Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It's unfortunate. I do however own the Original Character that shall be introduced in this fanfiction. Yay me!

AN: In bothering to work on this fanfiction idea, I realize I may have some irritated followers that would have preferred me to work on Umbra Mortis or Slytherin by Nature. Therefore I promise an update on one or both of them within the next two days.

On that note, I bring you If Fate Allows.

Fate's Temper Tantrum

The last two weeks of Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been interesting to say the least. His godfather, whom many thought and still thought, was a bloodthirsty murderer that had betrayed Harry's parents was, in fact, innocent. That was a surprise in itself.

That Hermione had apparently used a time turned all year to make it to classes that were scheduled at the exact same time came as another shock. Then he questioned his intelligence because, really, how did he not figure out that at least one of her classes had been scheduled at the same time.

The third shock of the year did not shock Harry but instead it came to shock his best friend, Ronald Weasley. Well, his ex-best friend now. Hermione, however, was pleased as punch. After a talk with McGonagall, Harry had dropped Divination and taken up Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Hermione had even dropped Muggle Studies as well as Divination after being told she could still take the OWL for Muggle Studies even without taking the class.

The last shock was the end of a friendship. After three years, Ron decided Harry had betrayed him by dropping Divination and picking up classes that would give him a challenge—especially since he had to catch up on a year's worth of work over the summer in two classes. He felt fairly confident, though, and had borrowed Hermione's books.

It honestly hadn't helped that he had told Ron that he was becoming closer with Draco Malfoy. Hermione had agreed with Harry on that idea; frankly she had never seen the purpose of that rivalry anyways. Ron, however, saw it as the final nail in a coffin that he just apparently couldn't abide by. Not that Harry had asked him to. He just told him he had to accept it. Instead, he had chosen to ignore it and end their friendship. Problem with Ron's plan was Harry really didn't care.

Because of that loss of friendship, Hermione had been forced to choose a side: Ron's or Harry's. Harry hadn't given her the ultimatum. No, that had been Ron. Unfortunately for Ron, she had chosen Harry. She vividly remembered that it had been Harry who came to her rescue with the troll. Ron just tagged along and it was his fault she'd been there in the first place.

So, now they—Hermione and Harry—were riding the Hogwarts Express back to King's Cross. Harry didn't want to go back to the Dursley's and Hermione was watching Harry; she suspected the reasons as to his dislike of his relatives and didn't like what she thought the reasoning was at all.

"Harry?" Hermione put her finger in her book and closed it, marking her place as she stared at her best friend.

He made no response and continued to stare out the window of the compartment, watching the scenery as it raced by.

"Harry!"

"Hmm, yes Hermione?" Her best friend finally turned his emerald eyes up at her.

"What are you thinking?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You're distracted." As she watched, she felt almost drawn to him…but of course that was ridiculous.

"Just wish the year wasn't over. Or rather, that it wasn't over and we had had a normal year for once."

Hermione smiled; the truly did not ever have a normal year and she knew it bugged him something awful.

"Next year maybe." She reached across the aisle and put her hand on his arm but yanked her hand away when she felt an electric shock jolt through her hand and up her arm.

"Yeah…maybe." He reached over and grabbed the Ancient Runes book he had borrowed and began reading where he had last left off. To help him even more, Hermione had written him copies of all of her assignments so he could know what kind of progress he was making. The professors had both agreed to grade them over the summer.

Fate glared at the girl who just could not take a hint and snapped her fingers. Wine popped into existence and she took a long drink straight from the bottle after popping the cork out.

"Why can't they just kiss already?! Three years! Three years I've been working on them and NOTHING! Most people aren't this bloody hard! Chance! Chance, are you messing with my people again?!"

The guy she called stuck his head out of his study. "No dear."

"Do you even know which people I'm talking about?" She scowled at him.

"Um…no dear."

"Hadrian, or Harry, Potter and Hermione Granger. They finally ditched the Weasel, and I think that WAS your doing so thank you, but now they won't take the hint and kiss!"

Chance smirked at his wife's temper tantrum. Fate really did not like people ignoring the signs she gave them. "Give them something a little more obvious…or stronger."

Fate stared at her husband with her mouth hanging open for a full minute before very slowly smirking. "Good idea dear. Go back and continue messing with the Weasleys. And Dumbledore. Get Dumbledore!"

"Yes dear." His head disappeared back into his study and she returned to staring at her two toys and smirked evilly.

