Harry Potter & The Runic Affinity
Author's Note #1: A big thank you to all those that have bothered reviewing, there were some really nice ones that made me smile. I don't have much to say except that I'll try and keep the chapter length a bit shorter since the longer a chapter goes for, the more inclined I am to make typos. As always, feel free to drop a review if you think this chapter merits one, if not, that's cool too.
Forewarning: There is a LOT of Harry/Hermione in this chapter. If you have, by some miracle, not yet realized that this very much an H/Hr centric story and do not sail that ship, this is my last warning. More at the end in the end notes.
Disclaimer: Do people even read these? I own nothing of the Harry Potter franchise.
Chapter 2: A Week Like No Other. Day 1.
Hermione slowly separated her hand from Harry's, much to his disappointment. Her hand had been soft and nice to hold. She stood and moved to the foot of the bed and slowly took in the room around her.
Looking at him over her shoulder she smiled and said, "Stay there, it's my turn now." Seeing him nod in confirmation she palmed her wand. Hermione didn't change too much, but her room now had a predominantly lighter colour scheme than his. As she stood at the foot of the bed with her wand pointed at the curtains, Harry shuffled up the bed so his back rested against the head board. For the first time he took in what Hermione was actually wearing today and allowed himself to appreciate her physique from behind. Hermione was wearing washed out jeans that hugged her hips in a lovely fashion, at least in Harry's mind. His gaze wandered up her legs, lingering on her bum for a moment, to her back, seeing her wear a snug pink tank top that peeked out under her white cardigan which she wore unbuttoned.
Harry had never noticed how lithe Hermione's figure was – she wasn't quite athletic but no slouch either. Her jeans and tank top betrayed her as she raised her arm to change the colours of the curtains causing her cardigan to reveal the full extent of her hips. Harry's breath stopped as his eyes kept tracing the outlines of Hermione's body. 'She's come a long way from the bossy know-it-all that I saved from a mountain troll.' Harry thought to himself and let out a chuckle.
Startled, Hermione turned around and raised an eyebrow at the grinning form of Harry Potter sitting on her bed, soft green eyes meting her chocolate ones. "Am I amusing you, Mister Potter?" She asked, trying her best to intimidate her favourite teacher, Minerva McGonagall. Harry had to do his best to not burst out laughing and bit his lower lip, trying to look as innocent as he could. "Of course not, Miss Granger, I am, ehm, just… thinking."
Still staring at him she placed a hand on her right hip and visibly shifted her weight to her left leg, finally breaking Harry's resolve as he burst out laughing. Doing her best to maintain her stern look she walked around the bed until she stood over Harry and looked at him in her disapproval. "And pray tell, what were you thinking about?"
Being the mature 16 year old that Harry was he stuck his tongue out to her and gave her a little mischievous smile. "Not telling!"
Before she had any chance to reply Harry pointed his wand at her stomach and said "Rictusempra!"
Hermione did her best to fight the charm, she really did. After a few seconds she gave into Harry's magic and started giggling uncontrollably at the feeling of being tickled. Her legs buckled and she had to grab the side of the bed in order to not fall over.
"H-Harry! Make it s-stop!" Hermione managed to say through her fits of giggles.
Seeing her giggle so much that she was forced to hold onto the bedframe for support infected Harry instantly and he started laughing again and casted "Finite Incantatem!" Hermione finally stopped giggling. As her stomach ached from all the tickling she lost grip of the bedframe and collapsed onto the bed, straight onto Harry who let out a cry of "oof!" as she landed on him.
The raven haired teen let out another laugh as he felt Hermione's stomach tense over his own as she groaned. If someone were to observe the teens they'd essentially see the two form a cross on the bed. Hermione shifted a bit so that her head essentially lay on his shoulder – she was still on top of him and her legs rested between his spread ones.
"Oww my stomach hurts now… I will get you back for this, Harry James Potter, you mark my words. Remember that you are not the only one who can use magic in this house!" She said as she turned on top of him, now her head was resting on his shoulder but faced towards his chest.
"What did I do to deserve that anyway?" Hermione asked after they were silent for a few minutes.
"I dunno, I just felt like it."
"Ah."
Another minute of silence passed between them, Harry marvelling at how warm she felt lying on top of him.
"What were you thinking about anyway?" Hermione asked again.
"Huh?"
"Before you cast that over the top Tickling Charm you said you were thinking. What did you think about that made you laugh?"
"Umm… a few things. One of them was how much you've changed from the little, bossy know-it-all that I rescued from a mountain troll in my first year."
She slapped his chest and said in a huff, "I was not… bossy!" Not heading him reply she turned her head to see him look at her incredulously. "Okay maybe I was a little overbearing."
Harry agreed with a snort and said, "Sure, let's go with that."
Another pause between them. This time it was Hermione who marvelled at the warmth of the body underneath her. 'This is comfortable… I could get used to this kind of pillow.'
"Hermione? What are we gonna do, you know, until Thursday? Dumbledore said we should enjoy ourselves."
"I don't know. Do you have anything specific in mind?"
"Well I kind of wanted to get myself some new clothes, given that I don't have to stay with the Durselys anymore and can wear whatever I want now. I was wondering if you could, you know, help me? I have no real idea of where to go and what to get."
"You're offering me to dress you up in all sorts of outfits and choose which ones you keep?"
"Err… I think I am?" Harry said uncertainly, not quite sure what she was getting at.
Laughing into his chest Hermione spoke, "I'd love to help you Harry, but don't you dare complain."
Still not quite understanding Harry scratched his head. "Complain about what?"
"You will see when we go shopping. I might bring Tonks with us. Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea." Hermione explained, shifting a bit to make herself more comfortable on top of him.
"Oh Merlin, please don't, not her Hermione. Anyone but Tonks!" Harry instantly pleaded with her.
"What do you have against Tonks? We'll probably have to take her anyway because her mission is to keep us safe."
Harry groaned and Hermione raised her head off his chest to see his cheeks go rosy. "She likes to… tease me. A lot. Inappropriately. I've been considering filing for a restraining order and getting her on probation or something." Harry explained jokingly.
"Tonks teases you? Do tell you charmer." Hermione said, resting her head back on him.
Explaining Tonks' actions from last night made Hermione laugh in delight. 'Tonks is a genius if she managed to distract Harry from his outbreak so easily.' "Oh I am definitely bringing her with us now." She slowly got up from her comfortable spot and stood next to the bed. "Get up, we can't lie around forever."
Looking up at her Harry tried to not blush at her rumpled clothing and slightly disorderly hair before responding with "But I was comfortable here!"
"Well you can get comfortable again later, okay?" Giving him a cheeky and mischievous smile, she added, "Maybe I'll even lie on top of you again to make sure you're extra comfortable."
Raising an eyebrow at her forwardness, Harry replied, "Why Miss Granger, are you suggesting I enjoyed the extended amount of time of physical contact between the two of us?"
A flash of insecurity passed over Hermione's face but she quickly controlled it into a neutral expression and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe, maybe not. Now, help me unpack." Hesitating for only a moment, Harry got off the bed before mentally kicking himself for the second time that day. 'Way to ruin a great midday Potter, it's been perfect up to now. Note to self: do something nice for Hermione later and reassure her.'
Opening her trunk, Hermione forced Harry to practise his housekeeping spells by having him sort her clothes, mainly her pants and shirts, into the walk-in closet. Harry spend the better part of the next hour levitating and magically folding her clothes, arranging them inside the closet by type. Jeans went to one side, other pants to the other; shirts were piled up by colour, dresses hung up according to type, jackets and sweaters arranged onto hangers and so on. Hermione in the meantime organised her personal collection of books that she had taken from home into the shelves on the other side of the room. After being satisfied with the way her precious tomes were set up she went about arranging her bathroom with her personal assortment of hygienic utensils and make up that she used from time to time or on special occasions. Harry was still walking between the trunk on her bed and the closet, not quite done with her clothing. As she hung up her fluffy bathrobe she heard Harry call her name from the bedroom.
