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Dinner arrived and Harry decided he quite liked pizza though he wished his stomach wasn't still tied in knots from the stress of the afternoon. It made it difficult to eat enough to stop Hermione from worrying about him.
Emma had asked Harry questions about school and classes and Hermione had encouraged him to try to explain Quidditch to her father.
"Dad loves sports but I couldn't explain Quidditch in a way that made sense to him," she admitted frowning. She hated not being able to impart knowledge.
"That's because it's incredibly exhilarating to play but it really doesn't make sense to watch for anyone with common sense," Harry replied. "It's as if they put two or three separate games together to make them more exciting without thinking it through properly. Firstly, the chasers game is similar to basketball on broomsticks with three vertical hoops rather than one horizontal one so the keeper is basically playing football goalie on a broom, then the seekers are playing a version of hide and seek or chasey with the snitch and then the Beaters game is like an extreme version of poison ball with a cricket ball but they've given them baseball bats for some reason. Because the snitch is worth so much and catching it finishes the game, the team with the best seeker almost always wins. Even at the World Cup. The Irish chasers are clearly the best in the world, their beaters are arguably second best only to Italy who have identical twins in the positions and their keeper is probably top three or four in the world as well but they still came within seconds of losing to Bulgaria who if it wasn't for their seeker wouldn't have got through the elimination rounds."
"From Hermione's description it also sounded insanely dangerous," Daniel said, glad he hadn't totally misunderstood Hermione.
"It can be more dangerous than football, partly because a top of the line broom can accelerate to 60 kilometres an hour in under seven seconds and has a top speed of about 100, and even the school games are played about 20 metres off the ground, but remember that magic can heal pretty much any injury very quickly, so long as the player lives long enough for the healers to reach them and they have the right potions on hand, and there are spells to slow down a falling player and soften the ground under them. The biggest danger would be a head on collision with another player or a direct bludger to the head or neck," Harry replied.
"Don't the players wear helmets?" Daniel asked.
"No, even the beginner flying lesson doesn't use helmets or protective gear or spells and I think that could be just as dangerous," Harry replied.
"So magic could heal a severed spinal cord?" Daniel asked.
"I think so, there's a nerve regeneration potion," Harry replied looking at Hermione for clarification.
"It would depend on how it was severed but spinal cord damage from a fall or collision yes it would take approximately a week if it was treated straight away. Injuries from dark spells and magical creatures are more difficult to heal, and often leave scars but simple accidents in class are almost always healed by the next morning," Hermione said.
"They're actually healed quicker than that. Madam Pomfrey just keeps us in hospital that long so we don't overexert our magic since most healing requires the patients magic more than the healers," Harry said.
"So how long to heal a broken bone?" Emma asked thinking about the six weeks in plaster and
further two months of limping when she broke her ankle a few years ago.
"About two or three minutes to fix a simple break, or about twelve hours to vanish and regrow the bone from scratch," Harry replied.
"Why would you need to regrow a bone?" Emma asked. "Would it help me with my foot?"
"Mostly if it's shattered into too many small pieces its safer to vanish the lot, heal the muscle tears and regrow the bone but it is painful, I had to regrow bones once after an idiot vanished all the bones in my left arm accidentally, it hurt but it regrew good as new, better even, all the old aches and pains were gone," Harry said, not realising what he was revealing.
"I don't think the potion would work for you, it uses the person's magic to activate the healing," Hermione said gently.
"I hope he was given detention for it," Emma said, sighing disappointedly.
"No actually, the idiot was a professor," Harry replied dryly, grinning when Hermione huffed at him.
"If catching the snitch ends the game, how do you know if a professional game is worth going to see, it might be all over in ten minutes and how do the networks know how much time to schedule or how much advertising they should sell?" Daniel asked.
Harry frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "It's a bit of a gamble," he offered grinning. "Ron says that's what makes going to a game so exciting. The wizarding world don't have media networks like the muggle world. There's only one radio station and there doesn't seem to be pre-recorded adds or as many companies and products to advertise. I don't know quite how it works. But the game doesn't have to fit in with the network timeslots like muggle games do, the wizarding wireless just broadcasts the game until it's over. All games start on a Saturday and Ron told me if you work at the ministry and were lucky enough to have tickets to a game that is still going on Monday you automatically get time off until the game is over, so a lot of people bring a couple of days' worth of food and blankets and things to every game."
"I've never heard you and Ron listening to a game," Hermione commented. "Or anyone else, come to think of it."
