Chapter Seven: Ode to Hermione…
Greetings to all my loyal readers! Firstly, I would like to apologise about the original Chapter Seven. After getting a few well voiced complaints, I realised that this chapter was a bit thin on the explanation side of things. I still wanted to include the violin bit, so I added in an explanation of where the violin playing came from.
Also, I added in more dialogue between the Grangers and Harry. Once again, I apologise for the extremely thin chapter, and would like to thank the reviewers who gave me a good slap! I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to give me virtual slaps every so often if my work isn't up to snuff!
I do not own Harry Potter, much to my chagrain. Chapter Seven! I hope you enjoy!
"Harry, wake up, we are nearly at the station." Hermione said softly, pressing a kiss on his lips.
Harry woke up and leant into the kiss, before sitting up from his position lying in her lap. He stretched with a groan before smiling at his girlfriend.
"Thanks Hermione."
The train ride was nearly over and the conversation was relatively mundane and unimportant. Harry's thoughts raced at the idea of meeting Hermione's parents for the first time…especially her father. His girlfriend had already reassured him he was accepting of their relationship but he still wanted to make a good impression.
As the train pulled into King's Cross and they disembarked, the five friends said their goodbyes and split up, with a promise to keep in contact. Hermione dragged Harry excitedly to meet her parents, who were standing off to one side away from the exiting students.
"Mum, Dad!" She squealed, running at them for a hug. Since she had returned from the original timeline, she regretted not spending as much time as possible with her parents and taking them for granted. Her very juvenile actions at their reunion were a mixture of her twelve year old brain and a sense of guilt from her memories. It was unusual being a nineteen year old in a twelve year old body.
Harry watched the reunion with a smile, standing away slightly while they got reacquainted. Eventually, Hermione came over and pulled him to meet her parents. He smiled nervously at them, taking in their images. Hermione's mum was a slightly older looking version of nineteen year old Hermione. She was tall, shapely, with brown wavy hair (although not nearly as bushy as her daughter's) and light blue eyes. Her father was a tall, well-built man with messy brown hair, not far off Harry's, and Hermione's chocolate brown eyes.
"Mum, Dad; this is Harry." She said proudly. Harry smiled inwardly at the pride in her voice introducing him to her family. "And Harry; these are my parents, Dr. Emma and Michael Granger." Harry smiled politely and held out his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Granger and Dr. Granger." Harry said nervously. Michael met his hand first and shook it firmly.
"You've got a strong hand on you there, Harry." He grinned slightly at his nervousness. Harry smiled and turned to Emma. She ignored the hand and pulled him into a hug.
"It's nice to finally meet this 'Harry Potter' we've heard so much about!" She said smiling. Hermione turned bright red and Harry chuckled. "Oh, and don't bother with Dr. Granger, just call us Emma and Michael." Harry nodded and smiled. Michael grinned at them all and clapped his hands together.
"Well then, should we get going?" They turned to leave King's Cross but were approached by a red headed man with round glasses similar to Harry's original pair.
"Lord Gryffindor, could I speak with you for a moment?" Arthur asked formally, but tentatively. Harry turned to look at the Grangers, who were a bit surprised at the formality from the man.
"That should be fine, as long as the Granger's don't mind waiting for a moment?" He waited for a sign from the patriarch. He nodded, still slightly shocked and Harry walked away slightly to speak with the Weasleys. Hermione noticed the looks on her parents' faces and giggled.
"Mum, Dad; Harry is a Lord in our world." She said and her parents gave her an 'o' face.
"Isn't he a little bit young to take on a lordship?" Michael asked quietly.
"Well, yes, strictly speaking, but Harry is the last living member of his family, and as such, could claim his title on his eleventh birthday." Mr Granger nodded but his wife looked sadly at Harry.
"Poor boy, I can't imagine how it must feel losing his family so young." She said sadly. "Do you know how they died?" Hermione nodded.
"They were killed in the last wizarding war about ten years ago." She said quietly. "His family fought against a dark wizard who threatened both magicals and muggles, and they were targeted as a result. The war killed off his entire family line." Emma grimaced and nodded.
