Hello beautiful people.
Well, this is the first time I write something about Harry Potter and I'm pretty intimidated but... here we go.
This is a series of unrelated one shots featuring my favourite couples in different situations. Some of them will be different from the books in some aspect, that's why before every story I'll write an Author Note to let you know what's the general context.
Your requests are more than welcome! If you would like me to write a certain kind of story just let me know with a review and I'll do as much as I can.
My favorite characters: Harry, Hermione, Dobby, Lily, James, Sirius. (Pairings: Harry+Hermione, James+Lily)
I hope you like my stories. I'll update as soon as I have another idea for a short story.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. I'm only borrowing her amazing creations for a non profit ride around my own fantasy land.
Slughorn's Birthday Party
A.N.: This story is set during the summer between Harry's third and fourth year at Hogwarts. In this one shot, Lily and James DIDN'T die the night Voldemort attacked Harry when he was a baby, however,Harry DID got the scar and Voldemort DID "die". Of course Sirius never went to Azkaban. Harry grew up with his family and has been a part of the wizarding world since he was born. The events that took place during Harry's first and second year at Hogwarts are the same (the only diference is that he had his parents waiting for him at home). During his third year, he and his friends spent a peaceful year but the lack of danger resulted on more free time. During said free time, Harry spent lots of time with Hermione which leads up to the summer in which this story takes place...
I hope you like it.
"Look, Harry! It's like the spell on Hogwart's Great Hall… Look at the stars! It's the most beautiful party I've ever been to!"
Harry Potter smiled while he followed his best friend who was running excitedly thought the hall. The party was indeed incredible. But Slughorn's parties were always the best so he was almost not surprised this year. He and his family always attended to Slughorn's birthday party, a big celebration that the former professor threw every year to celebrate his life with all those people who had shared it with him.
Sometimes, Harry doubted that someone could really share his life with so many people but like many other attributes of the eccentric former professor, he decided not to pay attention to it. This year, his parents had suggested to bring someone with him to the party and it had taken him less than two seconds to decide who he was going to ask.
Hermione didn't have much experience with the wizarding world outside Hogwarts except for the occasional visit to the Borrow or Harry's home and she was delighted when Harry asked her to accompany him to a party. She hadn't expected such a big celebration and when Harry started pointing to some of the most influential personalities of the wizarding world in the party, she thought she was gonna explode with excitement. Even the Minister of Magic himself was there, talking with some of Slughorn's oldest friends.
But her excitement had only grown bigger when she started to concentrate on the many decorations of the hall. Magical decorations, of course. The result of the best charms Slughorn's former students could produce.
After almost two hours wandering around through the party, they had finally came to a stop when they found the enormous table crowded with dozens of gifts. Some things were wrapped in shining paper but others weren't. In that moment, Hermione found herself staring at seven tiny unicorns made of ice that were running around the table.
"My mother conjured them" Harry told her when he spotted Hermione admiring the little ice unicorns and she gasped when she saw that they could also fly for short distances.
"Your mother is brilliant…" she said with her eyes glowing "Can… can I touch them?"
"They are a little hard to catch…"
She sensed Harry's challenge in his voice and his teasing smile was all it took for her to decide that she would definitely catch one of the little unicorns. The task proved to be much more difficult than she thought and Harry refused to tell her how to catch them so he spent some minutes laughing at his friend's attempts to catch the beautiful creatures his mother had created that morning as a gift for her former professor.
"Fine… I can't" she admitted after some very frustrating ten minutes.
"Do you want my help now?" Harry teased his best friend with that slightly arrogant smile of his.
"No"
"C'mon, I can teach you"
"I said no, Potter"
"I was wondering where you were, Harry. But then I recognized Miss Granger's hair and of course I found you right next to her… Are you two lovebirds fighting already? "
Harry ignored the comment and jumped from his seat when he heard his godfather's voice. It was the first time he saw him in months, Sirius had been working for the order again and the only thing Harry had heard of him was that he was on another dangerous mission to find some ring he had heard Dumbledore and his father talking about.