Exiting the bathroom she found him standing next to her open trunk, refusing to meet her eyes. "What do you, erm, want me to do with, ehh… those?" Crossing the distance between her and the bed she walked up to her trunk to see what Harry was gesturing at. Peeking into her trunk she quickly found what was causing him to stumble over his own words and blush in discomfort – Harry had finished transferring her clothes and had now stumbled upon the section in her trunk which held her underwear. Trying her best not to blush Hermione quickly answered. "Oh don't worry about them, I'll sort them out later. I wouldn't want you to pass out from embarrassment or something, would I now?"
Her tone had been teasing and Harry raised his eyes and looked straight into hers. 'Two can play this game, Hermione.' "Is that a challenge I hear in your voice, Hermione?"
Deciding to play along, Hermione shot back, "If you perceive my suggestion that you are not up to handling my underwear as a challenge, Harry, then it could possibly be one, yes."
Not breaking eye contact, Harry slowly, very slowly, reached into the trunk and pulled out a pair of sky blue cotton panties, letting them dangle from his index finger, smiling a dangerous smile at his best friend.
Hermione couldn't take it. Harry was currently touching her underwear. Not the underwear she was wearing, but it was close enough. Being the young hormonal teen that she was, such a thought inspired a whole new train of thought, and that was one train she didn't want to be riding when looking into his eyes. Snatching them from his finger she quickly banished them into the closet with a flick of her wand.
Seeing his triumphant grin she shook her head and raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think so Mister Potter, I'm not going to let you handle my underwear just yet. Maybe another time." She gave him a look which she hoped would come across like a confidently seductive wink before levitating her entire trunk into the walk-in closet and shutting its doors.
"Well if you ever need me to handle your underwear, my room's right across the hall and I'm normally available Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays for such services; prices can be negotiated via owl or on the spot." Harry joked in his best snobbish business-like tone.
A second of silence passed between the two as they stared at each other before bursting out in laughter once more. Hermione had certainly missed his sense of humour, she hadn't heard jokes like this since the last time she had been alone with him for a longer time… which had been at the start of their fourth year when she had helped him prepare for the Triwizard Tournament. A thought ran through her head as she remembered those months. 'He said earlier that I am his best friend… Does he mean he places me even above Ron? I should ask him later.'
Reversing the roles, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him out of her room, saying, "I want to check if this place has a library or any sort of book collection before we ask Remus and Tonks when we can go shopping."
"Typical Hermione, first thing on the list is finding books."
"Shut it you prat."
An hour later, Harry found himself outside the Leaky Cauldron in Muggle London. Tonks had instantly taken a liking to the idea of taking him shopping and had told them they could go right now. Remus had given Harry a sympathetic look and shake of the head before telling them to stay near Tonks at all times and that he'd be out running some errands himself. Tonks told him that they'd bring back some takeaway dinner so they wouldn't have to cook later that night. Remus nodded and left the house before they did. Tonks got changed into her Auror robes and the three were on their way.
Harry was hesitant outside the Leaky Cauldron. The moment people would recognize him he'd either get the usual celebrity treatment or the usual looks of doom and disgust. By now he'd been used to both of them but still enjoyed neither. Hermione rubbed his back reassuringly for a moment and Tonks spoke. "Don't worry Harry, I'll keep anyone off your back. Just walk straight ahead to Gringotts, we're only here to get your money and then we're off to the Muggle world, okay?"
Taking a deep breath and nodding, Harry opened the door to the famous Wizarding pub, trying to conceal his face as much as possible by not making eye contact with anyone and looking at the ground. Sadly, someone did recognize him the second he walked and whispered his name loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Harry Potter!"
Instantly the pub was in chaos, people crowding around him with looks of adoration upon their faces. 'Celebrity treatment it is I guess…' Harry thought to himself in annoyance. The Daily Prophet had done it once more – last year he'd been the crazy, attention seeking lunatic, this year he was the saviour of the Wizarding World again. Of course the vile toilet paper that called itself a newspaper had blown up the story of the Voldemort sighting at the ministry, taking Dumbledore's statement that they had battled and driven him off and spinning it into a fairy tale of Harry heroically defeating Voldemort in a battle of the minds and wills while Dumbledore had defeated him magically.
"Mister Potter, could you please sign this for me…" was the first thing he picked up from a particularly pushy witch that had made her way to the front of the crowd, thrusting a quill and what looked like a poster of him from the Triwizard Tournament at him.
Disgusted with all the attention Harry did his best to ignore everyone around him and push his way through to the entrance to Diagon Alley. Fortunately both Tom and Tonks decided to get the crowd off of him. Tonks raised her wand and let out a sound that reminded Harry of a cannonball shot from a pirate ship. Instantly the crowd silenced and looked towards the bubble-gum haired Auror who was looking quite menacing.
"Leave the boy in peace before I arrest you all for harassment. I'm sure the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement won't be happy when I tell her that I had to arrest two dozen people cause they were mobbing the one and only Harry Potter, no?"
With determination in her stride she took both Harry's and Hermione's elbows and pushed them towards the magical wall, the crowd parting like water and moving back to their seats in fear of the fierce Auror.
They strode straight through Diagon Alley with no one daring to get too close to the famous teenager as Tonks wore a menacing scowl and glared at whoever looked like they were star-struck enough to try and shake Harry Potter's hand. Hermione swore Tonks had used her Metamorphing talents to somehow make her eyes look burning to anyone she glared at, but was eternally grateful that Tonks got them to Gringotts so quickly. 'I knew bringing her had been a good idea.'
Harry looked around Gringotts for a free teller and saw the same Goblin he had spoken to when he had made his first trip to the bank with Hagrid all those years ago. "Good afternoon Mister Griphook, I'd like to visit my vault to retrieve some money." Harry greeted and presented his vault key.
The goblin, Griphook, looked quite surprised to be addressed by his name before inclining his head. "Of course Mister Potter, please follow me. I'm going to need you to authorize your guests to accompany you, though."
After quickly signing a waiver that had stated that Harry permitted Hermione and Tonks to come with him, the three found themselves in a wild cart ride through Gringotts. Griphook sat in the front, Harry behind him, followed by Hermione and Tonks. Never having been on such a ride before Hermione did not quite know what to expect, but the second the cart started declining and accelerating she wrapped her arms around Harry's midsection who'd been letting out screams of joy along with Tonks as they approached his vault.
Griphook entered Harry's key into a small opening in a stone pillar next to the vault door and watched as it slowly opened. He handed Harry a small leather pouch which he explained would magically be able to hold as many coins as he wanted. Nodding, Harry walked into his vault, followed by Tonks and Hermione.
The two girls were quite surprised. Harry's vault was almost overflowing with gold; coins were stacked against the walls to make room for more. All they saw was gold, not a single sickle or knut anywhere. Harry looked around in wonder. "Hmm, it's grown since the last time I was here. I'll ask Griphook about it on the way out."
With that, Harry started piling Galleons into the pouch. Looking at him in wonder, Hermione asked, "How much are you taking Harry?"
Shrugging Harry replied, "I don't know, enough to make me feel comfortable. I have no idea what the conversation rate to British Sterling is but it'd rather have too much than too little."
After Harry had piled several handfuls of the gold coins into the bag he pulled the string to shut the bag and walked out of the vault, the girls on his heels with one last look of wonder at all the money in Harry's vault.
Outside the vault Harry looked at Griphook and asked him, "Griphook, it appears that the amount of money in my vault has significantly increased since my first visit here before my first year. Could you explain to me why?"
"Hmm, let me confirm the properties of the vault Mister Potter, just a second," Griphook mumbled something and snapped his fingers, summoning a leather bound book with a gold inscription of "Harry James Potter – Vault #687 – Potter Family Trust Vault."
