Author's Note:
OK, this is my first romance fanfic and boy, is it long! It started out as a tiny idea in my head for a short but sweet romance between Harry and Hermione. Then it got more elaborate and this is the product. Actually, it is only part one of the product. There will only be two parts, don't worry! I don't own the characters, J.K. Rowling does (I wish I did though!). The song The Prince You Charmed belongs to Youngstown who belongs to Hollywood records. As always, review. Only constructive criticism though. But please, don't sue me or flame me.* Sunrise *
I, for one of the first times all year, was content. So far, my seventh year at Hogwarts had been a mild hell. My parents were getting divorced and I was always getting letters from them, trashing the other one. I constantly had headaches and I was very upset that my parents- my calm, rational, boring, but always loving parents- didn't love each other any more. I felt it was somewhat my fault. I thought that maybe if I had been home, instead of learning magic at Hogwarts, they'd still be together. I had even been thinking of leaving Hogwarts before graduating to go and be with my parents, but Harry talked me out of it. All the times I had sat in the common room, Harry was there. I was constantly in Harry's arms with him comforting me. He was really supportive. Harry was really the reason I stayed, well, Harry and Ron. They were truly my best friends, no doubt about it. Well, Ron was my best friend and Harry was my best friend and boyfriend. A few years ago if someone had told me that I would go out with Harry during my sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts, I would have laughed. But back then, our relationship had been platonic and friendly. Towards the end of my fifth year, I realized I liked Harry a little more than just friends. It seemed that Harry had too, but was too coward to act on. Last year, he seemed to have the courage and acted on. Harry and I were established as a couple to everyone in the school. Ron was happy for us and for himself- he was going out with Lavender. The pair had been going out for three years and I even knew that Ron was planning on asking Lavender to marry him at the end of their seventh year.
Right now Harry, Ron, Lavender, Seamus, Ginny, and I were sitting on some chairs on the side of the Great Hall. The Great Hall had been transformed into a dance scene. The table where the professors normally ate now held the wizard DJ and his equipment, the tables where the students ate had been removed and was currently a dance area. The DJ was playing Muggle songs as well as wizard ones. He seemed to think they were 'in tune' with their musical side and many students believed he was right. Lavender put it best –Muggles may not have any magical talent, but they certainly had musical. The reason for all the festivities was simple. Every year Dumbledore gave an end of the year dance for the seventh years. School ended in less than a week. Ginny was only there because her and Seamus were going out and she had been invited. It was invite only to the first through sixth years at Hogwarts.
Suddenly, a really fast song came on by a Muggle band. We all got up and started to dance like crazy. However, it was a short Muggle song and ended quickly. The DJ put on a slow song (Muggle yet again) and Harry looked at me. I blushed but moved closer to him. Hesitantly, we started to dance. I think it was obvious neither of us had ever danced to a slow song, as this was the first dance anyone at Hogwarts had been too. Some people had been to wizard clubs but Harry and I were never ones for crowded clubs. I closed my eyes and laid my head on Harry's shoulder. I felt at ease here. Sooner than I wanted the song was over. Ron came over and grinned.
"Hey, do you guys have a song?"
"A song? What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.
"Yeah, a song. It's the first song you dance to with each other. Do you have one? Lavender and mine is I Put a Spell On You by The Cauldron Girls. We went to that new club in Hogsmeades a while ago." Ron replied.
I got into the conversation then. "No, we don't have a song. That was the first time we ever danced together. So, the song we just danced to is now our song?" Ron nodded and I continued. "What was the name of the song?"
Ron was about to ask but Harry, who had caught on earlier than I had, was just returning from the DJ's booth. The song was by a Muggle group named Youngstown and was called The Prince You Charmed. I don't know why I had a feeling that would be important in some way, but I did.
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Later in the Gryffindor Common Room, after the dance, I was sitting on Harry's lap. As I said, I was very content. Ron and Lavender were no were to be found and everyone else was in bed already. I put my head on Harry's chest and closed my eyes. I could feel his heart beating and felt so safe. I knew that the Dark Lord was still out there but also knew that he wasn't going to surface anytime soon. Harry was very powerful and Voldemort, well, Voldemort just wasn't. He wasn't going to show up any time soon, I could feel it. I had learned to trust my instincts, they were normally right. I didn't want to think about any of that now, just the good stuff. That was Harry.
