Unofficial Portkey Archive

Life and Times

Rating: R

Ship: HHr (main emphasis)

The (unlovely) procedure: all rights go to JKR for previous plot and characters, Scholastic, Warner, and whoever else has their hands in HP.

Author Note: I don't really know how I pulled out twenty-five pages! Between three film projects, my first directorial shoot, and marketing for another on the side, I was torn to shreds this entire week with time. Because of the busy schedule, I nearly put this on hiatus for a long time. But, I got re-inspired during the week with even more music, so I'm hoping I won't have a breakdown. I'm also wondering how far I can push the boundary until people jump up and down and my fic gets pulled! I've subtly hinted at some stuff in previous chapters and in this one, but I'm not sure how much leeway I'll have for the future. If I pursue that route, there's no going back. I'll probably just do it and hope for the best.

***

Chapter Sixteen - Valentine

***

Fluffy, feathery pillows elevated under my head, my arms fit snug around them. Ginny fit even more snug around me. She latched herself against me and held on for dear life. Blinking, I found myself encased in her hair, the Weasley-red all over my face. The rays of sunlight already fully inside their flat made the hue of Ginny's hair enflamed. It was as if I were on fire and lots of it.

I fought with her arms. She didn't want to let me go. She made a grunting noise and pushed her face against my side underneath my arm. I sighed and laid there a while, thinking of a way to not disturb her, but slide out at the same time. A light bulb went off in my head. Lightly, I blew on her nose, mimicking what I hoped felt similar to the wings of a fly. Ginny fell for my scheme. Her arm rose on cue and I rolled right off the side of the inflatable mattress.

After scratching her nose, she grabbed my pillow and pushed her face in it. I guess I must smell that good. She even smiled whilst her eyes were shut. I gazed around the room with narrowed eyes, the sun bright. Katie was bunched up in a sleeping bag above my head. She looked rather uncomfortable with one arm bent oddly behind her head while her other lay outstretched across the floor. Cho lay on the sofa beyond Katie and beyond the coffee table. She had her back to me and snored rather loud.

I got on my knees and proceeded to yawn into elongating my figure, stretching, even tilting my head back while my arms were in the air. I heard the clink-clink of silverware to a plate in the dining room, and of course, my stomach growled at the thought of food. Don't ask me how on account that I practically ate the entire factory of Hershey's chocolate with the girls. I'm surprised I didn't wake up sick. Actually, I'm glad I didn't wake up sick as today was fairly important. Important for me and important for me and Harry.

I untied and re-tied the knot in the front of my gray lounge pants as I lifted from the floor. I slid my hands into the back of my hair and gave my strands a sifting and a bounce, trying to make it appear not as flat. I yawned and my ankle joint popped when I took my first step towards the kitchen. The only other person that could have been up is Neville, and sure enough, rounding the corner of the kitchen there he was. Neville sat at the far end of the table and glanced up at me when I entered. He had a piece of hot dog on a fork and was amidst chewing on the processed meat product.

The Quibbler, its red and black print standing out against the white of the paper held in his hand. Neville gave me a smile and set the newspaper down. After he swallowed, he said in greeting, "Good morning, `Mione. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Mmm…," I made a groan as the room suddenly became brighter the closer I got to Neville. Four windows, two on the left side of the wall and two behind Neville all poured forth the sun. I slid the chair out opposite of him and plopped down. I held my hands over my eyes to see him in squint, "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Can I get you something?"

"Yeah…," I nodded and closed my eyes. "I need my Time-Turner so I can go back and slap myself for staying up so late when I knew I had to get up this early."

Neville laughed, "Your wish is my command, milady."

Neville stood from his seat and folded the paper. He took up his coffee mug and took a sip. I read the words `Got Me?' on his black t-shirt and grinned. That had to have been a gift from Ginny. Neville pulled his sweat pants up and came around to me, "It's not the healthiest thing in the world, but I fried some hot dogs for breakfast. I can make eggs. We have bagels."

I turned my head to watch him go passed me and into the adjoined kitchen. I twisted in my seat and put my arm on the back of my chair. I leaned my chin down on it and said, my eyes closing, "I'll have one of those bagels and coffee, please."

"We only have wheat bagels." I heard him open something and shift his hands around plastic. "That okay?"

I nodded, "It's fine."

"Toasted or not?"

"Doesn't matter."

My ears perked to the sound of their toaster click on and I opened my eyes to see Neville bending over in their refrigerator. He pulled out a small, circular dish and kicked the door closed with his bare foot. I flipped back around to the table and let my arms go to its surface, and then my head hide in them. It was darker in here. It felt better than all the light. I kept my ears on the noises: the leap of the bread in the toaster, the prying of plastic on plastic, the spread of a knife against the grain of the wheat, and finally, the pour of liquid.

I felt Neville's hand in my hair and glanced up to see a plated bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee. Beside the cup were canisters of milk and sugar. I smiled at Neville as he made his way back over to his chair, "Thank you."

He scooted the chair against the floor as he came up to the table. He grinned, "Always a pleasure."

I lifted my head further and gathered the bagel in front of me. I took up the coffee and poured some milk in its blackness. I shook just a little sugar in the steaming liquid and put the lip of the mug to my mouth. Perfect. I smiled, the warmth rousing me awake. I went in for another sip, and then bit down on the cream cheese bagel.

I glanced at Neville when I heard him turn a page, going onto the third page of The Quibbler. Facing out to me read the words highlighted in bold:

CAUTION: FLURGALUMUMPS ON THE LOOSE! CITIZENS OF PET GERBALS BEWARE!

