Disclaimer: I don't own HP.
A/N: Hello again! I'm back, my muse decided to return to me, so get ready for a lot of updates! Finally! Well, I had a dream about this story (sad, I know) and I had to write it, hehe. No, I'm not crazy. Just a happy person. Well, R/R please! Enjoy!
Oh yeah, and a special thanks to hazel_eyes for being my beta reader.
Gryffindor Boys
Chapter 1-Meet the Grangers
"How will they be arriving?" Uncle Vernon's deep roar echoed through the house, rattling China dishes that were put away in the cabinet. Harry thought about this for a moment, , remembering two years ago when the Weasley's came to pick him up by floo powder to see the Quidditch World Cup. He sincerely hoped that Hermione had more sense that that-after all, she grew up around Muggles too.
"Er-" Harry scratched his chin, surprised to feel a bit of soft stubble. He grinned, finally being over whelmed by growing facial hair. Ron had teased him about this, since his red moustache (which he wrote to Harry saying Mrs. Weasley made him shave it off) came in about his fifteenth birthday. "I'm not sure." He went out into the hall. He gazed at his reflection and fingered his face. All he saw was something that looked like dirt on the end of his chin.
Sighing, Harry walked up to his bedroom, walking past Dudley's hearing one of his televisions blaring through the door. Probably hiding, Harry thought smugly. He entered his room, thankful for once not to have his birthday at the Dursley's. He wondered what it would be like, not being in his bed when he would get Ron's owl, and Sirus'. Hermione might even throw him a birthday party! But then again, she might have strict parents. How strict could dentists be?
Harry pulled his trunk out of his closet (after piling in his Hogwarts things) and looked over at Hedwig's empty owl cadge. Harry frowned, scanning the room for her, and found her outside the window, tapping softly. Harry rushed to her, opening the glass wide, letting her fly in, and resting down on his bed. He noticed the note attached to her leg, and carefully untied it from her, noticing that she was tired. Why? Hermione didn't live that far away. Did she? It had just occurred to Harry that he didn't know exactly where Hermione lived.
He opened the note and grinned. It was from Hermione. He knew immediately it was her from her nice curvy handwriting.
Dear Harry,
How are you, Harry? Mum is so pleased that you can come for the summer-they're both dying to meet you. You know, famous Harry Potter and all. But I suppose I did get to brag a bit about you and what you've done at Hogwarts theses past six years (five, actually, we haven't had our sixth year yet). And how you saved me and Ron, but I'll spare you the details, since I know you love them oh so much.
Crookshanks is acting kind of strange, and when you get here you'll see what I mean. I think it might be that because Snuffles might be back, you know, as our adorable stray puppy. I'm not quite sure...that's why you should get here! I'm so happy that you're going to have your birthday with us! That means we can throw you a party and everything!
Well, I can't say much more than that, because I got Hedwig two days ago (you're probably wondering where the bloody hell she's been) but all the time she was here she looked extremely tired and exhausted. I don't believe I live that far from Pivot Drive, but you never know.
I'm so jealous of Ron! I've always wanted to go to Romania, ever since first year to study dragons. Maybe not for a living, but I would love to visit, to see the dragon trainers in action. Casting spells, seeing the dragons shoot fire, whip their tails...but I'm sure you got enough dragon in fourth year, right Harry?
Well, I won't keep you any longer. I'll see you soon Harry!
With Love,
Hermione
Harry shook his head at the letter, and set it down next to Hedwig. He looked at her, brushing her feathers with his fingers, smiling at her. "What's wrong, girl?" he said, soothingly. "Why are you tired?" He smiled at her, laying back on his bed closing his eyes slightly.
He pulled out his book that he'd been reading; Bindings and Bounds: Dueling Secrets Revealed by Aberforth Duersule (Harry found that name to be very similar to the Dursley's). He flipped open to a page somewhere near the middle, and began to read. Hermione had given him the book for Christmas last year when Voldermort had threatened to rise again, she said he could never be to prepared.
He cleared his voice and read out loud to Hedwig. "Chapter 23-The Recoilless Curse" Harry frowned. What was that? "Pronounced ree-coil-las, the Recoilless Curse is legal in Japan, England, Whales, France, Scotland, and Ireland. The number of countries is growing rapidly. The Recoilless Curse is one of the few legal curses that allows the attacker to hurt his opponent, but only short shooting pains will occur. But when done continuously, it is indeed to have a rapid effect on them. How to conjure the spell is to point your want at you opponent and say-ENOUSDINPARRO!" Harry shook his head, finding that chapter boring. Or maybe he was just tired. Either way, he wanted to get some sleep.
