A/N - Hello again guys. We're back! This section of the story is going to be quite different. It's going to be quite a bit more plot driven but still with plenty of fluffy friendship and romantic moments. The chapters have also become consistently longer so there's much more for you guys to chew on. I hope you enjoy it all. Also, Fifth year is going to be in Harry's POV. I was originally going to have it all still in Hermione's POV but I realised that the plot I'd planned was more Harry's story so the perspective has changed, hence the slightly longer wait than planned. Sorry.
Also, one comment on AO3 pointed out that I'd made Padma a year younger when, in the books, Padma and Parvati are twins. I don't know why, but I've always pictured Padma as a younger sister and I'm not sure why. Oh well, I've made my bed so I'll lie in it! Lol. I'll be posting weekly, rather than daily like before, but hopefully the longer chapters will make up for that. I've got chapters 10 - 17 ready and waiting with only a few more left to do. I should have them done by the time they're due out!
I do not own Harry Potter.
I really hope you guys enjoy this!
He was utterly stuffed. It was a great meal, (You can't beat Nando's can you?) but he felt like he could hurl any second. Worst of it was that he now had to walk back to the car.
His mum always insisted that nights out were better the muggle way. So, they always drove rather than apparated. Hence, they were walking along busy Baker Street, Ruby huddled in their Dad's arms, Jack skipping along several feet ahead of their Mum, who was just smiling at him in amusement, and Rory was waddling along with her arms wrapped around Harry's waist. He kept his right hand on her right shoulder, keeping her squashed against his side and unable to walk straight.
"HARRYYYYA!" she complained, straining against his grip. He simply chuckled as he held on.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you having trouble walking?" he asked innocently. She scowled at him and turned to their parents.
"MuuuUum! DaaaAad!" she whined. They both turned to see the antics of their two eldest children.
"Sweetheart" their dad began. "that's not how you walk. We've discussed this! It's one foot in front of the other, not one foot on top of the other." Harry nearly had to stop walking, his eyes scrunched closed as he laughed. Rory looked helplessly at their mother.
"Harry, loosen your grip on your sister." she instructed, barely suppressing her own laughter. Harry acquiesced and let Rory straighten up and retract her right arm from around him so they were both comfortably facing forward as they walked on, though still holding into one another.
"So unfair. Dad's never on my side." Rory complained lowly.
"That's because he's always on the side of fun, and, somehow, you just don't know how to have fun." Harry explained in a matter-of-fact way.
"I can have fun!" Rory disagreed indignantly.
"Well I've never seen it. I mean, you've claimed to have had fun before, but you're wrong. You think staying up all night to read is fun! Poppycock!"
"Now, Harry James Potter, there's the pot calling the kettle black!" Lily asserted. "You have been writing to us repeatedly saying that you 'sat with Hermione and read today, it was great' so you can't mock Aurora for enjoying reading."
"I never said it was awful. It's just not fun. It's relaxing! Relaxation and fun are two different things!" Harry insisted.
"You can relax and have fun at the same time." Rory interjected.
"You can try. But, if you can honestly state that you had read all of Hogwarts: A History by your 7th birthday, you forfeit the opportunity to try, because it's abundantly clear you'll fail. Because no one who can say that knows how to have fun!"
"It's a good book!" Rory insisted.
"It's a textbook!" Harry shot back.
"I think Hermione probably finished it before her first day at Hogwarts." Lily posited.
"It wouldn't surprise me." Harry granted.
"So, do you think Hermione doesn't know how to have fun?"
"Of course she does! We've had fun together! She helped us charm all the suits of armour in a corridor at one point."
"So, if she wasn't muggleborn, would she have read Hogwarts: A History before she was 7?"
"Almost definitely." he said, without hesitation.
"Then why are you making fun of your sister?" Mrs Potter asked incredulously.
"Because it was fun!" Mr Potter burst out laughing then, startling Ruby from her lull. His wife rolled her eyes and turned to him.