Luna.

I crunched down with another bite and heard Neville ask from afar, "Any special plans today? I know Harry must have something up his sleeve for you."

I shook my head, my lips on the mug of coffee, "He won't tell me. I have that appointment today, and then he's going to whisk me off somewhere."

"Any ideas?"

"I could guess, but I'd probably be wrong," I laughed in the mug. "He likes surprising me."

"I bet he does," Neville stifled a laugh and took up his own mug.

He winked at me.

I smiled and thought of the many places Harry could take me. There were too many to count. I mean, we could always go back to our first official date at the restaurant, Mi Amor. We could walk down the beach, but it's snowing. Maybe he planned something special at the house? Maybe…yeah, I don't know. Whatever he had locked in his head was bound in chains and bolted shut. He wouldn't unzip his lips for anything. A part of me wanted to be surprised, so I only pushed it so far until I gave up.

A knock on the door startled me. I didn't know why someone would knock when they could ring the doorbell until I realized…

I shot back around at Neville. He was beginning to get up, "What time is it?"

"Eleven," he pushed his chair in and took his mug with him into the kitchen.

I groaned.

Harry had come to pick me up and I wasn't any close to being ready. I peered at my pajamas, took a long sip of the coffee and stood up in my spot. I heard the front door open and Neville exchange a "Good morning" to the voice I loved to hear. Gradually, I walked the hallway towards the door. Neville slipped back and closed the door behind him. Standing before me was my shaggy-haired blonde. I grinned at him and he smiled.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Harry had his hands in his jean pockets. "Ready?"

When I got to him, I pulled one of his hands out and interlaced my fingers within his. I tippy-toed and planted a kiss on his lips, "I just woke up… I'll be ready in two shakes."

"Yeah," Neville yawned into a fist and pushed on around me and Harry. "They were up for a while. If I didn't have that muffle charm handy, I think I would have gone insane from lack of sleep."

Harry chuckled, "Loud was it?"

I wrapped my arms around Harry's neck and laid my face in the crook. I smelled of his sweet pumpkin scent and closed my eyes. I think I fell asleep, or dozed, having to be wiggled back to a conscious state of mind. He was so warm and I…was so tired.

"Go get dressed," he whispered to me. "You know how those people are at St. Mungo's if you're just the teensiest bit late."

***

There really was only one thing different from a Muggle hospital than in the confines of St. Mungo's and that was the smell. Whereas most Muggle hospitals had no smell, or the smell of ammonia chemicals to know that they were clean, St. Mungo's smelled of sweets. If one didn't know this was a hospital when they took a step inside, one might think they were stepping into a lively bakery. Sometimes the smell was rather off-putting. I guess they wanted to comfort the patients by all their senses, but I'd think going into any form of surgery with the smell of a strong grape jelly doughnut wouldn't be too pleasurable.

I sat in one of the rooms awaiting my doctor. I knew he was going to ask me to sit up on the table, and did it before he asked me. Harry wasn't with me. I'd asked him stay put. The last time he nearly had a heart attack over some of the things that were said aloud about my condition. He was protective, and he thought he hadn't protected me in my time of need enough. He thought he let me down and beat himself up over it. I didn't want him to inflict a suffering upon himself when we both knew what he feared and what he believed wasn't true.

I would play with my cropped white shirt and pull at it around my thighs to straighten the fabric. Clad in black leather, my legs shone in random places every so often against the lights. I adjusted the four large, round buttons on my black vest so that only the two middle buttons fastened together, allowing the top and bottom to fight to pull away. My hands were busy with the bracelets along my wrist when I glanced at the door through one eye, my brunette hair having fallen over my left of course. Someone had knocked and I knew who that someone was.

A tall, dark-haired, handsome older man stepped into the room with a pearly-white smile on his face. He was tanned, and it stood out amongst his blue robes. He had his hand around both a clipboard and wand when he closed the door behind him with the other.

"Miss Granger!" I took hold of a chair with wheels and pulled it up toward me. He sat down in it and put his hand out to me.

"Good afternoon, Doctor Stevens," I shook his hand. Doctor Stevens took over where Doctor Stone left off. Rightfully so, too, as St. Mungo's was closer than New York City. He is a Cardio-Healer, the wizarding world's version of a cardiologist. He spent years, like Muggles, practicing methods and presenting ideologies to his school. He'd transferred to St. Mungo's from San Francisco, so he had that American twang in his accent. He was like one of the "boy toys" of the hospital. Every female doctor and nurse knew who Doctor Alexander Stevens was. For forty-one year old man, he was very attractive.

"Just in for a check-up, yes," he nodded as he flipped sheet after sheet on his clipboard. He peered up at me, "So, how's the ol' ticker doing today?"

I placed my hand above my heart, "Pumping away as it should be."

"Good, good…," Dr. Stevens rolled over to a countertop full of medicinal potions, cotton balls, tongue depressors, and the like. He went to grab a quill and make a few marks on the sheets of paper. "Any shortness of breath? Any tickling feelings?"

I shook my head, my legs swinging off the side of the patient bed, "Uh uh… Nope."

"Excellent," he grinned as he scratched his last word and dipped the quill back into an ink vial. He rolled right back over to me. He laid out his hand, and because we've done this prior, I knew what he wanted me to do. I held out my hand, forearm turned, and he loosely gripped my wrist. He checked the time on his watch and held me still a moment. "According to the tests we ran, the Muggle medication seems to be doing its job perfectly. Any side-effect symptoms at all? Nauseous? Lack of sleep?"