"McGonagall banned listening in the common room before we started at Hogwarts. Apparently there were too many fights. We mostly listen up in the dorms," Harry replied.
"Is there a time limit on school games?" Daniel asked.
"You know I don't know the answer to that. The longest game I've played in was only about two and a half hours. The school snitch doesn't move as fast as a professional snitch so it's easier to see and catch," Harry replied.
"Some of the Hufflepuff Ravenclaw games while you were in detention have gone four or five hours," Hermione said.
"But they weren't called off when it started to get dark?" Daniel asked.
"No the stadium is actually really well lit since the tri-wizard tournament but apparently before that they used to call the game off for the night when it got dark and restart it the next morning," Harry said.
Emma let the conversation go on glad that the two males were even communicating though she couldn't understand Daniel's fascination with all sports, particularly one he'd never seen. "Perhaps the two of you could go to a game one day," she suggested.
"You really do need to see it to fully understand," Harry agreed. "I could ask a friend to find out where the nearest game to here will be."
Daniel hesitated, the sports fan in him wanted to see this confusing new sport but the father in him didn't want to give in and accept this interloper into the family so easily. "Can you afford it?" he asked pointedly looking at Harry's wardrobe.
"Yes, I can. I was very frugal with my trust account at the start, nobody explained to me that it wasn't my entire inheritance. And the Dursleys would have demanded that I hand it all over to them in return for the cost of having me in their house so I couldn't wear clothes that let on that I had my own money and a lot of the people at school would've looked down on new muggle clothes nearly as much as they do these clothes and we're in uniform most of the time so there didn't seem to be much point in buying new things," Harry replied. He realised that this was why Hermione had been so disappointed not to be able to buy him new clothes when they went to Hogsmeade.
He saw Emma glare at him.
"I would like to see a game," he said.
Harry wasn't fooled, Daniel still didn't want him around Hermione, he was making the effort to appease his wife. But Harry didn't want Hermione to have to choose between him and her father so he continued to play along.
"It's a winter sport so there should be a game during the break," he said.
"Do you still have your omnoculars? Would the world cup still be on them?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, in my trunk at Hogwarts," Harry said.
"Well perhaps you could show Dad that game when we come home at Easter or in June," Hermione suggested smiling at her father sweetly.
"That's actually a good way to see your first game, you can slow down the plays on it to see what's going on and zoom in on the chasers or the seekers and replay bits. The actual game was unbelievably fast to watch," Harry said.
What football team do you follow?" Daniel asked.
"West Ham, one of my dorm mates was a mad supporter and I wasn't allowed to watch games and stuff at my relatives so that was my first real introduction to the sport," Harry replied. His Uncle and cousin were mad Crystal Palace fans but he didn't want to have anything in common with them.
"Sheffield United for me. Have you ever been to a game?" Daniel asked.
"No. I've never even seen a whole game on the telly," Harry admitted. "We played a bit in primary school but I was too small to be much good at it."
"I played in high school, I got a lot of popularity for being on the team. I guess you would know all about that from quidditch," Daniel replied.
"I've made some great friends among my team mates but I was famous for surviving the killing curse as a baby. Every student in the school knew my name the minute I got there," Harry said with a grimace. "I would say that it's more notoriety than popularity though, and people who turn on you at the drop of a hat because the papers have told lies about you or your team lost a game or they have suddenly decided that they are in love with your wife, aren't worth befriending."
"You seem to have it much worse than I did but I did lose a few friends when girls they liked flirted with me and wouldn't give them the time of day, and I hated going back to school after we lost a game we should have won," Daniel sympathised only a little unwillingly. He was finding that in spite of everything he did find the husband Hermione had brought home more likeable than he would have expected.
Emma signalled to Hermione and they cleared up the plates and things.
"I think Daniel will let Harry stay for now but I'm going to set him up in the guest room and you're going to stay in your own bed. Hopefully if Daniel sees that you're not going to do what he fears, he won't send Harry back to school in the morning," Emma said.
"Thanks Mum," Hermione said doubtfully.
Hermione dragged Harry out for a trip to the local shopping centre wanting to show him around the area where she grew up. "I also want to get you some new clothes before we go back to school," Hermione said, subtly reminding her father that unless he changed his mind she would be accompanying Harry back to Hogwarts the next day.
Emma decided that she and Daniel would join them and drove them to the shops. Daniel frowned when Hermione's first stop was the bank where she used her card to withdraw money to buy Harry a new wardrobe.