Seeing the inscription Harry looked at Griphook with the unspoken question. "This book monitors all activity of this vault, all money deposited and withdrawn, all interest rate changes and additions."
"Oh, okay. What does it mean when it says "Potter Family Trust Vault"?" Harry asked, still confused.
Looking at Harry in disbelief Griphook quickly asked, "Mister Potter, have you not been made aware of your financial arrangements or your family's vault set up?"
With an uncomfortable shrug Harry replied, "No, not really. Hagrid said my parents left me money and took me to this vault in before buying my school supplies in my first year. I haven't really been back here since."
Sighing and shaking his head in disbelief Griphook muttered to himself something along the lines of "Most famous Wizard in Britain and doesn't even know about his own finances…"
Gesturing for them to enter the cart, Griphook spoke, "I think this warrants a meeting with the bank's manager, Ragnok. I shall have him explain the reason behind the amount of gold increasing inside your vault. Please follow, I shall take you directly to him."
As they entered the cart, Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry again, causing Tonks to nudge her playfully and send her a suggestive wink.
Ten minutes later and the trio were led down a corridor to where they assumed they would meet Ragnok. As they walked, Hermione walked beside Harry with Tonks slightly behind them, tugging on his sleeve. Looking at her, Hermione leaned over while they walked and whispered. "Harry, if we're being taken to the Ragnok, as in Ragnok the Head of Gringotts, you must be on your best manners at all times. When you smile do not, under any circumstances, show your teeth."
Looking puzzled at her words, Hermione sighed and continued. "Showing your teeth when smiling is a display of aggression in Goblin culture. It's like pointing your wand at someone in our world. Trust me, you do not want to be comparing your wand to that of the Gringotts manager."
Letting out a chuckle Griphook agreed, apparently having heard her words with his superior hearing. "I agree with your companion Mister Potter, Master Ragnok is not to be trifled with."
Nodding, Hermione turned to Harry again. "Also remember that not just any Wizard gets to meet Master Ragnok. Not even the Minister could just rock up at the bank and demand a meeting with him; you must hold some sort of special standing with the Goblins if they decide that something minor like you not being informed of your financial state warrants a meeting with him, an unscheduled one as well. I've read enough to know that if someone like Malfoy Senior were to strut in here and demand to see the manager he would be ejected from this establishment in a most painful manner."
Again Griphook let out a laugh but did not reply as he stopped and gestured towards a large pair of doors which appeared to consist of solid marble. "Master Ragnok awaits you, Mister Potter and friends. I shall wait here for your meeting to end to escort you back to the lobby."
"Thank you Mister Griphook." Harry said and nodded his thanks before approaching the door with Hermione by his side and Tonks right behind them. Just as he reached to push the one of the door open, it swung inwards by itself and let the three enter. They stepped through slowly and took in the room around them. It was opulently decorated, with many paintings depicting Goblins in combat, golden statues and gem-studded figures. At the centre of the room stood an enormous desk made from polished dark wood. Documents and other official looking folders were stacked on one side, some decorations and gold coins on the other.
Behind the desk sat a goblin that seemed to be a head taller than Griphook had been. Dressed in a black suit, the goblin had his hands folded on the table and seemed to evaluate each of them with his piercing gaze. He nodded in greeting and gestured towards the three chairs. Harry took the middle one, Hermione the one to his right and Tonks the one to his left.
"Ah, Mister Potter. A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, to be honest I had expected to see you sometime last year or even earlier. Well, better late than never. Please, introduce your two companions."
"Thank you very much for having us, Master Goblin," Harry spoke in what he thought was his best formal tone, "this to my right is Hermione Granger, my best friend, and to my left is Auror Nymphadora Tonks, who would really prefer to only be called Tonks."
Ragnok let out a chuckle at Tonks scowl towards Harry. "Well Mister Potter, before I explain your finances to you, I'd like to give this to you which will save us having to attempt and get in touch with you. Please open it when you are in a secure location such as your home as it holds sensitive information." Ragnok said, sliding an envelope across the table with his name written in a neat script.
"Now Mister Potter, am I correct when I say that you have not received any statements regarding the Potter account at Gringotts over the years?"
Harry only confirmed this with a nod.
"I am not entirely sure how this would have happened, but I assume it is a combination of factors. First of all your legal guardian being Sirius Orion Black, who'd been in Azkaban for the better part of your life, meaning our letters regarding your vaults would not have reached him. It is my assumption that you've lived, and most likely still do, under a heavy set of wards for your own protection that have not been tuned to allow our mail to reach you. Should this be the case I highly recommend to speak with the owner of the property you live on to allow Gringotts mail to come through." The Goblin Master said.
Harry shot a glance at Tonks who nodded. "We will look into it, I'd rather be informed of any issues regarding my finances than be uninformed."
"Excellent. Now, onto more recent matters. I've been informed that you've noticed the increase in gold of your Trust Vault. Let me explain this by saying that your father had interesting views on money and very intriguing ways of going about them."
"You… You knew my father?" Harry asked, surprised.
Rubbing his chin, Ragnok sat back in his chair and seemed lost in thought for a moment. "Yes, I knew James Potter quite well. An outstanding Wizard with the best morals I had seen in a long time. We considered him a friend of the Goblin Nation."
At his proclamation Hermione gasped and raised a hand to her mouth. Turning his head to her with confusion etched on his face Harry looked at her in question. "Harry, being considered a friend of the Goblin Nation is the highest honour known of that Goblins bestow on wizards. It requires visiting the King of the Goblin Nation which I do not have to spell out is something not even Dumbledore is said to have done any time recently. There have been very few wizards that have been bestowed friendship by the Goblins. Your father must have been a great man, Harry."
'So dad wasn't the bully that I saw in Snape's memory…'
Speechless Harry turned back to Ragnok who had summoned a tumbler of what could be assumed to be the Goblin equivalent of Firewhiskey. "Quite correct Miss Granger. While we respect Dumbledore as a great leader and very powerful wizard, he is not quite a friend. My leaders have had their differences with him, but there is no bad blood. James Potter was an extraordinary human with an equally great wife. He'd been young, hard headed and stubborn to almost a point of foolishness but the heart of a warrior that would not stand for racial inequality. He had fought alongside Goblins several times in the first war against Voldemort, each time Voldemort had tried to raid a Gringotts branch or gain access to the caves and tunnels much of the Goblin folk reside in. His aggressive sense for business and opportunistic personality had greatly amused and appealed to our High King and he had decided to reward James' bravery for defending my brethren in battle like one of his own. By extension his wife was held in equal regard with the Goblins… and by further extensions this includes you, Mister Potter. I am quite sure that my king has been observing you and it will not long before he requests you to talk to him. I would like to bring you to him once he makes the request."
Sitting back and taking in the information, Harry's mind spun at the revelation. His father had been as great as Sirius and Remus had always made him out to be and this was definitely something Hary would be asking Remus about when he got home.
Tonks on the other hand furrowed her brows for a moment and spoke out. "If I've learned anything at Hogwarts and its History of Magic class, it is that Goblins very rarely do something without personal motivation. If I may be so bold, what do you gain from bringing Harry to your King?"
Smiling a closed smile, Ragnok looked and her and nodded. "Your reputation precedes you, Auror Tonks. As sharp as a knife."
"My… reputation?"
"Why yes, you are a former student of Mad-Eye Moody, are you not?" Seeing her nod, Ragnok continued. "Mad-Eye has some very old friends in the Goblin warrior ranks and does come by for frequent visits. I do not believe I've actually seen a human enjoy Goblin liquor as much as Alastor. He has spoken of you as an apprentice that actually might survive this war and that you actually use what he had taught you. Coming from Mad-Eye that is about as much praise that he is mentally capably of."