"Not at all. Everything seems to be fine," his hand was cold on the warmth of my wrist.

"Excellent, very good," He slipped his stethoscope pieces in his ears and went to stand up. "Then, this is going to be a quick check-up then."

I straightened my posture and Dr. Stevens slipped the pad of the stethoscope on my chest after warming it with his breath, "Which is probably well and all. Who'd want to be here on Valentine's Day, eh? Deep breath, Miss Granger, please."

Sucking in a deep breath, I let it out slowly.

"Once more, please," he asked, shifting the placement of the pad around in a circular motion.

I did as instructed, an inhale and then a soft exhale.

"Wonderful," He slid the pad to my back and listened. "A pretty girl like you must have plans for today other than keeping me company?"

He laughed and I smiled up at him.

"Another breath, please."

I breathed in, and when I did, I felt that light-headedness I've grown used to within these appointments. I felt the room sway in my eyes, a wave of pressure in my head subsiding into a high sensation. I had to blink my eyes to gather myself back and twist in my seat to relieve me from feeling in the clouds; get my blood flowing again.

I nodded my head as he slid the pad down my back, "I do, but he won't tell me where exactly. He wants to surprise me."

"What a lucky fellow," Dr. Stevens unattached himself from my back and removed the stethoscope from his ears. He pulled it from him and laid it about his neck. He sat down and rolled back over to the counter to scribble and jot more notes. He questioned while writing, "James, right?"

"Excuse me?"

"James?" He turned to examine my curious eyes. "Isn't the name of the man you've been bringing in named James? He's you're boyfriend, right?"

Everything dawned on me. Duh. Wake up Hermione, dear. I nodded quickly, "Yes, James. Yeah, he likes to keep me in the dark. I think he likes watching me squirm when I don't know what he's up to."

Dr. Stevens rotated back in front of the counter and smiled. I could hear the scratch of the quill as he wrote, "Sometimes I wish we could concoct a potion or a spell and rid sweet people like you from these damn illnesses."

"Wouldn't that be helpful," I snickered. "But, I am feeling great. No more tickling feelings, no more fluttering."

"But the fact that you have to take a darn pill every day…," he sighed and tapped the point of the quill to make his last period. He dropped the feather back in the vial and turned to me. "Ready to check out that heart of yours?"

"It's already that time?"

"I told you that I wouldn't keep you waiting. Besides, your figures look spot on. No sense in keeping you and your boyfriend away from this day of love."

"I only wish I knew where I was going a half hour from now," I laughed through my nose and scooted farther onto the bed. I adjusted my attire, pulling at the line of my shirt and the black leather pants beneath. I glanced down and saw the rounded point of my Converses and lay back against the cold, thin mattress. A brow rose, and I thought… I really need to wash my shoes. They were getting a little filthy.

"I'm sure it'll be fantastic," Dr. Stevens rose from the seat and took out his wand. I glanced over at him when he asked, "Would you like for me to call James in so he can see what's going on, too?"

"Yes, please," I tried to pull the strands of hair away from my left eye only to have them fall back. "He'd like to know, too."

I watched as Dr. Stevens placed his willow wood wand against his throat. He smiled at me before reciting in the air, "Advoco Khloe."

The room suddenly grew a female voice, "This is Khloe."

Dr. Stevens kept the wand prodded into his neck, "Khloe, this is Dr. Stevens in room 717 with patient Miss Hermione Jane Granger."

"Ah, yes, I see that Dr. Stevens," the room replied back. "Do you need assistance?"

"Not assistance, but I need for someone to go down to the waiting area and call for James-" Dr. Stevens glanced at me.

I promptly said, "Evans."

"James Evans, please. Tell him that Miss Granger and I need to see him, but tell him not to worry. Nothing's wrong. He's quite the worry-wart, don't spook him."

I smirked and lay there patiently, staring up at the ceiling which had been enchanted to resemble dawn.

"Right away, sir." I heard a clicking noise, and then the room went silent.

Dr. Stevens lowered his wand from his throat and put it atop his paperwork. He wrapped his arms alongside his chest and crossed his legs while standing against the counter, "He'll be in here shortly."

Dr. Stevens liked to discuss with me about Hogwarts. He'd heard wonderful things about the institution from all the way back in the States. He never got a chance to go and would ask me about classes, my time there, what the activities were. I told him Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, the four houses-which he exclaimed reminded him of the fraternities and sororities in the school he went to-and Quidditch. He was a huge Quidditch fan, and I'd try to give him details as I knew very little compared to people like Harry who lived the sport.

"The US Quidditch team gets their behinds handed to them every Tournament," Dr. Stevens laughed. Someone knocked on the door and he turned his head from me. As he walked over to open it up, he laughed again and said, "I wonder what they're feeding you guys over here to kick our butts two hundred twenty to seventy in the last exhibition game."

I shrugged and went to move up to get a better look at who was coming in the door. I saw a thin redhead with a white robe draped on her body. She smiled, and lingered on Dr. Stevens every word when he approached her. She widened the door and I could see the face I always longed to see. Shaggy blonde curls and blue eyes, he stood behind the redhead and peeked over her shoulder to grin at me. I waved at him, lifting from the bed. Finally, the redhead and Dr. Stevens having blocked the blonde from my sight let him in and at once he went right to my side.

