Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just copies of the books.
Here's a response to one of the reviews for the previous chapter that I thought was interesting and hope to clarify any confusions or settle any dissagreements by stating my reasoning:
Feli: I actually agree with your view on how everyone's choices, big or small, will effect the eventual outcome of the world. But for the purpose of this fic, I needed to establish that the world has a finite route in which it can travel and there exist people who are born with the choice of which direction the world will travel. Thus was the reason why I incorporated 'Fate', which I personally do not believe in. There's a reason for all of this and it will show up later. Thanks for such an elaborate review!
Two weeks had passed since the last day of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts. He was glad people did not know where he lived and sent all their letters to Dumbledore. From what he heard, the stack of letters were becoming rediculously large. Majority of the wizarding community did not believe Harry's claim that Voldemort has returned, but he could care less how they felt. If they wanted to fool themselves and live in a dream world, go ahead. Those who needed to know were informed and plans were being formed on how to counter Voldemort's actions.
Harry practiced his swordsmanship against the wooden dolls Severus created to train Harry all those years ago. They were enchanted to fight back with Harry's attack. However, his practice was cut short when he heard the doorbell ring. It was almost nine in the evening and Harry was not expecting any visitors. Not from Muggles anyways. Few witches and wizards knew how to use the doorbell, so Harry assumed it was a Muggle solicitor, but decided to check anyways. He grabbed a towel wiping off the sweat that dripped from his hair and head down onto his body.
Harry opened the door without looking through the eyepiece fully expecting a man selling him some useless house product when he found himself face to face with none other than Hermione Jane Granger. His eyes blinked rapidly as he had not fully registered her arrival. Hermione was dressed in light khakis pants that wrapped nicely around her long slender legs and a light brown sweater that hugged her figure showing off her curves. Harry was standing at the front doorway wearing only long light shorts and a towel around his neck while covered in his own seat. He opened his mouth to speak, but his mind was far too jumbled to put a sentence together.
"Do you usually greet visitors half naked and drenched in sweat?" Hermione asked as she smiled. She had a large trunk by her side and Crookshanks paced around her feet.
"Um… No! uh.. I mean I'm usually dressed… Come in," Harry said scratching his head while moving aside to let Hermione into his home. His mind was still far to chaotic to form a complete thought. Nor could he stop staring at Hermione's body. Her robes usually covered her figure to avoid the constant staring of boys. And Harry was staring.
"I thought you lived at Number 4 Privet Drive. When I arrived, I found your relatives. They were not too keen on telling me where you were," Hermione said as she moved to the portrait of Harry's father. He was in a masculine pose with one of his hands flicking his hair and a proud smile across his face. His other arm was dangling freely to his side. James wore a brown shirt that perfectly fit over his well toned body, which displayed his muscles he earned through his days of Quidditch, while wearing baggy shorts. If Hermione did not know better, she would have thought Harry's father was posing for a magazine cover.
"I did," Harry said closing the door. He felt partially embarrassed and partially uncomfortable in this situation. Hermione had not said a word about coming before hand so Harry was not expecting a guest. "I moved out when I was five."
Hermione moved over to a portrait of Lily that hung to the side of the portrait of James. She was in a more natural pose. It looked like she was looking directly at you with her emerald green eyes. Her beautiful red hair was blown up like a flame and she had a beautiful smile. "You said that if I ever came to your house you would tell me who your third guardian is, care to tell me now?"
Harry grimaced as he noticed Hermione had not looked at the other pictures that hung on the walls. "Severus Snape," Harry said as his heart sank with worry.
Hermione turned around sharply and shot a deadly glance at Harry. If Harry was not use to that look, he might have died in fear. "SEVERUS SNAPE! You're kidding right?" Hermione shouted almost drawing her wand. Harry remained silent and pointed to the pictures on the wall. Hermione ran over and looked at each one. "You hate Snape! And he hates you!"
"Actually, that's just an act Severus forced me into doing to protect his identity as Voldemort's spy. Just like how Draco and I put up the act that we hate each other even though we're friends." Harry scowled as he realized he accidentally let out a fact that he was suppose to keep secret. Especially from Hermione. He often wondered who Hermione hated more, Ron or Draco.
"You're friends with MALFOY!" Hermione's anger was nearly peaking as she turned to face Harry. Harry slapped his hands to his face wondering how he always seemed to make things from bad to worse with Hermione. Things seem to slip out when Harry least wanted it to. "What else aren't you telling me Harry James Potter?" The use of his full name made Harry wince.
