Chapter 60: Pretty Fly for a White Guy
Harry awoke in his bed and smiled. For the first time he could ever remember, he felt light as a feather. No madmen on the immediate horizon, no Dementors, werewolves moved off. The only thing he had to worry about was the witch who awaited him at the bottom of the stairs. He went through his usual morning routine but paid special attention to tame his bird's nest that he called hair, put on the cologne Lavender gave him. Dressed in his best slacks with his nicest green shirt and freshly-shined shoes, courtesy of Dobby, Harry made his way down.
Arriving in the common room, he looked around and didn't see the person he was hoping to.
"Ready for your date?" Parvati asked. She had a wicked smile as she leaned back in one of the chairs.
"Yes," Harry smiled and blushed in spite of himself. "I figured Hermione would be down already."
"She would be," Parvati cast her Patronus and guided it up the stairs. "But she wanted to see your face when you first saw her."
On cue, Harry heard the sound of footsteps coming down. Turning his head, his jaw dropped. Hermione stood on the stairs in a blue blouse and tan skirt. She had eschewed any tights so her legs were readily visible, ending in a pair of white pumps. Her nails were painted in the Gryffindor colors, matching her red lipstick. Her eyes had something special done to them to make them pop with just a hint of blush to bring some color to her cheeks. Topping it off, her hair was tamed into subtle waves around her face.
"Hermione…" Harry stammered. "I… wow… you look… wow."
"I think you broke him," Lavender said. Harry never realized she was right behind Hermione. She nudged Hermione forward. "Well go get him!"
Hermione gracefully walked toward Harry.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Hermione said with a smile.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Harry pulled his hands from his back to reveal bouquet of red, white and pink roses. Hermione received them graciously, bringing the flowers up to her face, letting the aroma waft over her. Hermione then hugged the flowers to her, leaning in to kiss him.
Harry then offered her his arm and lead her down toward the Great Hall. Once they sat down for breakfast, Hermione saw that a platter was in front of her like her birthday. She lifted the lid to reveal a heart-shaped pancake with fruit placed into a heart shape on top, with whipped cream in the middle.
"Does mistress like?" Dobby popped in. "Dobby knows it is customary to receive heart-shaped things for Valentines Day."
"Thank you, Dobby," Hermione tilted her head toward Dobby, gracing him with a kind look and a smile. "Though I wish you'd stop calling me mistress."
"My mistake, Hermione," Dobby bowed. He then widened his eyes. "I did it! I said your name, Hermione!"
"Well done," Hermione smiled warmly. "I'm so proud of you, Dobby!"
Midway through the meal, Hedwig landed at the table with a pink card.
Wise fools say, it read. Only fools rush in.
Hermione opened the card to see a stag and otter inside, Dean's handiwork it looked like. There was no mistaking the handwriting inside, however.
But I can't help falling in love with you.
Love,
Harry
"Oh Harry," Hermione threw herself onto Harry and kissed his cheek. "I love you."
A smile sigh of contentment rang through the hall as Hermione forgot they had an audience. Blushing she pulled away and returned to her breakfast.
After breakfast, Harry lead Hermione to the carriages down toward Hogsmeade. It was a warm day, perfect for an outing outside.
"Hello Bluifer," Harry greeted the red-eyed Thestrel. "You up to taking us down to the village?"
The demonic-looking winged horse whipped its head from side-to-side and stamped its hooves.
"Sounds good," Harry pat the creature on his neck. In spite of their skeletal look, they were surprisingly soft to the touch. Harry then helped Hermione up into the carriage. Sitting there with his arm around her, he couldn't stop smiling. It was at that moment Lavender popped her head in.
"Do you mind if we join you for the trip down?" She asked, brightly. Hermione nodded and they scrambled inside. "Thank you! It's a pain having to hide our relationship. Now, we have a trip where we can cuddle."
Parvati opened her arms as Lavender slid closer. Soon the two became one, as Lavender found herself in much the same place as Hermione. She leaned up and kissed Parvati deeply. Knowing their struggles with the way the wizarding world as a whole saw their relationship, Hermione smiled as the two couples soon lost themselves in their partners. They never even realized that the carriage started moving. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, soothingly running her fingers along the back of his hand.
Harry shut his eyes at her touch and rubbed his hand up and down her arm. When the carriage shuddered to a stop, Harry ruefully stood up to help the girls out of the carriage.
"Such a gentleman," Lavender smiled and kissed Harry on the cheek.
"Hold onto him tightly, Hermione," Parvati, usually the more reserved of the two, kissed Harry's other cheek.
"I intend to," Hermione said as Harry helped her down. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
Hand-in-hand, they moseyed toward the village.
"Bookstore?" Harry gestured toward the shop.
