To my fellow Harmony lovers: As much as I'd love to start on part 2. I've found a plot that just won't go away, the fact that its a HONKS may discourage most of you. But trust me, I'll go to great pains to make it as realistic as possible, changing as little of the canon as possible. If I ever get it properly started, please give it a go!

But alas! Earwax-no that can't be right. Erm. Alas! The end of part 1 is nearing, on the cusp of a larger journey that will still need to be told!

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Breaking News

"Umm."

A deep voice emanated from the doorway. "I may have an idea. Come with me young lady." Dan beckoned her to follow him and surveyed Harry while she stood up, "Good to see you Harry."

Feeling suddenly nervous he could only reply; "Likewise Dan." He watched the two disappear deeper into the house. Of course they had a strategy for telling her parents. Well, she did. He just listened and nodded. But all of that had just been neatly and somewhat expertly foiled by Emma and Dan. He had confided in her father but had no idea if his wife knew. Of course she does, they're married aren't they? That just left the matter of figuring out how she felt about it, to which he had no clue. The pair of intellects that had raised the most intelligent person he knew had now turned their full attention on the pair. NOW he was nervous. He sipped his tea just to keep himself from fidgeting too much.

Emma seemed to merely study him. Either that or she took perverse pleasure in seeing him squirm. Unsure of what to do he fell into old habits. "Tea Emma?"

She blinked but didn't demur, "Thank you Harry." WhatdoIdowhatdodIdo? Once he had handed her the cup she took a sip then started on him.

"Now what has brought you two to our home so abruptly?" She smiled. "Not that it's an imposition, just call me curious."

He gulped. "Well I told Dan something the first night I met you both."

"Oh? Really? It must have been something you didn't wish to mention in from of myself and Hermione."

No way she doesn't know, am I being tested? He hadn't expected this when he arrived with Hermione. He and Emma had got on famously during his stay with them, becoming a kind of de-facto mother. And one that seemed... cool. Sure he loved Molly Weasley but she could be over-bearing in a way that irritated him. Ever since he could remember, he'd been taught (beaten rather) into becoming someone who could look after himself. Simply because no one else would look after him, it was ingrained into him as much as breathing was. Coupled with his independent streak, it made her mollycoddling more unbearable. Emma and Dan felt like natural parents to him, he and Hermione had grown up faster than one should, but they respected it.

I'm being tested. "Well I felt honesty was the best policy with him, fathers intimidate me." He took a sip and said what he'd come to say. "I told him I loved Hermione, and now..." He looked out at the Garden, now in the shadow of a setting sun. "We've found each other."

"Hmph. And about time too."

"What?"

Emma balanced the cup on her knee. "It was rather obvious that you were special to her, for a very long time. Since first year I believe, if her letters were any indication. And now the way you two entered the house made it ever more obvious." He just stared at her open-mouthed. She took a sip and continued. "What I am curious about is what happened to make her fall for you like that."

His mind recalled his and Hermione's conversation not long ago. "You don't know what happened at school?"

"Ah, so she has been keeping things from us. Enlighten me Harry."

The memory came to him like it happened yesterday. "I saved her from a troll."

She tapped her cup with a finger. "From the start if you don't mind." After he had finished the tale, she seemed to ponder over it for a while. "Have there been other incidents involving the three of you after the Troll?"

He didn't answer straight away. How much as Hermione hidden from her parents? "Well... Yeah, but it'll be better if Hermione explained them to you. I'd... I'd rather not." He paused, hoping Jane would let him off, but it wasn't to be.

"I'm sure I could get a fully detailed account from her, now that I know she's been hiding things from us. What makes you unwilling to explain things yourself?"

He placed the cup onto the table. "I feel guilty. I led her into so much danger and I've gotten to know you two. But now that's on the basis of not knowing just how unsafe she was with me at school."

"She may have been not as safe as we would have liked. But I'm sure she had her reasons, and being as headstrong as she is, would have compelled her to help you in return for saving her. And as a parent, sometimes you can't do anything but hope your children fall on their feet. Do you understand?" Harry could only nod, a part of him wished he really knew what it was like but no one knew about that. Not even Hermione.

He took a fortifying breath. "In our first year I will say that I was not as nice to her as I could have been, Ron more so. Leading her to cry by herself when the who school was taking cover from a Mountain Troll. Luckily enough we went back to find her and saved her. Since then it's been the three of us against the world. And just as well because they were both instrumental in stopping teacher who had been possessed by Voldemort to steal a stone that would help bring him back to life."

