Chapter 4: A Bond Created…
Hermione bolted upright in her bed, gasping, sweat dripping down her body. Looking around her bedroom, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Hedwig was still out for the night, hunting while Crookshanks was curled up on the box seat by the window. The moonlight shone brightly through her window.
Slumping back down on her bed, Hermione winced when she realised that her nightie was completely soaked through and knew that she would become ill if she didn't changed into dry clothing. Slipping free from her bed, she headed into her private bathroom and stripped her nightie off before grabbing a face cloth. Running the 'hot' tap, she waited for the water to heat up to the right temperature before running the cloth, soaking it.
Once the cloth was soaked, she switched the tap off, wrung it out the cloth and wiped down her body to remove the sweat before grabbing a dry towel and patted herself dry. Leaning over, she picked up the spare PJs she always left in her bathroom and slipped them on. She wore a pair of dark blue bottoms with an old t-shirt of Harry's that she had 'borrowed' from him. She grabbed a hair tie and tied her sweat soaked hair up so it wasn't sticking her to skin before heading back into her bedroom to remove the soaked sheets and replaced them with new ones. Thankfully her pillows and covers had stayed dry so she didn't have to change everything.
Slipping back into bed, she rested her head on the pillow and thought back to her dream. It was so weird, she could see Harry and he was smiling at her, saying something before he turned around and it all went black, terrifying her. Frowning as she thought about her dreams, she wondered what it had meant. Even though she thought Divination was a woolly thing, she knew that dreams held hidden subconscious messages.
Scoffing as her logical side took over, rejecting her worries. She was just worried about Harry and her subconscious decided to play a trick on her. Settling down further in her bed, she closed her eyes and tried to will herself back to sleep but found it hard to do so with the nagging feeling deep in her gut.
***************
"Who knew a tiny little thing could do so much damage?" Charlie asked as he wrung the blood soaked cloth out before placing it back over Harry's stomach to stem the blood flow while Rina checked the back of Harry's head to make sure there wasn't any lasting damage. Rina snorted.
"We're talking about a dragon here," Rina reminded. "Some of them can breathe fire the moment they are born." Charlie rolled his eyes before looking down at Harry's prone body once more. The healer had already been by and healed Harry's cut on the back of his head before reminding them that he couldn't heal the internal bleeding in Harry's stomach. He had assured them that the bleeding wasn't fatal and gave them a potion for Harry to take when he finally came back to consciousness.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Charlie asked, checking the blood flow once more. It was slowing down, much to his relief. There were three deep gashes on Harry's lower torso and they would scar thanks to them being unable to use magic to heal them. They were able to heal the cut on the back of Harry's head because he had hit it on a rock when he fell backward after the dragon had jumped on him.
"He'll be fine," Rina assured as she looked up at Charlie, giving him a tender smile. "He has a hard head." Charlie chuckled, his head tilting to the side and the diamond earring he had in his left earlobe glinted off the light and she was struck at how handsome he was once more. He used to have fiery red hair but had dyed it for a darker red look. It brought out his blue eyes and framed his chiselled looks well.
Charlie just continued to look at her; some of her black locks had fallen out of their knot, framing her face as her dark blue eyes were watching him with tenderness. There was a smudge of soot on her left cheek from where she had been dealing with a rowdy baby dragon playing in the ash. They had obviously decided to bring Rina into the fun from the sooty paw prints over her clothes.
Acting on impulse, Charlie leaned in and pressed his lips against Rina's. She jerked back out of shock before a shy smile crossed her face. Fear pounded through his body when Rina jerked away from him only for it to be replaced with relief and happiness when Rina smiled and leaned in. She cupped his cheek and parted her lips for him. He slid his tongue into her mouth, tasting her before groaning.
She tasted of honey and spice. She smelt of fire and peppermint. It should have smelt strange but it suited her for a reason. He cupped her cheek before sliding his hand into her dark locks, wanting to feel the soft silky hair in his hand once. Both of them were so caught up in their first taste of each other that they missed the young man slowly wakening up.
"Oh please!" a voice interjected, causing Charlie and Rina to break away and stare at each other. "I cannot bleach my eyes and I most certainly cannot perform a memory charm on myself." They looked down to see that Harry was torn between looking amused and looking disgusted the scene he had woken up to. "Of course, if I had known that getting myself hurt would have gotten your guys together; I would have done it when I first arrived." Rina frowned, not impressed.