"He's definitely your son."
"And I couldn't be prouder." He reached out with his free hand and squeezed Harry's chin.
"Get off, Dad." he whined with an embarrassed laugh.
"WE NEED TO TURN RIGHT HERE!" came Jack's distant voice.
"Away from the road Jack!" Their father shouted after his younger son. They all sped up a little to catch up with the bouncing 7 year old. They caught up with him and crossed the road, Jack holding their Mum's hand and Harry maintaining hold of Rory.
When they arrived at the opposite pavement and started making their way towards the Car Park, down Portman Mews St., Jack started towards the other side of the road and Mrs Potter ordered Rory to go with so she could stop him from getting hit by something. So, Rory let go of Harry and started after her younger brother.
Their Mum then sidled up to Harry and wrapped her left arm around his shoulders.
"Glad to be back yet?" she asked.
"Definitely." he said with a smile.
"We've missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Back garden Quidditch games weren't the same without you." That made Harry chuckle. "You Father is insufferable. He doesn't even try to let Jack win. Jack just refuses to play with him now. He'll only play with me, and is just like Dad when he wins. Gloats non stop. Actually, the only time he will play against Dad is if Sirius is on his team."
"Well, Uncle Remus is probably about as good at Quidditch as Jack is so those seem like fair teams, right?" They shared a small chuckle. "How is Sirius?"
"He seems alright, but irritable at the moment, since that bloody Skeeter article came out the other day. It didn't take long for people to figure out it was him. I don't know how they thought he could keep his anonymity. 'He's married with a new last name.' It's not like you find many Sirius's around, do you?" she ranted.
"Yeah, there have been a lot of people coming up to him at work as well." Harry's Dad added.
"How's Remus been?" his Mum then asked.
"Seems fine, last full moon seemed to be a good one cause he was in the next day."
"Yeah, Sirius went back up for a couple of days so I think they spent the full moon together." Prongs offered.
"Oh, that must have been nice for them." Lily said. "Did you see much of Will and Luke at Hogsmeade?"
"I poked my head in the door once or twice. They seem fine. Will is definitely excited about going to Hogwarts in September."
"I bet." Prongs piped up. "Rory's been talking our ears of for weeks, and she's been writing back and forth with Will too. I don't think I've ever seen her this excited."
"Dad, we were just talking about how she'd read all of Hogwarts: A History before she was 7. Are you surprised?"
"Alright, sassy!" he laughed. "Now, tell us more about this Hermione? You've finally started talking to her. What's she really like?" Harry felt the redness overwhelm his face.
"Aww, he's blushing." Harry's Mum stated, using a babyish voice. She then turned to her husband. "She's very lovely, quite sweet and quite pretty."
"You've met her?"
"Yes, we told you this. We met her by the train earlier." His Mum rolled her eyes and looked at Harry with a mock expression of despair. He just chuckled nervously. He was remembering that last moment before they had to leave. He could still feel the lingering tingles from the sensation of her lips on his, desperate to feel it again. He had given into temptation, but now realised he had just tortured himself. He had a moment, now he wanted a lifetime, but had to wait.
"Hermimey was the girl at the train?" the small voice of his 3 year old sister came.
"That's right, lovely. Hermione was the girl at the train." the 35 year-old mother affirmed.
"The girl that Harry kissed." Ruby continued. Harry shut his eyes in embarrassment.
"The girl that Harry what?" their asked, disbelieving.
"Harry James Potter, have you got something to tell us?" his Mum asked, teasingly.
"I mean... Ummm... Yeah, sure, I kissed her." he said, his cheeks getting impossibly warmer.
"Now, what kind of kiss are we talking here?" she then asked. "On the cheek? Maybe the forehead?" Harry was irritated that his mother wasn't even trying to hide the shit-eating grin she was wearing. He, reluctantly, shook his head.
