So, after doing some research, I realized that I added a room to the first floor of Gimmauld Place--A living room. So…just go with it. Also, I'm pretty sure Grimmauld place did not have eleven bedrooms, but now it does. Creative license, people.
"Hermione, where are your parents?" Dean asked the witch one morning, a week after the party at the Burrow. She kept her face down as she answered, pretending to be sorting through papers in the desk that had once belonged to Sirius's father.
"They are still in Australia," she answered matter-of-factly, tossing a few scraps into the trash bin.
He straddled the desk chair backwards, arms resting on the headrest, looking up at Hermione. "Why haven't you brought them back, yet?"
She threw some old ink bottles into the bin with a bit more force than needed. "Just because Voldemort's dead, doesn't mean it's completely safe yet.
Dean rested his chin on his arm, staring at her quizzically. "Are you sure that's the reason?"
Hermione looked up, exasperated. "Honestly, Dean. Of course that's the reason. Why else would I leave my parents believing they're childless?" She chucked an old, battered quill into the bin, her movements stiff.
"Alright, alright. Just asking." He picked up a piece of parchment from the desk, pulling a pencil out from behind his ear. The two fell back into comfortable silence, Dean drawing, Hermione organzing.
"Hermione? Harry's looking for you. Something about a library and wanting to go to Diagon Alley. Oh, hello Dean." Luna walked in, followed by Hazel. The girl, even with all of her Luna-isms(as Harry named them), looked so much like her older brother, down to the dimples in her cheeks and the innocent smile. She had taken to Luna the moment the odd, blonde girl walked through the threshold of Grimmauld Place, and followed her like a puppy. Luna enjoyed the girl's company, and the two would spend inordinate amounts of time talking about Triple-winged Flagnats or other such nonsense.
"Oh, okay. Dean, would you mind finishing up the desk? Thank you." Hermione got up and walked from the room, patting Hazel on the head as she passed by.
Hermione found Harry in the drawing room, performing a dusting spell on the shelves. "Ah, Hermione, there you are." He looked up from his work, smiling. "Come look at what I found."
He pulled on one of the candle-holders mounted on the wall by the bookshelf, lowering it like a lever. With a groan the bookshelf flung open, revealing a room behind it. Hermione followed Harry in, mouth open.
"It's wonderful, isn't it? Well, a bit dark for my tastes, but I'm sure you will have no problem fixing that." Harry laughed, hand on her shoulder. Hermione just stared, eyes wide.
"How did we not know about this place?" She asked, turning around to see the whole room. Lamps magically lit as they walked in, illuminating the dusty room.
"I doubt Sirius knew about it. He seemed surprised to find some of the rooms visible to the human eye when we were cleaning up fifth year. I'll bet Regulus loved this place, though."
Hermione nodded. After cleaning out the boy's room, the young witch felt like she knew Regulus a bit better. He certainly loved to read, from what she could tell.
"The Black Family library…I wonder if there's anything of value to non-purebloods in here…" Hermione's eyes lit up in the way Harry recognized from many library visits with the girl.
"Well, anyways, I just thought you would like to tackle this room. We can rename it 'Hermione-land' or something. Now, would you care to join me on a trip to Diagon Alley? I would like to purchase some toys for Teddy and stop by the joke shop. Ron started working there, you know. He's helping George get it back up and running. Actually, that's something I've been meaning to talk to you about, Hermione…"
He walked back into the drawing room, sitting in one of the armchairs. Hermione sat in another, facing him.
"About returning to Hogwarts next year…I don't think I'm going to." Hermione's jaw dropped, face getting visibly angry. "It's just, I feel liked I should be here, helping out people build up their lives. Not at Hogwarts, wasting my time-"
Hermione stood up, face as red as a Weasley's. "Wasting your time. WASTING YOUR TIME? You think completely your education is wasting your time!" Harry sunk back into his chair, face white. "You think finishing your years at Hogwarts so you can get a better job and rise up in the world and continue to help people is a waste of time? You know your fame wont get you far as an auror. You need that last year to earn respect and learn spells crucial to auror training! You can't waltz in, say 'Oi! I'm Harry Potter! Make me an auror!' NO! You have to work for it! Have I taught you nothing?!" She gripped the sides of his chair, panting. Harry said nothing, suddenly terrified of his best friend.