"That's not funny Harry James Potter," she scolded him as she picked up the vial she had been mixing stuff together in. With the wooden spatula, she scooped up some of the strange light blue jelly and spread it over his wounds.
"You're telling me," Harry muttered under his breath before wincing as Rina spread the strange mixture over his wounds. "What on earth is that?!" he demanded, staring at the stuff as if it belonged to an alien.
"Dragon healing medicine," Rina explained. "We use this whenever we've been badly hurt by a dragon to the point it left us scars."
"I'm gonna have scars? I've been hurt by a dragon?" Harry asked, confused.
"What do you remember?" Charlie asked. Harry frowned.
"I remember someone shouting and turning around. I remember something hitting my stomach and falling backward before passing out," Harry listed.
"The baby dragon had gotten a bit too excited when she found out that you were the heir and in her excitement, she collided with you but ended up digging her claws into your stomach by accident. In fact, we call them playful scratches," Charlie explained. Harry's eyes almost bugged out of his head.
"Playful scratches?" he demanded. Rina grinned.
"Dragons can be playful, especially newborn ones. They break out of it after a few days when they realise that humans have tender skin rather than hard like their families and friends. Unfortunately for you, it pierced your stomach and caused some internal bleeding. We managed to stop the bleeding but it will be painful for a few days," Rina explained. Harry frowned.
"Who healed me?" Harry asked. Charlie and Rina looked at each other before looking at Harry.
"We had to go the muggle way," Charlie told him and Harry looked at him. "Remember, dragon magic is stronger and older than wizard magic. It's the same with their bites and scratches. You only had minor internal bleeding though. We managed to heal the crack you had on the back of your head from where you hit a rock. You will have a headache so there's medication for it."
"Bloody hell, I don't have enough problems with Voldemort, a dragon's gotta attack me," he muttered, rolling his eyes only to wince when it made his headache worse. Charlie and Rina just grinned. "How long do I have to keep the gloop on?"
"Overnight. The scratches are deep. We'll put a bandage around it so it won't wipe off during your sleep." Rina finished putting the gel on and placed the jar off to the side. Picking up the pad, she pressed it down, carefully, over the goo before ripping tape and sticking it in place then grabbed the roll of bandage. She gestured to Charlie to help Harry sit up so she could wrap the bandage around.
Charlie helped Harry sit up, mindful of his wounds as Harry slid an arm around Charlie's shoulder, gritting his teeth as a burning sensation ran through his stomach. Rina unwound the first part of the bandage and worked her way around Harry's torso till she reached the last section and tied it off correctly so it wouldn't become loose during the night. She helped Charlie to lay Harry down before adjust him onto his side.
"You will need to sleep on your side. It's not good for you to be on your back, especially with your headache. Don't worry about us coming in to wake you up every hour. The medic healed you of your concussion," Charlie explained.
"Thank god for that," Harry muttered as he adjusted his head, trying to put it in a comfortable position. Once he was comfortable, Rina pulled the covers over Harry's body while Charlie gathered up all the material. Rina leaned down and pressed a kiss to Harry's temple.
"Good night, we'll see you in the morning," she told him, switching off the lamp and heading out of the room with Charlie. She switched off the room light before closing the door, leaving Harry in the darkness to deal with the unexpected lump that had appeared in his throat after getting a sisterly kiss from someone who was practically a stranger.
"I think you broke him," Charlie said to Rina as they brushed their teeth. They had gotten changed into nightwear and were in the bathroom, brushing their teeth.
"How do you mean?" Rina asked after she spat out the toothpaste and wiped her mouth before picking up her mouthwash.
"You did see what he was like after you kissed his forehead, right?" Charlie asked, spitting out his toothpaste and wiping his mouth. "You remember what I told you about his aunt and uncle." Rina nodded as she swished her mouthwash and spat it out, wiping her mouth once more.
"Yes, but surely other people have shown him kindness," Rina pointed out. "I mean, what about Hermione?" Charlie sighed.
"Harry isn't a physical person at all. She told me that he was startled when she gave him a hug in their first year. That he just froze up. This is a boy who has been neglected when it comes to human touch," Charlie pointed out but Rina shook her head.
"And it has to change, Charlie. He is a young man who has seen death and faced Voldemort too many times. How on earth is he supposed to survive the war if people are intent on keeping him separated from human touch?" Rina pointed out.
"I think it's more of the other way round," Charlie said. "Hermione told me that Harry rarely initiates contact." Rina frowned.
"This is bad, Charlie," she told him. "What were the Dursleys like?" Charlie shrugged.
