Chapter 4

A bundled up duo sat on an icy bench, staring down the empty road. Thus far, no cars or trucks had passed by and the only sound to break the clean silence had been a mere mouse scampering across the road towards a hidden home in the brambles. The dark haired boy shifted in his spot to cast a glance at his partner before immediately returning to the road. She did not appear upset as he feared, though an unmistakable aura of plotting lay about her.

"Harry," she began innocently. "Is something wrong?"

He looked back to her and replied, "Not at all…"

She stared skeptically at him a moment before adding nonchalantly, "We'll need to stop by Gringotts in town before we head to the stores. The entrance though, is a little inconvenient."

Harry nodded as his eyes followed a dark burgundy van approach them from up the mountain. "With your smarts, I'm sure we'll find an easy way in."

---

The shuttle dropped them off in town, courtesy of the ski resort, and they made their way towards a crowded plaza covered in snow. Several children ran across the circular plaza, screaming and laughing, tumbling into several adults on their desperate attempts to avoid an "it". Several others, older though undeniably less mature gossiped underneath an overhanging, make up and glitter splashed across their faces. Amidst it all, a sole elderly couple cautiously inched across the circle, a shaking cane preceding the two hunched forms as they whispered kind words to one another.

Hermione stopped and gazed at the bustle of the small town, brought to life by the business of the resort. Her eyes flitted from place to place before landing near the center and focusing in a sad and longing expression.

"What?" Harry asked, poking her mildly with his elbow just before being knocked over by a pair of wildly fleeing children. He yelped and landed on his backside. A scrambling blur yelled an apology in several languages and shot off towards the edge of the plaza.

"Hahaha," Hermione laughed lightly, offering her gloved hand to him. "Cute little buggers aren't they? Almost makes me want to forgive you."

Harry held his tongue and graciously accepted her hand. Once standing, he quickly shook his head, tossing off bits of ice and snow in several directions. He looked over at her again, and seeing an amused look upon her face he held out his hand and conceded, "Truce?" Seeing her lips curve upward into a triumphant smirk, he sighed uncomfortably.

"I'll at least think about it." She quipped. She glanced back out over the plaza near the center again and furrowed her brows as if noticing something slightly askew.

"What?" Harry repeated, now staring at the empty patch of snow in the center of the plaza, marred with several footprints. "What were you looking at earlier?"

"It was nothing." Hermione quickly replied, brushing her hair back with her right hand. "Just some of the kids."

Choosing to give the subject up completely, Harry glanced around casually and wrapped an arm around her back. He leaned towards her ear and whispered, "So, where is Gringotts? If we're standing in it right now, they've done a great job cloaking it…"

Hermione laughed aloud and lightly pushed his side. "Over here." She began to move away, casually dragging her fingers over his arm to entwine in his fingers. She led him to the center of the plaza, through shoppers, children, and tourists alike and sat upon a simple resting bench, glancing at the edge of the bench. The bench was one of many circling a lone tree having erupted from the middle of the plaza. As soon as he sat next to her she spoke. "You see, this bench was donated to the city, though they don't have any records of who donated it."

Harry nodded, realizing where it was going. "They all look alike, so how did you know which one was the one?"

Hermione brought their hands up to rest on her right knee and nonchalantly tilted her head towards the back of the bench. "The back left foot on this bench is unique."

Harry sighed, a light plume of fog appearing in front of his face. "Okay. So now what?"

"We just sit until everyone's too busy to notice. We're mostly hidden anyways on this side." She leaned on his shoulder and looked around at the bustling plaza.

He smiled down at her and once again, lingering daydreams of a happier content future began to swim within his mind. A set of unsettling dark brown eyes broke his reveries. He stared at the child somewhat taken aback. The child shifted his piercing gaze to Hermione who smiled gently back him.

"You're pretty." He beamed at her, receiving a warm chuckle in return from her. "Will you go out with me?" His dark brown eyes sparkled at her as Harry gaped.

"Maybe, when you're older." Hermione smiled, gently ruffling the child's hair with her free hand. Harry's hand gripped her other hand a bit tighter.

"Yay!" The child screamed running off to his comrades across the plaza. "She said she would!"

Hermione smiled at the retreating child and smirked at Harry. "Jealous?" She inquired knowingly.

Harry looked at her and scoffed, "What? What gives you that idea?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and leaned in to whisper, "You're going to break my hand soon…"

Harry glanced down and immediately let go, a faint blush rising to darken his frost bitten cheeks. "Sorry…" he muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Lean back." Hermione told him suddenly.

Knowing to trust her wisdom, he leaned back on the bench and felt a gentle pull. Opening his eyes, he found himself and Hermione floating above a stone floor. Twisting around to stare at the ceiling, he spotted a luminescent opening. "The tree…" he thought to himself as he felt stick brush against his side.

"Grab it kid." A gruff voice barked from below.

"Thank you." He heard Hermione say as he grabbed the stick. He was pulled down into towards the floor where he joined a goblin and Hermione. "Thank you sir." He echoed to the goblin.

"Take the door on the right. It's a one way path through this bank. Safer for your money." The goblin muttered, resting the stick on the side of the far wall. The sound of shuffling feet echoed through the cold stone room as the pair made their way to the door.

---

AN: Thank you everyone who has supported me and I am very sorry for the long update. I came down with mono in November and I was sore for a very long time. I hope the story is turning out to everyone's expectations and I promise there will be more H/Herm in the future chapters! Please review with criticisms, praise, and/or opinions on the chapter. I accept all input to help myself improve. I also worked longer on this chapter to make it more detailed than my previous ones. I hope everyone could see the plaza and entrance to Gringotts as I can in my mind's eye. Any reflections on that would be most appreciated!

Remember, theDictionator is allowing me to post on her account since I have limited resources so please check her other stories. She really does try though I admit she could use a better beta.