He laid the book on his bed, being careful not to crack it's spine (Hermione hated when he did that, even if he didn't mean too). He closed his eyes and sighed softly.
Harry and Hermione had planned to go to the Burrow for the summer, but an unexpected trip to visit Charlie in Romania suddenly sprung up, and they didn't pass up the chance.
Now wanting to wait until August to go to the Burrow, Hermione offered to spend July with him and her parents. Harry couldn't turn down the offer. Come to think of it, harry wouldn't have gone just about anywhere than stay at the Dursley's. But he was glad he was going to Hermione's house. He wanted to meet her parents. He doubted seeing them for ten minutes at the Leaky Cauldron counted as actually meeting them.
Harry stiffened a yawn, stretching his hands behind his head, looking over at the alarm clock on his side table, and pictures of himself, Ron, and Hermione. He smiled silently, going into a sleep which he welcomed.
When he awoke, Hedwig was flying around his room, hooting happily, and Dudley had unlocked himself from his room. Probably thinking it was safe to come out, Harry thought. He got up from his bed, and stretched his legs, noticing that they were longer than he remembered. He smiled at his mirror, painfully remembering that they didn't talk.
Hermione also didn't say when she was coming, so Harry couldn't be ready on time. His stomach growled, and he looked down at it, then at the door. He walked over and quickly slipped out, before Hedwig could.
"You!" Petunia's shrill voice found him. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing at him, and Dudley standing behind her, smiling. "Get down here this instant!" She turned at him in a huff, Dudley following her like his shadow. Harry sighed.
"Great...now what'd I do?" He walked into the kitchen, to see his uncle sitting there, eating his BLT sandwich, and Dudley sitting down, staring at his Grapefruit. He turned to his mother. "Mummy, can't I have something like Daddy's eating? Just for today?" He pouted.
She smiled at him, and flattened his blonde hair on his fat head. "Of course he can. Just for today though." She looked up at harry. She pushed Dudley's plate of Grapefruit at him. "Eat."
Harry scowled at her, since she usually didn't make him have that diet (he was so skinny) but he sat down and ate what was on his plate. Only fruit. I hope Hermione doesn't mind me eating out of her fridge, Harry smiled.
When lunch was done, Harry went back upstairs to make sure he got everything that he needed for Hogwarts. He took Hedwig and placed her in her cadge, cringing when she cried. "I know you hate it girl, but you won't be in there for long."
The doorbell rang. Harry's heart stopped. Hermione was here! Thank goodness too, another second at the Dursley's would have made him go mad. He rushed to his bedroom door, but he heard Dudley talking to her. Damn. He got there first.
"Hello, there. I'm Hermione Granger."
Harry slowly opened his door and went to the flight of the stairs. He could see part of Hermione's bare leg through the crack and a bit of her bushy hair that wasn't being tamable.
"Hi," Dudley drawled. Harry shook his head. "I'm Dudley Dersley."
Harry could hear Hermione cough. "Hi, well, I'm here for Harry Potter."
If there had been a grin on Dudley's face, it drained. He looked at her, surprised. "Oh." He backed away from the door, and Harry thought for a moment he was going to let her in, but he slammed it shut. He looked at Harry at the top of the stairs then went to the kitchen to find his mother, complaining about how Harry got to spend the summer with a pretty girl.
Harry dashed downstairs and opened the door, apologizing before he could actually see her. "I'm so sorry about that Hermione. My cousin is a git, you know. I must have to you and Ron a thousand-" his words were cut short when he saw her.
Dudley was right. Hermione was pretty.
She was wearing blue jean shorts, and a white tank top (which he'd never seen her in before) and a pair of simple sandals of her feet. But something was different. She had lost a good amount of the roundness in her face, and gained some muscle in her arms and legs. Harry gawked at her for a minute, jaw dropped, then smiled at her. "Hey Herm."
She smiled. "Hi Harry." She put her hands in her pockets. "Are you ready to go?" He nodded at her, trying to find his voice again. "Do you need any help?"