"Fred and George told me that they and Ron went to save him the summer before Harry's second year. There were bars on the window," Charlie explained. Rina's face paled as she stared at her best friend horrified.
"What?" she whispered, disbelief colouring her tone as tears filled her blue eyes. "They put bars on his windows to cage him in like an animal?!" She finished in a near shout that Charlie had to put his hand over her mouth so she wouldn't wake Harry up. He knew how sensitive Rina could get and hearing that Harry had been abused would definitely get her hackles up.
"Sh," he soothed her. "Harry is safe now, he's with us." Rina shook her head as she pulled Charlie's hand away from her mouth.
"No, you don't get it. That type of abuse goes on for years," Rina told him, Charlie frowned, not getting it. "Harry probably has been abused since he was sent to live with them!" Charlie's eyes widen in shock and horror. Both of them hurried out of the bathroom and down the stairs into the kitchen where they would be able to converse without the risk of wakening Harry, who desperately needed his sleep.
"Are you sure?" Charlie asked once the door was shut and turned around to face his best friend. Rina nodded.
"You said that Harry had problems with his family. The bars on the windows are just a part of it. It is very possible that Harry had been suffering abuse at their hands for years," Rina pointed out. "Didn't you say that someone told you that Harry didn't know of his magical inheritance until someone went to pick him up?" Charlie nodded as understanding dawned on him.
"Hagrid said that they wanted to stop Harry from knowing of his magical abilities, that they had wanted to stamp it out of him," Charlie explained before breathing heavily. "Would they really do that? I mean, his aunt is his mother's sister. I mean, surely she loved her sister!" Rina shrugged.
"We don't know much of the family because Lily never spoke much about them. Add in the fact that Harry doesn't talk about them much…" she trailed off as Charlie breathed heavily, his hands planted on the cool surface of the island table.
"What do we do?" Charlie asked; Rina rubbed her fingers over her forehead.
"We have to get Harry to talk," Rina told him. "He cannot go through life shouldering this burden. If he is the one to face Voldemort in the end, he will need love, not hate and abuse. It is the only way he will win." She placed a hand on his back, comforting him.
"How do we talk to him about this?" Charlie asked.
"With a soft approach," Rina told him. "We can't charge ahead with Harry. He is like a skittish kitten; you need to coax him into feeling safe and that he can trust us." Charlie looked at her over his shoulder.
"When did you become a therapist?" Charlie asked and Rina shrugged.
"I went to one when I was younger. I had some emotional problems that I couldn't deal with," Rina explained. "They started off slow and built it up so I wasn't feeling overwhelmed or would shut down at the last moment." Charlie nodded in understanding as he straightened up and turned to face her completely.
"So," Charlie started. Rina lifted her eyes to meet his, tilting her head in puzzlement, curious to what was going on. "What are we?" he looked at Rina. "Are we a couple or friends with benefits?" he asked. Rina smiled, amused.
"I don't know about you but I wouldn't mind giving our relationship a chance," Rina told him, shrugging. "If it doesn't work out, we could try and regain our friendship but I think it's worth the risk." Charlie nodded.
"So, should we seal the deal with a kiss?" he asked with a teasing grin. Rina rolled her eyes good naturedly as Charlie leaned in and pressed a kiss to Rina's lips, his left hand coming up to cup her cheek as she moaned, parting her lips and stepping in closer. Her hands slid up his chest until they round his shoulders as his tongue slid into her mouth. Charlie removed his hand from her cheek, bringing both arms around her waist, embracing her.
********************
The next morning, the sunlight slowly crept into Harry's room, shining on his face. Harry's nose wrinkled as he blinked opens his eyes, let out a yawn and looked at the clock on the bedside table to see it was past ten in the morning. Groaning, he climbed out of the bed. The wound on his stomach still stung but it wasn't as painful as the night before. He made his way out of his room and down the stairs into the living room where Rina was over at the bookcases, scanning the shelves for something to read. She turned her head when she heard someone come in and smiled when she saw Harry.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked crossing the living room to help him sit down on the couch and removed the bandage.
"It doesn't hurt like it did last night," Harry told her. Rina nodded as she checked over the scars before putting a clean bandage on.
"One more day and it should finish healing," Rina told him and Harry nodded, pleased that he wouldn't be in anymore pain after the night. Rina finished taping the bandage down and straightened up. "You should get something to eat; we're heading out into the reserve today for more training." Harry nodded as he got up and made his way into the kitchen while Rina headed back over to the bookcase. She scanned the books once more before she found what she was looking for.