"Not today," Hermione said. "I have all the books I could want right now. Today, I want to just be with you without a book in sight."
They walked through the village, stopping at Gladrags to see if they had anything that caught their interest.
"What are these?" Hermione asked the shop clerk.
"They are dress robes," she said. "Typically worn by men at formal functions. There used to be styles for both men and women but nowadays women just wear a dress. Do you want to pick out a set for your boyfriend? Something in bottle green to bring out those beautiful eyes?"
"Hmm," Hermione pursed her lips and brought her hand to her mouth in thought. "No I don't think the green would do that. I think black with silver accents would achieve the proper effect. Or maybe a deeper red would work too. I will think on it, should we require them."
"I'll be here, dearie," the clerk smiled as Hermione and Harry exited.
"Do you think I'll need some of those?" Harry asked with trepidation.
"Probably eventually," Hermione said. "Like it or not, you are rather famous. I was thinking you'll probably want some formal wear for the Quidditch World Cup. Since you're the financier of two kiosks, you'll probably want to get some."
"Point taken," Harry said. "What usually comes with these formal events?"
"The usual," Hermione said as they arrived on the outskirts of town. "Talking with people who want you to like them, dining, dancing, making nice with enemies. The usual."
"Dancing?" Harry's eyes bulged.
"Yes dancing," Hermione said. "As Lord Potter, it will be expected that you dance. Oh Merlin, you don't know how to dance do you?"
"Petunia never thought to teach me," Harry folded inward. "She was teaching Dudley and I asked if she could teach me. She told me 'nobody is going to dance with a freak' so I never thought to learn."
"Well I personally like dancing," Hermione said. "And I really look forward to dancing with you at some point."
"Could you teach me?" Harry asked, quietly.
"It would be my pleasure," Hermione smiled. "When we get home, I'll get mum and daddy to help as well."
Hermione's eyes looked a little wistful at that moment.
"You miss them, don't you?" Harry asked, rhetorically.
"I've never been away from them this long," Hermione sat on the bench nearby. "I knew when I went to school, I'd be seeing them less and less but it's been a long time since I got a hug from daddy or shared a conversation with mum. It's been hard."
"I feel the same," Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What? It's true. They are the parents of my girlfriend, yes but they are also the closest thing I have to parental figures. McGonagall is a nice guardian, and I might be getting a godfather shortly but your parents- and you- are the ones who saved me and helped me grow into who I am. I am grateful."
"You can't imagine how happy that makes me," Hermione cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand. "There's always a worry of a girl that the boy she loves will hate her parents. I am so glad to not have to deal with that."
"I love you," Harry leaned into her hand. "More and more every day."
"I love you too," Hermione looked up and realized where they were. In front of her was the Shrieking Shack, its door still ripped off the hinges, laying to the side of the doorway.
"It's odd, isn't it," Harry said, looking at the house. "Thinking back to that night."
"Yeah it is," Hermione said. "So much of that night is a blur. I can't believe we came away unscathed."
"If not for our robes and our training, we wouldn't. I keep thinking how close I came to being killed in the tunnel. If it wasn't for you, I think I would have."
"Same with you. You pushed me out of the way. I felt the wind whip by when its claws missed," Hermione hugged herself. Harry stepped closer and hugged her as well.
"You okay?" He asked as he rubbed her back in soothing circles.
"I'm okay," Hermione focused on her breathing. "Just being back here brought it all back. I was so horrified at the werewolf I killed and also terrified that you'd be killed."
"I am here," Harry repeated over and over. "As long as I have breath to draw, I will come back to you Hermione. You're my first, last and most important concern. I am here."
Hermione let his reassurances soothe her.
"I am just worried," Hermione said. "You remember what Trelawney said?"
"Yes I remember," Harry said. "Peter escaped and Malfoy is now on the run. That's two. We'll need to be aware of everything around us. Pull our allies together so they know what's coming. We knew Voldemort would return at some point. All we have done, all we can continue to do, is prepare the best we can.
"However, I am not concerned. She said the duo of Harmony. This prophecy is not just about me; it's about us. We're stronger together."
"Stronger together," Hermione repeated that phrase over and over until it sank in. "You're right. I'm being stupid. Look at me, ruining our date."
"You're not ruining our date," Harry said. "The only way you could do that is to leave. Or Madam Puddlefoot's. That's also an option to ruin our date."
"Well we can't have that," Hermione laughed in spite of herself. "Come on, there's a butterbeer with our names on it."
"Lead on," Harry gestured back toward the town center.
After a meal at the Three Broomsticks, they retreated to the Room where they spent the rest of the day exploring their relationship, among other things.