I smirked as I lay back down on the bed. My stare remained on his darkened cerulean irises. He felt of my stomach, examining me as if I really had gotten hurt, and then slipped along my side. He bent down, his hand stroking across my cheek, and kissed me gently. When he left me, he stayed less than an inch above me and grinned. I couldn't help but be addicted, grinning back. He felt of the strands of brown covering my left eye carefully.

"Everything all right?" he asked.

I sighed and nodded. He had left my heart pitter-pattering.

He gazed at the features of my face, and then smiled into my eyes. He moved up and across me, planting a caress on my forehead. I shivered. He could do that to me.

"Mr. Evans?"

Harry shot around and glanced at Dr. Stevens. Dr Stevens had his hand out and Harry caught it within his, shaking, "Hello again, Dr. Stevens. How's my girl doing?"

"Splendid," he shook Harry firm and I watched them let go. "We're actually almost done for the day. Don't want to keep you love-rascals from the holiday."

"Now that was quick," he looked at me and I nodded in agreement. He flicked his head around to Dr. Stevens. "What's next then?"

Dr. Stevens went around the room tapping here and tapping there by the tip of his wand. Several individual spotlights turned on and the room began to dim, "I thought you would like to be present when I examine her heart."

Dr. Stevens strolled behind Harry. The doctor went to move around him and Harry stepped back to give him more room. My eyes flickered from the swiftness of his wand. The tip gradually came full circle, a white trail of light appearing above my chest. The light pulsated for a moment, beating with the drum of my heart. This became the most interesting part as suddenly, from amongst the rotating circle the doctor created came forth a tiny bluish object from the centre.

Dr. Stevens gave it a poke with the wand, and then slid the wand behind his ear. The blue object emitted a strobe of its own colour, giving off its crystal blue streaks along the walls and along our clothes. The light shined off from Harry's eyes when I looked at him. He smiled at me, and I grinned back as Dr. Steven's took the blue object between his both thumbs and both index fingers. He pinched, holding it tight and persuaded the blue object further out. The object grew before our eyes until I saw, before me, my heart in a three-dimensional space.

The muscle beat in real-time. The blood pumped in real-time. You could see every artery, every vein, and every valve that opened and closed. Dr. Stevens slipped his hands above and below the holographic image and turned it slightly, removing the wand from his ear.

"This right here," he held out his wand and traced a line through my heart. "That's where the curse went through her like a bullet."

A darkened line from one end of the muscle to the next drove right through the upper left portion of my heart. The line, against the rest of the image, stood out. The line shouldn't be there. The line was considered "abnormal," the reason behind my passing out. Dolohov did a number on me back at the Department of Mysteries.

"I've said this before to both of you," I watched my heart revolve above my chest. "It's a miracle that she's even alive. We know only a few cases where people have escaped a curse like this."

Dr. Stevens glanced at me while marveling over the image, his dark eyes sparkling blue, "You must really had had a will to live, Miss Granger. The last case I came across similar to this was with a woman who had six children and she was determined to stay alive for their sake."

I looked between the magical hologram and Harry. I flashed him a smile and he grinned. Slowly, Harry leaned in and acted as if he were stroking my heart, touching the side of the hologram. My heart throbbed a beat when I saw how careful, caring he was when he touched that piece of me. Harry smirked at me, and I felt a little embarrassed, feeling warm at the cheeks.

See what you do to me, Harry?

***

Claire, our waitress, meandered through the maze of chairs and tables. She had her hand above her head with a tray on the pads of her fingers. Harry and I sat in a tiny, intimate table away from the throng of people beside a window in the corner of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Harry still had a little pink confetti in his blonde locks from when we entered and golden cherubs sprinkled us profusely with the colour. I was leaned gently against the edge of the table, sifting through his hair of the confetti, when Claire startled me by saying:

"Worst holiday ever!"

"Busy?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Claire bunched her face up. She tossed her brown hair back, the strands in a ponytail and said in a whine, "Just a little…"

"Sorry for being just one more customer," I exclaimed, feeling bad as Claire looked exhausted. As she should, what with couple after couple coming in from the snow asking to be seated. I didn't know when they'd stop coming, really; every time the bell rang and the cherubs threw confetti, another couple would emerge from the entrance. The tables were stocked.

Claire sighed, "At least I can actually talk to you guys. Mr. and Ms. Lip-Locker over there haven't come up for air and its bordering on disgusting."

She motioned over at a young couple, probably from Hogwarts, wrapped together quite close with their mouths pressed together. I thought they were cute, innocent, and I wished that I'd been that way back when I was their age. When I turned around and was greeted back with Harry's smile, I thought, well, at least I'm making up for lost time. I smirked when Harry winked at me.

Claire set down a large milk chocolate and peanut butter shake for one with two straws. She then set down a pizza pie. The aroma immediately brought saliva to my mouth. Melted white chocolate that resembled a cheese coating on the bread with a dark chocolate drizzle upon freshly cut sliced strawberries. The pizza was just enough for the two of us, divided into four equal triangles.

"Do you guys need anything else?" Claire asked, dropping the tray to her side when it was empty.

Both Harry and I shook our heads.

Claire winked at us, "Enjoy."