"Nah, I'm okay. But you can help if you want to." Harry could see that she did, and held open the door for her. She came in, and looked around. He closed the door behind her, and pointed upstairs. "Upstairs." She nodded and climbed up the stairs, and Harry climbed behind her, very aware of how she suddenly wiggled her hips when she walked...
They reached his room and Hedwig screeched in delight of seeing her. Harry grinned. "You can carry Hedwig if you want. I've got my trunk." He tossed in his Bindings and Bounds book and locked it shut. Hermione was carrying Hedwig, stroking her with her finger. Hermione looked up at him and grinned.
Harry grunted as he picked up his trunk, and turned to Hermione who was already walking down the stairs. He firmly grasped both handles and grudged his way down the stairs. Dudley was standing behind his Aunt, looking back between Harry and Hermione, and then back to his parents.
Uncle Vernon stared blankly at Harry, who didn't bother to look back. He set his trunk at the foot of the stairs, scratching his head. "Well, er...bye then." He looked back to Hermione who was looking at the Dursley's rather crossly, reminding him the way Mr. Weasley had done in his fourth year...
He picked up his trunk again, and walked towards to door. "Come on Herm, let's go." They walked out of the house, and soon as Harry's feet felt the placenta that said "Welcome" they slammed the door. Well, he thought. I'm certainly not welcome in that house.
Hermione averted his attention from his family and to her own. "Dad's waiting in the car, Harry!" She smiled at him. "It's not the time to be daydreaming Harry...perhaps you better wait until we're home? Or at least in the car?"
Harry colored, mumbling something about he could wait and walked over to the car. A man stepped out, in his late thirties or early forties. Harry had a knack for pinning people's ages. He pinned this man to be about thirty-eight.
Hermione distracted him again. "Harry, this is my dad. Dad, this is Harry." She said is so simply.
Mr. Granger took Harry's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Harry." He had a low, deep, kind sounding voice, the kind that you hear narrating movies and such. But it was a kind hearted voice. Harry liked it.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Granger." Harry said politely. Hermione beamed at the both of them; obviously she was happy they got along. She was probably thinking if Ron had met her parents as well-he didn't want to imagine. Ron questioning about all the Muggle things in their house...they'd never hear the end of it.
"Please, call me John." He smiled at him. Harry looked at his teeth, which were straight and brilliantly white. He looked over to Hermione and noticed that her's were the same.
Oh yeah, they were dentists. Well, her parents anyway.
Mr. Granger climbed back into the car, and Hermione went into the front seat, helping Harry put Hedwig in the back with him. He had a feeling as soon as the car left Pivot Drive, he'd be asking Harry a lot of questions. Probably all had to do with Hermione in some way...and he couldn't blame him. This is probably the first time that Hermione has brought home a boy, Harry thought. Even though he was her friend.
And he was right. As soon as they had hit the main road, Mr. Granger cleared his throat and looked at Harry through the rear-view mirror. "So, Harry, you've been friends with my daughter for almost six years, right?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, sir."
He saw Mr. Granger wince. "Don't call me sir. I don't like to remember how old I am."
Hermione smiled. "Oh Daddy, you're not old." She looked back at Harry and smiled at him. He smiled back at her, and wondered why suddenly his stomach did a flip flop.
"You're her best friend, along with that Ron Weasley?"
Harry nodded again. "Yeah."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Stop saying Ron's name like he a criminal or something. He's in Romania visiting his brother." She looked out her window and at the other cars on the road. Harry looked back and forth between Hermione and her father, and came to the conclusion that their conversation was over. Then suddenly-
"Harry, when's you're birthday?" Harry looked up and met Mr. Granger's eyes in the mirror. He swallowed.
"July thirty-first." He smiled at the man, who smiled back. Hermione suddenly seemed to come alive again and looked at Harry. "What Herm?"
She grinned. "What would you like for your birthday, Harry?"
He tapped his chin. He could still feel the soft stubble growing slowly...very slowly. He sighed. "I'm not sure, Hermione..." he looked at her and she was grinning again. "What?"
She smiled. "I know what I'm going to get you!" She turned around in her chair and looked out the window again. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, unsure of what to say. He'd known that Hermione was a bit-different-than other girls, but in a rather good way. Ron had always been complaining about how Hermione had said she didn't want he and Ron to date girls because she wouldn't have anyone to talk to or study with her. He just wished she was like normal fifteen year old girls and were dating boys. Harry shook his head. Ron was known for his horrible temper.
