Chapter Eleven: Moving On
From my point of view: (Hermione)
Maximillion Suites. Harry had decided to choose the hotel since I refused to choose on the street he picked. It was one of those posh hotels with marble floors, a grand, twirling staircase and ridiculously expensive. Harry said that was absurd since he had all that wizard money rotting in his bank account.
"Harry," I whined for the umpteenth time as he checked us in. "We can choose another hotel. This looks like it'll use up a lot of money."
"It's no problem." He replied, scribbling down on a paper.
"This is the kind of hotel a celebrity should get. I'm fine just lying in some broken down motel." I argued.
"You deserve something like this, love. Come on," He turned around and waved the key card in my face. "Room 823."
I merely sighed as he led me up the building, squeezing my small hand reassuringly. When we arrived on the eighth floor at the twenty-third building, Harry opened the door, inserting the key card in a slot attached to the wall, which made all the lights turn on.
The suite was bigger than any other suite I've ever seen. There were two bedrooms that both had queen-sized beds. The bathroom had a Jacuzzi-sized bathtub that came with the bubble maker. The kitchen was fully equipped with an electric over and stove, a dishwasher, a sink, plates, pans, glasses, cutlery, everything. There was a huge, circular table outside of the kitchen, which was right next to a sofa set with a flat TV-screen.
"Like it? I got the Empire Suite." Harry said, hugging me from behind.
I spun around and hugged him. "Oh Harry, you're such an idiot! We don't need all this."
Harry pulled back and pushed the hair away from my eyes. "I know we don't need it. But you deserve it."
I smiled up at him and gave him a sweet kiss. "You're the best, Harry," I told him.
He merely grinned and carried be into the bedroom, slamming the door shut with his foot.
*~*~*~*~*
"Where do you want to eat?" Harry asked, slipping my blouse on later that day. It was already six in the evening when we finally chose to get up and eat something before we burn it all up that night.
"I'm fine eating anywhere, I guess. We could always buy some take-out." I replied, buttoning up his polo while he buttoned up mine.
"Sure. Let's go." He stood up and took my jacket off the counter, helping me slip it on. He slipped on his own coat afterwards and we left the suite.
After choosing an ordinary diner (we decided to dine in), we ate our meals having occasional times when Harry would insist of having me feed him. I obeyed, of course, being rewarded with a kiss every time.
We then headed for a convenience store to buy desserts and other meals. When we went back into the building, we weren't expecting anything. But there checking into the hotel in front of the desk was Cho Chang.
"Harry, Hermione! How nice to see you!" She greeted, brightly.
Harry couldn't speak for a while. "Cho! Er—hi… Um, what are you doing here?"
Cho laughed and placed a dainty hand on Harry's arm. "Oh Harry, still tactless, I see. I'm checking in for my boyfriend and I. Roger is still buying us our dinner."
I frowned as Harry went rigid at her touch. "I'll take the bags upstairs." I suggested.
"Yeah, sure." He muttered, still ogling at Cho.
With a scowl, I marched to the elevator and pressed the eighth floor button. I hated the fact that there was still a huge part of Harry that was attracted to her. I hated how she threw herself shamelessly at him. She had some gall.
I threw the plastic bags onto the sofa set and went into the unused bedroom. Lying down, I felt a pain shot through my ring finger. I looked at it and remembered the engagement ring Harry had given me. There was a protruding metal part that pierced my skin. But I had never bothered telling Harry; it would get him worked up. I quickly pulled the ring off, scratching the rest of my finger along the way. I suppressed a cry of pain and went into the kitchen to wash it.
The door opened and Harry came in, calling out to me, "Hermione?"
I breathed in deeply before replying, "I'm in the kitchen."
I watched him sit down on one of the dining table chairs. "Well, Cho is rooming on the fourth floor."
My brow furrowed. "Are you going to visit her?" I tried to sound pleasant.
"Oh, I don't know. She said Davies already proposed to her." He sounded bitter. Or maybe I was just imagining things.
"What? Do you wish you were the one—" I didn't get to finish. The glass I was washing slipped from my hands and landed in the metal sink.
"Is everything okay?" Harry asked. I heard his chair scrape against the floor. "D'you need help with anything?"