Harry must have seen that I had fallen asleep. He shook me to wake me up- it was about two o'clock in the morning. If Professor McGonagall came in, we would be in big trouble. I woke up after a gentle shaking and smiled.
"Time to go in?" I asked, knowing the answer. Harry didn't answer, instead he bent down and kissed me. After a while, I had to pull myself away. It was too risky- we would be in too much trouble if Professor McGonagall came in. Harry leaned forward again and whispered in my ear "I love you." I was really surprised- it was the first time he had ever said those three little words to me. I smiled again and replied "I love you, too". Then I got up and with one last look, went in to my dormitory.
The next week went too fast for any seventh year, including me. The last day of school was there in a blink of an eye. On the last day of school, as always, there was a graduation ceremony for us seventh years. Everyone at Hogwarts was present – it was mandatory.
Professor Dumbledore stood up and said, "Welcome to the Graduating Ceremony of the Class of 2000. Will the Head Boy and Girl please come up for there diplomas?" He was never one for large speeches. He liked to keep orations short and to the point. Harry and I looked at each other and walked up hand in hand.
"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, I take great pride in presenting your diplomas to the Head Boy and Girl who are among the greatest to ever graduate from Hogwarts. I wish you well as you leave Hogwarts."
We took our diplomas, turned and bowed. Harry made a short speech and sat down. I followed with my own speech and ended with tears in my eyes. I was really going to miss this place.
After the rest of the Class of 2000 got their certificates, there was a great feast. Well wishers surrounded Harry and I and many others but the biggest event was the engagement of Ron and Lavender. I, of course, was ecstatic for two of my best friends and was even made a bridesmaid. Harry was made best man, but that was of no surprise to anyone. The wedding was to take place in a month. Ron had secretly been making plans before he even proposed to Lavender with his mother.
The rest of the day, after the feast, was spent saying 'Goodbye' and 'I'll miss you' and 'Keep in touch!' I said goodbye to Ron, Lavender (who I had surprisingly became quite good friends with), Seamus, Ginny, and all the rest of my friends, making plans to write and see everyone at the wedding. Harry was saved for last. After the train ride back from Hogwarts, we stood at the platform until everyone had gone. Neither of us knew what to say.
Finally, I threw my arms around Harry. I knew that as soon as Ron and Lavender got married, he was off to Northern Africa to search for Voldemort. That was where the last reports of Dark Arts being used a lot came from. An agency not known to many named EVN (pronounced even)- Eliminating Voldemort Now, had enlisted him earlier this year. He had agreed to search for You-Know-Who at once; Harry wanted revenge. I didn't want him to go but even I couldn't change Harry's mind. He was set. I was to be the next Transfiguration teacher, as McGonagall was retiring from teaching and becoming a member of the Ministry of Magic, a job she had always wanted secretly. I was excited but, at the same time, sad. I was going to be crossing the line between getting the homework and giving the homework, going on the adventures and watching out for the adventurers.
Harry and I knew that we couldn't stay at the platform forever. But we didn't want to leave each other and not see the other till the wedding. But I had to see my parents before the divorce became final and Harry had to find EVN's headquarters and get all the information needed for his mission. We shared one last passionate kiss and went our separate ways, however unwilling.
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My parent's divorce had gone well, for a divorce. My mother had moved to some town in America, eager to get away from my father and, apparently, me. She still didn't like the fact that I was a witch. I didn't mind though. We were never close. My father had kept the house. I was happy one of my parents had because I didn't want to lose it. It had been in the family for years and when I was home from Hogwarts, my sanctuary. I knew that I was going to be living in the wizarding world from now on, not the Muggle, but I still wanted to know that I could go home to a house I had known for years.
Soon after the divorce had occurred, the wedding day came. Ron and his mother had planned a wonderful wedding with beautiful flowers and decorations. The ceremony was just as beautiful as the actual church and many people were crying at the end. I was one of them. The reception was held at an attractive, large hall and many of my friends were there. The wedding was really a symbol of the end of our Hogwarts years, we had all grown up and there was nothing holding us together anymore. After this, we were all going to go our separate ways, wherever that may be. I was very sad, as I didn't want to let go of my youthful years. But with all the sense of ending, I was extremely happy for the newlyweds. They were the first to get married and a bet was placed on who would be the next. Many people thought Harry and I would be the next, but we both knew different. There was no way we could be married and still have the careers we wanted- teacher and seeker. Perhaps we'd get married after he was done searching and I was sick of teaching, whenever that may be.