"Sirius! You're back!" Harry almost jumped to hug his godfather and Sirius hugged him back with the same intensity.
"Careful there, Potter. Your girlfriend could get jealous"
"We're just friends, Sirius!" Hermione almost shouted, her cheeks starting to redden intensely.
"As you wish…" Sirius rolled his eyes and she calmed down, mostly because she hadn't seen Harry so happy in a long time and his sincere smile had a funny effect in her. Somehow it made her kind of forget everything else. "Do you have everything ready for your fourth year at Hogwarts?" he asked both of them but Hermione decided to ignore them, Sirius could be really annoying sometimes.
"We do, dad took me to get everything yesterday"
"I'm sorry I missed it, mate"
"Don't worry. Did you have any luck with... well... that ring?"
"Ring? How do you know I was looking for a ring?!" it only took Sirius one second to figure it out "Damn it Harry, have you stolen your dad's cloak again?"
"I didn't actually steal it..."
"Harry..." every trace of joking left Sirius' face but he seemed to change his mind just before opening his mouth again "We'll talk about it all later... With Lily and James present."
"What?! You are kidding, aren't you?"
"This is not a game, Harry. You shouldn't be eavesdropping on those kind of things"
"I know it's not a game!" he was tired of everybody trying to take care of him, he wanted to know what was going on in the real world. After all, he had been the one Voldemort had came after not only once but three times by now.
"This is not the place to talk about it, Harry" Sirius said resting a hand on his godson's shoulder with a look that meant a lot "For now just enjoy the party. Do you happen to know where are your parents?"
"Dad asked mum for a dance like an hour ago…" Harry pointed to the center of the hall where some couples were happily dancing. Right in the center of the hall, James Potter was holding his wife tightly against his chest, they had been dancing, as Harry had said, for more than an hour.
"Perfect, I have another pair of lovebirds to interrupt. See you both later" and just as fast as he came, Sirius was gone.
"You know he's right, don't you?" Hermione told him as soon as he went back to where she was, still watching the ice unicorns.
"I just want to know. I'm not a kid anymore... He's come after me three times by now. I'm the one who's in danger. I need to know what's going on..."
"I know, but they are your family, Harry. They're only looking after you"
"I know they are. And I love them for that… But I need to know what to expect, something tells me that Tom Riddle's diary was not his last shot. He's gonna come after me again…"
"Probably…" she sighed "But right now I agree with Sirius. We should enjoy the party while we can."
"You're right… you always are."
"Do you still want to show me how to catch one of these?" she asked him trying to take his mind off of things at least for a moment.
"You want my help now?" he teased her, a smile beginning to appear on his lips.
"Please..." she said swallowing her pride, anything to keep that smile of his in place.
"Here, look" he smiled while he took his wand out.
"Harry!" she scolded him "We're not allowed to use magic outside the school! The Minister himself is here…"
"Don't worry, it's just a wand lighting charm. I won't be expelled for that" he smiled again "Lumos" Harry whispered and the tip of his wand lit up "They are attracted to the light" he began to explain as he pointed his wand to the little ice unicorns he had watched Lily create earlier "Slughorn loves these kind of things, my mother always creates some curious creature for him on his birthday"
"Look, they are getting closer!"she whispered amazed "You definitely need to ask your mother to teach me how to do this"
"It's a simple transfiguration spell, I'm sure she'll be glad to teach you."
Hermione laughed when Harry pointed the tip of his wand closer to her and two of the little ice unicorns got even closer, flying around her and playing with her hair making her giggle.
In that moment, while Harry watched her laugh with those shimmering brown eyes of hers reflecting the light from his wand, he noticed again how truly beautiful his best friend was. It was not the first time he had noticed that simple fact, of course, but this time a warm feeling overwhelmed him when he realised that she was this happy because of him.
"Playing with mommy's toys Potter?"
Draco Malfoy's voice distracted Harry from his concentration and the light disappeared. The little ice unicorns turned almost instantly into water again, falling over Hermione's white dress robes.
"Get lost Malfoy" he told the young blonde wizard.