Seeing her surprised look, Ragnok continued. "But yes, you are right of course, I do have my personal motives and could profit quite a bit from bringing Mister Potter to my king. The loss of James Potter deeply upset my King and us, and as a Nation we swore blood feud against Tom Riddle. Rest assured that you will have our assistance in your battle against him, Mister Potter. My personal gain would be elevated standing with the King and my peers in the Goblin nation. If there are three things which Goblins value, they would be respect and honour, money and combat power. Rest assured that I am quite far up in the Goblin hierarchy, so any sort of promotion would be very unlikely, but if there is one thing Goblins will always strive for is more honour."
That, the three humans could understand. Being on friendly terms with Harry was beneficial to Ragnok and definitely a considerable factor to keep in mind if they needed financial assistance in the fight against Voldemort. Harry broke the silence, "And my Trust Vault?"
"Ah yes, excuse me for getting off track. Knowing that he and his wife would possibly not survive the war, your father set up a trust fund for you to be able to use for your schooling needs and any sort of other needs that you might have. Normally a trust fund is set so that it resets to a predetermined amount on a cycle, normally yearly or half-yearly. Given that your family's estate is rather extensive, James Potter set it up so that instead of resetting the vault to 50,000 galleons every 31st December, it would simply add 50,000 galleons on top of what was left in the vault from the main Vault, effective from the day of your father's unfortunate demise. Your family has many investments, including ones in the muggle world. Since they had been under our management, we met with Sirius Black last year to consult on said investments given that he'd be the caretaker of your financial needs until you reach majority. He had authorized us to use the trust vault to store some of the profit the Potter Estate makes from the mentioned investments, which enables us to circumvent a few… shall we say, Wizarding and Muggle taxation laws and restrictions." Ragnok explained, taking a sip from his tumbler of alcohol every now and then.
Nodding his understanding, Harry asked, "How much is in my trust vault currently? How much of it can I access?"
Snapping his fingers, the same book that Griphook had held earlier appeared in front of Ragnok. Turning the first page of it he looked over a few columns before he looked at Harry and spoke, "Just over 700,000 galleons. And you can access all of it."
Opening his mouth in shock, Harry wasn't quite sure what to say. Hermione was the one who made the next important discovery. "What is the current conversion rate of one Galleon to GBP?"
Giving them a wide smile, which of course did not bare any teeth, Ragnok smugly replied with a twinkle in his eye, "Given that the conversion rate is based upon actual weight per Galleon given that they are solid gold, about 33 pounds per Galleon."
All three of them gasped in surprise, mouths agape as they stared at the Goblin as he casually refilled his tumbler. "Yes Mister Potter, you are quite wealthy. Just wait until you can access the rest of the Potter Estate, for there are many more surprises that await you."
Their visit with Ragnok had ended with a mysterious smile on his part, telling them that he'd see them again soon enough. Thanking Griphook for all his help after converting half the money Harry had withdrawn into Sterling, the trio exited Diagon Alley through The Leaky Cauldron and Tonks apparated them to central London to take Harry shopping.
Shopping with the two women had been a very interesting experience, one that Harry didn't interpret as a negative one at all. While he hated attention from those he did not know, he had basked in the attention from Tonks and Hermione who had him try on several dozens of outfits. Everything ranging from boxers and briefs to suits had been covered by the two women as Harry told them to set him up with anything he could possibly ever need in the near future, knowing that money would not be a problem.
The girls had been hesitant at first but Harry encouraged them and they threw all restrictions into the wind, not hesitating with prices or brand names as long as it looked good on Harry. Tonks had been very disappointed at the lack of a camera to take pictures of Harry's blushes when they picked out different types of underwear for him. Asking if it really mattered what his underwear looked like, Tonks had given him a lecherous grin and said that if someone were to take his pants off for him, he'd best be well dressed underneath as well, for her sake of course.
She may or may not have looked suggestively at Hermione who had sported a gigantic blush which Harry had missed entirely, caught up in his own embarrassment at Tonks' implication.
Buying an entirely new wardrobe meant a lot of clothing items. They had ended up meeting a young and energetic cashier who Harry estimated to be somewhere between the ages of himself and Tonks. If he hadn't been so busy and looked at her closer than he did, he would have recognised her as an absolute beauty. She introduced herself as Mandy and Tonks and Hermione instantly connected with her and soon she'd been their liaison between themselves and the store. Men walking around the store looked at Harry in envy, being showered in attention of three stunning ladies.
The three of them would lead Harry around the massive department store, critically assessing the things they'd picked out for him as he walked out of the change rooms. Everything Hermione and Tonks decided on buying they handed to Mandy who'd wait for them to choose as many things as she could carry and then bring them to her cashier and leave them there before returning. When Mandy had asked whether they were sure that they could pay for everything, Hermione and Tonks had grinned and said that Harry came from a very wealthy family and that money would be the least of their worries. This excited Mandy even more, telling them that she worked on commission and this would be like Christmas had come early.
It took the three females well over four hours to finish the assembly of Harry's new wardrobe. Harry now had multiples of everything. Ranging from swimming trunks to casual wear to shoes to semi-formal to suits – he now had everything.
The Goblins at Gringotts had had the foresight to provide him with a silver suitcase to hold all the notes of muggle currency that he converted. Needless to say they got some interesting looks as Harry lifted the suitcase onto the counter and started handing over wads of cash. Mandy's eyes had grown wide at the sight of all the money and had jokingly asked if they had robbed a bank or were involved in some kind of mafia, much to the entertainment of everyone. 4,000 pounds lighter they left behind a very happy Mandy who had given Harry her business card with a wink and had told Tonks and Hermione to call her if they were ever in the neighbourhood to have a coffee together.
As Harry and Tonks started grabbing as many bags into each hand as they could carry, Mandy stood next to Hermione who'd take the remaining bags. With a slight nod towards Harry she spoke in a teasing tone, "So, he's just a friend eh?"
Raising her eyebrow like she always did, Hermione nodded. "Yes, we're best friends."
Letting out a ringing laugh, Mandy shook her head. "Keep telling yourself that girl, maybe one day it'll come true."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, having a good idea what she was referring to.
"Oh nothing. I could tell you, of course, but that would ruin all the fun for Tonks, ay? No, I shall let you figure it out on your own… after all, the journey is just as good as arriving."
Shaking her head, Hermione gathered the remaining bags. They all thanked Mandy and walked towards the escalators, moving up a floor. Tonks nodded towards the bathroom where she discreetly used Shrinking Charms on all the bags and placed them into Hermione's purse. Relieved that they wouldn't have to carry all the bags, the two asked Harry what he'd like to do now.
Looking around, Harry noticed that they were standing in the middle of the women's floor of the department store.
Harry smiled at the two girls and spoke, "Well since you two have taken the time this afternoon to go shopping with me and helped me acquire a new wardrobe through my absolute cluelessness, I'd like to use some of the money I have to treat you two. Since we're in the women's section I want you two to walk around and pick out some nice things for yourselves! You definitely deserve it."
Hermione smiled at his thoughtfulness and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, you don't have to do that for us. Please don't think that you have to repay us in any fashion, we are happy to help you. And don't you dare think that now that you have money that you need to buy things for us to assure our friendship. We'll stand by you no matter what, you could have not a single knut to your name for all I care."
Tonks only nodded, deciding to let Hermione handle that one.
"I know 'Mione, but I'm not going to go back on this. I know you're by my side no matter what, you've proven that more times than I can count over the years. Please just accept this as a token of thanks for what you did for me today, you too Tonks. I don't know who else I could have asked to help me with this; I don't think that Remus or even Dumbledore would have been a lot of help in picking out clothing for me." Harry said with a smile. The two women laughed at the image of Harry going shopping with either Remus or Dumbledore.