Harry was in the kitchen, sitting at the island counter with a bowl of cereal in front of him. He took great care not to move too much for risk of worsening his injuries. He thought about Hermione as he ate his breakfast. He had a weird dream of her while he had been unconscious. She had been in front of him, happy and smiling when it had been replaced with utter fear as she reached out for him and everything went black.
Shaking his head, he stifled the thought; obviously his divination class has gotten to his head. What on earth was he thinking? He wasn't connected to Hermione that way; there was no way that Hermione knew of the attack that happened the night before. He finished off his breakfast and placed his bowl and spoon into the dishwasher before making his way up the stairs to get ready.
Once he had gotten washed and changed into clothes, he headed back down the stairs where Charlie and Rina were currently in a lip-lock in the living room. Harry cleared his throat, amused and embarrassed. Charlie and Rina pulled away from each other, startled and spun around to see Harry standing in the doorway.
"So, I assume that the two of you have decided that a relationship was worth the risk after all," Harry told them, amused. Charlie and Rina exchanged loving looks before they looked at Harry once more, who rolled his eyes. "I'm glad; the sexual tension was driving me nuts." He turned around and walked out of the house with a smirk on his face while Charlie and Rina just stuttered, shocked before hurrying after him.
Once they reached the reserve, Charlie led Harry over to the nests so he could see the new arrivals and spotted a dragon spreading its wings, testing them out and a smile crossed his face. Bending down, Charlie scooped the dragon into his hands. It let out a startled squeal before it settled down, growling softly before Charlie turned around to show Harry the dragon that he had seen hatch the night before.
"Meet the dragon who gave you the 'presents'," Charlie despotised the dark blue dragon with dark purple eyes into Harry's hands. Harry recognised the dragon almost instantly.
"Ah, so you're the one who attacked me," Harry murmured, lifting the dragon up so their eyes could meet. "For that, I get to name you." He pondered for a moment before a name came to him. "Flamara," everyone looked at him. "Yeah, Flamara suits you. You breathed flame when we first met and Mara is a good name."
'Thank you,' a female voice told him. Harry looked around, startled, before he looked at Flamara, whose eyes were shining with happiness and mischief.
"You can talk?" Flamara shook her head.
'Only telepathically,' she told him. 'My family is a telepath dragon lineage so it's easier for us to communicate with each other and the heir this way.'
"Do all of you have different abilities you excel in?" Harry asked Flamara nodded.
'Some dragons are able to blend in with the darkness, some dragons can camouflage themselves in their surroundings and such,' Flamara explained. Harry arched an eyebrow, interested. There were barely any books on Dragons at Hogwarts due to the fact that they had removed most of the books as they no longer taught about Dragons. Harry found that quite disappointing before digging deeper into Hogwarts past and found that they had stopped a lot of different classes because they had been deemed unworthy to be taught to pureblood such as dancing, music, healing and such.
"Why did you attack me?" Harry asked turning the conversation and Flamara ducked her head, sheepish.
'I was excited to see the heir,' she admitted. 'We hear all about the heir and my mother told me that you were the heir. I got over excited and wanted to greet you but I didn't realise that I would hurt you." Harry nodded, understanding and amused.
"So I should assume that you won't be doing that again," Harry said and Flamara nodded. "Okay, I'll put you back in your nest." Harry was about to do this when Flamara looked at him.
'Actually, can I be your pet?' she asked, shyly.
************
Ron and Hermione were arguing in the living room of Grimmauld place. He wasn't happy that Hermione had refused to stay at Grimmauld place for the summer.
"Why can't you just stay here rather than flooing over here everyday?" Ron complained. Hermione let out a huff of annoyance. It was obvious that they had been having the same argument for days.
"Because my parents are still worried about me after what happened before the summer and I haven't seen them all year considering Harry needed me at Christmas. I missed my parents and I'm spending the summer to be with them. Just because you need help with your homework doesn't mean I will give up my parents!" she shouted at him.
"I'm not asking you for help with my homework," Ron shouted back, incensed at the accusation. "I'm just asking why can't you stay here and visit your parents instead. I barely get to see you when you are here."
"Because I like the peace and privacy of my home, Ronald," Hermione informed him. "The reason why we barely get to see each other is because your mother makes us work to clean the house and I prefer to do things myself because I always have a system and you prefer to do things your way."