The next weekend, Harry kicked off the ground, out of the tunnel onto the bright and sunny Quidditch pitch. They were playing Ravenclaw and it was the first chance anyone had to see a Firebolt in action. In fact, the arrival of the Firebolt to their practices brought an intense energy to every Gryffindor practice. By its mere presence, the Firebolt was making each one of them focus even harder on the upcoming matches.
However, the best moment came that morning when Harry walked in with the Firebolt.
"Nice broom," Malfoy taunted, though Harry could see his father's flight from justice had taken some of the wind from his sails. "You sure you can handle it?"
"After the werewolves your father sent against me," Harry watched Draco's cheeks pink. "I think I can handle just about anything."
Malfoy just scowled and walked away. Harry honestly started to feel a little bad, though he had to remind himself that he never started these tete-a-tetes. He put it to the back of his mind as he flew out of the locker room.
"There's Potter demonstrating the speed of the brand-new Firebolt." Lee's voice came over the crowd. "An international-standard top-of-the-line broom. Can go from zero-to-sixty in four seconds with upgraded agility and maneuverability. Choice of the broom for most of the World Cup teams."
"Jordan!" McGonagall's voice cut through. "You are calling the match, not selling broomsticks."
"Sorry professor," Jordan actually sounded sincere for once. "The teams are taking their spots."
Harry fell into position across from Cho who waved and batted her eyelashes at him. He even noticed her uniform was a size too small to further accentuate her curves. He waved nonchalantly back before turning his gaze to the Gryffindor section where Hermione's bushy head stood out. He blew her a kiss and waved at her.
"Told you," Lavender said. "Cho is just trying to throw Harry off his game anyway she can. Maybe if he was single."
"And an idiot," Parvati added.
"And desperate," Neville said.
"And there was no other option," Luna joined in.
"Then maybe her tactics would work," Lavender finished. "She's pretty but he only has eyes for you."
Harry turned back just in time for Madam Hooch to release the balls to start the game. Harry instantly pushed the broom hard through the Ravenclaw lines, scattering the Chasers, allowing Katie to grab the Quaffle.
Seconds later, it was a 10-0 match as the Gryffindor supporters cheered.
"There's Potter using the Firebolt to break up the Ravenclaw formation," Lee's voice sounded through the stadium. As the Quaffle was passed from the Ravenclaw Chasers, Harry took to searching the stadium for the golden ball. A few times, he saw a glint but it was merely the sun shining off a watch, a pair of glasses or something similar. Harry then spotted it floating just above the pitch near the Gryffindor goal posts. Flattening himself to his broom, Harry pushed toward the Snitch. Before he could get too far, however, Chang came out of the nowhere to block him.
Rolling to keep from hitting her, Harry was thrown off course and the Snitch then disappeared. Chang gave Harry a flirty smile and giggled coquettishly.
If that's the way you want it, Harry said inwardly. He swung around and pushed toward the other side of the pitch. He could hear Chang behind him so he slowed a little before rolling and shooting up at a high rate of speed. While this was going on, the Gryffindor chasers were scoring with impunity, pushing the score to 110-30. At the end of his ascent, Harry did a lazy loop-di-loop and ended pointed down at the pitch. From here, he could see the Snitch. It was tucked in close to the ankle of the Ravenclaw Beater's broom. Seeing Chang still behind him, he pushed hard toward the turf. Hermione covered her eyes with her hands as Harry plummeted toward the ground only to pull up at the last second to pivot and push toward the Beater. Flattening to the broom, Harry extended his hand, snagging the Snitch from the bristles of the player's broom, pulling up with his hand raised.
The Gryffindor supporters exploded in cheers as the team won 300-30. The night, the team was received in the common room to a raucous cheer.
"How about them Gryffindors!" Lee Jordan's magically enhanced voice rang throughout the common room. "First we've got Fred and George, terror twins on and off the pitch, menace to Chasers everywhere."
Fred and George both flourished their hands in an elaborate bow.
"Then we have our illustrious keeper Wood!" Gryffindor cheered as one for their captain. "Stopped 7 of the 10 shots he faced."
"Mediocre," George shouted over the crowd.
"Why did he only face 10 shots, you ask? Because the Chaser trio was honestly so selfish. I mean seriously did you have to take the Quaffle back after every score? I think the Claws just gave up near the end."
All three girls blushed at the praise and cheers heaped upon them.
"Then we have our Seeker," Harry could feel his cheeks heat up as every eye looked at him. "Not only did he catch the Snitch but he also avoided the other Seeker's doe eyes. I tell you, Granger must be something special. If Cho Chang looked at me like she did you, I'd have given her just about anything."
Harry put his face into his hands, turning beet red out of embarrassment. He heard the flash of Colin's camera go off so he knew he'd be seeing this the rest of his life. That was when he felt Hermione wrap her hands around him and place a kiss on his exposed cheek. From there, Fred and George shot off some indoor-safe fireworks, treating the common room to special light show. Midway through the show, Harry felt another hand on his leg. Since both of Hermione's were on his arm, he turned to look.
