Declaimer: Let me break this down. Harry-Potter-Belong-To-J-K-Rowling. I'm not getting paid for this!
A/N: Let's me first say that this week has been really difficult for me. First of all, everything was out of it at my summer workshop and I had barely any time to write anything. The chapter that you are about to read was planned for about six days and written out in about two hours. Also, by the end of the day, I had some technical difficulties with my computer so it took me about an hour and a half to correct the mistake. So if this chapter seems a little sloppy in anyway, I offer my apologies. I have a feeling that the next week will turn for the better but I'm not exactly sure that I'll put up another update by next Sunday. Come on! The seventh book would be out for three days by then. I'll probably be misspelling every single word due to the lack of sleep from trying to finish reading in a day. I am also very excited to be going and see Harry Potter OoP in 3-D. It cost $15.00 per person, but it's totally worth it. Anyway, I'll stop talking now. Sorry I got a little carried away.
Special Thanks: Wow! You guys have been really great last week! Thanks for wonderful people who reviewed, if I could, I'd engrave your name here in gold. So, special thanks goes to:
Pstibbons, Hermione Jane Granger 16, NaughtyBunny, Unwrittenkhk3, Bookworm97, Dreamsong, and last but certainly not least, Harry's My Boy, who kindly gave me some very helpful suggestions.
Fighting Destiny
By Lola Leddir
Chapter 9- Harmony is Hermione
" Um, sorry! Pardon me! Oh, sorry! Watch out! Coming Through. Excuse me!" Harry mumbled as he stepped carefully around the mob of people who were crowded backstage. Some, half in makeup and others, even worse, only half clothed.
" Excuse me! Can you point me to where Ms. Harmony's dressing room might be? I'd like to have a quick word " Harry asked, stopping at a random blond woman. The blond stopped to look at Harry, staring appraisingly.
" Harry Potter!" She squealed as she located the almost hidden scar on Harry's forehead.
" Um, yes," Harry said, a little peeved. " So, can you help me?"
" Over there, Mr. Potter!" The blond said excitedly, all the while fluttering her eyes madly at Harry.
" Uh, thanks," Harry said and turned to go.
The blond quickly thrusted her hand into Harry's and moved closer, almost too close for comfort.
" But you are wasting your time Harry," she said, whispering, her lips less than an inch away from his left ear. " Harmony never accompanies any of the guest, no matter how high in society or," she paused at this as she flutter her eyelashes madly again, " how handsome they might be. She only sings." Then, pausing again, she added seductively, " But I'm always available," and with that she stepped back and gave Harry a winning smile.
" Um, no thanks, I just want to talk to Harmony," Harry said, trying hard to stay patient, all the while, stepping closer to the wall behind him and further away from the blond.
The blond looked slightly disappointed. " Well, if you ever need anything, just let me know," she said and sauntered off.
Harry, very relieved, pushed himself off the wall that he had been backing up to and walked briskly into the direction of the dressing rooms.
He walked down a bunch of closed doors until he found the name, Harmony Granger.
Straightening up a bit, Harry knocked softly on the door. Yet there was no reply. Not sure what else to do, Harry quietly opened the door, which was proven unlocked and slowly stepped into the room.
There was no one inside.
" Hello?" Harry said loudly, checking if there was anyone in the room at all, and to his relief, a voice answered.
" What now? Hang on, I'm reversing the appearance charm."
Appearance charm? Harry thought, slightly puzzled. What does that mean? But before he could get any further in thought, a girl walked into view from the restroom linked to the dressing room.
" You!" Harry exclaimed, surprised when he realized that the girl was the same girl he had meet that day in the rain, and then at Hogwarts.
Hermione, like a deer caught in headlights, look up, her mouth wide open. Then as if finally composing herself, she closed her mouth and looked angrily at Harry.
" You! What are you doing here?"
Harry closed his mouth, which was wide open too.
" I could ask you the same question!" He said as he took in her quite different appearance. With make-up and the same exact dress that Harmony was wearing.
" Hang on! You, you are Harmony Granger aren't you?"
" I," Hermione started, looking shocked. " I don't know what you are talking about."
" Oh I think you do!" Harry said, smirking now. He was definitely onto something. " The appearance spell? Harmony, I'm no stupid."
Taking a deep breath, Hermione sighed.
" Okay, fine. I'm Harmony, happy?" She turned around and grabbed a neatly folded handkerchief, and then turned back to Harry.
" But if you tell anyone about this, I am going to make sure that you wish you never got off that broom of yours and forced me to accept your help that night!"
" Really?" Harry smirked, completely relaxed now as he leaned against the wall lazily, still staring at Hermione.
" Look, will you just leave?" Hermione said warily as she looked up at Harry. " But please, just don't tell anyone about this."