"And how did my girl help you?" He paused to marshal his thoughts before launching into an explanation that was eerily similar to his own realisation in the Hogwarts Kitchens over a year ago. He stressed just how important she had been during their adventures, because to him, she was the ONLY reason he could do what he did. She made everything possible, he was sure that he could have been dead as early as first year without her.

After he'd finished an explanation that could fill several novels he noticed Hermione and Dan standing in the doorway. Now embarrassed thoroughly he coughed. "Did I leave anything out?"

Her voice was small. "No, I think you've covered everything." After that the room was filled with silence. He took comfort in looking no where else but her eyes. He'd seen them up close, and loved them. It was almost as if he could fall into them if he looked for too long. On others, dark eyes were mysterious. But on her, they were hypnotic. Probably because I know her too well. Do I?

Jane broke the silence. "I can see why the school was never honest with us, nor you."

Dan was holding Hermione, fury etched on his face. "Because we're second-class citizens? They-"

"It's the past." Jane snapped. "There's nothing we can do about it now, and you're holding proof that she's fine."

Hermione broke from her father's grasp. "It's about time we made our way home." She held out her hand to him. "Harry?" He followed her mutely as they left the room and moved to the backyard without a sound, hands still intertwined. When the reached the lawn she looked at him. He understood the silent message and turned, mind fixed upon Potter Manor.

They appeared in the Hall with barely a sound. That said, it didn't stop a certain House Elf from noticing their arrival. Teemy bounded from the direction of the Kitchen. "Master Harry! And Mistress Hermany! Are you hungry?" Like that, his sombre mood shattered into a million pieces at the mention of Mistress 'Hermany'. And he burst out laughing for the first time in what seemed like a long time.

During fits he looked at her to find her resolve cracking. "Are you ok Hermany?" Her smirk spread wider until she couldn't hold in a snort. Then, he lost it, and she joined in on the hilarity with Teemy looking between them, bewildered. After a while they regained their composure and he addressed the elf. "Sorry Teemy, not right now. We need to clean up, I'll let you know ok?" The elf nodded and bounded back in the direction of the Kitchen.

"You better shower first, I might take a while."

Caught thoroughly unprepared he didn't answer straight away, but her raised eyebrow pressured him into answering. "No you go ahead." He had no idea why he wanted her to shower first, but he had some ideas swirling around that he was trying to grasp. Hermione, surprisingly didn't question him and disappeared up stairs. With her gone, he returned to his muddled thoughts. The notion of spending the first night together in the Manor seemed like it ought to be special. But he had no clue how to make it so, prior experiences had proven that he was far from a Casanova. This shouldn't be so hard. I've known her half of my life. With his mind slowly forming an idea he went to find Teemy, who he ended up finding in the pantry off the kitchen. The elf was pulling out some salt when Harry spotted him. "Err, Teemy."

The elf squeaked. "Yes Master Harry?"

"Do you mind if we have dinner in the library? And maybe make something that's easy to eat if we do?"

"Of course. Pie and Mash?"

"Err sounds good." Then a thought struck him. "What do you know about the house in France?"

The elf's eyes lit up. "It's most pretty sir. Master James and Mistress Lily spent lots of holidays there." The look on his face must have given the elf the wrong idea because he quickly added. "It's still safe! Evy has been making sure no one goes near it."

"Evy?"

"She's also works for the Potters."

"Hmm, I'll have to call her tomorrow. Can't have you here all by yourself."

The little elf beamed at him. "Thank you Master Harry. Now I has to make dinner!" Harry hurried over to the Library and studied the layout. It looked perfect to him. Although. He waved his wand at the fireplace. "Incendio." Pleased with the roaring fire he studied the coffee table, it wouldn't be as comfortable as it could be but he didn't think he should change it just to eat off of. He looked around. The Library really was beautiful, he feared he would ruin it if he did anything else so he gave up and headed upstairs.

When he got there he noticed that the en-suite door was open. Determined to protect her modesty he hung back near the bed and decided to half yell his intentions. "Mione?"

Her voice came from the bathroom. "Yes?"

"Why don't you wait in the library after you're done? I'll be quick."

He could almost hear her thinking. Even though he couldn't see her. "Just what have you got planned Harry James Potter?"

He grinned in spite of himself. "You'll just have to wait and see won't you? Miss Hermione Jean Granger."

Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. As she suddenly appeared in the doorway, covered in nothing but a towel, her hair in wet curls that rested upon her shoulders. "What did you just call me?"

He gulped, speechless. "Err." Was all he could muster as he drank in her form.

...

o.O