I felt my left hand, which lay on the table, being held. His warmth gradually pulled me back in focus with him and I stared into his blue, twinkling eyes. I smirked, allowing the tip-toe of my boots to make a trail down one of his legs below the table top. He smirked at me and interlaced his fingers softly with mine. I grasped his hand loosely and took up my fork. I cut into the pizza, making sure to get a large, sweet chunk of a strawberry and glided the utensil to my mouth. I bit the part of the pie and let the mixture dissolve. I closed my eyes, loving the essence of the chocolate with the natural taste of the sugary fruit before swallowing. I re-opened them to see Harry tilted forward.

"Was it good?"

I nodded, the curls around my face bouncing freely, "Words cannot describe the taste… Merlin…"

Harry smiled, "Happy Valentine's, Hermione."

We didn't have to lean too far to get at each other, the table tiny in length, so when I did lean I could catch his lips without much effort. I kissed him briefly and smiled, retreating back coyly. For a moment, I felt as if I was in Hogwarts and Harry-Harry was my first love. I could feel him lacing and re-lacing his fingers amongst mine, tickling me just enough to keep me roused.

"I'm surprised we're even here…," I said in a whisper. We were always in whisper when it came to times like these. "Is this the `big reveal'?"

Harry shook his head, "Not quite… I just needed to feed you and what better place to know than Puddifoot?"

I grinned and asked slyly, my fork cutting into more of the white and dark chocolate strawberry pizza, "Do you take all your girlfriends here, James?"

"Nope…," he answered, watching me poke the prongs of the fork into the pie. "Only the one I love gets this treatment."

I moved the piece to his mouth and fed him the bite. I smiled, observing him chew through the one eye I could see from, "…I have study hall between Potions and Charms. I was thinking we could hang out on the lawn after? Maybe do a walk around the lake?"

Harry grinned and I could see his pearly whites dazzle in the subtle candlelight, "…I'd really enjoy that. But what about the Defense essay?"

Harry took up my hand and caressed the top. I blushed, my hand lightly over my mouth to keep my grin suppressed. I batted my eyelashes playfully and he snickered. I leaned in and met him halfway. Our lips touched, our wetness mingling across the middle of the table. A slight smacking sound came from us when he pressed into me and then released. When he relaxed back in his seat, he asked, "Would you like to go to the Quidditch game with me on Friday?"

"I absolutely would love to!" I could feel my dimples in the sides of my cheeks and laughed when he turned a little red. I bit my bottom lip. Harry looked utterly adorable when he'd shy away from me. He was wearing this sweater-khaki ensemble that fit trim to his figure. Even though we were going on like we were students in puppy love, I felt the twinge and excitement each and every time we met with eye contact as if we really were like the students around us. "…Though, we're studying for the Potions exam in the Commons after."

"'Studying', hm?" Harry lifted an eyebrow and winked.

"Mhmm…," I gently giggled. "All alone…in the Commons…beside the fireplace…"

Harry leaned in again, and I fell along with him. I felt his hand cradle the side of my face and I lay into his palm. Our kiss was tender, affectionate. Our lips stayed on one another, lightly tasting, lightly pushing into the pink softness. When we released, I nudged my nose alongside his. He smiled, our faces floating together, until I kissed him briefly, making him push back into my lips when mine came away.

We were smiling when we finally became aware again. Caught up in the moment I laughed and caressed his cheek. I let my hand comb through his messy blonde hair and kissed him once more.

***

We took a stroll through Hogsmeade after our romantic late lunch at Madam Puddifoot's. Harry had his hand secured on mine. Our leather gloves fit perfectly together. I'd gaze down at them clasping together and grin. Did I mention how giddy I was? A tint of red plastered every niche and crevice of the busy town, and on the even more busy streets budding with loving couples. Paper hearts were strung across the brick buildings, draping down among the guests. From everywhere a romantic tune played constantly. Performers were stopping people to pull a rose out of someone's ear or to produce candy hearts from people's coat pockets from thin air.

Underneath my history, what I've been through, the untainted girl from my youth remained. I unlocked the cage; rather, Harry assisted in unlocking the cage that life had chained and set aside. Snow lightly fell onto the streets, children ran around us laughing, people sang in chorus-and here I was with Harry simply enjoying the beautiful day. I tightened the grip of Harry's hand and looked over at him. He smiled at me, and then quickly yanked me into an alleyway away from the masses.

We didn't move far in. He stopped. I stopped. He turned to me with that smirk and pushed me against the brick wall beside me. He kissed me, his hands going to my hips beneath my white woolen trench coat. I grinned and nipped at his bottom lip. I held onto his chest gently, his chest covered by his own black trench coat. He blinked at me as he pulled away and I fought to see his eyes. I bit at my lip and relaxed against the wall he had me on, my boot digging into the foot of snow on the ground.

"Ready?"

"For…?" I cocked an eyebrow, but when he smirked at me it began to make sense. "Ohh… The surprise!"

He shook his head and stepped to me until we touched. I felt his fingers sink into my waist. My mind instantly went into the gutter-thanks Gin. For a second, I thought…sex? Here? Public? That's not Harry… He didn't move at all after stepping to me, our eyes locked as one, single link. I'm glad I didn't ask him through what I thought…don't ask me why I even thought of it…because he said, finally, breaking the silence that had me on pins and needles, "I'm taking you somewhere."

"Somewhere?" my voice fell out in a gasp. I hadn't known I held my breath. Then, I felt the flush of my cheeks and had to look away.

I felt his leathery glove on my chin as he slowly pulled me back to him. He grinned, his cerulean eyes trained on me, "Yes, somewhere quite special…to us."

I nodded. Of course I was. I'd follow him anywhere. "I'm ready," I breathed.

"We're apparating," he announced, really holding onto my hips. "Hang on."