"So why did that man call him 'Lord Gryffindor'? I thought his last name was Potter?" Her father asked, changing the subject.
"His last name is Potter; Harry is actually a Lord of three different families: the Potters, the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws. Harry is the last direct member of all their families." Her parents were amazed and Hermione smirked inwardly. "In the wizarding world, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw families are seen on a similar level to the muggle royal family." Their eyes bugged out in shock.
"The Royal Family…he's that important?" Her father asked incredulously. Hermione nodded.
"Yes, he is. In our world the Most Noble and Ancient families are the ruling class, like medieval England. On top of that, Harry is almost a legend for his defeat of the dark lord Voldemort when he was a child." She suddenly realised she was making him sound like he would be arrogant, so she added: "Harry doesn't like the attention, though. He tries to avoid using his 'fame' as much as possible. He really just wants to be a normal eleven year old boy." Before any more could be said, Harry walked back to them with a smile on his face.
"Sorry about that." He said with an apologetic smile. "Should we leave?"
"Lord Gryffindor, could we speak with you a moment?"
"That should be fine, as long as the Granger's don't mind waiting for a moment?" Seeing Hermione's parents nod, Harry followed the Weasley Patriarch to a quiet corner of the station. He turned to face Arthur and smiled politely. "What can I do for you Mr Weasley?" He smiled slightly before his face fell again.
"Well, we were hoping you could come to the Burrow a week from today to discuss…" He paused in shame. "…the punishment of our son." He said the last word with contempt which surprised Harry, who was used to Arthur being timid and nervous toward those outside his family. Harry nodded.
"Certainly, I find that agreeable. Will Ronald be present at this meeting?" He asked quietly.
"Only if we require him to be, otherwise he will be in his room for the duration." Harry nodded.
"Very well, I will see you in a week." He smiled and held out his hand. "Mr Weasley, I hope you know I don't hold anything against your family. A few days after the…incident, your three sons, Percy, Fred and George came to assure me that Ronald is the 'black sheep' in terms of his behaviour. I hope we can become friends and maintain a strong inter-family bond." Arthur met his hand and smiled broadly, glad that some of his children had grown up with some intelligence.
"Certainly Lord Gryffindor, however I would prefer if you called me Arthur." Harry smiled.
"Absolutely, but only if you call me Harry." After exchanging some pleasantries, the heads of houses separated and Harry headed back to Hermione and her parents. He caught the tail end of the conversation they were having.
"…doesn't like the attention, though. He tries to avoid using his 'fame' as much as possible. He really just wants to be a normal eleven year old boy." He grinned inwardly. It sounded like Hermione had been telling her parents about his titles. He was warmed inside as she reminded him how well she knew him. As he got closer he smiled at the three.
"Sorry about that." He shot them an apologetic smile. "Should we leave?"
As they walked out of the station, the Grangers were heading towards a black Range Rover parked outside the entrance. The trunks fitted snugly into the large boot and soon they were winding their way out of London. As they pulled onto the M1, Emma turned around in the passenger seat to look at Harry and Hermione.
"So Harry; how did you enjoy your first term at school?" She asked kindly. Harry realised she was trying to get an impression of his personality, so he answered the question as truthfully as possible.
"It was really good; it's amazing to learn about this whole world that co-exists with our normal one." He said with a smile. He tried to make his answer sound as much like an eleven year old as possible.
"I'm sure." She said with a smile. Michael looked in the rear-view mirror at him and began to speak too, keeping an eye on the road as well.
"How about the lessons – from Hermione's letters they sound really interesting." Harry smiled and nodded.
"They are; we learn something new nearly every lesson and Hermione and me are at the top of our classes." He glanced at Hermione, who blushed when he mentioned her over-achievement in classes. Emma's eyebrows shot up and she looked at Hermione.
"Oh really – why didn't you tell us you were doing so well, missy?" She said playfully. Hermione blushed crimson and made a mental note to get Harry back for dropping her in the firing line of her parent's questioning.