"And you?" he walked a step closer to Hermione "What is a filthy mudblood like you doing here? A nasty abomination like you should not even be allowed to enter a meeting of this kind. You should be finding a place to hide, Granger"
Harry's fist closed around his wand when he saw Hermione's eyes starting to shine with tears.
"Didn't you hear the rumors? The Dark Lord will come back, and he will finally erase your kind from the wizarding world. You should run while you still can, mudblood."
"That's enough, Malfoy!" Harry shouted and he pushed him away from his best friend ready to start a fight.
"Do you think I'm scared of you, Potter?" he challenged him taking a step closer you the green eyed boy.
"You should be, Malfoy" Harry pronounced that last word like the worst kind of insult and his eyes gleamed with anticipation while he took out his wand and Draco mirrored his actions.
He was just about to spit the words to jinx Malfoy, but the words died in his mouth when two different spell stroke Harry and Draco almost at the same time.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted James and Sirius, each pointing their wands to one of the young wizards and Harry's and Malfoy's wands flew out of their hands in that same instant.
Hermione, still trying to hold her tears, sighed in relief when she saw that the situation seemed to be under control. But the rivalry of the two young wizard was too strong and before anybody could stop them, Draco's fist collided against Harry's cheek. Harry's fist crashed against Malfoy's face producing a nasty sound and Malfoy didn't hold back on his response. Nobody knew exactly how, but for a few minutes Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter found themselves entangled in a nasty fist-fight.
"Harry!" shouted James trying to hold his son while Sirius pulled Draco away from him.
"Let me go!" growled Harry "He deserves it!"
"Blood traitors! That's what you all are!" shouted Malfoy struggling against Sirius' grip "And you, mudblood, someday you won't have the Potters to protect you and you'll get what you deserve!"
At this words, Harry struggled against his father's arms trying to reach Malfoy, but everything lost meaning when Harry's gaze met Hermione's. There was almost nothing in this world that Harry Potter hated more than watching his best friend cry.
"That's it, run! You can run all you want, but he will find you, Granger!"
"Stop it!" Sirius barked at him watching Hermione run away, her sobs leaving a trace behind her.
It only took one look for James to tell his wife what to do. She had been observing the incident from a short distance and didn't hesitate to follow his son's best friend. She knew the girl needed her support now, James and Sirius would deal with Harry.
"Take your hands off of my son, you bastard!" Narcissa's voice didn't do anything to calm the atmosphere and Sirius pushed the young boy into his cousin's arms.
"I can see that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree" Sirius said glaring at Narcissa.
"Your father will hear about this, Draco" Narcissa scolded his son while they walked away ignoring the three wizards they left behind "You can't go around causing scenes like that!"
"What the bloody hell were you thinking, Harry James Potter?!" James asked his son finally letting him go.
"That git deserved it!" he almost shouted, still unable to control his anger "You heard him, he threatened her!"
"You have to admit the kid is right, Prongs…" Sirius tried to intervene in favour of his godson.
"Oh, shut it Sirius" he grabbed Harry before he could try to escape again "Where do you think you're going?"
"Where would I be going?!" this time, Harry yelled. He had never yelled at James before "I need to find her!"
"Harry, calm down…" Sirius held him off helping James to keep him still.
"Let me go! I need to find her!"
"Harry stop it!" James yelled unable to find another way to stop Harry's outburst.
"She'll be ok, Harry" Sirius assured him "Your mother went after her, she'll be ok"
Only after hearing those words, Harry finally started to calm down. He allowed himself to relax against his father who hugged him tightly. After all, James Potter understood better than anybody else what it was like when the girl you loved suffered just because was a muggle born.
"Why?" Harry asked after a moment, he was calmer now, but his voice was still poisoned with rage ""Why would anybody want to hurt someone like Hermione? She's the kindest person I've ever met, she's brilliant, she's the bloody brightest witch of our generation! Why would somebody want to hurt her?"
"Just friends huh?" Sirius teased unable to resist.
"Shut it, Padfoot" both Potters said at the same time, glaring at him.