I grasped the front of his trench coat firm and felt the falling sensation. The ground below us slipped away and suddenly, we were sucked from our alleyway into ripples of colour. I tried to find Harry amongst the flash of the rainbow, but the current of the transportation held me to my spot. I could only lower my head to his body, feeling a little sick after I conflicted with the departure to see him. I heard his and my pop, and then the ground come back under our feet.

I sighed in relief, blinking twice. I looked up from Harry's chest and glanced to the right, and then to the left. I heard people all around us. We'd landed in another alleyway, dirtier with a yellow rubbish bin that smelled awful nearby. I felt Harry move which made me come to him. He grabbed my hand and winked at me, pulling me with him onto the sidewalk and street.

I knew exactly where we were the second I took a step from the alley.

"King's Cross?"

"King's Cross," he gestured with the incline of his head.

Harry kept pulling me through the lines of people. We'd gone into the building in haste, too much haste; something was up. Harry had something obviously on his mind. I didn't even remember running this fast to catch the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the school year as much as I loved the train trip. Line after line we went through, civilians awaiting to board their trains and the sounds of whistles for when one came in and another went out. People started to stare when our feet picked up the pace.

"Why are we in such a hurry?" I was glancing around at the bystanders when I plowed right into the back of him. "Oww…"

Harry flipped around after stumbling. I was rubbing my nose, the brunt of where I hit him. He immediately began examining me, running his hand alongside my face, "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, "Yeah…," I sneezed in reflex of smashing my nose.

"Bless you," he replied, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbing under my nose.

I smiled at him and shot a glimpse at the sign to our left. The sign read, "Platform Nine". My eyes went to the right where another sign read, "Platform Ten". My heart began to flutter. All of a sudden a rush of memories flooded my mind. I saw pictures, quick, fast, photographs of me with my family running straight on through to catch the train to Hogwarts. I skipped around the platform beyond Muggle view with the fresh scent of new books and parchment bundled in my arms. I was carefree, unblemished and basking in the thrill ride of going into the education I excitedly wanted to be a part of. Back then, Hogwarts was a haven in which I thrived. I was saddened when it was all over.

"Come on," Harry said, taking my hand again after fixing me back up.

We headed a bit off-kilter from the centre. We were going to slam face-first into the brick if we were normal. But, when our bodies should have hit, a new, opened platform came into view. People in cloaks, people in robes, people in everyday-wear walked the lines and-I couldn't believe it when I saw it, stunned-the fire-engine red and black striped Hogwarts Express bellowing white smoke from its exhaust pipe with a toot-toot.

"Harry…," my mind swirled with endless possibilities. Why was Hogwarts Express here when the students were at Hogwarts? Why did we come to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters anyway? Why were we in such a rush? Were we…but, we could have done this without having to apparate. If we were going to Hogwarts by train… "…Are we going to Hogwarts?

I heard Harry chuckle in front of me, "Not quite."

He stopped, and this time I was vigilant to his halt. I peeked around him at the tooting Hogwarts Express, shining brilliantly its coat of glossy, red paint to the world. We'd didn't move for a moment. My head swished from the left, and then to the right. I realized we were in the middle of the platform…and butterflies quickly appeared in my stomach. My breathing pace increased when I felt the tight clasp of Harry's hand before he swirled around to smile at me.

I just looked up at him, speechless. Is this? Is…

Harry slipped his hand away from mine and shoved it into the pocket of his coat. I watched him, following him, gathering as much data of his movements as I could as if I calculated him like a mathematical equation.

I felt the body heat rise under my coat.

Harry got down on one knee.

My eyes widened.

His blue eyes never left mine the slightest.

My knees shook.

In his hand he held a small, velvet box in his palm.

The world became blurry. My head felt light. If I didn't know what was going on, I'd think someone had slipped something into our milkshake at Madam Puddifoot's.

"Hermione Jane Granger…," Harry began.

I gulped. My throat had gone dry.

I think I'm going to be sick.

People started to stop and stare.

"From the moment I first met you in Hogwarts, I thought you were special. You had this…you had this ability to keep my head straight and not let me over-inflate. You kept me safe and secure, at ease, with your intelligence, your brilliance, and your beauty. These past four months of my life have been the best four months of my entire life. I've grown leaps and bounds in loving you, and now, more than ever, I love you with all my heart."

I kind of swayed.

I couldn't feel my fingers, my toes, I couldn't feel anything-gone numb from head to feet.

In that instance, right there in the middle of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, I saw us-me and Harry-as our eleven year old selves once again. I started to cry and I tried to fight my tears back, my hand over my mouth as I watched Harry pull back the velvet lid to show me the three-studded diamond, platinum engagement ring in the centre.

He had a smile on his face.

"I love you. I'll always love you. I want to love you, forever."

I stuttered a breath, my stutter echoing off the walls of the platform. I could barely see Harry through the water in my sight.

"Hermione Jane Granger…," Harry, with twinkles in his eyes, kept his wonderfully beautiful smile confidently. "Will you marry me?"

I closed my eyes. I couldn't, wouldn't fight my emotions anymore and let tear after tear trickle down my cheek. I opened my eyes and wiped them of my water, to get the view of my beloved Harry on his knee with the ring. I shook my head, and kept shaking it, my dark brown curls going awry along the frame of my face.

"Yes," I removed my hand from my lips to speak, my words coming out in a whisper. "Yes, Harry-I'll marry you…!"