The 'back and forth' of the conversation continued for the duration of the journey to their home, resulting in some good-natured laughing and two very red faces. It was a very enjoyable process for both the Grangers and Harry. As they talked, he got an overall impression of Hermione's parents and found them to be very loving and caring individuals. Harry felt he had made a good impression but he wasn't sure. He decided to hold celebration until they talked some more.
After a few hours, they pulled up at Hermione's house: a large, moderately expensive looking Victorian style red brick house. It was situated in a well-to-do neighbourhood, but their house looked slightly out of place, compared to the other much larger houses. Harry decided it was a welcome break from the neat, suburban conformity of Privet Drive.
Harry laughed inwardly when he glanced at his girlfriend and noticed she was almost bouncing in excitement. He couldn't decide which part of her was more excited: the twelve year old or the nineteen year old.
"Well, this is it Harry; this is my home." She looked slightly nervous which surprised Harry. "What do you think?" He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.
"It's brilliant, Hermione." She smiled, seeing the honesty in his face and relaxed noticeably. They retrieved their trunks from the car, and carried them into the house. As they closed the door, Emma turned to the pair and smiled.
"Right then, Hermione, why don't you show Harry to the guest room and help him get settled in?" They nodded and turned to leave. "Once you're done, come straight back down so we can get to know Harry better." As the left, Emma turned to her husband and smiled.
"So what do you think about Harry now we've met him?" Michael looked thoughtful and scratched his head slightly.
"He's an alright lad from what I can see: he's polite, dresses fairly smartly, looks sensible, and seems to respect and love Hermione." Emma raised her eyebrows in shock, which made him chuckle and raise his hands in surrender. "Hey, I never said I didn't like the boy, I just wanted to meet him before stamping my approval. From what I can see though, he's a good guy for her – albeit a bit young." She nodded. "I'm still going to interrogate him though." Emma laughed quietly and shook her head.
"I tend to agree with you; Harry does seem like a good boy. He doesn't hold the sort of arrogance that I might expect from someone who became so important so young." Michael nodded in agreement. "He does love Hermione a lot, and she does back too. The way they talk and act, it's like they know each other's thoughts. It's a bit…disconcerting." He laughed and nodded.
"At least I'm not the only one who noticed that." They chuckled a bit before hearing loud footsteps coming down the stairs. Hermione was the first to enter, dragging Harry. Both looked distinctly ruffled and were blushing lightly. Michael and Emma exchanged a look but said nothing.
"Hey Mum, hey Dad; what were you talking about?" She asked as they took a seat around the dinner table. Her parents glanced at each other before responding.
"Nothing much, dear," Emma began, "just talking about work." Hermione nodded. Michael leant forward and stared at Harry.
"So Mr Potter, why don't you tell us about yourself?"
"Once you're done, come straight back down so we can get to know Harry better." Hermione nodded and inwardly rolled her eyes. She got the subtle, 'don't be too long in a room with a boy' message. As they climbed the stairs, they went into Hermione's room first.
Harry was surprised to note, it didn't look at all like he thought a girl's bedroom would look; it was very neat and tidy with sky blue walls. There was little in the way of knick knacks but that was made up for in the sheer amount of books. There must have been over forty on the shelves around the room, most of them muggle, (although he suspected her assortment in the original timeline would have mostly been an impressive collection of wizard books) but all categorized and standing neatly on their shelves.
She turned to look at him and shifted nervously. Harry didn't know why she was so nervous about his opinion of her house. He smiled at her reassuringly and held her hands softly.
"Hermione, don't be so nervous about my reaction; your house is great, your parents are amazing and your room is awesome." She smiled and kissed him on the lips.
"Thanks Harry. I guess this is my twelve year old insecurities showing up again." She chuckled slightly and he rubbed circles on her hands.
"Don't worry; it's not just you that has clashing personalities: when I was in Diagon Alley, my eleven year old self basically screamed at me all the time to eat ice cream whenever I passed Florean Fortescue's shop!" Hermione giggled and gave him a hug.