Harry watched England pass him by, for almost twenty minutes they drove in silence, but it wasn't awkward as Harry thought it would have been. It was actually comforting, even though he knew he couldn't be quiet when he was living in the Granger's house hold for almost a month...could he?
When the car finally stopped, it was in the driveway of a house in a Muggle neighborhood on a Muggle street which Harry read the sign carefully-429 Dover Street-was implanted on the mailbox. He climbed out of the car to get a better look at the house.
Ron's ears would have turned pink.
The house wasn't that big, come to think of it. But it was fairly large. Maybe the size of the Dursley household. But he sincerely hopped it was a lot more friendlier and cozier than the Dursley's.
Mr. Granger helped him get his trunk out of the car, struggling a bit. Harry picked it up again, and followed Hermione who had taken Hedwig's cadge again. Mr. Granger took out a set of keys, and finding the correct one, opened the door with it and called inside, "Melanie! We're back!"
Hermione led Harry into the foyer, which Harry was right, about the size of the Dursley's. He had been right about the warmth and coziness of the house. With fresh food in the oven baking, filling his nostrils, Harry's stomach could have told the world that he was starving. (He had still been on the Grapefruit diet with Dudley, not that he needed to get any thinner.)
A woman with bushy light brown hair came into the room. Harry could see some small gray hair mixed in with the brown. She wiped her hands on her apron and looked at him. "You must be the great Harry Potter that Hermione's told us all about!" She embraced him, and Harry felt awkward. He smiled at her when she let go and she turned to Hermione and her husband. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes." Harry checked his watch. Already six? They certainly did eat early... "Hermione, dear, why don't you go show Harry where he'll be sleeping."
Hermione nodded and picked up Hedwig again. "Come on Harry! This way." She led him up the stairs and down the hallway to the right where three doors were closed. She stopped at the one on the left, and opened it. She walked in and settled Hedwig on his new bed. "Here you go Harry," she said, smiling. "My room's just across the hall," she pointed to the room across from his, "and that is the wonderful bathroom." She opened the door and showed it to him.
Harry smiled at her. "And it's equipped with a sink, toilet, tub, and loo rolls!" He laughed, and she laughed afterwards with him. They smiled at each other and Harry could feel himself coloring again. He looked down at his feet and when he looked up again he saw her cheeks were a tinge of pink also. They headed down the hallway to the stairs.
"Hermione, what's down that way?" Harry pointed in the opposite direction than they came. She looked at his hand, then grabbed it.
"Let me show you, come on!" She pulled him into a loft with beanbag chairs, and a television, and all sorts of games-
"I used to baby-sit," she said. "And I'd bring the kids up here. Mum and Dad helped me make this into a rec. room." She smiled at him, then showed him another door. Harry peered inside. The lights were off, making it hard to see, even when he squinted his eyes behind his glasses.
"This is Dad's training room." She looked down at her feet. "Wants to keep in shape, I suppose..." she shrugged, and closed the door. A wonderful scent made it's way upstairs and to Harry. He smelled it, and breathed it in. Hermione laughed at him. "Come on, let's go see if dinner's ready."
Harry walked next to her downstairs, closing his eyes and following the scent. Hermione laughed at him. He turned to her and scowled. "What's so funny?"
She smiled. "You just act like you haven eaten in two weeks since Hogwarts term let out." He smiled back at her in return.
"I've been eating Grapefruit and cantaloupe just about everyday for every meal." He suddenly looked bashful. "You know, Dudley's on his diet, and they think if he doesn't get the food he wants, then neither do I..."
Hermione have him a hug at the bottom of the stairs. "Well, don't worry. You won't be skinny for long. Mum loves to cook. And so do I, well most of the time. We'll fatten you right up." She poked his belly and giggled. Harry looked at her strangely and saw her smile at him. He grinned. Hermione certainly does like to smile these days...
They both wandered into the kitchen, where Mrs. Granger was pulling a roast out of the oven. She looked at the two of them and smiled, flashing another perfectly white Granger smile. Harry furrowed his brow. Oh to live in the world of dentists, he thought.