He grinned and took my hand tenderly in his own. I stopped any action, any movement, no blinks, no breathing-nothing-to watch him carefully slide the diamond onto my ring finger. He glanced up at me as he did and sighed, his chest heaving. He stood up and an uproar of applause occurred surrounding us. Everyone in attendance around us, who observed the proposal, clapped and cheered.

Harry got off the floor and wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. He lifted me right off the platform, my arms going around his neck, and he kissed me. My hands went into his black crow's nest where I held him to me, kissing him as hard as he kissed me.

It hit me while I kissed him. Something in my brain switched `On'.

Wait!

"Harry!" I shouted in whisper when he put me down gently on the floor. "You're hair!"

His smile faded, "My hair?"

He slid his hand through his hair. He looked at the hand, loose, raven colour having come off and his eyes widened.

Both our heads turned when we heard people hollering:

"It's Harry Potter!!!"

"It's the One!!"

"The Boy Who Lived!! He's here!!!"

Cameras began flickering on us. I had to shield my eyes against the rapid, flashing white light bulbs going off. I buried my face into Harry's chest and he held onto me, placing a hand to cover me away from the media encroaching in on us. With instantaneous movement, what with apparating and other fast forms of travel, word spread quickly and suddenly we were swarmed with blood-sucking locust: the wizarding paparazzi.

The paparazzi enclosed around us, barring the door, the exit out off the platform. I felt Harry push me, walking quick as he pried our way through people tugging at us and asking personal, rude questions:

"Hey! Hey!! Potter! Is this your new Bon-Bon?!"

"Chosen Boy! How's it feel to finally be a real wizard?!"

"Harry! For the Daily Prophet, how's life after Voldemort?! How're those nightmares about your parents?!"

"Where have you been hiding, The Boy Who Lived?! Scared ol' Voldie will be back?!"

"Whatever happened to that redheaded arm candy you left Hogwarts with?!"

Someone tried to grab my arm and pull me away from Harry like a ragdoll. I couldn't see at all, huddled along Harry who wrapped tighter around me when the person decided to take it upon himself to invade our bubble. He jolted, and I heard scuffling of feet and a camera break against the cement. He must have pushed whoever tried to grab me, the crowd around us drawing breaths and retreating to the fallen media.

"Back off her!!" Harry barked. "I swear, if you fucking touch her again…"

"Take that down, Margerie! `Potter, the Violent'! Guess ol' Voldie's nemesis has gone onto the Dark Side!"

"Maybe he's not so special after all!"

I went to turn my face away for a split second only to be shot, blinded by a white flash and smoke in my eyes. I jumped at the sound of the camera-click. The foul odor of an impoverished heave, a chuckle, someone's revolting breath hit my face like the weight of a thousand Galleons. Red and purple splotches lingered in my sight and I couldn't see, the snapshot taking over my sight. I put my hands over my face and withdrew back into Harry's chest. He tried to bulldoze our way through, to the exit, but was stopped by bodies shouting more meaningless, cheeky "questions" over the soiree of tumultuous voices calling us to answer. Eventually my ears perked to the sound of louder voices from afar. The platform security sure did take their time getting around to helping us. I guess our intimate life could wait on account of their busy schedule of standing around.

The second I knew we breeched back into the Muggle world of King's Cross, Harry embraced me with all his might. I felt us dropping, the terra sliding out from under us once more. Shifts in momentum, an acceleration of speed, the wind blew in my hair until the finale of it all when everything died down. I felt a wet spot on the top of my head. Harry's arms were still hugging me tight when I pulled from him and saw a snowflake drifting lazily down to me.

I gazed around us and knew by the lamplights, the manufactured hedges, the crosswalks that we were in front of Number Twelve: our only safe haven. My eyes went to Harry, his black hair blowing and his jade-green eyes gazing back at me. His scar had re-appeared from the cosmetic potion I had brewed for him before going to Ginny's. We hadn't wanted him to be noticed in St. Mungo's.

I smiled at his frown. He looked as if to cry. I stood erect, on my tip-toes and kissed him.

"I love you," I grazed the point of my nose along his.

He just continued to stare at me with lifeless eyes. I sighed. I knew what he was thinking… An invasion on our most private of our private times together. I glanced at my hands on his chest, the engagement ring on my finger, and smiled back up at him. His demeanor hadn't changed. I wrapped around him, my arms along his waist and rubbed my cheek against his chest.

I closed my eyes.

I couldn't be happier right now. Even after the damn paparazzi.

Harry… Harry had asked me to marry him.

I sighed contently… I felt… More than words.

"Sorry…," his voice trailed off melancholy. He placed his hands on my back and massaged, rubbing the length up and down. "I'm sorry they swarmed us right when they did. Damn it…"

Part of his lip curled and he looked as if he were about to bite, becoming a rabid dog from the visuals of the offensive press awash in his mind.

I shook my head against him and kissed his chest. I held him on me, pressed against him, my fingers interlocking together beside his back. Only when I took him by the hand and pulled him forward down the walkway to Number Twelve, our masses magically disappearing, did he uproot from his rigid, murderous stance.

***

"Hey…," I called out to Harry while pulling my hair back into a bun. I wrapped a gray scrunchie around the dampened ball and kind of frayed the tassels outward, making it full. The usual strands of hair fell over my left eye right when I nearly ran into Harry. I was coming from upstairs, having showered and relaxed, and he had just come back from getting dinner.

Harry looked at me with his shoulders slumped. In his hands held two white plastic bags with the words, "Thank You" written in red. "…Yeah?"