Thank you, love. Now, should we go look at your room?" He nodded and she dragged him out by the hand. As they entered the guest room, Harry noticed it was painted a similar colour to Hermione's room, but it was slightly darker. It was largely uncluttered, with a wardrobe, desk, bed and chest of drawers. It was a lovely room, 'a damn sight nicer than his one at the Dursleys', he thought.
"Here we are; the guest room. Is it ok?" He smiled and kissed her on the lips.
"It's brilliant Hermione." She fidgeted slightly. "Hey, even if it was the worst room on the planet, which it isn't because I'm not at the Dursleys, (she giggled slightly at that) I would still love it here because I could spent time with you." He knew it was corny, but it was how he felt. Her eyes tear'd up slightly and she pounced on him, the pair falling onto the bed.
They began to kiss passionately, Hermione grounding up against him. Harry was getting extremely hot and having a certain reaction to her motions. He decided to stop them from doing anything before her parents got worried and came looking. As he pushed her back, she looked a little offended, so he quickly spoke to alleviate her fears.
"Hermione, it's not that I wasn't enjoying what we were doing, as a matter of fact I was enjoying it very much. But your parents are downstairs and we don't want them to come looking for us." She nodded but still looked put out. He pulled her into a heated kiss which frazzled her brain thoroughly. As he pulled away, he could see her brain trying to restart and chuckled slightly. She slapped him playfully and huffed.
"Hey, no fair, I was trying to be mad at you!" She tried to glare at him, but broke down laughing. She sighed and rolled off of Harry. "You were right Harry, just got caught up in the atmosphere for a moment." He nodded and pulled her into his lap and kissed her.
"Hey, don't think I don't want to do that again…just when your parents aren't waiting…and when we have warded the room to prevent intrusions." Hermione shuddered at the thought of her parents walking in and got up from her seat. She dragged Harry up and straightened them up a bit before leaving his bedroom. As they headed down the stairs, they caught the tail end of her father speaking.
"…the only one who noticed that." Hermione had a feeling they had been discussing Harry and by their expressions they didn't look disapproving or angry. She decided to act ignorant to the possible topic of the conversation.
"Hey Mum, hey Dad; what were you talking about?" She asked, with a feigned curiosity.
"Nothing much, dear, just talking about work." She accepted the answer at face value and sat down at the table with Harry. She noticed her father staring a bit at Harry.
"So Mr Potter, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Harry nodded and they went and sat around the dining room table.
"Er, where should I start?" He looked to Hermione for some sort of guidance. She was about to answer when Michael spoke.
"Well, how about this: Emma and I will ask you some questions and if you feel comfortable, you can answer them, ok?" He smiled and nodded.
"Alright, that sounds ok." And so began the Potter Inquisition. Harry felt like he was in a job interview and they were looking over a form he had filled in on his qualifications for being Hermione's boyfriend. After a while of questioning, Michael chuckled to himself, receiving looks from Emma and Hermione.
"Oh, it's just that these questions reminded me of a bit in Monty Python." The girls were mystified so he decided to elaborate.
"'Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.'" Harry laughed and responded.
"Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I'm not afraid." Michael's eyes lit up delighted that there was a Python fan he could banter with. Harry and Michael continued quoting the sketch, prompting Emma and Hermione to snigger slightly at their respective men.
The conversation was decidedly light hearted and jovial, Michael and Harry finding lots in common (such as a like for old British comedy's) and Hermione's parents discovering a lot about her boyfriend. Michael pulled Harry away into the Study for a few minutes to discuss the actions of Ron.
"So, Hermione told me about her getting…hurt…" The last word was said with contempt. "…by that bastard Weasley." Harry nodded, slightly nervous about the sudden change in Michael. "She also told me that you…dealt with him." Again, Harry nodded. "Mind telling me how?" Harry launched into a full explanation of his duel with Ron, especially exploiting his fear.
"…and now he has been expelled from the school." Michael nodded. "Actually, the man who spoke to me at the station was his father. We were talking about having a meeting to discuss further punishment." Hermione's father smiled and he clapped him on the back.
"You are definitely the right boy for Hermione." Harry smiled. "But know this; if you hurt her, then no one will find your body." Harry nodded sincerely.