Noticing the desperateness in her voice, Harry kicked himself off the wall and walked closer to Hermione.
" You know, you bring me so many surprises," Harry whispered.
Hermione looked at him.
" And what, may I ask, is so surprising about me, Mr. Potter?" Hermione asked softly.
" A lot of things are surprising about you," Harry replied, smiling softly at Hermione. " And please, call me Harry."
" And those things would be?" Hermione said, not sure why she even cared.
" Well, first of all, you being hereof all the places. It'd be the last place I'd expected you to be. Then, secondly, I didn't think that wet, angry you would turn out to be so beautiful tonight."
At this, Hermione blushed and her eyes were immediately glued to the floor.
" And then, there's your song. It was so beautiful, so pure and meaningful. Did you write it?"
Hermione nodded, still not daring to meet Harry's eyes. But a smile played softly at the corner of her lips.
Detecting this sudden change of mood, Harry stepped even closer, so that there was barely any room left between the two.
" Lastly, and what surprised me most of all, was your smile. I didn't think you knew how to smile, but you've proven me wrong."
Hermione sighed. " I'm sorry Harry. I shouldn't have snapped you like that. All you ever did was help me. If anything, blame your luck. That day we meet was probably the worst day of my life."
" Because you meet me that day?" Harry asked jokingly.
" No, it's not that!" Hermione replied quickly.
" Relax, I'm only kidding," Harry said, laughing.
There was a very comforting moment of silence as Harry studied Hermione carefully. " You know, we've meet for the third time now, and I think this is the first conversation I had with you without feeling like a total prick. Is this a permanent or one time deal?"
At this, Hermione scowled. " Look, will you please just leave now? I've got to change and get home. It's late."
Before Harry could answer however, another voice was sounded at the door.
" I forbid you to go home right now, Harmony!" Simon Mandrake marched in, followed by four bodyguards. " Change into another costume, I want you to go on stage and sing another song immediately."
" But I really can't tonight," Hermione said as she turned her attention from Harry to Mandrake. " It's getting really late. I'm sorry. How about this? I promise that I'll come in earlier tomorrow, but I must leave now."
Simon Mandrake frowned.
" I don't care how late it is. You only sang one single song tonight. Here at the Witches and Whiskeys, the guests are our number one priority and we don't deny our guests. Everyone is requesting another song from you, now get out there!"
" Look, I really can't! I've got to go!" Hermione said, slightly nervous, as Simon Mandrake was obviously getting angrier by the second. Not daring to look at him for much longer, she turned to go.
The second that Hermione turned her back on Mandrake, Simon gave his right hand man, Mundungus Fletcher a slight nod, who stepped forward and seized Hermione's wrist.
" Hey! Let go!" Hermione struggled, now truly scared. Her wand was on the dresser, and even if she had her wand, she wasn't exactly sure what she'd do. There was no chance that she would be able to take down all those bodyguards of Simon Mandrake's.
" Hey! Leave her alone!" Harry said, taking out his wand too and quickly muttered "Expelliarmus", in which Mundungus stagger back into a wall, letting go of Hermione.
Mandrake turned his attention back to Harry, noticing him for the first time.
Feeling Simon Mandrake's calculating gaze, Harry looked up as well.
" Mr. Mandrake, I've heard many great things about you." Harry began, hoping to calm Mandrake down a bit. " Harmony here obviously need to get home, otherwise, I'm sure she would have agreed to sing another song. I advise you to let her go hoe tonight. The chances are, if the guests today didn't hear her again, they will come back tomorrow. Wouldn't that even bring you more business?"
As Harry said this, he calmly strode over to Hermione and held up her wrist and checked for any bruises that Mundungus may have caused. Seeing that there were none, Harry looked back up at Mandrake, waiting for the older man to reply.
Simon Mandrake however, was getting even angrier. He nodded again at the other four bodyguards, who nodded back and took out their wands one by one.
Seeing that he would not be able to leave without a fight, Harry gripped own his wand more tightly too, one arm still holding onto Hermione protectively, his gaze fixed on Mandrake and his bodyguards.
For a moment, there was silence and then, as if by the same thought, different spells were fired throughout the room at an amazingly fast pace.
Harry quickly decided to abandon his wand entirely, casting a non-verbal shield around Hermione and then moved forward, stupefying two of the guards at the same time. Just as he turned his attention onto the third guard, Ron burst in through the doors, a little breathless.
" Harry, what are you doing?" Ron asked, surveying the scene in front of him. He paused for a moment and then quickly joined the fight as Harry stunned another guard. But as the third guard went down, more men dressed in uniformed robes flooded into the dressing room. One of them, cleverly hexing Ron, who had forgot to cast a basic shield around himself with a quick Furnunculus, causing Ron to stop dead in his tracks, giant boils spontaneously appearing all over his body.