Before Hermione could argue any further, Tonks took charge. "Alright, whatever we buy's on you Harry? Awesome, you're the best. Let's go Hermione! You just walk behind us and make sure that you don't fall behind and get lost, alright Harry?"
Without waiting for confirmation Tonks wandered off towards the dress section which was right next to the lingere and underwear. Hermione sent Harry a dazzling smile and squeezed his shoulder before following the energetic Auror.
Harry followed with a smile on his face. Seeing Hermione walk around with Tonks picking out several things and trying them on kept him smiling. What most men would have understood as the very definition of torture was a pleasant activity to him. He got to see Hermione in a completely different light than what he was used to in a magical setting or at school and Tonks was quickly growing on him too, maybe he could one day see her as an older sister that he never had.
Tonks had decided that since Harry was paying they shouldn't bother with boring clothing such as jeans and shirts but should get something fancier instead, so they stayed in the semi-formal to formal part of the floor, trying on several different dresses. Hermione had just entered the changing room with two dresses when Tonks stroked her chin with a thoughtful look.
Muttering something about wanting to check something she told Harry to stay in this area with Hermione and not wander off and that she'd be back soon enough. Harry shrugged and nodded, knowing that a Death Eater attack would be highly improbable in a muggle department store. If they'd been followed Tonks surely would have noticed and Voldemort's minions would have already made a move.
Hermione's voice shook him out of his thoughts. Looking up he saw Hermione's head peek out of her changing booth – only her head though, the rest of her body was hidden behind the door. She was biting her lower lip and looked at him. "Where's Tonks?" she asked, not seeing the Auror.
"She said something about checking something and walked off. We're supposed to stay in this area." Harry explained.
Hermione nodded and looked undecided for a moment. Her eyes met Harry's. "I quite like this dress, but I'm not sure… It's hmm, how do I explain this… I'd really like your opinion on it too, Harry, but I'd, umm, feel uncomfortable showing it to all the people walking around…," Not quite knowing where Hermione was going with this Harry just looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
'Gryffindor courage, Granger. Just do it.'
Seemingly having found a resolve, Hermione looked him dead in the eyes and spoke, "Could you come in here and have a look?"
Both of Harry's eyebrows shot higher onto his forehead at her request. "Y-You want me to come in there? Into the changing room? With you?" He asked just to make sure he had interpreted her question correctly.
Seeing her nod quickly, Harry found himself at a loss. 'It's Hermione you idiot. Go in there; charge in like a true Gryffindor! She's your best friend, what could possibly happen? She wants your opinion, get in there and bloody well give it to her!' Was the argument his conscience provided.
Harry nodded to signal his agreement and stepped closer. Hermione stepped back into the cabin and Harry opened the door just enough for him to enter.
The first thing he noticed was that the cabin was the same size as the ones he'd used countless times earlier, meaning it wasn't very big and obviously not intended for two people. The next thing that came to his mind was the fact that Hermione stood close to him, less than an arm's length away. When he laid his eyes upon her his breath hitched and then stopped. The dress she had chosen was the quintessential "little black dress" – well maybe a tad fancier than that. Very thin spaghetti straps adorned Hermione's shoulders. It was a somewhat wide v-cut that made up the top and Harry could see that the dress was definitely snug on her chest. The proximity that Hermione stood in to him also made it very clear to him that his best friend was definitely female.
The dress was made from some sort of shiny material that sparkled and glittered in the light. Like her chest, it hugged the rest of her body tightly and ended mid-thigh where it seemed slightly baggy. Harry's eyes kept wandering down her body to her bare feet, taking in her legs. 'They look so smooth.'
A smile played around her lips as she saw Harry's wide eyes gazing over her body. She slowly turned on the spot so he could see her sides and back. The dress was bare to the middle of her upper back, starting on the same level as her chest. Being a hormonal teenager, Harry definitely appreciated the fit of the dress around her hips. Completing her turn, Hermione asked, "Well?"
Looking her in the eyes, Harry wasn't quite sure how to respond. Taking his favoured approach of being blunt and honest, he spoke. "Hermione, you look drop dead gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. You walk out there right now in that dress and men will start brawling over who gets to stand the closest to you."
Feeling her cheeks burn at his compliments, Hermione adverted her gaze for a second. "Oh stop it Harry, that would never happen. I'm not even wearing shoes or make up-"
Harry interrupted her the second he could see her insecurity surface again in her eyes, reminding himself of the look in her eyes earlier on her bed.
He moved forward slightly, reducing the distance between them. "No Hermione, listen to me. Look at me." He waited a moment before she looked at him again. "I'm being entirely serious. You look amazing and I don't care what you say, that dress is going into your wardrobe one way or another."
Biting her lip again she stared into his green eyes for a moment. "Really?"
"Yes. I know I don't say it much and I'm terrible with stuff like this, but you can't even imagine how beautiful you look right now. I'd certainly brawl with any guy over the right to stand closest to you." Harry finished with a smile.
Once more Hermione's cheeks lit up and she quickly pulled him into a hug. "Thank you Harry… you're so sweet when you want to be!"
Her arms were around his waist this time and Harry smiled as she pressed her face against his shoulder. His arms slowly closed around her shoulders. Being acutely aware of her definitely female assets pressing into him Harry tried to not get distracted. He did, after all, have something to say to her.
"I mean it Hermione, that dress suits you perfectly. You don't need make-up or shoes to go with it, you look gorgeous either way."
The bespectacled wizard could feel her smile against his shirt and chuckle lightly. Waiting for her to stop he could feel her pulling away but tightened his arms around her shoulders.
"Stay, just for a moment." Feeling her arms take their place around his waist again he continued, "I'd like to apologize for earlier."
Harry could feel Hermione pull her head slightly away from him shoulder and look at him. "What are you apologizing for?"
"Do you remember earlier on your bed? When you said that you might just lie on top of me again to make sure I'd be comfortable?"
Feeling her nod, he took a breath before continuing. "I was just trying to be funny when I implied that I didn't enjoy it. For future reference, I really did – you are very nice and cuddly and I would definitely not complain if you took refuge upon myself again. So yeah, I'm sorry if I made you feel unappreciated or something earlier."
When she didn't say anything for a moment Harry thought to himself he had done something wrong and prepared a mental lashing for himself. He stopped though when he heard her whisper.
"How did you know that I felt like that?" Her voice was barely a whisper.
"You do learn a few things when you spend almost every minute of your time with someone for ten months each year for five years. I've almost had every single meal with you and most of my classes and every time we have free time you're either watching me play and practise Quidditch, sit at my bed in the Hospital Wing or help me with homework and study in the Common Room. We know a lot about each other and while I seem quite daft at times I reckon I can be pretty observant. Your whole body language changes when you're upset, and earlier I could see it in your eyes. Your eyes are always the first place I look if I need to know what you're feeling or thinking. They're very expressive, your eyes, Hermione." Harry explained in a low tone. Given the fact that they were in a hug he did not need to speak and louder for her to hear.
He loosened his arms around her shoulders and she took a step back. "Thank you Harry. You didn't need to apologize for that but I am happy that you did." A wide smile adorned her face and Harry couldn't help to notice how pretty her smile was.
She turned around and held her hair up. "Could you undo the zipper? Saves me from having to awkwardly try and reach it."
Taking in the sight of Hermione's creamy skin Harry slowly pulled the zipper down, revealing her back to him all the way to its lower part. He gulped at seeing the back of her bra, praying to himself to not do anything stupid.
Feeling the zipper undone she let her hair fall again and turned back to him. "Well I want to try this one now," she said, a wicked smile on her lips, as she nodded towards an emerald dress hanging from the hook on the cabin's wall, "and I think I need your much valued opinion on this one as well."
Not quite understanding what Hermione wanted from him Harry gave her a blank look. She mock-sighed and gestured down her body and then for him to turn around.