"Look, Harry…" James sighed "It's not a matter of why do they think this way… They're just… wicked people who enjoy to cause pain"
"What if I can't protect her? What if someone wants to hurt her and…"
"Calm down, nobody will slay your princess, dragon"
"Enough! I told you she's just my best friend!" Harry barked at his godfather.
"He knows… He's just teasing you" James assured him trying to hide his smile "It doesn't matter if she's your friend or something else, the matter is that you care for her. She'll be ok. She has you, and you have all of us. You're both going to be safe"
"Thanks, dad…" Harry's lips curved forming a small smile.
"Now let's be honest… That git deserved it" Sirius smiled.
"Ok, you're right. He did…" James laughed "But don't tell your mother I said that"
"I won't" this time, Harry smiled a real smile that soon faded at the thought of Hermione's absence. "Where…"
"They're talking outside. Do you want us to go find her?"
"Yes… I think she…" he blushed a little "I think she might want me to be there"
"Of course she does…" Sirius responded with a mischievous tone while he followed James and Harry to find their girls.
Lily Potter raised her look when she felt them coming closer. She had been talking with Hermione for some minutes now and, knowing her son, she had been wondering how much longer it would take him to appear.
"You see? I told you they would get him to calm down" Lily told Hermione when she saw his son's quite calmed expression.
"I… um…." Harry mumbled incapable to find anything good enough to say now that he was in front of his best friend.
Lily looked at James for a moment and he nodded. They both agreed to give his son and Hermione some space. However, Malfoy's threat had been quite unsettling for both of them too, so they would keep an eye on them from a safe distance.
"I hate when you two do that eye thing… I feel completely left out" Sirius complained.
"We'll go find something to drink. If you want to go home, just let us know…" James told his son slightly pushing him towards his best friend whose gaze was fixed on the grass.
"It was not the right way to do it, but I'm proud that you stood up for your friend… You did the wrong thing for the right reasons…" Lily smiled at his son before starting to walk away from the pair of young wizards followed by James and Sirius.
"Hi…" Harry whispered taking a seat next to Hermione.
"Hi…" she whispered back.
"Are you ok?" he asked carefully.
"I guess…" she lifted her gaze to meet his green eyes and Harry felt something piercing into his heart when he saw the tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry…"
"You're sorry?" she asked confused "Why?"
"You wouldn't have had to go through all that if I hadn't asked you to come with me to the party… I'm sorry" he expanded.
"You're sorry that you asked me to come here with you?" she inquired again, her brown eyes shining with new tears, this time for a very different reason.
"No! Well… I should be… I mean…"
"I get it…" she gave him a small smile "You don't have to be sorry… I mean… if that's the only reason why you're sorry you have invited me" she blushed slightly "It was not your fault… you defended me"
"It was nothing…"
They remained silent for a few minutes after those words. Somehow, Hermione felt better now that he was next to her. She always felt better when he was around.
"Thank you for inviting me…" she finally spoke again after a long pause "I don't know about you, but I'm not sorry that you did"
"Not at all?" Harry smiled, feeling less guilty.
"No, being with you here tonight was worth it…"
"I'm not going to let anybody hurt you like that again…" he wanted to promise, but she interrupted.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Harry" she told him softly "Dark times are coming, everybody knows that… and people like me…"
"We'll protect you" he interrupted her this time "My parents, Sirius, Remus… They can be your family too… if you want to…" he smiled "We'll protect you"
This time, Hermione's face lit up when she smiled and instead of answering with words, she threw her arms around Harry's neck and hugged him.
"Thank you, Harry…" she whispered against his chest and he smiled hugging her back.
A few feet away, Lily Potter smiled watching them and she gave a small squeeze to her husband's hand.
"So… what do you think?" Sirius smiled "I bet they'll be together before they finish their fourth year"
"He's just a little boy!" Lily said. She had been having some trouble watching her baby grow up so fast.
"I bet he'll kiss her around Christmas" James decided after thinking about it for a little while.
"James!" Lily complained.
"What? Now you're gonna tell me that you believe him when he says she's just his best friend?" he laughed.
"Fine…" she sighed "I bet she'll be the one to kiss him first"