Emma elbowed him when he started to protest, but Hermione noticed anyway.
"Harry buys me things when we go to Hogsmeade. It makes sense that we use my money here in the muggle world and his in Diagon Alley to avoid the exchange fees at Gringotts," she snapped.
She dragged Harry to a mid range department store and started collecting clothes for him to try on. "We need to find out what size you are, try these and come out and show me," Hermione ordered.
Emma was impressed that Harry didn't argue or complain. He tried on outfit after outfit until Hermione declared herself satisfied. She could see that he didn't really understand why she'd rejected some clothes and chosen others but he let her have her way, protesting only at the amount of clothing she wanted him to buy. She finished off with buying him a warm woollen coat. The styling was slightly too old for him, intended for young professionals, but would fit in at Hogwarts better than the younger fashions would have, and probably be warmer.
Daniel was also impressed at his attitude to his daughter but quite angry when he realised that Hermione was able to buy Harry underwear without asking his preferences. Harry had blushed a little but he hadn't objected or corrected her, even when she threw some long sleeve thermal tops and leggings in as well, encouraging her to buy some for herself as well.
"You didn't buy him shoes," Emma said as they walked to the car laden with bags.
"Harry doesn't need shoes. We can get shoes and boots that pass for muggle fashion in Hogsmeade that are charmed to be far more warm and comfortable than any shoe we could buy here," Hermione said.
"Would they be like the potions that require your magic to power the charms or would they work for your mother?" Daniel asked. He was aware that Emma was having difficulty with the hours she needed to spend on her feet while working and had encouraged her to cut back her hours but his wife was too stubborn to agree.
"I asked the cobbler, he said that they'd work for you but that he'd have to make them out of magical material like dragon hide for them to work more than a couple of months," Hermione said.
"And I suppose Dragon hide would stand out?" Emma asked.
"Not for ladies' shoes but too much for traditional men's shoes," Hermione agreed.
"That depends on the dragon. But even the ones that the colours wouldn't stand out look more like snakeskin than leather," Harry replied.
"So, your boots are leather then?" Emma asked.
"Yes, I love them, the cobbler recommended that I wait another year to make sure my feet won't grow before I buy dragon hide boots, since I couldn't tell him if they'd grown in the past year," Harry replied.
"If you haven't grown out of your shoes, then your feet haven't grown," Daniel stated.
"My school shoes have resizing charms on them, not growing out of them only means my feet haven't grown more than three sizes, and I'd had my trainers since I was eleven," Harry replied.
"Oh you wanted new trainers," Hermione said preparing to turn around.
"I don't need them Hermione, my boots are more comfortable and I can run in them just fine," Harry protested.
"We can get them another day," Emma said.
Hermione looked at her searchingly, then nodded. It seemed that one of her parents at least had come around to the idea of Harry staying for Christmas, and for all his posturing as the head of the house Hermione knew that her father usually ended up doing whatever it was his wife wanted him to do.
"Let's go home then," Hermione agreed, taking Harry's hand again once they were in the car.
Once they got home, and Hermione insisted on putting Harry's new clothes straight through the wash so they'd be ready to wear or pack in the morning, Daniel showed Harry to his room on the ground floor and he decided to have an early night, to give Hermione some time alone with her parents. He easily convinced Hermione that he was just worn out from the emotions of the day. He still didn't feel entirely welcome and he was surprised how much it mattered to him. He would've thought that after the Dursleys he was so used to being unwelcome that Daniel's polite but cold reception wouldn't have worried him. Instead it cut like a knife that Hermione's family felt like that and it was only partly worry that it would affect Hermione's relationship with her parents.
Daniel for his part was glad that Harry had the insight to know he wanted to spend some time with Hermione on her own. "So, tell me how things really went at school this term, Princess?" he asked his daughter.
"I've already told you most of it," Hermione replied frowning a little.
"What made you choose to marry Harry?" Daniel asked.
"Who else would I marry, Harry's been my best friend since first year and he's always had my best interests at heart. I admit that it's taken a bit of adjustment to see him in a romantic light but I trust him more than I trust any other wizard on earth," Hermione managed to stop herself before she admitted to trusting Harry to act in her best interests more than any man on earth. That wouldn't have gone down well with her father even if it was true.
"So you didn't have romantic feelings for anyone else?" Emma asked gently.