Harry was facing the cabin door and was quite shocked. Who was this person and what had she done to Hermione Granger? What had happened to the shy slightly introverted bookworm he knew at school? Was this what Hermione was like out of school, away from all their peers and pressure? Growing contemplative, Harry realized that he had never actually properly spent time with her alone outside of school. When they saw each other at the Burrow or at Headquarters, it had normally been around other people. Ron and Ginny had almost always been there.
Harry realized that he liked this Hermione, a lot. She was exciting and even more fun to be around than usual. Then he pondered his current situation. He was currently in a muggle shopping mall, standing inside the very same cabin as her. She was less than a foot behind him, undressing. Somehow Harry doubted that she'd take just any bloke into a changing booth and get changed behind them so she could get their bloody opinion on an article of clothing.
Just as he thought that, he felt her place something over his shoulder. Letting his eyes at least look at what it was, he saw she had placed the black dress over his shoulder as if he'd been a clothes hanger in a bedroom corner.
It was then that he realized. 'Hermione is standing right behind me wearing nothing more than her bra and knickers.' Recalling that her bra had been black Harry couldn't help but think, 'I wonder if her knickers match?' The image of the sky blue ones that he had held earlier in her room flashed into his mind and before he knew it he imagined Hermione in a soft black cotton bra and matching panties. Blushing a bright red Harry had to control his body with unreal willpower to not get an erection at such a thought. 'She'd definitely kill me if she knew! Think other things. Quidditch. No, not Hermione on my Firebolt in black underwear, no. Umbridge. Yes. Umbridge. In underwear.'
That did the trick and his blush quickly turned into a face of disgust. A pat on his shoulder shook him out of his thoughts. "I'm almost done putting this one on. Since you decided you're definitely buying the black one for me you might as well hang onto it."
Harry only managed an "Okay."
A few moments later he could feel her small hand tug on his shirt to make him turn around. Harry's gaze wandered over her body. This dress was a bit more formal and longer. It was strapless unlike the black one.
One glance into Harry's eyes told her everything she needed to know – it seemed like she had two dresses to add to her wardrobe. All that she now needed were occasions to wear them to.
The three left the department store highly satisfied. Tonks had returned with two packages that she had said she wanted Harry to get for her. Harry just nodded happily, still slightly dazed from his encounter with Hermione in the changing room.
Hermione had raised an eyebrow at Tonks – she knew that the Auror had been eyeing the underwear section for a while. Whether her timing to wander off to that section had been intentional to get her to spend time with Harry alone she didn't know, but wasn't about to complain anyway.
The sun was setting and it was approaching night time. Much to the surprise of Harry and Hermione, Tonks said she knew a good Chinese place they could get takeaway from. Laughing at their expressions Tonks mentioned that she did have a father who was muggle-born and they had spent many days in muggle London, near his place of work.
They ordered big servings of rice, stir fried beef, vegetables and lemon-sauce based chicken to feed all four of them at Grimmauld Place.
The trio entered Headquarters to find Remus sitting in the kitchen drinking a Butterbeer and reading a book. When he saw them enter he smiled and waved.
"Looks like you survived, Harry. I hope they weren't too bad to you." He said with a grin.
Harry laughed at the scowls Tonks and Hermione sent the werewolf, and shrugged. "Nah, it was actually quite fun."
Hermione placed all of the shrunken bags on the kitchen table to show Remus just how much they had bought for Harry. Remus raised an eyebrow when he realized just how many shrunken bags he was looking at and shot Hermione a questioning look. She shrugged as well and said, "We made a few discoveries at Gringotts before we went shopping. We'll tell you about that later – we got Chinese by the way. Why don't you prepare to reheat it so Tonks can change and I'll help Harry unpack his purchases?" She suggested.
Everyone nodded and went about their tasks.
Hermione hadn't seen Harry's room when she arrived earlier in the day but now saw that it was really quite the mirror image to her own in terms of furniture. She opened his walk-in closet only to see his trunk on the floor of it, realizing he hadn't bothered to unpack yet. With a flick of her wand the trunk opened while Harry was enlarging all of the shopping bags. Quite surprised at not finding his trunk to be a mess but instead neatly organised she wondered if Dumbledore had lent Harry a magical hand when packing his things at his former home.
"Are there any clothes in here you want to keep?" She asked, pointing at his trunk. Harry looked at her in thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, only my Quidditch jersey."
Hermione nodded and piled his old clothes on the floor, including his old underwear and socks. Throwing him his Quidditch jersey she quickly rummaged through the bags until she found the one with the new clothes he could wear at home. A light grey pair of cotton tracksuit pants followed his jersey and she told him to put them on as well as a pair of new socks and boxers that she had picked out for him.
Harry dutifully walked into the bathroom and got changed. She held a hand out for the clothes he had just taken off.
"Come with me, I want to do something before we sort your new clothes."
Trusting her without question, Harry simply followed her as she levitated Dudley's old clothes in front of her. They got to the front door and stepped outside. Hermione walked down the few steps outside the front porch. Standing on the last step she unceremoniously dropped the bundle of clothes on the ground and gestured Harry to stand next to her.
"What are we doing out here?"
"Closing this particular chapter of your life, of course." She explained, pointing at his old clothes. "Do it, Harry. Set them ablaze and watch the last reminder of your time with the Durselys slowly burn away."
Looking at her with wide eyes, Harry stared at the clothes. He agreed, he'd rather burn them and not be reminded of this part of his past through his old clothes. In what was barely a whisper he asked, "Do the wards apply out here as well?"
She nodded. "They should."
With a resolute nod he pointed his wand and casted "Incendio."
The pile of clothes slowly caught fire and started burning. Hermione looked to her right to see Harry stand rigid, his eyes wet. His face was a grimace – he was obviously remembering less happy times with his relatives that he associated with the clothes. She took a step closer to him and sneaked her arm around his waist to hold him close to her as tears started rolling down his cheeks.
He did not move, he did not sob. Harry just stood there silently as his old hand-me-downs burned in a magical fire, slowly releasing his pain at having lived with his terrible relatives. His left arm slowly came up and went around her shoulders as she kept holding him as he silently cried and metaphorically cleansed himself of their mistreatment of him.
She smiled a sad smile, glad to have made the right decision regarding his old clothes. Pulling him against her a bit tighter she leaned her head against his shoulder, lending what emotional support she could without saying anything. She knew that he was aware of her being there for him and no words needed to be said.
After a few minutes, only a small pile of ash remained and the magical fire died. A gust of wind came out of nowhere and carried the ash into the winds, as if Mother Nature herself agreed with Hermione and helped Harry wash away the pain.
Nothing was left as the wind settled and Harry raised his eyes to the horizon to see the last rays of the sun before night settled. Hermione had not moved, waiting for him to give the signal to get back inside.
"Thank you Hermione," he whispered, "I couldn't do this without you."
"No need to thank me Harry," she whispered back, "I know you'd do the same for me with no questions asked."
He nodded.
"Let's get back inside and sort out your closet. After all, we have just opened a new chapter in the life of Harry Potter, right?" Hermione said, turning around to the door to see Tonks and Remus stand there. Harry hadn't turned yet and hadn't noticed their presence. If he had turned he would've seen them stand there as close as he and Hermione did with suspiciously wet eyes as well.
They sent Hermione a sad smile before quickly retreating back into the house, not wanting to make Harry feel uncomfortable.
Harry did eventually turn around and took Hermione's outstretched hand as she led him back to his room.
Sorting Harry's clothes into his closet didn't take them very long given that there were two of them working on it. As Harry emptied the last bag, the letter Ragnok had given him at the bank earlier fell onto his bed.
He picked it up and contemplated opening it but he could hear Remus call him and Hermione down to get some dinner. Figuring it could wait until after dinner, he left the letter on his bed and followed his best friend downstairs.