"I'll never hurt Hermione, but if I do, I will accept any punishment you deem necessary." Michael smiled widely, nodded and led Harry back into the room. As they walked in, he caught Emma's attention and nodded, smiling.
As they talked, they even touched on the subject of his time with the Dursleys, after he accidently let slip a comment about the cupboard-under-the-stairs.
After gently prodding him for answers, and some reassurance from Hermione, he related his years with the Dursley family to the Grangers. As he finished, Emma (and Hermione) was in tears, while Michael looked positively livid.
"Harry, are you going to press charges on those bastards? They shouldn't get away with treating a child like that." He said, trying to rein in his anger. Emma shot a bit of a glare at him before continuing.
"Language Mike…but I agree completely – they shouldn't get away with their treatment of you. If you want, we could help you bring charges against them." She said kindly. He was touched by the care emanating from the Grangers which made him smile.
"Thank you very much, but I've already spoken to the Gringrotts' Goblins about my…life with them. They punish child abusers to the full extent of their law, which is extremely...unpleasant. The ministry is also helping them bring the charges." He said reassuringly. They accepted his answer and the conversation shifted to more pleasant topics.
After dinner, the Grangers split up and went to do their own things around the large house. It was still too early to go to bed, so Michael retreated to the study, Harry to his room, and Emma and Hermione to the living room.
After a while, Hermione decided to get some rest so said goodnight to her mother, and headed up the stairs. As she went, she could hear some music coming from the Guest Room door at the top of the landing. It was classical solo violin music. She was surprised; she had never thought of Harry as a music lover, and didn't know he had a radio or tape player with him. She rapped on the door gently but received no reply. The music continued to play. Hermione shrugged and opened the door stepping into the room. She froze in shock.
Harry stood next to the window, with the curtains open, playing a dark brown violin with his eyes closed. She could not see any sheet music so she assumed he was playing from memory. As he played, he leant into each movement, making it look fluid and smooth.
Hermione listened, transfixed by the music and by seeing her boyfriend play it. She had a vague feeling in her mind she knew what he was playing, but her mind was focused on the beautiful sounds he was making.
She moved slowly to his bed, never alerting him to her presence while he played and closed her eyes, just listening to him play. While she listened, tears began to fall down her face, an unstoppable reaction from the music he played. Neither realised the door was open, and soon Michael and Emma too followed the music from downstairs. They listened for a moment, before glancing at Hermione and leaving.
After a few minutes, he stopped and her eyes snapped open. He still hadn't noticed her so she moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He froze for a moment, before realising who is was and turning in her embrace. He was surprised to see she was crying. She smiled at him, tears still streaking down her face and she kissed him on the lips.
"Harry…that was beautiful. I didn't know you could play." She said quietly. He smiled and sat down on the bed, pulling her over to sit next to him.
"Yeah, I learnt while I was at the Dursleys." She looked at him incredulously.
"I'm surprised those…people let you practice." He chuckled.
"Well, they didn't. It has been one of my most closely guarded secrets." He said with a smile. "When I was thirteen, I stopped Dudley from beating up a young lad from our neighbourhood. I got beaten up in his place." Hermione smiled as his 'saving people thing' shone through again.
"What I didn't know, was that the boy told his mother about what happened and came to speak to me while at the park. I persuaded her not to speak to the Dursleys, which would have only made it worse, so she decided to do something for me as a thank you; violin lessons." He smiled as he reminisced.
"She was a very nice woman; she taught me how to play and even gave me my first violin when I showed promise." He sighed. "I spent a long time practicing at her house over the summers and then played in secret at Hogwarts."
"How come I never heard you practice? I mean at Hogwarts, someone must have found out?" He shook his head.
"Actually, no, nobody found out. I practiced in the Astronomy Tower with silencing and notice-me-not charms applied, and when we discovered the Room of Requirement, I practiced there too." She nodded in understanding.
"But why did you keep it a secret? It makes it sound like you were embarrassed or something…" Harry chuckled and patted his violin.