Ron was beginning to become frustrated with the lack of interest he was gaining from Hermione. He had been trying to get her attention nearly all summer but she had been too busy with something or someone else to care. "Beside, I thought you would be more concerned about Harry." That was the last straw for Ron, who forever saw himself in the shadows of Harry Potter.
"What about Harry?" Ron snapped. Hermione shot him a wounded look.
"He's out there somewhere!" Hermione shouted. "He is your best friend and you don't care that he is missing?" Ron scoffed.
"Harry Potter does what Harry Potter wants. It's not like we get a choice in the matter. If he wants to disappear then he can. Why should I care?" Ron demanded.
"He lost his god-father, Ron. Voldemort and his death eaters want him. No-one knows where he is and you don't care?" Hermione asked. Ron shrugged.
"He'll be okay, he's Harry Potter. He has gotten out of stickier situation than this," Ron pointed out. Hermione shot him a stunned look before she spun on her heels and stormed out of the living room, leaving Ron by himself. Ron just stared after her as she left before sighing as he slumped down onto the chair. He just didn't understand why she was always so concerned about Harry. He was right there in front of her but she couldn't see him thanks to damn Harry Potter. Everyone was always more concerned about Harry Potter than they were about him.
Ginny Weasley made her way into the living room, curious to what had made Hermione storm up the stairs and saw her brother slumped on the chair near the fireplace wearing a look of annoyance and took a guess to what he had done to upset Hermione.
Ron looked up when he heard someone coming into the room and saw his sister standing there in a baggy red jumper and a pair of black joggers. Her red hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Sighing to himself, he turned back to the fireplace. "What do you want, Ginny?"
"Just came to see why Hermione came storming up the stairs. I should have guessed it was you," Ginny informed him before turning around to leave the room only to stop at the sound of her brother's voice.
"Why do you always assume that it was me that pissed her off?" Ron demanded. "Why couldn't Harry be the reason for once?" Ginny scoffed as she turned around once more to pin her brother a disbelieving glare.
"Are you serious?" she demanded. "All you do is pick on her and mock her. I bet that you said that you didn't care that Harry was missing." The guilt crossed Ron's face indicated that Ginny was right and she shook her head. "You are unbelievable. He is supposed to be your best friend yet you can't even bother yourself to muster up any concern that Harry is out there and possibly in danger because you are more annoyed that everyone is concerned about Harry."
"Harry isn't her only best friend, I am too," Ron growled as he stood up, furious. "He doesn't seem to care that much about her if he was more obsessed with Cho and I haven't heard anything of Harry sending her a letter to assure that he is okay."
"Oh please," Ginny snapped. "Harry is so Hermione's." Ron scowled and Ginny arched an eyebrow. "What, you've never noticed? He chose her over Cho, the girl he fancied since third year, Ron. She's the one person who stuck by him when no-one else did. Even you turned your back on him."
"That isn't fair," Ron complained, it was the one time and he was tired of people bringing it up.
"Yes it is," Ginny countered. "You really thought Harry had put his name in the Goblet of Fire, despite him insisting that he didn't. You only did a turn around because you saw how close Harry and Hermione were getting by the first task and decided to change it because you can't handle the fact that Harry Potter has the money, the fame and looked like he was getting the girl." Ginny shook her head. "Harry has been through hell, Hermione is worried sick about him considering the fact two years ago, Cedric had been killed in front of him and Voldemort rose back up. Last year, Sirius died in front of him trying to protect Harry and Hermione had been knocked out in front of him. Neville told me that Harry just froze, that he thought Hermione had died! And all you care about is getting into her pants. What a great best friend you are." She stormed out of the room, leaving Ron to simmer in his own thoughts.
Hermione sighed from where she was sitting cross-legged on the bed that Harry usually slept in when he stayed at Grimmauld place. She was holding a pillow close to her chest, her nose buried into the soft material. She could smell his scent on the pillow and it comforted her to know that she could still smell him. She knew that he was safe; his letter indicated it and her gut instincts were never wrong when it came to Harry but at the same time, she just wanted to see him for herself to assure her that he was alive and in one piece.
It had scared her how much she had become dependant on Harry. Ever since they had become friends, she couldn't imagine her life without him and whenever she saw him, he calmed her down by just being there. He didn't have to do anything, his calming nature, when he was calm, calmed her. She hugged the pillow tighter to her chest when she heard a noise and turned to see that Crookshanks jumping up onto the bed.