Harry finally decided that Hermione was a spitting image of her mother, except with her father's dark brown hair instead of her mother's light brown. But Hermione and Mrs. Granger both had the curved eyebrows and the petite body.
Harry swallowed and looked around the kitchen. He knew what everything he was smelling of course. He sniffed. Roast beef, the one that Mrs. Granger just took out of the oven. Another sniff. Steamed vegetables and rice. Sniff. Baked potatoes. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. For some reason he couldn't get his nose to pick up on the last one and found Hermione and her mother were looking at him like he was some kind of dog. Harry thought of Snuffles.
Then Mrs. Granger laughed. "The boy is hungry...who could blame him? Hermione, sweetie, could you set the table? And Harry, would you help her?" Harry smiled and nodded. Hermione took out the napkins, place mats, silverware, and the glasses. Harry helped her carry it into a nice room with cabinets with dishes that looked made of glass, and china. Hermione opened one and took out four plates. Harry looked at her funny.
"Why are you using those? They look really nice..." he took one from her and looked at the designs on the sides. He looked up at her and she was closing the door. She took the plate back from him, and met his gaze.
"They're not really china, I hope you know. Plastic really, they're just pretty and we keep them on display with the china. People don't really notice, I suppose." She shrugged and then started to put the plates on the gold mats that Harry had already set out. Harry followed her around the table, setting down the silverware and cups.
Mr. Granger strolled in and smiled at the two of them. "Dinner's almost ready, I hope? I'm starving." He looked towards the swinging door that lead to the kitchen and pushed his way through it. Hermione was pulling an extra chair for him to sit down in. She smiled at him, then went into another room. She poked her head back for a moment.
"Harry? Could you give me a hand? I can't lift this by myself..." Harry nodded, and followed her into the room, which turned out to be a study, but she was going into another room, which Harry found out was a garage. It only was able to fit two cars in it, so Mr. Granger had to park outside. He looked over to Hermione who was walking over to a large cardboard box. She looked at him.
"Oh yeah!" He rushed over to her and lifted the box with her and saw that she dug her hand inside, searching for something. He looked over to the other two cars. "Hermione, if one of those car's is your mum's who does the other one belong to?"
She bit her lip and dug her hand in deeper. "Actually the one in the corner is mine. Well, not really. It's really dad's when he was younger. Keeps it here incase I really need it. Which I normally don't..." she trailed off and a smile flashed on her face. "Yes!" She pulled out a dusty old pitcher. Hermione smiled at him. "Mum'll be happy. Come on, Harry. Let's go. I'm starving."
Harry nodded in agreement. He was starving also. But he was wondering how he would keep down his foot when his stomach was doing summersaults like this...
Mrs. Granger had just finished brining out the last of the food when he entered the room. Hermione set down the glass pitcher, which looked like it was full of iced tea, not that Harry minded. He rather liked iced tea, but was forced to drink Low Fat Cranberry Juice.
Mrs. Granger smiled at them. "Well, don't just stare at me! Dig in!" She passed the Roast beef to Harry first who took a slice of it that was already cut and on the plate. He took two spoon fulls of rice, a few vegetables, and some of that stuff that Harry couldn't smell with his nose, but what he certainly knew was now. Pasta. She sure does go out of her way to make a dinner, Harry thought.
It was delicious. The roast, Harry thought, was just wonderful, with just the right seasoning and perfect blends. Everything thing suddenly seemed to disappear from his plate. Hermione watched him briefly, and caught his eye. She shook her head, grinning. He smiled and continued to eat.
And now the hard part. It was only seven thirty when they had finished with dinner and desert (an apple pie), so he couldn't very well excuse himself to bed, like he could at the Dursley's. He looked around the room, and found Hermione sitting next to him, reading a book. This is when her parents are going to start asking me stuff, he thought.
"What're you reading?" he looked over her shoulder and tried to read the title. She jumped a bit and stared at him, then she placed a hand on her breast bone and sighed in relief.
"Don't do that!" she whispered at him. She smiled and closed the book, inserting a bookmark where she had been reading. She handed it to Harry and he read the cover. Magical Sabbaths; Beginnings of Magical Times by Barbara Pellinous. Harry smiled at him.
"Sounds...erm, interesting." She took the book back from him and playfully hit him on the arm. She took the book back and opened the book back up and resumed reading. Harry could see she was rather into the book, perhaps four hundred pages of a nine hundred page book. He sighed and looked over at her bookmark. It was anything but a bookmark.