My midnight blue shirt to my knees lightly tapped against a pair of black spandex pants. "Don't allow them to get to you."

Harry sighed, glancing from me. He went on ahead into the living area and sank into the sofa. The ruffling of the plastic reverberated off the walls as he set the two bags on a side table. "…But, of all the times it could have happened, it had to happen right then. And, our private life is going to be smeared in the Daily Prophet tomorrow. Rita's really going to do a number on us."

I saw him yank down the sides of the bags. Two large, squared styrofoam dishes appeared. Four smaller styrofoam containers sat atop them, round in shape. The aroma of sweet and spicy immediately filled the room. I stood a moment and watched him angrily pry the meal from the plastic and bunch up the bags and toss them aside. I plopped right down beside him, scooting so we touched.

"Hey," I said again.

He stopped and turned, staring. His eyes had life in them, but the life expressed animosity, resentment, a gloss covering the twinkles I loved to see dance within them.

I leaned in and kissed him, and told him after, keeping my eyes settled intently on his, "I'm serious… Don't let that ruin your day. It hasn't ruined mine. Rita's an old coot. I say let her ramble. She has nothing else better to do in her pathetic life, anyway."

I felt of the engagement ring on my finger with my thumb and grinned at him.

He couldn't resist my smile and smiled back as much as I knew he hadn't wanted to. The twinkles materialized, and I knew I'd struck some sense back into him. I didn't enjoy seeing Harry lament because of his history. He didn't ask to be born in a world where people would kill to sell his actual arm on eBay. He peered back at the containers and popped the latches open, "You wanted shrimp stir fry, right?"

I tilted over his hands, unwrapping black plastic utensils and handing them over to me. I took them and said, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, "Mhmm… Did you get the soy sauce?"

He lifted ketchup-looking packets of brownish-black liquid.

"I also ordered orange chicken, bourbon chicken, vegan egg rolls and an extra side of white rice."

"And rented…?"

Harry held up the DVD case while ripping away a corner of a soy sauce packet with his teeth. He poured it over his own beef stir fry as I did with mine, "Braveheart."

I smirked, "Ooo… Nice-Mel Gibson. I like."

Harry went to get up, but halted. I gazed at him with my smirk still on. "…Should I turn it back in? I can get my money back if we didn't like it before midnight."

I laughed, examining the motions of his body while he went ahead and placed the DVD in its player, "Aww… I'll be completely enraptured by you…"

Harry turned around and came back toward me and the sofa. He fell back with the remote in his hand and took up his stir fry. He'd scooped out some orange chicken and bourbon chicken, placing the meat in one tidy corner of the styrofoam. He grinned and watched me from the side. I took up the circular styrofoam can of egg rolls and placed it in-between my legs, scooting my bum towards him so my backside rested between his legs.

I reached back and grabbed the handheld from the table and gathered it as I got my larger box of fried rice and seafood. "That is…" I resumed from before. "Whenever Mel isn't on the screen…"

"That's it!" Harry gently, playfully pushed on me as if to get up.

I yanked him back down, "Sit!" I giggled.

Harry hit the `Play' button on the remote and set it aside. He curled himself around me in his lap and had a forkful of his stir fry in his mouth when I turned the camera on to record. He mumbled, looking away to swallow. I chuckled, falling back to relax against my lover.

"The camera." He stated.

"The camera," I proclaimed. "Dun dun dun…"

"What are we taping today?"

I had the lens at arm's length to capture us both in the frame, "A handsome man and his new fiance." I smiled into the camera.

"Isn't it more like, `Beauty and the Beast'?"

I bumped him with my elbow on purpose, "My `Prince Charming'."

"Okay, okay…" Harry put his chin on my shoulder and gazed into the camera with me.

"Today was amazing…," I said to the device. "Dr. Stevens reiterated the same brilliant results of my heart test. He doesn't see anything for me in the future. No more problems, no more tickles, no more flutters… But, more importantly, today was Valentine's Day, 2000…and…"

I felt Harry tighten his grip around me in response to what he knew was coming.

I held up my hand, the three-studded diamond ring glittering amongst the fire in the hearth. An enormous smile crept onto my face, "I was proposed to… I'm engaged to a wonderful man."

Harry kissed my neck and I could feel his nose graze the tender, sensitive skin.

Twisting my head towards him, I looked on with a smirk, "You know you're going to have to top this next year."

For a minute, Harry stared forward. Then, a wickedly evil smirk crossed his face. He gazed back at me and said, "Well… I've gotten an idea already…"

"Oh really?" I held the camera steady on us.

"Most definitely…," He had set his box down on the side table and reached to me. Placing his hand carefully on my cheek, he drew me to him. He kissed me hard, passionately; I could feel the heat resonating from his mouth between my lips. He nearly took the breath straight from me.

I wobbled, swayed when we removed ourselves. Dazed, I closed my eyes and smirked. Pushing up farther in his lap, his arms wrapping around my waist, I smiled into the electronics aimed perfectly to seize from hips northward and announced breathlessly, "I'm one very, very happy fiance…"

I held the hand that the ring was slipped onto at the camera. Harry grabbed me again as I lifted the hand. I put my palm on the hand he drew me to him once more and he kissed me, gathering all of me within the strength of his arms and didn't let me go.

{Inspirations for the Chapter: Hello Sunshine by Super Furry Animals, More Than Words by Extreme, and Send Me an Angel by Real Life}

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