"No! No, I've got it under control." I picked up the glass, accidentally having them scratch my hands. I bit my lip to stop a sob. But what was strange was that the pain felt good… And even a bit relaxing. Ignoring the pain searing through my hands, I pressed the glass further into my hands, watching it get stained with blood.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I'm sure." But my voice cracked and Harry came in. His mouth opened in horror. The scene seemed quite demonic. I was standing over the sink, my curtain of hair blocking my tear-stained face. My hands were bleeding over the sink, dripping intensely.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" He asked, worried.
"I'm fine." I sniffed. "Just being clumsy." I quickly tossed the bloodstained shards of glass into the rubbish bin. I washed my hands and disinfected them, which stung painfully because of how deep they were.
Harry came over and took my hands, muttering a few spells. The bleeding had stopped and the cuts were gone, but there were still scars.
"Are you alright?" He asked, gently while leading me to the sofa. He pulled me onto his lap and stroked my cheek.
I nodded. "I'm fine." I stood up. "I think I'll turn in."
He didn't say anything. He looked up at me with pleading eyes. I smiled and leaned forward. Harry closed his eyes but I wasn't going to kiss him there. I gave him a shadow kiss on the cheek, which must've felt like a cool breeze. I quickly turned around and went into the unused bedroom.
"Hermione?" Harry asked, but my bedroom door clicked lock. I changed my clothes and slid under the covers of my bed. Clicking off the lights, I fell asleep.
*~*~*~*~*
I woke up to the sound of thunder. For the third time that night. I wasn't good with thunderstorms. I had a certain fear of thunder and lightning. Of course, only Harry and Ron knew about it.
I curled up into a ball and shuddered as lightning flashed, lighting up my dark room. Screwing my eyes shut, I tried to go back to sleep. Thunder rumbled and I jumped. It didn't take long for me to start sobbing to myself, hiding under the covers, huddled into a ball.
I took a couple of loud sniffs then shuddered as lightning flashed then thunder came a few seconds later. All of a sudden, I heard the door click open and someone came in. Obviously, it was Harry. He stood at the doorway for a moment, watching me with a concerned look. I finally threw the cover over my head and stared at him, my eyes swimming with tears. Lightning flashed again and I covered myself back in the covers. In a few quick strides, Harry had come to me and clutched me to his chest, whispering soothingly in my ear.
"Shh, shh," He whispered, stroking my hair. "It's okay."
I sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, jumping slightly at the sound of thunder.
"D'you want me to stay with you tonight?" He asked, gently.
I nodded vigorously and he pushed me gently so that we were lying down on the bed. He gathered me in his arms and kissed me, trying to draw my attention away from the storm raging outside.
"Thank you," I whispered, sniffing loudly after we let go.
"You're welcome. Are you alright?"
I nodded. "Don't leave, okay?" I asked, sounding so much like a little girl.
It was his turn to nod. "I wouldn't leave even if Voldemort had burst in through the door. Now, let's try and get some sleep."
I snuggled closer to him and soon enough, we both fell asleep.
*~*~*~*~*
I woke up slowly, squinting at the sunlight pouring through the curtains. I turned over, hoping to see Harry there. Instead, the space was empty. I sighed and guilt washed over me. After a few minutes, I sat up and padded out of the bedroom. I heard the sound of oil sizzling and followed it to the kitchen, where Harry's unclothed back was facing me while cooking some breakfast.
With a small pop, the oil sprayed on Harry's chest. He swore loudly and grabbed a paper towel.
"Are you alright?" I asked, finally revealing myself.
He spun around. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He avoided my worried look and began wiping off some more oil.
I came over to him and healed his scars completely as his arm came around my waist. He kissed my on the forehead. He had forgiven me. He always does. Even if I've got no reason to be forgiven, he would forgive me anyway.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled into his toned yet soft torso.
"It's no problem." He replied, leading me over to a chair on the dining table and pulling me onto his lap. "I love you, you know."
I smiled as he stroked my cheeks tenderly. "Yes, and I love you too."
"I'm sorry if I annoyed you about Cho last night. I guess I was in a state of shock, you know. But she'll always be the human hosepipe to me." He joked.
I laughed a bit. "I'm sure I've cried more than Cho has these past few days."
"Because I was the cause. Anyway, let's go out after breakfast."
I nodded. "Sure. Come on, let's take a shower." I jumped off his lap and headed for the bathroom, having Harry trail after me enthusiastically.