"No, I really love playing. But you see; I used it as a way to calm down and vent when my anger started to get out of control in fifth and sixth year. When I play, it gives me a way to release my emotions through music. I kept it a secret so as to keep attention away from my playing…makes it my thing to do, without people around." She nodded in understanding. He smiled and continued.
"But now, without the block on my magical core and the spells put on me by Dumbledore, I play simply out of enjoyment, rather than a distinct need." He looked down at his violin. "When I was in Diagon Alley for that first month, I went into the muggle world to buy this one to practice." He sighed. "It doesn't play as well as the one I made myself." She blinked at him.
"Wait, you made a violin?" She asked incredulously. He smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, just before the end of my sixth year."
"But the process to make one is extremely complicated…how did you do it?" He smiled.
"Well, I bought muggle books on violin making and studied the process carefully. I then looked through some of the books in the Hogwarts Library to find some wood carving/shaping spells." She was enthralled. "I then ventured into the Forbidden Forest to find a suitable tree…" She cut across while he explained.
"What wood did you use?" She blushed slightly as she interrupted and he chuckled.
"Well, that was the beauty of it: I used wand wood." She looked at him curiously. "It occurred to me, that a wand is a way to focus your magic…" She nodded. "…and the wood channels the magic perfectly. So I had an idea; a violin where you could channel your magic through it while playing." She still looked nonplussed. "Well, you know some magic is emotion based?" She nodded. "Well, as you play the violin, you express your emotions through the music. So why couldn't you literally push your emotions through the instrument via your magic?" Her eyes widened in realisation.
"That's…that's brilliant, Harry! Did it work?" He nodded.
"Yeah, when I finished making it and played it for the first time, I played a sad, slow piece of music and pushed my feelings through the violin." He smiled while reminiscing. "The magic coming off it was amazing – I had to stop because I was in tears." She laughed slightly.
"Why don't you make it again?" She asked. He sighed.
"Well, even if I did make it again, it wouldn't be the same one, do you know what I mean?" She nodded sadly, before remembering the song he played initially.
"Harry, what music were you playing?" She asked quietly.
"I'm surprised you didn't already know." He said smiling. "It was the violin solo from the song written for 'Schindler's List'." She nodded.
"I knew I recognised it, but I couldn't quite form a coherent thought." He blushed from her praise. As they sat there, a voice spoke from behind.
"Neither could I Hermione. You always were a good violin player, Harry." Amanda said with a smile. They blinked at her for a moment, before a smile burst across their faces. Harry brought out his wand and closed the door, sealed the room and silenced it.
"Hello Amanda, it's good to see you again." Hermione said happily. She smiled and nodded.
"Hello Amanda, thank you for the compliment." Harry said bowing slightly.
"You're very welcome Harry, you are a brilliant player. I followed your life quite closely for a while and heard you play. Those pieces you wrote were beautiful too." Harry blushed slightly and Hermione looked at him.
"You wrote your own music?" She said in awe. He nodded and smiled. She huffed playfully. "Right, you need to tell me all the secrets you kept from me in the old timeline, ok?" He nodded. "And you have to play me some of your self-composed music too." He blushed and nodded.
"I always made a point to watch Harry when he played. When you get back to Hogwarts, watch him play in the Astronomy Tower, Hermione. It is truly magical." She put emphasis on the last word making Harry blush and Hermione laugh.
"Amanda, not to be rude, but why are you here? Have we done something wrong?" Harry asked after recovering. She shook her head.
"No, no, just came to remind you about a few things." They both nodded.
"Right; Harry, you need to speak to Hogwarts. She has been very patient but it's impolite to make her wait." He blushed and nodded, properly chastised.
"You need to reassess Dumbledore." They looked at her curiously. "Well, at the moment, he is second guessing his attempts at controlling you, although, I think that might be because you are beyond controlling now." He nodded.
"You need to keep an eye on Draco. I can't tell you much, but he may need you in the weeks ahead. He took a big risk befriending you Harry." They looked at each other and nodded.