" Stop it! Just stop it!" Hermione cried out as she ran up to Simon Mandrake. " I'll go! I'll go straight away!" She said, tears rolling down her cheeks as she made her way to the door.
" Hang on!" Simon Mandrake said, still frowning at Hermione. " Do you plan to on stage like that?" he said, pointing at her red puffy eyes and messy hair. " Just come back earlier tomorrow!" and with that he mentioned for the rest of the guards to leave.
Wiping away some of her tears, Hermione knelt down by Ron, who was lying close to the door, groaning loudly.
" Oh Merlin! Are you okay?" she asked as Harry ran over too, casting a reversal spell on his best friend.
" Harry, what is wrong with you?" Ron complained as he sat back up. " Just one night! Just or one night, couldn't you just mind your own business?"
" Sorry mate," Harry said, grinning sheepishly.
Simon, who was watching this exchange the whole time, cleared his throat.
" Who are you?" he asked, staring at Harry.
Harry stood up and walked over to Simon Mandrake.
" I'm Harry Potter. It's an honor to meet you at last, Mr. Mandrake," he said, holding out a hand.
Simon Mandrake looked stunned for a moment, his eyes quickly traveling up to Harry's forehead.
" Mr. Potter! My apologies. I didn't know that it was you!" Mandrake said as he shook Harry's hand enthusiastically.
" Please, Simon, it is me who should be apologizing." Harry answered apologetically. " My friend Ron and I were just planning to watch the show for a while and then report back to the paper about some of the new features of your club. Harmony's is an old friend of ours, so after seeing her performance on stage, I couldn't help but try and find her backstage, just to see how she was doing."
" Totally understandable!" Mandrake said, giving Harry a slight bow." Don't worry about it, Mr. Potter. And if there's anything I can do for you in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. It's not often that we have an hero here at the Witches and Whiskeys."
" Well, actually," Harry said, seizing the chance, " I do have something I'd like your help with."
" Just speak your mind, Mr. Potter!"
" It's been hard to get a hold of you Mr.Mandrake, but currently, Ron and I are working for the Daily Prophet. Do you think that you can do an interview with us?" Harry asked tentatively.
" I'd be honored," Simon Mandrake replied. " If you want, we can arrange a meeting tomorrow to discuss the details. For now, however, I'd like to get back to the guest hall. Good night."
And with a quick nod at Hermione and Ron, Simon Mandrake walked out of the room.
Glad that something was finally accomplished, Harry turned his attention back to Hermione, who for the first time, smiled at him.
Scene Breaker
" I mean come on! You said that you'd try and become friends with Mandrake. I didn't think that you were going to do that by picking a fight! I swear Harry, that saving people thing is going to get you into a lot of trouble one of these days, trouble that you might not be able to handle!" Ron scolded as Harry, Hermione and himself made their way out of the Witches and Whiskeys and onto the almost deserted streets of Hogsmeade.
" Me? What about you? Joining in a duel without even the slightest precautions. You call yourself an Auror? I swear, one of these days, you are going to get into a lot of trouble, trouble that I'll have to deal with!" Harry retaliated half jokingly.
Hermione looked from Harry to Ron, not quite sure what to say.
Noticing Hermione's discomfort, Harry asked, "Are you still planning to come back after tonight, Harmony?"
Hermione nodded softly. " I must. I need the money."
" Great! I was worried that I won't be able to see you again!" Ron said happily.
At his words, Hermione blushed.
" So, is it just you and Harry who's training as Aurors at the moment?" Hermione asked, trying to ignore Ron's comment.
" Oh no! There are loads of people. But only Harry, me and another friends of ours were assigned to the Daily Prophet assignment. His name is Draco. He's John Regragn's son!" Ron said enthusiastically, not noticing that at this, the smile on Hermione's face froze.
" I know! The great John Regragn! He's absolutely amazing! You should really meet him one of these days. He's just as powerful as they say he is, and really nice too! His two daughters, Luna and Lynet are adorable, both beautiful and talented. Say, Harry, isn't Luna's birthday coming up soon? Why don't you come with us, Harmony?"
" No thanks," Hermione replied coldly as she turned to go.
Ron looked at Hermione. " Wait, why not?"
Hermione turned around sharply. " Because! Any friend of mine is not going to be friends with that John Regragn. He is not even half of what they say he is!" and with that, Hermione walked away, but then, stopped again.
" Oh, and one more thing!" She said, glaring at Harry and Ron venomously. " Don't mention me in front of the Regragns!"
And with that, Hermione Apparated, leaving Harry, for the second time in the past few weeks, puzzled and confused.
A/N: Well, that's the chapter. Please, if you will be so kind to leave me a review. Oh, and if you are going to review, why not tell me what you are planning to do for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release! I'm going to a midnight party myself, you never know, we might just end up in the same place.