What he saw was the dark locks of Romilda Vane looking up at him, widening her eyes, pleadingly asking him. Harry quietly picked up her hand and moved it off his leg. Vane went to move her hand back before she caught the look coming from Hermione's amber eyes. Harry was curious if she was going to fire lasers from her eyes. Vane immediately stood up to get another butterbeer.
"Bet you loved that," Harry turned to see Ron standing in front of him. "Chang making eyes at you, Vane throwing herself at you. Thinking about upgrading yet?"
"Don't think there is an upgrade available," Harry put his arm around Hermione to accentuate his point.
Hermione beamed at his response.
"Yeah, yeah," Ron sneered. "Next thing I know, you'll be starting a harem. Perfect Potter needs as much pu-"
Ron's rant was cut off. His lips moved but sounds never emitted.
"So glad I learned that spell," Ginny put her wand back in her robes. "I didn't think anyone needed to hear how Ronald was going to finish that, do you?"
"Definitely not," Hermione said. Ron eventually realized no one could hear him and stalked back over to a corner with Seamus and two old boys that Harry couldn't quite see. "Thank you for what you said."
"Only said the truth," Harry turned to her. "I know some people will love me for my fame, others will love me for playing Quidditch but only one will love me for being Harry."
"Better believe it, Potter," Hermione smiled and leaned in for a kiss.
"Ronald just needs to clear his head," Luna took Romilda's vacant seat. "The Nargles are nesting heavier than I've ever seen. I worry he'll never be free of them. Well played, Harry. I saw the wrackspurts trying to get your attention but it never wavered. Commendable. It is hard to drive back wrackspurts; only the most focused can do so."
"Thank you, Luna," Harry chuckled at the blonde girls way of explaining everything. He brought his arm around the girl and drew her in for a hug. "How are things? I feel like I haven't really asked in a while."
"They are fine," Luna said airily. "I am eager to start electives. My classes right now are not keeping back the Humberdingers."
"Humberdingers?" Harry asked.
"Yes they are mist spirits," Luna said. "They like to visit in the shower and if you allow them to stick around, they will make you focus on everything that isn't important.
"They are especially attracted to boredom," Luna continued as Fred and George lit off a new series of fireworks. "It is a good thing the D.A. is around, otherwise I would have a terrible infestation."
"Well we wouldn't want that," Hermione chuckled. "Let us know if you see any around so we can clear them from you."
"Oh don't worry," Luna smiled at Hermione. "Stay close to Harry and nothing boring will come remotely close."
"Hey!" Harry protested, igniting laughter in both girls.
"Don't hate that she said it," Hermione smiled as she hugged him tighter. "Hate that it's true."
The day after the match, Harry and Hermione were called into McGonagall's office. Amelia dropped by to collect the memories of the Shrieking Shack.
"You will also be called to testify at the trials for Sirius Black and Delores Umbridge," Amelia said. "Dumbeldore has given me permission to take you both to Madam Malkins the day before the trial, which will be held during your Easter break, to get fitted for formal robes."
"Yes ma'am," Harry said and Hermione nodded. "We'll be back in London at that time, spending some time with Hermione's parents. I think they were hoping to take us to Diagon for the same reason."
"I will collect you from their house the day of the trials, then," Amelia gave them a small smile. "I have seen Tonks' memory, including the fight with the werewolves. You both did a remarkable job. If you ever decide to pursue a career in law enforcement, we would be pleased to have you."
"Thank you, ma'am," Harry said. "I had not thought about a career but we will certainly let you know."
"Of course," Amelia smiled. "You have plenty of time; I just wanted to commend you both on your teamwork."
"How is Sirius doing?" Harry asked.
"He is on the mend," Amelia said. "Healer Tonks is catching him up on 12 years of health - much to his dismay- but he is getting there. He asks for you frequently, I am told."
"Hopefully we'll be able to see him during Easter," Harry said to which Hermione nodded.
"We will be in touch," Amelia threw some powder into the fireplace, stepped in, heading back to the ministry.
"I guess we have plans for April," Hermione laughed. "Just when I thought we'd get some time to relax."
"You mean aside from studying for finals, the D.A., Potions club and, for me, Quidditch?" Harry chuckled. "Yeah a real vacation."
"Don't forget dates," Hermione nudged him gently. "Can't forget about those."
"Yeah but dates are a vacation unto themselves," Harry laughed.
Arm-in-arm, they excited the office, almost as if they were departing February for March in the Process.
(A/N: Wrapping up third year and heading toward the summer and fourth year. Two more matches and the trial yet to come. Working on the summer between years where I a few surprises in store.)