Needless to say, after the wedding, I went numb. I wasn't going to see Harry, my boyfriend for the past two years and best friend for the last seven, until he had found Voldemort. Harry estimated it would take a year but I told him to be realistic- it would be more like three. I mean, no one knew exactly where he was and he certainly wasn't leaving any clues! Inside, I felt like a part of me was dying. While thinking about how I would survive without Harry, I was also thinking about the part about possibly living my whole life without Harry. What if Voldemort was stronger than expected and Harry died in the process of eliminating him? What if Harry found another woman? I forced these thoughts out of my mind and focused on the task at hand- saying goodbye. Like the train station scene, I threw my arms around him. I sobbed into his arms and I saw a few tears roll down his cheek too. We must have stood in the same spot for at least a half and hour, savoring our moments together. Finally, Harry pulled away and took out a long box. He handed it to me and I opened it. Laying in Muggle tissue paper was the most beautiful necklace I have ever seen. There was a silver chain and on it was a silver key. The key was styled to look like an old fashioned key, the kinds that open Muggle attics. I gasped, it was a tiny key but I had gotten the message. Our song, The Prince You Charmed by Youngstown had a chorus that went like this:
You've got the key to my heart,
Right here in my arms,
I'll keep you safe and warm,
And you'll never have to worry
Never want for nothing
Because I'm, I'm the prince you charmed.
Before I could say anything, Harry bent down and whispered in my ear, "You have the key to my heart. I love you." I smiled and said something similar. Understanding that we had to separate now or we would never, I kissed him and watched him leave. Then, I got on my broom and flew to my temporary apartment. It was there that I sat down and realized my loss.
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Five Years Later
Harry had been gone for five years. I had not heard anything from him in three years and hadn't seen him in five. Every day I read the Daily Prophet and looked for information about Voldemort or Harry. There never was any. I always kept faith that he would be back soon, after all, he was Harry Potter. Who else could defeat Voldemort? He was going to be back.
I wear the necklace that Harry gave to me every day. Three years ago I had bought the CD that had our song on it. Whenever I have a bad day or a thoroughly exhausting one, I play the song. It is my way to get out anger and frustration. Every time I play it, I went back in time to the dance. Every time I wished that Harry would come back and sweep me into his arms. It never happened.
I am enjoying teaching at Hogwarts immensely. At first, it was very awkward. I had to call all my teachers by their first names because I was now their co-worker. However, I enjoy the change. I am well liked by the students. I'm about as strict as Professor McGonagall had been but I smile more. I don't give as much homework; instead we work more in class. I don't favor any house but I do tend to overlook mysterious coming and goings from the Gryffindor Common Room. Teaching is pretty uneventful. I get new students every year, many of who reminded me of myself, Ron or Harry, and old students leave. I think that is the hardest part- saying goodbye to all the students that I have taught. But I know that it must be done.
Ron, who followed his father's footsteps, works in the Ministry of Magic. Lavender is a housewife. They have four children. Joe is the oldest at four, then the twins- Brian and Brett- at two and the youngest is Samantha. Sam is only seven months old. All of their children have bright red hair like Ron's. They are all extremely cute and I am looking forward to teaching them.
This year, I got an interesting bunch of first years. There are a few students from America in it. One of the girls, Hallie James, is popular and considerate and probably one of the best witches in her class. She is in Gryffindor, like I was. She and I have become good friends and she visits my room often for advice or just to talk. She is very much like myself.
I never told any of my students about my relationship with Harry. I didn't want anyone to ask me questions or anything personal about him. I wanted to keep him a secret. Like us dating was a secret, our being best friends was too. Not many people knew that we had even gone to school together. In a way this was good, I didn't want anyone to know about my past. In another way, this was bad because in my mind I am wondering if I was being insecure by not telling anyone about the two of us.
One day I was teaching the Gryffindor first years. Something had gone wrong with the schedules this year because normally I teach Gryffindor and another house. However, this year I was teaching Gryffindor alone. I was almost done with the lesson when my owl, Prince, flew in. I was surprised because my owl knows that lesson time is not a good time to deliver mail. Then I noticed what he was carrying. It was something labeled IMPORTANT. Wondering what it could be, I opened it. It was an emergency edition of the Daily Prophet. At first I wondered why they had put out an emergency edition until I saw the title. HARRY POTTER – DEAD? it proclaimed. I gasped and scanned the article. The gist of it was a body burned beyond recognition was found at a site that was suspected to have previously been Lord Voldemort's hide out. The body had Harry Potter's wand next to it and it was assumed that the body was Harry Potter. There was no word on whether Voldemort had been killed.