He purred when he saw his mistress, moving closer to her crossed legs and curled up. He could sense that his mistress was currently upset and decided to just be in the room. Hermione reached out, running her hand through his thick fur and he purred in happiness while Hedwig flew from her spot at the windowsill and sat down in front of Hermione, understanding that Hermione needed something of Harry.
Hedwig clicked her beak before she ruffled her feathers and something silver dropped onto the bed covers. Startled, Hermione looked toward it and saw it was a ring. Frowning, she reached down and picked it up, turning so she could see the design and her jaw dropped when she saw a picture of a dragon head and a snake head before she looked at Hedwig, who bobbed her head.
"Is this Harry's ring?" she whispered and Hedwig nodded. Hermione looked at her ring once more and slipped it onto her ring finger of her right hand. Once she put it on, she was instantly bombed with a calming soothing presence, one that reminded her so much of Harry and relaxed almost instantly. Even Hedwig seemed to relax, settling down on the bed.
Hermione peered closer at the picture, unsure of what they symbolised. She knew that Dragons had been a large part of the Potter's line, although she had yet to find anything to help her to understand why. But the snake was more interesting considering the fact that Harry was Parselmouth. They had always thought that Harry had gained that as a backlash from Voldemort attacking him when he was a baby but the picture made Hermione think twice.
People didn't know much about the Potter line, except there were famous for integrating muggleborns into the family. They weren't always pureblood as their family branched out, falling in love rather than marrying for money and titles. They were also famous due to the fact that Harry was the last heir left of the Potter family as all of them had been wiped out thanks to Voldemort and his Death Eaters as they had refused to join the Dark Lord.
Hermione shook herself out of her thoughts and looked at the pillow in her hand, she smiled and moved her wand, muttering a spell, the pillow shrunk in her hands and she placed it into her pocket. She looked at her watch and decided it was a good time to head back home in time for dinner. She helped Hedwig into the cage and ushered Crookshanks into his basket before she picked them up and headed out of the bedroom, making her way down the stairs.
Once she reached the hallway, she bumped into Mrs. Weasley coming out of the kitchen. Molly took one look at Hermione's hands and started forming a plan to keep Hermione with them longer.
"Oh, won't you stay for Dinner? I'm sure Ron would love to see you around longer," she told Hermione. Hermione shook her head.
"Sorry Mrs. Weasley, but my parents are expecting me home for dinner," Hermione told her. "Beside, Ron and I need some space to cool off." She didn't miss the hope that seemed to bloom in Mrs. Weasley's face.
"Cool off?" she repeated and Hermione nodded.
"We had a heated exchange. He didn't understand why I wanted to spend time with my parents rather than being here and that I was more concerned about Harry than his well being," Hermione informed Molly with a hard tone. "Being at home gives me peace that I wouldn't be able to get here and I have missed my parents." Molly deflated.
"Of course, if you wish to go home, you can," Molly told her before leading the way into the living room. Hermione followed her over to the fireplace. Molly reached off to the side and picked up the pot of floo powder. She held it out to Hermione, who stepped into the fireplace, shifted Hedwig's cage under her arm and used her free hand to grab the power. Throwing it down, she called her house's name and disappeared in a green flame.
Molly sighed with unhappiness before she headed through the house with the intention of finding her son and reminding him just what was at stake here if he continued to argue with Hermione.
***********
Hermione sighed with happiness as she stumbled out of her fireplace, greeted with the familiarly of her living room. Her mother came into the living room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel and smiled brightly when she saw her daughter.
"Hey sweetheart, dinner is almost ready," she told Hermione. Hermione nodded as she kissed her mother on the cheek and headed up the stairs to her room so she could let Hedwig and Crookshanks out.
Hedwig moved over to the perch that Hermione had purchased and Crookshanks slipped out of the room. Hermione removed the pillow from her pocket and enlarged it before placing it on her bed. Hopefully with Harry's scent, she would be able to sleep properly this time without a strange dream.
Hermione slipped into her private bathroom to wash her face. It was a simple bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. As she preferred to get up early, this was a way of making sure she didn't disturb her parents. When she finished washing her face and hands, she made her way down the stairs, ready for dinner.
"Hey mum," Hermione made her way into the kitchen. Miranda Granger was a slender woman with long brown curls and blue eyes. It was easy to see where Hermione had gotten her curls and features from. Miranda turned around at the sound of her daughter's voice and smiled.
"Hey sweetheart, take a seat. Your father will be down in a minute," Miranda turned back to the cooker just as there were heavy footsteps on the stairs. Hermione sat down and turned her head when she sensed a presence in the doorway. Matthew Granger was a tall man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He smiled when he saw his daughter.