"A lot. Want to hear the Prophecy? I have that memorize," Harry began to list his secrets. "Or how I was able to stop you and Ron from jinxing each other two days before our last day? Or when I first was put under the Imperius Curse by Severus?" The list went on until Hermione heard them all. It was past midnight before Harry finished. For some reason, Harry found that it calmed Hermione down with every truth he told her. It almost seemed like a weight was lifted from Hermione's shoulders. "Heard enough?" Harry asked as he sat at the dining table with the leftovers of supper out. There were still a few secrets left Harry did not tell her so he could still hit her with a surprise if needed. Hermione had not eaten supper and was digging down the food Harry had cooked for himself to last the weekend.
"Yeah," Hermione responded as she drank her glass of juice. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"
"Couldn't," Harry answered honestly. Harry was told that under no circumstance was he to tell anyone this part of his life at Hogwarts. Since Harry was not at Hogwarts, he was free to tell Hermione everything. "Dumbledore's orders. That's why I said if you ever visit me, I'll tell you. And I've been meaning to ask, why do you have a trunk with you?"
Hermione did not look at Harry when she responded, "I was hoping to stay here for a while…"
"That's fine," Harry answered without thinking twice. It would be nice to have company over the summer. Plus this meant the Dursleys could not bother Harry about their chores. "You can take my room for now," he offered quickly. "Sirius's room's a dog pin. Remus' room has a bunch of fur all over the place. Severus' room is filled with various potion ingredients. Mine's the only normal room in this house."
"Where will you sleep?" Hermione asked. She was still not looking at Harry. She was embarrassed that she had come out of the blue, landed in Harry's house and asked for a place to stay. What made her even more embarrassed was the fact that Harry did not ask a single question as to why she was here, allowed her to stay and even offered her his room to sleep in. This just made her feel horrible.
"Couch. I have a spare mattress to match the pull out bed. I'll go clean out my room and shower," Harry said as he left Hermione to finish her meal.
"You're not going to ask?" Hermione asked before Harry left the dining room. Hermione was still not able to meet Harry in the eyes so she kept her gaze down at her meal.
"No. If you wanted to tell me, you would have already," Harry replied. "When you're ready to talk, you can tell me. There's no need to force yourself to tell me something you don't want to tell me."
"Thank, Harry," Hermione said as she continued her meal.
"No problem, Hermione."
When Harry disappeared down the hallway, Hermione pulled up her right sleeve revealing a bloody gauss tied to her forearm. She carefully pealed it off, disposed of it and replaced it with a fresh one. Hermione then laid down her head and let tears stream down her cheeks.
For once Harry was glad Severus had burned into Harry the habit of cleaning his bathroom weekly. Harry had just cleaned it the day before so all he had to do was move all his belongings over to the next cleanest bathroom which was Remus's. He was able to clean his room quickly as well, but before he made his way out of the bathroom, Harry saw a familiar face pop up in the two-way mirror Sirius gave him in his third year.
"Harry!" Sirius called out as Harry turned to pick it up from the sink. "Harry! Hermione's gone! Her parents just filed—"
"She's here at the house," Harry cut his godfather off from finishing his sentence. His message silenced Sirius instantly.
"Did she say anything yet?" Remus said as he pushed Sirius away from the mirror.
"No. And don't bother telling me," Harry said walked across the hall.
"You sure?" Remus asked. From his expression, Harry guessed something dreadful happened to Hermione.
"Yeah. She'll tell me when she's up to it," Harry said, although now he really wanted to know so he could help.
Suddenly, the mirror turned away and Severus was on the other side. "Just take care of her, Harry. She's been through a lot in the past two weeks." Then the connection was cut. Harry just shrugged and finished his moving.
Harry walked back to the dining room to find Hermione with her face down on the table. She had not finished her meal and something was defiantly troubling her. He walked over to her side and touched Hermione on her arm. "Hermione, I've got something to show you," Harry whispered to her as she turned to look at him. "I think it'll make you feel better."
Hermione followed Harry out to the back yard where a lone tool shack stood. Harry walked in and signaled Hermione to follow. When she walked in, Hermione found a room the size of a small museum filled with living landscapes. It began with a sunrise off an ocean horizon, and then it merged with a shore side cliff of early morning. She could see silhouettes jogging across the surface of the cliff as waves crashed against it. Next was an autumn scene with golden leaves sprinkling down to the ground. There were families in the park and children running around.