He looked down at the picture of himself, Ron, and Hermione all leaving the Great Hall laughing about something last year that Fred or George must have done or said. He grinned, seeing Hermione's hair whip around behind her and their robes being blown open by the wind. It was a wizard photograph, Harry realized. He smiled and handed it back to her.
Harry sighed and leaned back onto the couch, listening to Mr. And Mrs. Granger talking softly in the kitchen. Every minute or so he'd hear a giggle or a squeal, and looked to Hermione. She wasn't taking notice of them though. She was still heavily engrossed in her book...
Harry wasn't sure when he was aware that Hermione's head had been on his shoulder for the past ten minutes, but he soon realized that she was asleep. He smiled at her and gently brushed a strand of her bushy hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He was just noticing how pretty she had become over the past five years...he still remembered when she came into his and Ron's compartment in the train looking for Neville's toad.
He gazed down at her, noticing that it had become darker outside, and was probably nearing eight o' clock. He smiled and placed his head on top of Hermione's, looking out the front window in their reading room. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks Herm..." he said, even though he knew that she couldn't hear him. He smiled again. "Thanks for everything..."
He stared into space for what seemed like ages, before silently drifting off into sleep himself. He woke up and it was much darker than before, and he heard Mr. and Mrs. Granger saying, "Let them sleep...I don't have the heart to wake them..."
Harry opened his eyes to looked down at Hermione who's book was now on the table by the end table. He sighed, then looked back at Hermione. Her breathing were slow, peaceful intakes of air, and slow releases. He put an arm around her shoulder and for a second, saw her smile.
Harry yawned loudly, wiping a tear from his eye. He looked at the closed door to his left, and upon hearing giggles and moans, he suspected that was where Mr. and Mrs. Granger slept. He wondered how Hermione could sleep so soundly when her parents were in their bedroom, making sounds like...that.
He gently shook her. "Hermione..." she mumbled something against the crook of his neck and snuggled closer to him. Harry felt an odd feeling in his stomach...oh no...summersaults again... He shook her again. "Hermione, wake up." She yawned and slowly opened her eyes, smiling at him.
"Hi Harry."
Harry couldn't help but to smile. "Hey Herm." He took her head off his shoulder and looked at her. The lights were dim, but there was enough light for Harry to see her face. And suddenly he had the urge to stroke her hair like before.
She rubbed her eye and yawned. "Why'd you wake me up?"
He smiled sheepishly. "I thought you'd like to sleep in your bed, not on a couch...I was just thinking..." he looked down to the floor, coloring slightly.
She smiled. "Thanks Harry." She stood on her feet, then gave him a slight peck on the cheek. "Goodnight."
He smiled up at her and watched her go. "G'night Hermione..." He watched her form disappear from his view and sighed. He looked around the dim room to see Crookshanks starring at him. He stiffened a yell and glared at the ginger cat. "Crookshanks! Don't stare at me!" But the cat kept starring.
He rose from the couch, pulling down the shade on the lamp so he was in darkness. He stumbled out of the room and found the stairs, climbing up them slowly. He went to the left, clinging to the left side of the wall, then found his room. He opened it and pushed it open a crack.
He looked in to see if he had accidentally gotten Hermione's room, and was happy to say he didn't. He threw himself onto the bed, taking in deep breaths, wanting very much just to change into his drawers, but he doubted he'd make it very far. He pulled off his shirt and collapsed into bed, reaching to the table to only place his glasses on top.
Then, he passed out.
* * *
As soon as the sun shone through the crack in the blinds, Harry was awake. It was just his luck that the small sliver of sunlight had hit his eyes, or else he'd be able to sleep in some more. He looked over at the clock on his side table and smiled. It was almost eight thirty. Everyone should be up.
He was wrong.
Mr. And Mrs. Granger had left for work, some time around an hour ago and Hermione was still sleeping. Harry wandered around the house, exploring what Hermione hadn't showed him. Like the living room and dinning room. He was extremely bored by the time nine o' clock came around, so he decided to wake up Hermione.