*~*~*~*~*
"Where do you want to go?" Harry asked as I shaved his face. We had just finished our shower. Harry was clad in a towel wrapped around his waist while I was dressed in a white fluffy bathrobe. We were in front of the sink. Harry's arms were snaked around my waist whilst one of my arms was resting around his shoulder; my other was raised to shave his face.
"Stop moving, silly. I was thinking we should go to the wizarding world and see if we can find an available university so I can start studying before September rolls in."
"Oh," He sounded disappointed.
"Oh Harry, I'm not going to be rooming in a dormitory. I was also going to suggest finding a flat too so I could just Apparate back and forth. By the way, we've got to register you into the Auror training in the Ministry." I replied, kissing his freshly shaved cheek. The other one was still covered in shaving cream.
"Well, I guess…" He sounded apprehensive.
"Oh, you're so ridiculous. I'm not leaving you alone for four years. Honestly, you'd think seven years of friendship would leave that kind of impression." I swiped off the last of the shaving cream and pressed a quick peck onto it as well.
"Oh, fine. Come on, we've got to change." He picked up our clothes. Then slowly, we began to get dressed. Harry helped me strap my bra on while I looped his belt around his pants. After a while, we were buttoning each other's shirts up.
Soon enough, we were strolling through Diagon Alley.
*~*~*~*~*
A month later…
"I'm home!" I announced, slamming the door shut. We were already moved into our flat. Harry came home earlier than I did from Auror training. We had found a perfect flat in Hogsmeade, which we could Apparate and Disapparate from. We had bought the flat and moved our things in immediately. Of course, my father finally learned to accept our relationship and my mother was helping me plan for the wedding.
"In here, love." Harry called from the den.
I entered and found him sitting on the sofa, reading The Quibbler. I draped my arms around him from behind and kissed him as a greeting. "Hi,"
"Hey," He replied, patting the space beside him, signaling me to sit beside him.
I hurried over and fell on it, exhausted.
"Hard day in the university?" He asked, throwing his arm around me.
"A bit. Three quizzes in three different major subjects. But I'm all right. How was Auror training?"
"Nothing much. Just the usual drills and blah, blah, blah."
I smiled feebly. "Er, Harry, I've got something to tell you."
His eyebrows rose up. "Is something wrong?"
"No. Well, at least I hope not."
His brow furrowed and he pulled me onto his lap. "What's up?"
"Well, you know how we never used birth protection, right?"
Harry nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile.
"And well, we were off earlier today and you know how every day and exactly four thirty I get sick, right? So, I went to St. Mungo's and well, the thing is…" I breathed in and shut my eyes tightly. "I'm pregnant!"
Harry pursed his lips for a moment and I thought he was holding back a yell. Then all of a sudden, he leaned closer and covered my lips with his own, pushing me down onto the sofa. I responded in kind, running my hands up and down his back. His tongues flicked over my lips, eliciting a moan from me. I opened and let him in, allowing him to taste me. He began unbuttoning by blouse, sliding it off my shoulders. Following, I unbuckled his belt and slid his pants down. Soon enough, we were both lying naked on the couch, still connected on the mouth.
After a while, Harry pulled away from me, breathing harshly. "Are we allowed to—?"
"Yes," I gasped, pulling him back to me. "It's healthy even," I mumbled against his lips.
He grinned and began sucking on my neck, flicking his tongue and biting my sweet spot. "Well," He said, attacking my neck. "I'd do anything for your health."
*~*~*~*~*
"How far along are you?" Harry asked, placing a hand over my small stomach. We were lying on the bed. It was already after dinner and Harry had decided to express his happiness again later.
"Three months." I replied, covering his hand with mine.
"I still can't believe it. We're going to have a baby. I'm going to be a father," He murmured, gathering me in his arms.
"Yes, you are. It's seems so surreal, doesn't it?" I asked, kissing his chest.
"Yeah. Yeah, it does."
"Let's get to bed. We're going to tell Ron and Luna, right?"
"Of course, we are."
"I love you," He whispered.
"I love you," I parroted, kissing him.
*~*~*~*~*
Epilogue:
It's been years. Harry and I fully married, legally and magically. Of course, this didn't go off unnoticed. Even though we married in secret only inviting our closest friends, it was, of course, spread out to the public.
Harry was now a fully trained Auror. I was the Charms teacher at Hogwarts, which was conveniently near our house in Hogsmeade. I had given birth to two children, Vincent James and Lily Anne.