"This is a work in progress," Harry explained as Hermione made her way about the magical landscapes. It captured the most breathtaking moments Harry found of each season and linked it together into one great circular living painting. Well, Harry could not call it a painting as it was not on a canvas but magically created to reenact the scenery. It was hard to get Dumbledore's approval as Harry began this project after his first year. Voldemort had returned, so using magic was highly prohibited. "I was able to paint as still of each scene from my mind onto a piece of paper and scan it into my computer. Then I used a graphic editing software to merge the scenes."
"You did all of this?" Hermione asked in awe and wonder of how breathtaking the next scene was from the previous. She walked into some of the scenery just to feel how real the landscape was. This was no illusion as the Great Halls of Hogwarts were, but like a three dimensional magical photograph. Instead of only capturing a series of movement, Harry recreated the picture and made it real.
"Yeah. I started this after first year out of boredom. Severus was not here and Sirius and Remus were banned from teaching me any more spells. So I decided to use the little magic I knew to make something. It started with only three pictures, the sunrise, the moon and stars in the night sky and the sunset. Then I just kept on adding and adding," Harry explained while watching Hermione moved towards the last scenery which ended abruptly. "It's a work in progress."
"What's in here?" Hermione asked as she found another door.
"Wait!" Harry cried out, but it was too late. Hermione had opened the door and walked in. Harry turned to face the closest wall and banged his head against it.
"You made one of me!" Hermione cried out in shock. Harry had not wanted Hermione to see that one yet. Sirius had tricked Harry into making one containing scenes of Hermione at the Yule Ball. "Did you exaggerate any part of my image?"
"No," Harry replied walking in. He found this magical painting far more spectacular than that of the various landscapes. "You looked so extravagant, elegant and beautiful that anyone would have taken you to the Yule Ball. Even Draco. Even Fleur could not help but comment that you outshined her even with her Veela blood." Harry stared at Hermione as she glided down the stairway with her golden dress, magnificent smile, sparkling brown eyes, lovely curly hair, slender arms, curves, cleavage, and wonderous legs. Hermione could easily pass herself as a model in the Muggle world. "You had the spotlight of the Yule Ball that night."
"Harry?" Hermione said softly after a moment of silence.
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"There's no need. You've always been there for me, now it's time for me to be here for you," Harry replied with a smile. Hermione was Harry's best friend and he did not want to lose her. Not when he needed her as much as he did now with the return of Voldemort. Yes, Harry needed Hermione. Probably more so than he needed Ron. Ron was like Harry's brother, while Hermione was Harry's pillars of support and strength. Something Ron could not substitute for. For a while longer, Harry and Hermione stood together watching various scenes of Hermione during the Yule Ball. And during that time, it seemed nothing in the world mattered at all.
The next morning, Harry woke up early to make breakfast. Harry was taught how to make meals the Muggle way as Sirius was too lazy to cook, Remus only knew how to make steak and Severus did not know how to add seasoning. Harry was often left in charge of meals unless they ordered out which was often occurrences when Sirius had one of his hundred girlfriends over. Remus rarely dated women, as he was a werewolf and still is, per say. Harry had never seen a woman around Severus. Well, just one. When they went on a trip to Germany when Harry was nine, one woman was always around Severus. Harry wondered what happened to her and Severus when Hermione walked in.
Hermione had just woken up and her hair was a mess. Harry turned his head to speak when he noticed several buttons of her pajamas were unhooked. Her pajamas drew a V that stretch from the mid point between her neck and shoulders down to the center of her chest that partially revealed Hermione's growing breasts and cleavage. It revealed more than her dress at the Yule Ball. Blood pumped rapidly through Harry's veins as his jaw dropped and eyes bulged out. Hermione yawned and stretched which made Harry lean forward a bit. Shit! Shit! Stop staring! Stop staring! Look away! TURN AWAY! Harry shouted in his mind, but his body would not react. He was staring at Hermione's chest like he was in heaven. This is Hermione, your best friend. Turn away before you do something stupid! Finally, Harry was able to twist his head back around. Slowly.
However, his eyes always wandered back to Hermione's chest. Stop looking! The eggs! Finish cooking the eggs! Harry told himself, but it hardly worked. Concentrate on the eggs. The eggs. The round eggs… So round and white… They look so soft… A pop from the toaster broke Harry away from his thoughts. He grimaced as he realized what he was thinking of. Harry would have slapped himself if he could, but that would give away his staring to Hermione.