"Are you telling us" Prongs joined in. Harry sighed in genuine despair. "that our own Harry Potter has kissed a girl on the lips?" Harry shut his eyes tightly and nodded slowly.
"OoooooOOOooooh!" his parents exclaimed in unison. Harry was in legitimate hell.
"Whoa, get you, stuuud!" his mother teased. "James, had you had your first kiss before your fifth year?"
"No, darling. We didn't start dating until our seventh year." James answered innocently. Possibly too innocently.
"Correct answer." Lily said, surprising a laugh out of there eldest. "Was this a first kiss? Or one of many?" she asked, poking him in the side.
"First." he groaned. Another round of ooohs came from his mother.
"On a train platform?" his Dad asked, despairingly. "Come on Pronglet, I raised you better than that! You've got to sweep a girl off her feet!"
"I'm sorry, where was our first kiss, Mr Potter?" Mrs Potter asked, knowing exactly what the right answer was.
"At the top of the Astronomy Tower, on our first date." Mr Potter answered confidently.
"Nope. It was, actually, on MY bed, the night I managed to sneak you in so we could work but we ended up..."
"NO! NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Stop right there. Do not continue that story." Harry interrupted.
"Oh why, Honey? What do you think we got up to?" his Mum asked innocently.
"I don't know and nor do I want to. Look, the car's just over there." Harry tried to redirect the conversation.
"Oh great." his dad added. "Somewhere you can't escape us!" Harry groaned very loudly.
"I will say this right now, Harry James." Lily said, her tone suddenly serious. "I don't want any of that kind of behaviour from the two of you until, at the very least, your sixth year. Even then, I won't be condoning it!"
"OK, thanks Mum, we can stop talking about this now!" Jack and Rory then appeared in front of them.
"What you talking about?" Jack asked.
"Harry kissed a girl!" their Dad told them. Harry groaned again.
"On the lips!" their Mum added. He groaned louder still.
"Eewwwww!" Jack recoiled.
"OooooOOOoooh!" Rory teased him.
As one might imagine, the car journey wasn't fun for him for a while. But, eventually, the topic changed and Harry just appreciated being with his family again. There were smiles, laughs and some comfortable silences that Jack couldn't deal with so kept insisting that they play car games. Harry ended up having to duck a total of 26 bridges.
But, the smiles stopped when they arrived home. They were expecting an empty street. It was nearly ten o'clock and Godric's Hollow was not a bustling town. It was quiet, largely magical and fairly uneventful. So, imagine the Potter family's surprise at the sight of two Ministry cars, approximately ten men in robes and Uncle Sirius stood, ominously, in front of their house.
Lily parked the car in the drive way and the family, warily, climbed out of the car, Harry retrieving Ruby from her booster seat. They scanned the crowd in front of their gate and made a beeline for Sirius.
"What's going on, Sirius? What are you'd doing here? What are all these people doing here?" Lily asked. Sirius snapped his gaze to her, clearly distracted.
"Sorry, Lils. I need to talk to you and James." He turned to Harry and the other kids. "It's lovely to see you all, but Imma need to steal your Mum and Dad for a minute. It's good to see you buddy." he finished, ruffling Harry's hair a little. He then ushered Lily and James away a short distance, ensuring the kids couldn't here.
Harry was worried. Something serious was going on and no one was going to tell him the truth any time soon, that much was clear. So, he took his own initiative and got out a wire with an earbud at each end. If any muggle were to see them close up, they'd be asking what the point of them was. It was a single wire and no aux connection. How was it supposed to play anything? What they actually were was custom made for Harry by the Weasley twins. They were disguised Extendable ears. Harry asked for them a year prior so he could eavesdrop on his parents without raising suspicion.
He placed one earbud in his right ear, using his right hand as his left was occupied with a three year old. He then dropped the other end of the wire down his shirt and pulled it out at the bottom. He pointed the bud in the direction of his parents and Godfather and heard their conversation clearly.
"The situation's got worse." Sirius said, the usual upbeat tone Harry is used to from him absent.