Dinner was a pretty light affair, with Tonks commenting how she may have seen Harry and Hermione exit the same changing booth, inspiring some good natured ribbing from Remus as well, causing the two teenagers to look mightily uncomfortable as they blushed bright red.
As they finished their sweet dumplings for desert, the fireplace lit up and the four recognized the distinguished face of Kingsely Shacklebolt. Seeing Tonks face he looked relieved.
"There you are, Tonks. I'm afraid I have to call you in, Dawlish called in sick just now and we're short one wand for the first guard shift. Let's go partner, also Amelia wants to see me and I figured you might as well tag along before the shift." He informed her in his deep baritone, waving to Harry, Hermione and Remus in greeting.
Tonks groaned in displeasure. "Give me 5, I'll get my robes and badge." The Auror nodded and wished everyone a pleasant night before disappearing.
"Well folks, there you have it. Number one reason to not become an Auror: loss of sleep." Tonks grumbled as she got up and left the kitchen.
Seeing Remus looking haggard and tired, Hermione told him to go rest while she and Harry cleaned up. The tired werewolf shot them a grateful smile before carrying himself up the stairs to his room on the third floor.
"The full moon is near." Hermione stated with a worried look and Harry nodded with a sad sigh. They started cleaning the table as Tonks came back, dressed in full Auror gear and her hair in the colour black.
"I've no idea when I'll be back so don't stay up waiting for me. If you don't see me for breakfast then I'll be asleep in my room due to being out for way too long. Please wake me before lunch otherwise I'll totally screw up my sleeping pattern!" Tonks said as she stood in front of the fireplace.
"Will do Tonks, maybe this time I'll get to be the one to hit you with a pillow." Harry reassured her.
Blowing him a raspberry, the young Auror disappeared in a flash of green flames.
After cleaning the kitchen Harry looked at Hermione who had just retrieved another two bottles of Butterbeer for them. "Want to go relax in the drawing room for a while? I don't really feel tired yet."
Hermione looked at him in mild surprise. "I'd love to." She said and the two turned off all lights except for one so that Tonks didn't succumb to her occasional clumsiness and destroy the kitchen when she returned, as they made their way to the first floor.
Harry went into his room and retrieved the letter. Thinking for a second he took the blanket from his bed as well. Despite it being summer it still got cold at night and the Black Mansion just had an uncomfortably cold feeling to it sometimes, so a blanket might definitely make sitting in the drawing room more comfortable.
The last Potter entered the Drawing Room to see Hermione already sit on the two seater couch in front of the fire place. She had only turned a small lamp on the table next to the couch on. She sat on the couch with her arms around her knees which she had pulled close to her chest. Seeing Harry enter with a blanket in his hand her eyes brightened. She also saw the letter in his hand. Gesturing at the spot next to her, Harry sat down. Looking undecided for a second, Harry took the blanket and threw it over Hermione's legs. She had changed as well, now wearing a very baggy sweater and pants similar to his. Glad that he wasn't the only one feeling cold in the house's atmosphere despite the summer climate on the outside. He shuffled closer to her and pulled the blanket over his legs as well.
It only took Hermione a moment to lean against him and wrap her arms around his instead of her knees, leaning her head against his shoulder against his head like she had done all day.
Wondering about how affectionate Hermione had been all day, Harry smiled and placed his head on hers. After a while he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the fireplace. Whispering the incantation, the fireplace lit and started filling the room with sounds of wood cracking. Hermione looked up and smiled at Harry. The fire made this set up oddly romantic and she found it very comfortable. Looking back at her day she wondered when she had gotten so physically comfortable with Harry.
Harry on the other hand grabbed the letter next to him and broke the Gringotts seal. Discarding the envelope he unfolded the expensive looking parchment and looked at the green ink that Gringotts wrote in. He tilted the letter so that Hermione could read it at the same time as him.
It only took them a minute or so to read over the letter. It was their notice of Sirius' will reading to be held on the upcoming Sunday. Harry stiffened. He had not known that Sirius had a will and if the letter was any indication, it had listed him as one of the people mentioned in it. The letter specifically addressed both Hermione and him, much to Hermione's surprise.
"Sirius really liked you too Hermione," Harry whispered in a sombre tone, "You shouldn't be surprised. He probably wrote his will sometime last year…" Harry's voice trailed off, remembering the summer he had spent here last year.
Hermione gave him a sad smile and leaned her head against his shoulder again. Unlike most people, she knew that attempting to coax Harry to talk about his feelings or grief over Sirius would achieve nothing but push him away. That much she had learned over the years. Harry would talk to her about it when he was ready, until then all she could do was take the lead and involve him in other things. He needed time to deal with things on his own and she was willing to provide him with as much time as he needed to get over Sirius' death. She wasn't sure if he had stopped blaming himself for Cedric yet, but time would tell.
The silence between them was comfortable. They didn't need to talk to enjoy each other's presence. With the fire and the blanket they were plenty warm and comfortable.
After about an hour, Harry's back felt stiff from sitting in that position and Hermione could feel his body stiffen, trying to work out the kink in his back. Deciding to take the charge like her inner Gryffindor commanded, she sat up on the couch on her knees and took the pillow from her side and leaned over Harry to stack it on the one that was on his side. Following her movement with his eyes Harry was once more not sure what she was planning this time, but like all the other times, he'd trust her and just go with it.
Having completed her preparations, Hermione pushed Harry's shoulders gently. Getting the hint he moved towards the end of the couch. "Lie down." She quietly requested, nodding towards the pillows. Taking her command quite literally, Harry lay down as if was on a bed, his head finding comfort on the two pillows. His knees were still curled close to his body. Her soft hand tugged at one of his pant legs to let him know to stretch them, so he did. Pulling her wand out of her pocket she flicked it at the lamp and turned it off, leaving only the fire place to gently illuminate the room.
Hermione then sent Harry a small smile and slowly snuck herself between his legs. Quickly catching her intention, Harry relaxed so that she could make herself comfortable. Moments later she lay on top of, her legs between his once more. Her back was against the back of the couch as she essentially lay sideways on top of him, her head resting on the part under his collarbone where his shoulder and chest connected.
Taking the blanket she pulled it over the two of them, enjoying the comfort. Slowly her top arm snuck around his waist again which came with the automatic reply of one of his arms wrapping itself around her shoulders.
"Hermione?" Harry softly said after some time.
"Hmm?" She replied in what could be counted as a content purr.
"You're the best." He said with a touch of amusement in his voice.
"I am aware." She said nonchalantly, gently rubbing his side with the hand she had wrapped around his waist.
He chuckled lightly. "You know, this is the first time we've spent a day pretty much alone outside of school." Harry remarked.
"You're right," Hermione agreed after thinking for a while, "at least the first time without any of our peers from school. Tonks doesn't really count, and neither do the Goblins."
She could feel Harry nod. "And what a day it's been," he said, "thank you for making it awesome." This time Harry could see the bright smile on her face at his words. Feeling proud of himself for having said something that had made her smile a beautiful smile he made a mental note to try and do this as much as he could.
"So you enjoyed yourself then?" She mumbled into his shirt as she slightly adjusted her position.
"I don't think I've ever had so much fun in a day at all this year." Harry replied. "You know Hermione, you're really quite a bit different outside of school." He added almost as an afterthought.
"Is that a good thing?" Hermione asked hesitantly, looking up from his chest.
Nodding gently, Harry said, "Yes, definitely."
Pausing for a second, Hermione finally said, "I don't think it's so much that we're out of school. I think it's more that we're alone without anyone being there to ruin anything or to pressure us. Being this comfortable with you certainly helps."
Smiling at her, Harry spoke with a touch of amusement, "Oh so you're comfortable around me?"
Giving him a mock-glare, Hermione spoke, "I am currently lying on top of you in pyjamas. Earlier today I let you cast a Tickling Charm on me and then lay on you. Let's not even mention the changing booth, Potter. I am pretty sure there's no one else I would even hug more than once in a day."