"I-I didn't mean it like that, Hermione. I meant…I don't know, I just want to help people. And I feel like going away in a few months would be leaving people when they still need me…" He trailed off, looking ashamed, a look Hermione rarely saw on his face. She took a deep breath, kneeling by his seat.
"Harry, you will always feel like there are people you have to help. Always. Now, I know you want to stay behind and help the Weasley family, but Harry, they can heal on their own. Mrs. Weasley lost both of her brothers in the first war, and Mr. Weasley lost his sister. They know how to heal. Ron is staying behind because he knows that he can make the most difference by helping his family. You must go back to Hogwarts so you can change the world."
Harry nodded, knowing Hermione had won this argument hands-down. "I guess you're right." He stood up, running a hand through his hair. Hermione smiled, gently taking his hand.
"Come on. Let's go to Diagon Alley and spoil Teddy senseless."
Harry and Hermione walked out of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes heavily laden with bags. Harry was laughing hysterically at something Ron had said to him as they had left, and Hermione was pondering the noticeable changes in her best friend. He had become so outgoing lately, full of life and happy.
Happy. Truly, honestly happy.
And even if that meant she had to put up with a slightly-more cocky attitude, then so be it. She knew Harry could never be full of himself.
"Oh, I just want to stop in here for a second!" Hermione said, racing into Flourish and Blotts. Harry followed behind her, smirking.
"I'll be over here, Hermio-AH!" Harry felt himself collide with the ground as he tripped over something rather large sitting in the aisle that he had been trying to walk down.
"Watch it! I'm trying to sleep here! Oh, Potter…" Harry looked up to see Blaise Zabini slumped against a bookshelf, rubbing his hip where Harry had tripped over him.
"Zabini. Good to see you." Harry had to admit, as much as the Gryffindor in him hated Slytherins, he was glad to see an unscathed Blaise. He had been one of three Slytherins to fight against Voldemort in the final battle, and had ultimately won Harry's respect after he turned his back on the rest of his friends.
"Likewise, Potter. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to go back to my nap." Blaise shifted to a more comfortable position, closing his eyes.
"Er, if you don't mind my asking, why are you sleeping in a bookstore?" Harry stood up, collecting the bags he had dropped.
"I like the smell of books."
Harry sighed. "I meant, why are you sleeping here? Why not at home?"
Blaise snorted. "I knew what you meant. If you really must know, I don't have a home to go to. My parents disinherited me after I turned on the Deatheaters, cutting off all of my funds and throwing me out of the house. All of my so-called friends are in Azkaban or refuse to house me. St. Mungos was too depressing so I came here. The nice witch who works the counter doesn't seem to mind, as long as I leave at night. Now, if you excuse me, I'd like to sleep."
Harry knew what he was about to do was stupid, but he, as Hermione often said, had a "saving-people thing". Plus, Grimmauld place was large, and if worst came worst, he could convince Dean's sisters to share rooms, or he could give up his room to someone else and sleep on the couch. All he knew in that moment that he wanted to help as many people as he could before he went back to Hogwarts.
"Blaise, I have a proposition for you."
"I guess this means we have to add some of the Slytherin décor back," Andromeda said sadly, pouting. "But nothing Hufflepuff related gets replaced, you hear me? I see one badger turned into a snake I will personally hex all of you!" She brandished her wand at the group of teenagers, balancing baby Teddy on her hip. His hair turned yellow, emphasizing her statement.
"No, you don't have to change anything. It's alright, really. I'll just stay here until I get a job and enough money for my own place." Blaise looked uncomfortable among the group of people his "friends" had called their enemy.
"Well, anyways, welcome to your new home, Zabini," Harry said, waving around the house. "The last bedroom on the right is now yours. Thank you Hazel, for moving in with Felicity. I'm sure Blaise here is very grateful." Hazel nodded happily, clinging to the hem of Luna's shirt.
"Er, thanks, Potter. I guess I'll go unpack my bag…" He left the room quickly, a small, worn rucksack on his back.
Harry dismissed the group, who had all gathered to greet the newcomer, then turned to Hermione. "I think I'm going to go teach Teddy how to set off a dung bomb. You in?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, I think I'm going to tackle the library. Have fun being a bad example." Harry ran off, grinning wickedly. Hermione sighed, then walked into the drawing room, pulling on the lamp. The bookworm stepped into what would soon be her paradise, smiling as the lamps illuminated.