"Worse how?" James asked.
"There's been a breakout at Azkaban. All of them got out."
"Every prisoner?" Lily asked, disbelieving.
"No, not every prisoner. Every follower of Riddle." Sirius corrected.
"All the Death Eaters are out now? Well... Shit." Harry wasn't unaccustomed to hearing his Dad swear, just unaccustomed to the circumstance and the lack of an admonishing slap on the arm from his Mum.
"It gets worse though." Sirius announced, ominously.
"How could that get worse?" Lily asked, still very much in shock.
"Wormtail." James' head snapped to Sirius' eyes at that word. Harry's brows creased. Wormtail? Uncle Peter? He's been dead for years. He died in one of the worst battles of the war. How could he possibly be involved in this?
"You can't be serious?" Prongs insisted, eyes bulging.
"Unfortunately, I am." Sirius confirmed after a brief hesitation.
"So, that's what the security is for?" Lily asked. "Because the old Fidelius has warn off and they could find us now?"
"Its unlikely, but possible. We have to take it seriously, no matter how remote the chances are."
"So, what? We're locked down at home now?" the mother of four asked.
"Not a proper lockdown. But, there'll be guards around, hidden. For the time being, there will be no disruption to daily life, but people will be watching closely." Sirius explained.
"Alright then, how much can we tell that lot?" Lily gestured to the youngsters. Harry made sure to turn his head to hide the earbud, just in case.
"Not too much. Obviously, a lot of what I've just told you is classified. You can just say that because of our current case, which I'm assuming they know some about given the attacks at Downing Street and across Europe, we all need to take a few precautions. It's not like this is the first time they've had bodyguards in and around the house." He wasn't wrong. Only a few years ago, they had to stay in for a whole week because Fenrir Greyback had made a reappearance. Thankfully, he was caught swiftly. But, now, he was out as well, Harry assumed.
"What about the rest of the Order? What about Remus and the boys?" James asked anxiously.
"Everyone's got a few people outside there house. Remus and the boys are staying at home, but if we don't deal with this before September, it's looking like Luke will stay in Hogwarts with Moony and Will. Though, Will will be in dorms."
"Will you get to stay there?" Lily enquired.
"No, lowering the wards too often is a bit risky. I'll probably be staying in a Ministry safe house." he explained, his eyes downcast.
"Merlin, Pads." James moaned sympathetically. "They can't expect to keep you away from your kids, surely?"
"It's their safety, Prongs. What I would prefer doesn't matter now." Sirius insisted, forcing a determined expression.
"Christ." Lily whispered. "Alright then, but the kids can still go about the day normally? Harry can go see his friends? The others can go to the park and such?"
"Yeah. There'll be people accompanying them to keep them safe at all times but yes."
"Alright then."
Harry took the earbud out and hid in back in his pocket. This was already turning out to be an interesting Summer.
The first thing Harry did the next day was write to Hermione. He already missed her like he had never missed anyone. The last several months with her, since Christmas, had brought a new aspect to his life that he never knew he needed so much. He had never confided much in his friends. He opened up every now and then when his friends cared enough to ask, but that was rare. They often just came out with whatever they were feeling, but Harry wasn't quite comfortable enough to do that. While they did confide in each other, they didn't talk about anything like that for long. They passed these things off like jokes or momentary blips in a wider tale of adventure and laughter, sometimes forced laughter.
Harry couldn't do that. He wanted, maybe even needed, to talk about it. So, he'd wait. He'd wait for holidays so he could talk to his Mum about it. Or, if he really needed to unload, he'd put it in a letter.
But, now, he had Hermione. She listened, she cared but she still new how to have fun, when to have fun and what to say to get Harry to have fun. He'd admired her for several years, how she stood up to Malfoy and the Slytherins, how she'd carried on in the face of all the mean-spirited chatter about her. Although, now he knew her well, he saw that maybe she shouldn't have. Maybe she needed to get away from a place that was so unforgiving for her.