"Did you have fun?" he asked as he crossed the room, kissing her on the forehead before taking a seat. Hermione shrugged.
"It was alright up until Ron and I had another fight," Hermione explained as her mother placed the tray of chicken in the middle of the table with assortment of vegetables in different bowls around it.
"Hm, what did you fight about this time?" Miranda asked as she sat down at the table.
"Why I wasn't staying over at Grimmauld," Hermione explained as she placed some chicken on her plate before scooping up some vegetables. She lifted the jug of orange juice and filled her glass. Matthew frowned as he copied his daughter.
"I'm not so sure I like this boy," Matthew told Hermione. "He seems to lose his temper easily and gets jealous of Harry?" he seemed unsure of the name and Hermione nodded.
"Yes, it's Harry. I think he just feels he is in the shadows when it comes to his brothers and Harry," Hermione frowned, "I just wish he would stay by Harry's side. Harry had tough years and Ron doesn't make it any better."
"Have you heard from him?" Miranda asked and Hermione shook her head.
"Not since the letter. He promised that he would be meeting us for Sirius' will and that it is for his own protection," Hermione told her.
"Have the others asked you if Harry has contacted you?" Miranda asked with a knowing glance and Hermione sighed, shaking her head.
"No, they have been trying to contact him but the owls don't know where he is. They haven't even asked me if Harry had contacted me. They have asked the others but not me," Hermione told him. Matthew frowned.
"I would have thought they would have asked you considering Harry trust you," Matthew asked and Hermione frowned.
"I think they think he wouldn't contact me for my protection. After I got hurt, Harry had been withdrawn, he blames himself for my injury," Hermione explained, subconsciously rubbing a hand over the fading scar underneath her top. Matthew and Miranda shared a look before they looked at their daughter once more.
"I'm sure Harry is fine wherever he is and I'm sure there'll be someone helping him," Miranda told her daughter. Hermione looked up at her mother and nodded, smiling.
"Yeah, Harry did say I wasn't to worry too much," Hermione told them and they chuckled as they tucked into their dinner despite the slight tension that hovered over them. What would happen to their daughter if something were to happen to Harry? Miranda lifted her head when she saw something shiny out the corner of her eye and noticed that her daughter was wearing a ring.
Narrowing her eyes, she looked close at the ring as close as she could without alerting her daughter. The ring was unusual and she was about to speak up when she saw Hermione's thumb rub over the silver band and kept quiet. The ring must belong to Harry.
**********************
"Is there any news yet?" Dumbledore asked as he made his way into the headquarters office.
"No," Moody barely looked up from his papers.
"What of Miss Granger, has she not replied to Harry yet?" Dumbledore turned to Tonks, who shook her head.
"No, Hedwig only goes hunting then goes straight back to Hermione when daybreak arrives. She doesn't carry any letter at all. I assumed that Harry must have asked Hermione to look after Hedwig and not to send him any letters," Tonks summarised.
"Why would he not want to be found?" Molly Weasley asked, frowning.
"Has Harry sent any letters to Ron?" Dumbledore asked and Molly shook her head.
"No. We even sent Pig with a letter for Harry but he arrived back two hours later, confused. Harry must be under protection so he can't be detected by owls unless it's his own," Molly explained. Dumbledore let out a huff of frustration. He just didn't know what was going on with the boy. He understood that he must still be grieving for his godfather but to disappear completely was rather over-dramatic!
****************
"Why are you bouncing?" Harry asked Rina with a sceptical smile. He was currently sitting on the couch, mindful of his bandage around his stomach. They were almost healed; he just needed to leave it on for one more night.
"My parents are coming up," Rina told him excitedly. She was wearing a short white skirt and a dark blue shirt. She was fussing over everything to make sure it was all in the correct places, slapping Harry and Charlie's hands away from the food that were laid out on the coffee table for their guests.
"Why?" Charlie asked, rubbing the back of his hand from where she had slapped him a little harder than intended.
"Because I invited them up to meet Harry, not that they know they are going to meet him. I wouldn't want to give my mom a heart attack that she is going to be meeting her dead best friend's son tonight," Rina babbled. Harry leaned into Charlie.
"She babbles?" Charlie nodded.
"When she gets really excited," Charlie confessed and Harry frowned.
"I wonder if Hermione babbles when she gets really excited," Harry muttered to himself. Charlie just smirked before turning back to Rina when there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" she squealed, bounding out of the room.