"Harry, I'm just saying…you could come over sometimes. Mum and Dad wouldn't care." Hermione was speaking as she slowly stood, checking to make sure she had her wand in her jeans pocket as they were just a couple minutes from the station.

"I'm sure Hermione but we live two hours apart and the Dursleys would never drive me there. It wouldn't be fair to make your parents do all the driving." Harry sighed. He really did wish he could see her over the summer. He'd been feeling this weird attraction in regards to his best friend for a long time now.

She pouted and he smiled at her, brushing her hair away from her face with his fingers. "I'm sure we will see each other soon, Hermione."

They pulled into the train and both reached up for their trunks. As they brought them down, there was another electrical jolt from their hands brushing against each other. They yanked their hands apart and immediately started apologizing.

They exited the train a few minutes later and immediately made their way for the exit to the platform into the muggle world, seeing no reason to stick around. They decided to go through at the same time and as they did so they brushed sides again. Another electrical shock jolted through their bodies, this one slightly more painful than the last. They both winced.

"Well…have a good summer, okay Harry. And you can call me that's why I gave you my number. And we could always use the Night Bus, that's why you have my address."

"Hermione?"

"What?"

"You're rambling." Harry grinned at her and she pouted again before kissing his cheek. They both winced.

"Ouch." Their voices were in unison and they smiled slightly at each other before separating. Both thought vividly of that last electrical jolt. Hermione went to her parents and Harry followed Vernon out the man's Volvo, stowing his trunk in the backseat.

Vernon was oddly silent on the first part of the trip. It truly was unusual. However, at the halfway point he began complaining. Not that he expected Harry to actually respond. He fully expected agreement.

Apparently, there were new neighbors that were well off enough to buy the largest house on the street and that clearly meant they felt the need to flaunt it. The end of the conversation was simply Vernon warning Harry not to step out of line and that there better not be any "funny business" that summer.

There was also a long tirade about him blowing Marge up the previous summer. Harry used that to his advantage and said if Vernon didn't sign his Hogsmeade note immediately then there would be a summer filled with magic. Vernon quickly agreed to sign it as soon as they got home.

Hermione allowed her father to load her trunk in the boot of the car without much argument, instead choosing to watch as Harry was driven away by that awful man.

She sighed sadly and got into the vehicle while her parents got into their own seats up front.

"So how was school, pumpkin?" John Granger glanced into his rear view mirror at his daughter.

"It was alright daddy. We met that murderer that broke out of prison. He's Harry's godfather and he's innocent. We also lost Ronald as a friend which neither of us are very bothered about to be quite honest."

Alison Granger looked at her daughter, turning in her seat to do so. "You met the murderer?"

"Well he didn't actually murder anyone, so you really can't call him a murderer. We met the guy he was supposed to have murdered to. He's a rat who sold out Harry's parents to Voldemort when Harry was a baby."

"Since when do you call him that awful name? I thought it was You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"Well Harry, or the Boy-Who-Lived, spoke to me about it and we agree that people who need to be hyphenated are not people we should be afraid of."

Alison grinned. "I want to meet this Harry."

"Sometime this summer then. He lived on Privet Driver with his relatives that he hates."

Alison and John exchanged a look that went unseen by their daughter. This was going to be an interesting summer.

When Hermione finally looked up from the book she was distracted by, she noticed they weren't headed towards home.

"Mum? Daddy? Where are we going?"

"Home dear."

"But this isn't the right way."

"Yes it is."

Hermione just stared at her mother confused and began to pay attention to where they were headed.

Meanwhile, Fate was throwing dishes around her kitchen, watching in pleasure as they shattered. She was absolutely seething! How dare they ignore ANOTHER sign?! She didn't give them out to everyone!

Chance, due to self-preservation skills that were ingrained in him, was hiding in his study. He had locked the door immediately following the first loud crash. He was taking no chances.

"WHY WON'T THEY JUST KISS?! IT'S NOT LIKE I'M FORCING THEM TO JUMP INTO BED WITH EACH OTHER!"

Chance chose not to intervene and point out that they would have to within a month of kissing anyways. That would do nothing for his self-preservation.

AN: I'm not really sure about this story but I have some fairly solid plans for it. Not crazy about the beginning. It just doesn't feel like my best work but I always say I will write however it takes me because to me that is characters coming to life on their own. Guess it will be…interesting…for me to say the least.

Read and Review please.

-GilmoreKitten