She got right to work, organizing books into "keep" and "destroy for the love of humanity" piles. Her wand kept poking her from its position in her pants pocket, so she set it on the table behind her, heading right back to work.
A half hour later and Hermione had reached the top of the first rather-large shelf. She had managed to retrieve all of the other top ones by jumping, but now an incredibly thin and persistent book evaded her grasp, taunting her from just a few inches out of reach. She huffed, then spun around to grab her wand.
It was gone.
Her war-survivor instincts kicked in, and she braced for an attack, spinning around, looking for an invader. She turned to find Blaise standing there, spinning her wand between his fingers.
"Looking for this?" He asked, leaning against the bookshelf. Hermione gripped the table, stomach sinking.
He quirked an eyebrow, looking at her in a peculiar fashion. Without saying a word he walked over to the girl, handing her the wand. She looked at him, confused but relieved.
"I was just teasing you. I didn't mean for you to take it so seriously." He smirked at her shoving his hands into his pockets.
She let out a heavy breath, leaning on the table. "Sorry. Habit."
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing further. Finally, he picked up one of the books from her "keep" pile, and asked, "What are you doing?"
She smiled and launched into an explanation of how Harry had discovered the library, and how she was cleaning it out, and her exact method of how she planned to do that. Blaise listened quietly, nodding at all the right moments, waiting for Hermione to end her monologue.
"Ah, I see. Do you need any help?" Her eyes widened in surprise, but she nodded, smiling.
"If you wouldn't mind. These shelves are rather tall and there are a lot of them. I could use an extra set of hands." She turned to face the last book that evaded her. Before she could summon it, Blaise, being the extremely tall gentleman that he was, plucked it off the shelf for her, reading the title.
"This sounds like a definite keeper. Abstract Reading for Ancient Runes. Sounds interesting. Professor Babbling would appreciate this." Hermione's heart sank as she thought of her old teacher.
"What…what was Hogwarts like…this past year? I know the Carrows were miserable, but the other classes. Were they…interesting?" Hermione looked down, a little upset by her own question. How she wished she hadn't missed a year.
"It was…well, very informative, in the classes taught by real teachers. But the ones taught by the Carrows were awful. I wish my last year there wasn't interrupted by their presence. Your sort of lucky, I guess. You'll get a Deatheater-free last year. I wish I could go back and take some of the classes I missed."
Hermione smiled sympathetically. "If it makes you feel better, I spent that time hiding in the countryside, searching for Horcruxes, and fighting with Ron. And maybe, if you ask Professor McGonagall, she'll let you come back and take those classes."
He nodded, smiling slightly. They soon began to talk about less dreary things, more on the topics of wizard and muggle literature, ancient runes, and magical theory. Though Blaise had been the only student in their grade to ever come close to Hermione in academics, she was still surprised to find they had more in common than she could ever have guessed.
Evening came and found Harry sitting in the living room, nodding off by the fire. Hermione sat next to him, reading a new book she discovered in the library. Luna sat on the floor in front of them, playing with Hazel and Felicity. Dean was just coming in from taking a shower, ready to join in his sisters' game.
Andromeda sat in the armchair next to Harry, rocking Teddy to sleep. The baby's hair was a calm blue color, a peaceful smile on his face.
Anneliese sat in the corner, drawing like her brother did so often. Vera sat next to her, surprisingly quiet for once as she watched her little sister happily.
Janet and Michael had retired to their room, as had Mr. Lovegood. Blaise sat in the armchair next to Hermione, reading as well. Harry was glad Blaise had connected with someone in his new home, not surprised that it was Hermione.
A shout from the hallway woke him from his sleepy reverie, recognizing Ron's voice. Another familiar voice joined in, laughing jovially.
Harry got up and walked into the entry way to find Ron and Lee Jordan standing there, laughing. Harry smiled, welcoming them both.
"Hey, Harry!" Lee said, pulling the wizard into a quick hug, slapping him on the back. "How are you, mate?"
"I'm good! And you? How have you been doing? I mean, now that the war's over, Potterwatch seems a little obsolete." Lee laughed, then looked down.