"Vincent James Potter!" I yelled throughout the house. "Get down here this instant!"
Hurried footsteps came down the stairs. Vince appeared before me. He wore the image of Harry, exception to his brown eyes and brown hair. His brown hair was like Harry's; it was untidy and could never lie flat at all. He was still at the tender age of eleven, only in his first year of Hogwarts. His was born on the sixteenth of March.
"What is it, Mum?" He asked, running a hand through his already-disheveled hair.
"What is this?" I demanded, holding up a Firebolt. I knew it wasn't Harry's. Harry had scratched on H.P. + H.G. earlier in his seventh year before we even got together.
"It's a broom." He replied.
"Don't get smart with me. I mean, what are you doing with a broom? First years aren't allowed their own brooms yet." I retorted, angrily.
"Er—well, you see—Dad thought that—"
"Never mind," I interrupted him, curtly. He had mentioned Harry and that was explanation enough.
"Off you go then, I expect your Charms homework to be finished." I called after him as he trudged up the stairs.
"Mummy?" A small voice asked from behind.
I turned around. I had forgotten that Lily had been asleep on the sofa in the den. She looked like me, except for the fact that she had needed glasses. Her glasses weren't like Harry's, though. They were in an oval shape and enclosed in black, thin-rimmed frames. She had nice black hair, which was, unfortunately, gifted with my bushiness. Her eyes were green though. She was still going to start her first year in Hogwarts a year later. She was born on the first of January.
"Oh, did I wake you, Lily?" I asked, kneeling in front of her.
"No, I was awake for a long time already. Where's Daddy?" She asked.
I stood up and placed my hand over my thin stomach. "He should be home by dinner."
"Can I play with Vincent?" She asked, serenely. She never liked to call her brother Vince.
"Of course you can."
She ran up the stairs with an air of excitement. I sighed and picked up the broom I had left on the floor. I stowed it away in the broom cupboard then started making dinner.
Harry arrived home moments away from dinner. "I'm home," He called out, sounding tired.
I left the kitchen and greeted him with a loving kiss. "How was work?" I asked, loosening his tie. He never did like doing and undoing the piece of cloth.
I slipped it off and tossed it over my shoulder. "It was tiring. Antony says we've got a lead on Dolohov's whereabouts."
"Still after him, I see." Harry had been chasing after Dolohov for half a year now. "Why don't you just give up?"
"Never!" He said, shaking his head.
"Is this your saving-people-thing at work again?" I teased.
Harry grinned. "A bit, yeah."
"Oh Harry, move onto a different case. There are other Aurors." I cupped his cheek and stroked it tenderly.
"I've got a score to settle with Dolohov."
"Harry," I warned. "This isn't playtime for you. Don't get into a mess just because you guys aren't even."
"It's not just that."
"What is it?"
Harry looked around. Vincent and Lily were watching us. Vince's face was screwed up in disgust and Lily was just watching us with her head cocked slightly to the side.
"We'll talk about it later."
I quirked an eyebrow up in question. "Oh? Well then, it's time for dinner."
He nodded and we headed into the dining room. After half an hour, Vince and Lily went back upstairs. Vince needed to finish his homework and Lily was going to bed.
"Well?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest. We were both in the kitchen; I had set a spell on the dishes so that they could wash themselves.
Harry sighed. "D'you remember fifth year? And the Battle in the Department of Mysteries?"
I nodded, remembering the awful times we had back then.
"Remember Dolohov back then? And the curse he—he used on—?" He cut himself off, turning scarlet.
Then it all clicked into place. Harry was going after Dolohov because of the curse Dolohov put on me. Of course, I healed completely. The only mark was a white scar leaning to the right of center of chest.
"You're so silly," I chortled, kissing him.
"It's just that, you know, I'd thought I lost you that night. I had nightmares about it. You kept falling over and over again, this time permanently. Sometimes, you would slip through the veil." He answered, seriously.
I kissed him again. "Ooh, that really pulled me by the heartstrings." I teased.
He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Come on, let's get to bed and see if I can pull more of those heartstrings."
I grinned as he led up to our bedroom.
*~*~*~*~*
THE END!
A/N: Thus ends my story. Thanks for reading; it's been a great ride! Please leave a review! I heard it's good for the soul. ^_^