I croaked out 'Class dismissed, no homework' with tears in my eyes and ran to my room. I sat there for a few hours sobbing. I knew I shouldn't have let Harry go and find You-Know-Who. Now I would never see Harry again. I would never dance with him or snuggle in his arms or make out with him again. After a few hours of crying and punching my pillow, I went down to dinner. My face was tear stained and blotchy and I was weak from crying. I knew I was a mess and should clean myself up but I didn't have the energy to and I didn't care either. Dinner was almost over anyway. Of course when I walked in the Great Hall it went dead quiet. Everyone was staring at me. Professor Dumbledore told the Great Hall to continue to eat and came over to me. No one talked or moved. I broke down again but this time in front of the whole student and teacher body. Dumbledore lead me out and to my room. He told me to go to sleep and that he would talk to me tomorrow. How was I to sleep when the man I loved just died? I thought. But, surprisingly, as soon as my head hit the pillow I feel asleep. But my dreams weren't peaceful- they were nightmares.
The next morning, after freshening up and making sure that my robes were clean, I went to Dumbledore's office. He welcomed me and told me to sit down.
"Hermione, I know you were very close to Harry and I want you to know that I am here for you if you ever need to talk. The funeral is being planned to take place in four days and the wake in three. We are having two wakes- a private one for family and friends and a second one for the general public. Both will be held on Thursday. I would like you to speak at the funeral. I am sure that the Durleys won't want to speak and I know you were the closest to him besides Ron. I asked Ron to speak also and he agreed."
I nodded. It was still a shock to me that Harry was dead. I knew, however, that I had to speak. "Professor Dumbledore, I will speak at the funeral. Harry would do that much for me."
The next two days, I learned, were set aside to prepare for the funeral. I had a lot to do in those days. I had to go and see Ron and prepare my speech.
I had told Ron I was going to visit him for the day to prepare the speeches. He had insisted that I stay at his house for the night. I had agreed, it would be good to see Ron and Lavender again. I got there at about five o'clock on Monday night and hadn't even knocked when the door was flung open by Joe. He ran to me screaming "Aunt Hermie! Aunt Hermie!" Aunt Hermie was my nickname for the four Weasley children. I scooped him up and went inside. Ron greeted me with a small smile and took Joe. Brian and Brett met me there and I got hugs from the two troublemakers. After all the children had gone downstairs at their father's request, Ron and I sat down.
"You look good Hermione," he started but I cut him off.
"I look good? What are you, blind? I have a mirror. I look horrible and I know it." Suddenly, I stopped. I was being really rude and mean to my best friend. He was going through the same thing I was.
"I'm sorry I lashed out on you Ron. I've been under a ton of stress lately. I'm sure you have been too. Dumbledore has been great, but I've heard the rumors going around about me. No one knows the truth. I have even been labeled as Lord Voldemort, now feeling guilty about killing Harry. The students don't care if this sounds far fetched, they try to come up with the most unlikely stories and then convince themselves it's right. But, God, could they be farther than the truth?" With that, for what seemed like the hundredth time, I started to cry.
An hour later, I had somewhat calmed down. I was pretty embarrassed at the way I had lost my composure. But then again, it was Ron and Lavender. I knew it was OK to lose my cool in front of them. The day I spent with Ron and company went quite quick. Ron and I worked on our speeches and Lavender and I talked for a while. It felt good to talk to her. I hadn't in a long time. The four kids were cute as pie and I got to spend a little time with them too. I found that the time I spent with them was too short. But, the wake was tomorrow and I had to get back to Hogwarts to work on some last minute details. I was leaving Ron and Lavender late Wednesday night and got to Hogwarts in the early hours of Thursday.
After about four hours of 'sleep', if that's what you want to call tossing and turning, I woke up to get ready for the wakes. I wore my most elegant black dress and styled my hair in the way Harry liked best. I somehow knew that's how he would want it. At nine o'clock I went to the Great Hall to find it half full with students. They looked at me with surprise. I didn't bother saying anything to them, I ate quickly and left. The wake was starting at ten. Since it was nine thirty, I played our song one last time. I went into time one last time and was in total bliss. Then the song ended and I was hurtled into reality- Harry was gone.