He was glad she hadn't though, in a selfish way. Because now they had each other. Now, she had friends and now he had someone to really talk to. Especially now he may well have... Whoa. Probably a little soon for that word, he thought. They haven't even known each other for a whole year yet. They'd only kissed once. But it was an incredible once and she was, without a doubt, the closest he had ever come to... That word.
Could he talk to her about this though? About the threat of the Death Eaters? He shouldn't even know everything that he knows. It was classified. He trusted her though. More than anyone. Why shouldn't he tell her? This was a big deal. Though, this was the first letter he would write to her, immediately after having kissed her. Would he want to bum her out so soon?
The reality was, nothing was going to change, he could still go and see her. It wouldn't be long either. Neville had mentioned getting everyone over to his for a barbecue after about a week in so he'd almost definitely see her there. Maybe in person was the best way to go about this one.
The next question was how should he handle the kiss in a letter? Should he handle it in a letter? Should this be something to save for an in person conversation as well? There would be less chance of any miscommunication that way. Should he just ignore it then?
No! He could just here his Mum calling him a fool and a 'typical man' for not at least acknowledging it. He didn't want her to think he was taking advantage, right? He should try and ensure that she knows he meant exactly what the kiss suggested. So, he'd reference it and see how she responded. They'd go from there. Yeah, that sounded good to him.
'Hermione,
Is it wrong that I miss you already? This is the first day of the first summer since we became close and I'm already thinking about you loads. Plus, the way we left it on the Platform makes it 100 times harder.
Ruby blabbed though. She was like 'Harry kissed Hermimey' or something. It was cute, but it resulted in about an hour of torture from my parents and Jack and Rory. Love it when your younger siblings get to torture you.
Anyway, how are you? How is it being back home again? I hope it's not too hard with your parents. Hopefully those last few letters you sent will make the conversations more comfortable and open.
Are you going to be able to come to Neville's barbecue next week? I'm looking forward to it.
Thinking of you,
Harry'
It was basically bliss from then on. Over that week they wrote a lot. He wrote a little to the others as well, of course. Seamus and Dean met up as often as they could, Ron and Ginny's summer was proving as uneventful as ever, Lavender went to Paris, the Patils went to Bora Bora and Faye went to the cinema. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to see Clueless or not, but as soon as Hermione mentioned some guy called Paul Rudd being cute, he couldn't not. Out of pure curiosity of course. He felt no desire to talk about the film afterwards. If his dad ever heard about how much he had enjoyed that film, he'd never hear the end of it.
Soon though, it was time for Neville's barbecue. Harry couldn't wait. Hermione had confirmed she would be going and Harry was indecently giddy about the whole thing. His mother didn't fail to comment.
"I'm expecting some kind of announcement when you get home, you know?"
"Whoa whoa, don't rush me Mum." he replied indignantly.
"Rush you? You've already kissed! What's the hold up? Wait, did she kiss you back? We haven't established this. Are the feelings reciprocated?" she asked, a single eyebrow risen.
"Yes, Mum, she kissed me back." He nearly did a giddy dance as he said the words. "Like Dad said, you've got to sweep a girl off her feet."
"Sweetheart, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Please, please, please never look to your father for advice on romance! He's pathetic. When he was trying to win me over, he was as repellent as... I don't know, two magnets meeting at the same poles. As soon as we were just natural around each other, I nearly stripped in the hallway."
"Almighty Merlin, Mum! What is wrong with you?!" he asked, disgusted as his mother just guffawed.
"Sorry, I've been married to your father for too long."
"I'd agree but I'd rather you didn't get divorced."
"Aww, look at sweet little Harry being all soppy with mummy!" she teased in her babying voice again, pinching his cheek.
"You're so annoying." he chuckled uncomfortably. "I need to go now." he said as he approached the fire place.
"Ooh, JONAH! HE'S ABOUT TO GO!" she yelled out of the living room door.