"I would watch out for Molly when you go to the Burrow." Harry looked slightly worried. "Again, I can't tell you much, but her motives are unknown at the moment – we can't tell whether she is with you or against you." Another affirmative nod.
"Lastly, I think you should send Death some horcruxes. He has already gotten the one from your scar, which the Goblins took care of. I know you can't get the diary or the locket yet, but you can get access to the Diadem at Hogwarts and you could 'inform' (she made the quote gesture with her fingers) the Goblins about the one in the Lestrange vault." Hermione took a calculating look as she began to plan in her head. They said their goodbyes, but before she left, she gave Harry a mischievous smile.
"Oh, I almost forgot, I have a present for you Harry." He cocked an eyebrow at her. She clicked her fingers and a case appeared in her arms. He gasped slightly, accepting the box. Inside, resided a sleek, black violin with the 'f holes' lined in a shimmering, metallic silver colour. He brushed his hand across the instrument before putting it to one side and hugging Amanda tightly.
"Thank you so much." He said tearfully. "This instrument meant so much to me." He pulled away and lifted it out the case. He tuned it quickly, finding it in almost perfect condition. She smiled at him.
"Before I go, let me hear you play it." He nodded and closed his eyes. He began to play Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major; Op. 35, 1st movement. He decided to show Hermione the difference the wand wood made and pushed joyful and happy feelings through his magic and through the instrument.
The violin began to thrum with power, lacing the music with the positively charged magic. As the music flowed around the room and reached their ears, Harry's emotions were absorbed into their bodies. Hermione instantly became overcome with the feelings from the emotionally charged room and began to cry happily as she listened. Amanda too was overcome by the magic coming from Harry and as he finished, he turned to look at his audience, they were both in tears and smiling. Amanda nodded and sniffed slightly.
"Thank you Harry." He nodded and smiled back. "Well I'll be seeing the two of you soon; I will pop in every so often, ok?" They nodded and grinned. She waved a cheery goodbye before disappearing. Harry sighed and sat next to Hermione. He drew his wand and cancelled the spells on the room, and turned to look at her.
"Well now, would you like to listen to me play some more, or do you want to go to bed?" She smiled innocently at him and he laughed. "You want me to play the pieces I wrote don't you?" She blushed slightly and nodded. "Alright then, I'll play one tonight and then we should go to bed." She smiled as he stood up.
He flicked his wand and a black leather bound book flew from his trunk and hovered in front of him. He conjured a music stand and sat the book atop it. Flicking through, he paused at a certain page and grinned. As he began to play, Hermione closed her eyes and listened. Again, Harry began to push his feelings through the black violin, which began to fill the room. As he played, Hermione was overcome by intense emotions of love, joy and happiness, which made her breathless. As he finished, she opened her eyes and looked him with a bright red face and sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"Harry…what made you write that? It was beautiful!" He blushed and grinned at her.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I wrote it about you." She was gob-smacked and began to cry. She stood up and took his instrument from his hands, putting it safely away in its case. As soon as there was nothing in the way, she pounced on him, forcing Harry back onto the bed. They kissed for a few heated minutes, exploring each other's bodies, before they finally came to their senses and broke apart. With a parting kiss and a wink, Hermione went back to her room.
As she left, he packed away his instrument in his trunk and went for a shower. The first day in the Granger household had been positive, he thought. However, he was nervous about the coming weeks, especially regarding the warnings given to him from Amanda about Draco and Molly. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and settled down to sleep with a sigh.
'All in all, not a bad start to the Christmas holidays…' He thought smiling, before falling asleep.
There we go, Chapter Seven mark II! I really hope it's an improvement on the first attempt I made! If you have suggestions, or criticisms (as long as they are well founded) then I will try and meet the issues and fix them!
I hope people get the Monty Python reference - if not, then its the bridgekeeper sketch from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I'm a huge fan of them so expect more references in the future!
Next Chapter: Harry goes to the Burrow to deal with Ron, a Granger family Christmas, a party at Longbottom Manor and a problem with Draco!
Thank you for reading this chapter, and I hope you continue to read!
This is the Quill, signing off!