He decided maybe she would wake up any second now, on her own, but decided that she wasn't going to. Turning towards the stairs, he felt a pair of eyes on him. He whirled around to see Crookshanks staring at him again. He sighed. "Crookshanks! Stop doing that!" But he didn't listen. Harry suddenly remembered what Hermione said in her letter. Crookshanks is acting kind of strange, and you'll see when you get here. Harry shrugged it off. Hermione probably didn't mean staring at people. Probably meant not eating as much as he should.
He crept upstairs and opened her door a sliver. He peeked inside, pressing his face into the crack, hearing his glasses scrape along the door. He saw that sunlight was peeking in through her room also, but she was still sleeping perfectly peacefully.
He went over to her bed. He noticed she slept in a Full bed, like the one in the guest room where Harry slept. He looked around her room to notice it was slightly smaller than his old room at the Dursley's. He frowned; it looked awfully girly, though.
There was a bay window, witch Harry could remember from exploring connected down to the reading room (obviously the Grangers loved to read). He noticed that the windows were open, and a cool summer breeze was blowing in. She must keep the windows open all the time in the summer, he thought. And who could blame her?
He looked back down at Hermione who was smiling in her sleep, her bushy hair all over the pillow. He noticed some curls in it too. From her father. He gently shook her shoulder. "Hermione..."
She mumbled something and turned over. He started to think about just letting her wake up on her own, but then thought about his extreme bordness problem. "Hermione...wake up!"
She opened her eyes sleepily, looking at the wall, then around at Harry. She smiled and yawned. "Harry, what time is it?"
He looked at the clock. "A quarter after nine" He saw her fall back into the bed. "Come on Hermione! Gettup!" he whined.
Hermione looked up at him. "Alright, alright." She pulled the covers off her body and stood up stretching. This mesmerized Harry, how she bent to stretch her tight muscles and how to pull them out of sleep. She yawned again and grudged to the bathroom. "I'll be right back."
He nodded and sat down on her bed. The sheets were soft and the comforter was a pale blue, along with the pillows on her window, while her walls were a classic white. She had a few stuffed animals on the window seat, but he found one on her bed. The one he gave to her last Christmas.
Harry grinned. He could still remember the look on Ron's face when she opened it. Hermione came back into the room, still looking tired, but more awake then she was. She looked at him holding the stuffed lion, and smiled. "Ron was terrified of that, you know. He had no idea what a stuffed animal was like. He was used to the ones that you cuddle up with, then they suddenly move out of your arms. He would go near it." She laughed.
He nodded. "Yeah..." he smiled at her and noticed her white camisole and dark blue shorts. He swallowed, suddenly finding it hard to breath.
She went over to the window and closed the glass panels, then took the lion out of his grasp. "Come on, now that I'm awake, I'm hungry." She walked over to the door and Harry followed her out. When he reached downstairs, she was pouring cereal into a bowl. She looked up at him. "What do you want to eat?"
He shrugged. "What've you got?"
She went to the cabinet and looked around. "Well, there's cereal, pancakes, sausage, eggs...um, pretty much everything." She looked back at him to see that he was sampling her cereal. "Hey! That's mine!"
He grinned. "Yeah, and I'm going to have a bowl too." He reached for the box, then looked around the kitchen. "Uh, Hermione? Where are the bowls?" Hermione shook her head at him, grinning, then left the room and handed him another bow. He smiled back. "Thanks."
They had begun to eat in silence, except for the fact that Hermione had to ask him something. "How did you sleep?"
He smiled at her. "Fine, Herm." He stretched and stared at his almost empty bowl. "That's good. I usually can't eat stuff with sugar..."
Hermione nodded. "With Dudley's diet."
"Yup."
Hermione smiled at him. Why did she seem to like to smile more? He shrugged in his thoughts, looking over at a calendar for July. Today was the twelfth. Only nineteen more days until his birthday. He smiled. Hermione had written Harry's Birthday on the thirty first. It was still another twenty two days before he went to the Burrow with Hermione.
Oh well, he thought. Hermione will make it worth it. And then he smiled and resumed eating he food.
* * *
A/N: YAH! A brand new story started! I'm so happy! I got my muse back (she decided to take a vacation without telling me) so that's why C'est la Vie hasn't had chapter 3 posted yet...but don't worry...it should be up soon...but this fic was just to good to pass up...hehe! Well, R/R please! Tell me what you think! Chapter 2-Amazing Grace will be coming out soon!
Later Babes~
Kate