"I'd pity anyone who had been standing in the doorway or decided to get the door themselves," Harry murmured. Charlie chuckled; amused only to stand up and help Harry up when they heard Rina coming back with her parents.
"Mom, dad!" greeted Rina with an excited smile. Tina Malloy had shoulder length black hair and green eyes. She wore a white shirt and floor length black skirt. Ryan Malloy had dark blue eyes and short, spiky, dark brown hair. He wore a black shirt and blue jeans.
Tina embraced her daughter in a hug, kissing her cheek before she stood back and cupped her daughter's cheeks, looking over her over.
"You look really well," Tina informed her daughter and Rina rolled her eyes, obviously had heard this before."
"I've been eating mom, I exercise twice a day three times a week and I haven't been burnt to cinder by any dragons," she teased. Tina rolled her eyes.
"Yet," she corrected. Rina mocked her mother by rolling her eye with a smile. Ryan just chuckled as he watched his girls mock each other before reaching out to embrace his daughter, which she returned.
"Hi daddy," she greeted with a kiss to his cheek.
"Hey pumpkin, you been behaving yourself?" he asked, brushing a kiss to her forehead. Rina sighed, shaking her eyes.
"You make it sound like I'm a trouble-maker," she scolded them as she led them into the living room where she saw her boys standing there. "I want to introduce to Charlie Weasley, he is my best friend." Tina and Ryan shook the man's hand, both of them well aware of just who Charlie was. "And this is…" She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him over only for Tina's eyes to widen when she spotted him. A hand cupped her mouth as her green eyes widen in shock in disbelief. She stumbled forward, reaching her hand out to touch Harry's cheeks.
"James?" she whispered before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she fainted.
****************
Deep underground, a slender woman walked through the dark hallway until she reached a double door. She touched her necklace and muttered something under her breath. When she was finished, the doors parted and she stepped through. Torches on the walls lit up as she walked past them until she came to a stop in front of a lone throne that sat in the middle of the room, shrouded in darkness. She knelt down on her right knee. Her right hand was placed on the ground for support while her other hand was resting on her left knee.
"Well?" a raspy male voice asked.
"It's getting close to his birthday. He has learned of his dragon lineage," she reported.
"He never knew before?" the male voice, confusion and displeasure clear.
"No, it seemed it had been withheld from him," she informed him and there was a slam of fist meeting stone.
"This is unacceptable. He should have known when he was thirteen and received training for it. If he had known about his other lineage without knowing the dragon lineage, it would have been disastrous!" the man raged, furious.
"He is receiving training now, my lord," she bowed her head. "The dragons are training him and he is picking up on it rather quickly. He had received his father's letter and understood what he was supposed to do."
"What do you mean, received his father's letter?" the man asked, dangerously. "He should have received that letter when he thirteen years old. Are you telling me that someone had withheld his letters?"
"Yes. It has been confirmed that a man named Albus Dumbledore had taken Harry and placed him with the Dursleys, violating the will in the process before proceeding to keep Harry in the dark over his inheritance. He never knew of his family tree before heading to Gringotts. There he learned of the will and of where he should have been placed."
"That man is coming to be a thorn in my side," the man growled. "For far too long he allowed Tom Riddle to run free. We know very well that Tom Riddle could have been taken down before Harry's birth yet people hindered it by running scared. Well no more. Voldemort will die and Harry Potter shall rejoice in peace."
"What do you want me to do, my lord?" she asked.
"I want you to be the one to bring him here when he arrives," the man ordered. "Then I wish for you to teach him as his strongest power is the same as yours. Once you have bonded by blood, you are to protect him with your life."
"It will be my honour," she told him before standing up, spinning on her heels and walked out of the room. Once she was gone, another voice spoke up from the darkness.
"Are you sure that's wise, my lord?" he asked his leader.
"Do you question me?" the leader asked.
"No. She is your daughter after all," the man reminded. The leader sighed heavily.
"I know but she is capable. I would have not requested her if I hadn't believe so," the leader explained. "However, it is your job to protect her and I wish for you to be Harry's other teacher. He will need your expertise if he is to survive the war ahead of him."
The man moved in front of the throne and bowed.
"It will be my honour, my lord," he straightened and left the room, melding with the darkness as he did. The leader watched him leave before sighing.
"I just hope everything works out the way it's supposed to or we will face destruction," he whispered, mostly to himself.
TBC
Flamara is said: Flam-Ma-Ra