It came to Harry's attention that he had not thought this through. Sure he let Hermione stay, as she was his best friend. But Harry had not brought in the 'growing girl' part into his equation. Harry slid a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast across the table to Hermione trying hard not to look. But being a boy, Harry could not control himself. He had to look. Luckily, Harry turned away before Hermione looked up to ask, "Do you usually cook all this for breakfast? Cereal would have been fine."
"We use to have cereal, until Sirius's complaining about no meat started to stack. I usually made all the meals when the four of us were living here. None of the others can cook, but I got allowance for this so it was alright," Harry replied as he put all the pans into the sink and filled it up with water. As he looked out the window, he noticed the reflection of Hermione on the lower right corner. Again, Harry found himself staring again. He caught himself in the act of drooling before discreetly wiping it off and looking away. Or attempting to. It seems the male gender does get easily distracted by beautiful females, Harry agreed with an article he read online a few days back.
Harry turned from the sink after closing the faucet and sat down before his own plate. He froze when he picked up his fork and knife realizing directly across from Harry sat Hermione. How do things just keep on getting worse and worse with Hermione? Harry asked himself as he desperately tried not to look. But Harry knew he was looking. "Have you been living alone during the summers?" Hermione asked as she took a sip from her glass of orange juice.
Harry looked up, concentrating very hard not to let his eyes wander, and replied, "Only this summer and last. Sirius and Remus were here the summer after first and second year." When Hermione's eyes lowered to her meal, Harry's gaze lowered to her chest until Crookshanks jumped onto Hermione's lap disrupting Harry's view. The smart kneazle also notified Hermione of her unbuttoned pajamas without giving away Harry's staring.
"Thanks for breakfast, Harry," Hermione said as she finished her plate and got up from her seat. "I'm going to shower and freshen up."
"Yeah. No problem," Harry replied glad that Hermione was not fully awake to realize that there might have been a chance that Harry was staring. As soon as Harry heard the sound of the shower running, Harry dashed out of his seat and straight into Remus's room to pick up the mirror. He locked the door behind him and quickly tapped the mirror to call one of his guardians. "Sirius! Remus! Severus! I need your help!" Harry cried out in a quiet voice.
"What? What is it?" Sirius's face appeared with a worried expression as if Harry was in life threatening danger.
"Well, it's Hermione. I had forgotten that she isn't just my best friend by also a growing girl!" Harry saw Sirius collapse to the ground laughing while the mirror swung over to Severus.
"You just noticed that now, Harry?" Severus asked rhetorically. "I know you're dense, but we didn't raise you to be this dense."
"You didn't take advantage of the situation by chance, did you, Harry?" Remus's voice asked worriedly.
"No!" Harry shouted before clasping his hand over his mouth. "No!" he repeated in a lower voice. "Well, maybe. Her pajamas were revealing a bit more than usual and I was staring…"
"That's absolutely normal!" he heard Sirius shout. "Did you happen to take a picture by chance?"
"Harry, you got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out," Severus said with a mischievous smile. One that Harry had seen very few of. And hated to see right now.
"Wait! No!" Harry cried out, but the mirror did not cut off like he thought it would. Instead he found himself face to face with Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Hello, Harry. I suppose you do know school regulations about co-ed living arrangements, right?" Dumbledore asked with a smile on his face and twinkle in his eyes.
Harry banged his head against the nearest wall before answering, "Yes, I do. I'm not expelled, am I?" Although he asked the question, Harry was fearful of the answer. Everything had gone out the door last night when Harry invited Hermione to stay. He had not asked for her reason and was not going to until she was ready to tell him, but Harry had not thought about the trouble he would be causing. Why is it that he always seemed to find himself in trouble around Hermione?
"No. Not unless I catch you using this situation to your advantage, but I am sure that will not happen, right, Harry?"
Harry winced as his heart pounded faster. It was hard enough trying not to stare at Hermione's chest, but if something else happens, Harry wondered if he could control himself. "It won't, sir," Harry replied, but had little confidence in himself.
"Good. Then this matter is settled. As for the reason Miss Granger is at you house, I will leave that up to you to sort out. Good day, Harry, and try and stay out of trouble." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again before the image cut off.
Harry let out a deep sigh and pounded his head against the wall. What had he gotten himself into?
Arthur's Note: This chapter is shorter than the previous 2 or so, but I hope you enjoyed it. R&R!