"Er, yeah. Actually, that's why Ron brought me here. He heard about you taking in Zabini, and suggested I ask you a favor. See, my apartment was destroyed by Deatheaters in their search for Potterwatch. And while I was happily living with Angelina Johnson, she just kicked me out to take in Alicia Spinnet. And my mum's been in St. Mungos for the past couple of years for health issues, so I have no where to turn. So," he got down on his knee, in typical Weasley Twin fashion, hands over his heart. "If you could use that infamous kindness of yours to allow me to crash on your couch until I can get my own place, I would love you for ever and be your slave for eternity and do your bidding and grant your every wish and-"
Harry cut him, laughing. "Of course you can stay here, Lee. I'll just have to ask Anneliese to move in with Vera. I'm sure she wont mind-" He stopped abruptly as Lee, still on his knees, hugged Harry around the waist. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!"
Harry just laughed again, expecting to hear Ron's laughter mix with his, but a silence met his ears. As he looked around, he saw that his best mate was not even in the entry way anymore. As soon as Harry was able to pry Lee from his waist the two walked into the living room, Lee repeating a mantra of "Thank you!".
Ron was sitting by Anneliese and Vera, talking to the older girl, a silly smile on his face. Vera and taken his hand in hers, fingers intertwined. Harry saw that Hermione was smiling at the two, looking up from her book every-so often to look at them.
Harry walked over and sat next to Anneliese, the others not even noticing his presence. "Hey, Anneliese. Would you mind moving into Vera's room? We can magically expand it like we did for Felicity and Hazel. I have another friend who needs a place to live."
The quiet girl looked up from her sketches, and said, "Okay."
Harry smiled, giving the thumbs-up to Lee. He grinned, going over to annoy Hermione. Harry patted Anneliese on the shoulder, smiling.
"Thanks, Anneliese." As he made to get up, the young girl spoke again.
"This war…it hurt a lot of people, didn't it? You have so many friends living here already, and I'm sure there are more to come. What happened in your world?"
Harry's smile disappeared, and he sighed. "You should ask your brother for the full story. Basically, an evil wizard named Voldemort who hated muggles tried to rule the world. He killed a lot of people, hurting many more. You see Ron?" He whispered, barely audible to the girl. She nodded. "His brother was killed by one of Voldemort's followers. And Andromeda," he looked over at the older woman. "Her husband and daughter were killed by Voldemort's followers. And her son-in-law, Teddy's father, too. Her sisters were two of them, two of the followers. One of them was killed by Ron's mother, the other helped defeat Voldemort in the end."
The young girl stared at him, eyes wide. "You mean…Dean fought against those evil people? Dean went into hiding because of them? He nearly died…" She brought her knees to her chest, biting her lip.
"You should ask him about everything that happened. Luna too. They both fought valiantly, both risked their lives for the greater good. So did Hermione, and Blaise, and myself. Really, it would probably do Dean some good to talk about what happened with someone who's as good a listener as yourself."
She nodded, looking suddenly worried for her brother's well-being. She got up, bidding Harry a good night, then went to move her things into her sister's room. But Harry couldn't help but notice the determined look on her face.
Later that night, Harry saw Dean get pulled into Anneliese's room by a pair of small arms, and he knew the small girl was going to get her answers.
As Hermione was getting ready for bed, she heard Harry come into their shared bathroom quietly, thinking the girl was in the next room, asleep.
"Oh, Hermione, you're awake!" He grabbed his toothbrush from counter, squeezing on a bit of toothpaste. Brushing his teeth was one of the few things he liked to do the muggle way. Maybe it was because the potion for it tasted so weird. Maybe it was because he had been raised by muggles, and after eleven years it was a hard habit to break. Maybe because Hermione also liked to do it, having dentist parents. He couldn't be sure.
They brushed their teeth in silence, spitting into the basin one after the other. Hermione set down her toothbrush, ready to head to bed when Harry grabbed her hand.
"Hermione, I've been thinking, and…thank you. For talking me into going back to Hogwarts. I don't know what I was thinking."
She smiled, squeezing his hand. "That's why I'm here, Harry. To nag you until you see the light."
Harry frowned slightly. "You don't nag. You're just watching out for my well-being." She smiled at him, affection in her eyes. "Okay, you nag on occasion. But not usually."
She laughed, then gave him a small peck on the cheek, brushing the corner of his mouth. "Thanks, Harry."
He watched as she walked through the door, his mouth burning slightly. He shook his head, then went back into his room, blaming the weird feeling in his stomach on the odd stew Kreacher had cooked up for dinner.
Woo! Long! Yay!
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