Smiling broadly now, Harry leaned his head back against the pillows. For some reason, that statement really warmed him up on the inside. "You're also quite different when we're alone, you know." Hermione said this time.
"I am? Really?"
"Yes you are. You joke a lot more. You just seem a lot more comfortable in your skin. I started noticing it in the morning when I arrived and you actually responded to my hug at lunch. You actually fool around with Tickling Charms and tease me as well. You don't complain about things like helping me sort my clothes and then daringly hold one of my panties. I don't think the Harry Potter I see at school for most of the year would do any of those things willingly." She explained to him, causing him to pause.
'She's right. Of course she's right. It's bloody Hermione, I can't actually recall the last time she'd been wrong.'
"It's because of you, Hermione. Like you said earlier, I feel comfortable around you. No pressure, no one else around that makes me feel obliged to do anything. If I were alone with anyone else I think I'd behave totally different."
"Well that's good then." She concluded with a smile into his chest. Her hand grabbed the blanket and pulled it a bit higher as she cuddled into his chest more, rubbing her cheek against his jersey.
It was an entirely new experience for Harry. 'I wonder if it would take five years for me to be comfortable around Cho… heh. No, she's definitely out of the picture.' It was Hermione who broke the comfortable silence after a while.
"You referred to me as your best friend a couple of times today…"
"Yes?"
"When you say that… Do you mean it so that I'm closer to you than Ronald?" She hesitantly asked. 'I guess this is what people call a moment of truth.'
Harry didn't hesitate at all. "Yes, definitely closer to me than Ron. As mean as it sounds, you're a better friend to me than Ron, Hermione."
"Why?" The girl on top of him asked in a small voice.
A small smiled formed on Harry's face as he replied. "I once read somewhere that friendship is not about who came first, it's about who stayed. Ron is… well, episodic I guess. He has his moments where he is consumed in his jealousy and I can't rely on him. He lets his insecurities cloud his judgement I think. After all, who stuck with me through our entire fourth year? Who taught me the Summoning Charm and believed my side of the story unconditionally? I would not have survived that tournament without you, Hermione. It's been you for a while, probably since third year."
"What do you mean?" She inquired, wanting to hear what he had to say.
"In third year you were willing to accept my anger with you and disregarded my temper, accepting to not talk to me again if it meant that I was safe when you told McGonagall about the broom. As I already said you stuck with me all through fourth year, even when I didn't stand up for you to Ron when I should have about the whole Yule Ball issue. Ron spent a good part of the year being a downright prat to me, being jealous of me being the Triwizard champ. Did he honestly I think that I of all people could fool Dumbledore's age-line? A powerful spell cast by Albus Dumbledore himself which none of the fifth and sixth years could bypass either? A spell that Dumbledore obviously prepared so that maybe for once in my time at school I wouldn't be in trouble and in the centre of it all?" Harry cleared his throat before continuing.
"At the start of last year you weren't afraid of my temper when I didn't reply to any of your letters… Ron always cowers away when I get angry or yell around. You on the other hand sit there, listen, take it, and then yell back just as furiously to tell me how much of an idiot I am being. You sacrificed spending Christmas with your family to come to help me instead… and if I recall correctly you were the one who went to Gwarp with me, not Ron. You were the one who saved me from being tortured by Umbridge, not Ron, who stood around and looked like a fish out of water. Without you the DA would not exist and would not have been a success either way. It was only with the training from the DA that all of us survived in the ministry, Hermione, we have to all thank you for that one. Oh and let's not forget third year, where you were willing to risk creating a time-paradox for me and broke all rules set to you by McGonagall about the Time Turner just to… just to save Sirius and Buckbeak."
Hermione could feel him choke up at the last point about Sirius and ran her hand over his chest in soothing circles.
"You're the only lying on top of me now, comforting me… In this hard time for me." Harry did his best to not think about Sirius now and focus on Hermione only.
"God Hermione, you do so much for me and I've never thanked you for any of it…" He managed to get out, tightening the arm around her.
She smiled at him and he saw her eyes were wet as well. "You don't have to thank me for anything, Harry. You do so much more for me than you realize and I never thanked you for any of it either."
"I do? What do I do?" Our protagonist asked, confusion etched in his face.
Hermione rolled onto her stomach so that she now lay with her chest between his stomach and chest. She put her chin atop her arms folded over another and looked at him. His legs tightened a bit around hers but she didn't mind.
"You saved me in our first year even though you didn't really have a reason to. I was an insufferable know-it-all who bossed people around so they couldn't get to me. Well, Ron managed anyway. After saving me you offered me friendship. Harry Potter himself wanted to be my friend – that itself blew me away. Over the summer I thought it had all been a joke or dream. Yet the second we get to Hogwarts you were there, you looked so happy to see me well. And from there on you were always there for me as well. In fourth year when Ron was being such a prat at the dance because of Viktor, you were there to comfort me. You looked past the too-intelligent-for-her-own-good bookworm and befriended the lonely girl inside. I never had friends before I went to Hogwarts and all I wanted was someone to take note of me, someone to spend time with me after studying, and that turned out to be you. I know I can always count on you to be there for me if I need you and fight for me when I can't do it myself. And that, Harry, is why you're my best friend and why I am so comfortable around you." Hermione explained, her eyes not leaving his for a single moment in her explanation.
Finishing, she rolled back on her side to place her head where she felt comfortable. Harry let out a low laugh. "It's funny how similar we were in first year. Neither of us had friends and that's all we wanted. Acceptance. You looked past The-Boy-Who-Lived and got to know the real Harry Potter, a young lonely boy with a scar that brought him unwanted fame. I guess I looked past the highly intelligent bookwormish girl and got to know the real girl behind the brains. And this is why I am currently so comfortable having you lie on top of me as if we'd done this every day for the past year."
"You make a good pillow," Hermione agreed with a laugh, "you're warm and comfy."
"Pfft," Harry snorted, "you make a great blanket yourself. Keeping me warm and something to hold on to."
Another silence passed between them. Harry guessed that the time was approaching one in the morning.
"Can… Can we stay like this Harry?" Hermione asked, sounding shy. Harry seemed unsure for a moment.
In what was barely a whisper he said, "If you want to, I'd really like that but… I, I might have nightmares and that could end up being dangerous for you…"
Trying to dispel his fears, Hermione gave him a coy smile. "I like dangerous boys, Mister Potter. Why do you think I stick around?" She laughed at his expression. "Don't worry," she continued, "I will be here for you even through your worst nightmares."
Harry looked particularly emotional at her declaration but nodded. With a flick of his wand the fire went out.
"Thank you Hermione… Good night."
Pushing herself up a bit, Hermione placed a lingering kiss onto his cheek. "Good night Harry." With that she felt his other arm wrap around her as well and she pulled the blanket up to her nose and placed one of her legs over one of his, intertwining them.
Author's Note #2: Well, fuck me sideways. My attempt at keeping the chapter shorter ended up in making it super long. This is actually 500 words longer than the first chapter. Woops. My bad. This one just wrote itself, I swear. The words just flowed out of my fingertips. I know that this chapter is super fluffy in some parts and if you don't like that, then don't read. I've always felt that Harry's relationship to Hermione should have been stronger than is portrayed in the books. I will write two more chapters, one for each day until Thursday when Dumbledore makes his next appearance. These days will be very detailed like this one I think because they are foundation chapters. Recall the name of this story – they haven't even discovered the rune system yet that I thought of! There is lots more coming!
I apologize if this chapter feels a bit slow, but that is a necessary evil. Characters are bit OOC in this I guess, deal with it.
I also always felt that Hermione and Harry would be interested to observe in private, then it's just the two of them – I just feel like they'd be quite a bit different than what we see them act like around other students. Peace!