"I thought I did for Ron. I certainly convinced myself that I fancied him, though I can't really explain it now. Harry has always been a much better friend and Ron and I don't really have anything in common except for our friendship with Harry," Hermione said. "He seemed to fancy me too, which Harry never did. But there's a world of difference between fancying someone and being genuinely willing to commit to a permanent relationship with them. I'm glad now that it didn't work between me and Ron."
"I understand that you must have been hurt by Ron's rejection but to jump straight into a relationship with Harry sounds more like desperation than love," Emma said questioningly.
"I do love Harry, I always have. He's always come first in my thoughts and his needs have always been more important to me than Ron's and everyone else. Not the basis for a successful relationship with another boy was it?" Hermione said depreciatingly.
"Perhaps not on the surface but it takes time for someone to become truly close to you. Most girls your age would tell you that their friends are more important to them than the boy they're dating," Emma said.
"Of course, most of those friends would be girls so it wouldn't cause the same problems with jealousy," Daniel added.
"I was never jealous of Harry's relationship with Ginny, I just wanted him to be happy," Hermione said.
"So, you never had thoughts that she wasn't good enough for him, or that you could make him happier than she could?" Emma asked.
"No, I didn't like some of the things she did, how she was always dragging Harry to be the centre of attention when I knew he hated it but overall he seemed happier with her than he had been before they got together," Hermione replied.
"Happier than he is now?" Emma asked worriedly. If the boy was still in love with his ex-girlfriend then encouraging Hermione to want more than friendship from her husband was only going to lead to heartache.
Hermione thought back over the last few weeks since their date in Hogsmeade, "No he's happier now too. He's been nervous about meeting you and I know he'd like more snogging time but he doesn't seem to miss Ginny at all," she said surprised. Thinking back, she noticed that he also seemed less tired and healthier than he ever had. Even less stressed as if the weight of the world had lifted off his shoulders though he she'd known he was worried about her parents' reaction to their marriage. She realised that these were the changes she'd expected to see after Voldemort was killed last June but they'd only seemed to happen recently for some reason.
"And you? Are you actually happy being married to Harry? Or are you merely relieved that it isn't someone worse?" Daniel asked.
"I like being married to Harry, it's been awkward sometimes adjusting to seeing each other differently, and being treated differently by our former friends but I'm happy when I'm with Harry," Hermione admitted.
"And if you did stay here for the holidays without him, would you miss him? More than just being were worried about him, would you be less happy because he wasn't here?" Daniel asked.
"I'm always less happy over the summer because I can't talk to Harry, that isn't new but yes I think I'd miss him more than I would've in the past." Hermione said.
"Why couldn't you talk to him over the summer. He lived with his muggle relatives, surely they have a telephone?" Daniel said.
"They do. They just wouldn't let Harry use it, particularly not to contact a friend from Hogwarts," Hermione said.
"Honestly Hermione, how bad for Harry is it there?" Emma asked.
"He says they hate him. He's said in the past after the battle in the ministry that they'd be furious that he didn't die. He has marks on his back that look like they were made by a belt, and he mentioned being kept in a cupboard until he was eleven in spite of the fact they had a spare room to give him," Hermione said, feeling guilty for betraying Harry's secrets like that but aware that her parent's needed to understand that Harry truly didn't have any other family but Hermione.
"So he is serious in his intention to live alone over the summer," Daniel said.
"He won't be alone. I will be with him," Hermione replied determinedly.
"I suppose you want us to invite him to stay here for the summer?" Daniel asked.
"Harry seems quite happy with the idea of doing up his godfather's house. London is only an hour away by train and a few seconds once I learn to apparate so I could still come and visit you if I stayed with him," Hermione said.
"We better get to bed, it's late and we work in the morning," Emma said.
Hermione got up, knowing her father wouldn't go to bed until he'd seen her walk upstairs and get into her own bed. "Goodnight, I love you," she told her parents, hugging them tightly.
A/N: Thank you to jilumasam, Rori Potter, Cecily Mitchell, katmom, Firehedgehog, Tyler'sPrincess, HinataMorningstar, Rc0321, daithi4377, Jostanos, jkarr, Melikalilly, flame55, Millie072, Beyondthesea16, J.F.C, KrisB-71854, starboy454, Ash, .Wonderland.8510, mwinter1, rb2312, tyrannicpuppy, Ghostisreading, Lientjuhh, caughtinblackseyes, , gabrieljuarezl, BMS, Son of Whitebeard, mother oracle, Village-Mystic, mikanMD, mooneysfate, Kreaacher and all those who followed or favourited for your support.