mundungus into a chair where Hermione used a spell to tie him up securely.
Harry was ghosting his hands across Fletcher's body looking for magical objects. He began removing everything that he found and placing it on the table next to Hermione. He had already removed quite a few items that he recognized as coming from the shelves lining the drawing room. With a feeling of triumph, he practically shouted, "Aha!" Very carefully, he removed the dark object from a hidden pocket in the side of Fletcher's robes.
"What is it?" Hermione asked while looking at the seemingly innocent brooch.
Grimly, Harry said, "Oh yes. I'm looking forward to destroying this thing." Turning the dark object over in his hands, "This is a Horcrux. The problem is that it doesn't belong to Voldemort. The magic feels different."
Hermione was stunned that someone else had made a Horcrux. The shock of the discovery made her realize that Voldemort had to gain the knowledge of how to make them somewhere so it was only logical that they could possibly find a Horcrux that belonged to someone else during their search. The fact that there were two of them in the possession of the Black's made her realize just how much the family had lived up to their last name.
Harry looked up at Hermione while she was lost deep in thought. Making a decision, he stepped back from Fletcher's unconscious body and called out, "Kreacher."
There was a pop of displaced air as Kreacher materialized in the room. Bowing to Harry, he croaked, "Master called and Kreacher has answered. What can Kreacher do for master?"
"Hello, Kreacher. Would you please fetch me some Veritaserum?" Harry asked kindly.
"Yes, Master Harry." Kreacher croaked before popping away to complete his order.
Turning to face Mundungus, Harry withdrew Dumbledore's old wand and vanished his clothes. Making sure that there was nothing else magical on the thief, Harry conjured a blanket to cover him with before waking him up.
Comprehension dawned on Mundungus' face when he saw Harry Potter looking at him with loathing. Looking around franticly, he noticed that the only other person present was the Granger girl. Eyes wide with fear, he stammered, "P…P…Potter! What are you doing here?"
Retrieving the vial of Veritaserum from Kreacher, Harry said, "Thank you, Kreacher." Stepping over to the restrained thief, he yanked back his unkempt hair and poured three drops of the potion down his throat. Once he was sure that it had taken effect, he asked, "Who do you work for?"
Eyes glazed over, Fletcher slurred in a monotone, "I work for myself."
Turning back to Hermione, Harry said, "Do you have any questions for him?"
Hermione's eyes bore into Mundungus as she formulated her questions. "How long have you been stealing things from this house?" she asked as she sat down on a chair across from him.
"Since Sirius opened the house up to the Order." Fletcher answered immediately.
Harry growled deep in his throat in anger at the thief. He couldn't understand why Dumbledore trusted this man so he asked him and was quite surprised by his answer.
"I helped Dumbledore retrieve something with no questions asked." Mundungus said in the now familiar monotone of the potion induced haze.
Curious, Hermione asked him, "What was it?"
"I never asked. I just stole it and gave it to Professor Dumbledore." Fletcher replied as the sweat began to trickle down his forehead from the potion's effects.
"Unbelievable." Harry muttered as he began pacing the room. Coming to a decision, he whipped out his wand, pointed it at Mundungus, and intoned, "Obliviate! You were unable to enter headquarters and didn't see anyone through the floo." His instructions complete, Harry stunned the petty thief.
Facing his house-elf, Harry said, "Please drop him off at his flat and then return here. We don't need him anymore."
Kreacher bowed once and grabbed the unconscious man and disappeared with a pop, leaving the two teens alone in the house.
Harry stood up and led her out of the kitchen. Once they were outside of the room, he silenced the doors so no one would be able to hear anything if they tried to enter the house or make a floo call.
Once they were back in the drawing room, Hermione immediately asked, "How come you didn't get an owl for using magic in the kitchen?"
Chuckling at her question, Harry smiled and said, "Magic use can't be detected in this house, or most Pureblood homes, due to the wards. Remember what I told you in the bank?"
"Oh." Hermione said before her face starting turning red with indignation and embarrassment before she blurted, "You mean we could have been practicing and cleaning this house with magic the last time that we were here?"
Nodding, Harry solemnly said, "Yup. The real question is why didn't they tell us that?"
Hermione flopped down on the couch and stared into the fire burning merrily in the unconnected fireplace. After a few moments silence, she said, "I don't understand why they wouldn't let us use magic."
Harry sat down next to her and draped an arm around her shoulders in comfort. A couple of seconds later, he calmly said, "It's about control and dependency. If we can't use magic except at school until we are seventeen that makes us dependent upon the adults or anyone else in a position of power."
"But that's…" Hermione spluttered, completely at a loss for words as one of her beliefs in authority figures and adults were shattered.
Understanding her plight all too well, Harry kissed the side of her head and whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry that I had to be the one to break that to you. Unfortunately, I learned that lesson as a very small child."
Hermione shifted in her seat so she could look at Harry properly, concern and curiosity warring on her features.
Before she could ask, Harry whispered in a voice full of emotion, "I stopped truly trusting adults long before I came to Hogwarts." Dreading the question that he knew she was about to ask, Harry decided to preemptively answered her. His voice had gotten even softer as he spoke of his childhood for the first time, "My teachers never seemed to wonder why I was dressed in rags when my cousin, who was in the same class, always had nice clothes. They also never said anything about my much more meager lunches when compared to Dudley."
"Oh, Harry. How come you never mentioned this to anyone before?" Hermione asked in a tremulous voice as she pulled him into a hug.
His answer was so soft that Hermione almost missed it when he said, "Dumbledore knew and I think he did something to prevent people from asking too many questions about me or my situation." Harry's next statement brought tears to Hermione's eyes, "Did you know that my first Hogwarts letter was addressed to my cupboard under the stairs?"
Stunned, Hermione had no words to offer Harry, she could only give her support. So she did the only thing that she could think of, she pulled him down into her arms and buried his head into her shoulder and began gently rubbing his back.
Harry had no recollection of ever being held like this before and the loving gesture of support cracked the dam of his resolve and his tears began to soak into Hermione's jumper.
His quiet sobs were barely audible above the crackling of the fire and Hermione wondered what the Dursley's had done to him to make him so afraid of crying. Deciding to leave that issue for later, she settled for continuing to offer her love and support. She kissed the side of his head and whispered, "It's going to be okay. I love you."
A muffled, "I love you too." was Harry's only response as he clung to Hermione with a desperate strength.
For the rest of the morning they sat entwined on the couch in the drawing room as Harry finally opened up and told her everything about his childhood. By the time he was finished with his story, both of them were exhausted.
Kreacher would discover them later that afternoon sleeping together on the couch in each other's embrace. He covered them with a blanket and silently left the room to begin preparing a light dinner for them.
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