"Mum, do I have to have the bodyguard with me? I'll be at Neville's house. His parents are both aurors and no one would ever willingly get on his Grandmother's bad side!"
"His dad is an auror, his mum's in a wheelchair, love. She doesn't need to be worrying about protecting you."
"She's a witch, Mum. Getting paralysed from the waist down is basically inconsequential!"
"Still, it's a necessary precaution. And not debatable, they are commissioned from the Ministry." The tall, dark and handsome figure of Jonah, the auror trained bodyguard, appeared in the doorway and nodded to them both.
"Shall we, then?" he spoke in an ever-surprisingly high voice.
"Sure." Harry said as he went to give his mum a hug. "Bye Mum, love you. BYE GUYS!"
"BYE HARRY!" came the distant voices of his siblings from upstairs. Then Harry turned to see Jonah settling in the fireplace and exclaim Neville's address, thrust the Floo Powder onto the ground and disappear in a whirl of blinding green flame. It had been decided that he should go through first, to scope out the destination. Harry then had to wait 30 seconds before following suit.
He landed in the Longbottom's large living room. This house was a typical Pureblood house, as Neville's Grandmother had insisted. It was gorgeous, large but very lived in. It was never particularly tidy, much to Lady Longbottom's chagrin. She liked to blame Alice's influence on her darling Frank, but she was delusional.
Harry was greeted by Frank and Neville, who had a questioning look in his eye as he gestured towards Jonah with his head, who was standing by the doorway into the foyer. Yes, that's how big the house was. The front hall qualified as a foyer. Harry just shook his head and moved on.
One by one, everyone arrived. Most of them arrived by Floo but, obviously, the two muggleborns had to travel by car. Luckily, neither of them lived outrageously far away. Dean arrived first, muggle beers in hand, and Hermione arrived about 10 minutes later. Harry hated every second of anticipation.
When she walked through the door, his heart skipped a beat. It was actually nonsensical how much he had fallen for her over the space of 6 or 7 months. He was obsessed. She looked gorgeous. She was dressed in a simple jeans, t-shirt and hoodie combo but her ever flowing locks bounced behind her and her smile gave him butterflies. They smiled at each other when her gaze landed on his and they embraced for their first hug after a week of no contact.
It was just as blissful as always. Hugging had never felt so significant to him. It's something you can do with most anyone. Loose hugs, half hugs, gentle hugs or tight hugs. They were just things you do. But, with Hermione, there was only one kind and it was like an event. He treasured each one and remembered most of them quite well. The first one was incredibly exciting. It was the morning he had introduced her to the rest of their friends. He had done it to make her feel more comfortable in the new company and also to establish to his friends that she was his friend and they should try. Though, when he felt her so close to him, it had a different impact on him. It felt so comfortable and... Right? They seemed to just fit together. That was when he started to really treasure her hugs.
After a while though, he realised there were still other people in the room. He let her go and whispered a quick "I missed you." to which she smiled and returned the sentiment. Then, Lady Longbottom insisted on a house tour so they had to listen to the half hour lecture Harry knew all too well at this point. The upside, however, was Hermione's hand in his the entire time.
At one point, Seamus asked why Alice was in a wheelchair and Neville, a little uncomfortably, explained that she had been hit by a well aimed curse during the final battle of the war. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, bemused at Seamus' insensitivity. Dean gave him a gentle kick in the shin as well.
When they went into the back garden, Hermione was stolen from Harry by the girls so they could chat for a while so the boys decided to play a quick pickup game of Quidditch. Ginny decided that sounded like more fun so joined in. Neville played referee.
The teams were Harry and Dean against Seamus, Ron and Ginny. Harry was the only one in the actual team, but Dean and Seamus had been greatly improving, and Ron was proving to be an adequate keeper. Ginny was the only unknown.
Given that the game ended with Ginny having the most goals, Harry was determined to have her on the team this year. It had lasted about an hour and it was around half twelve so everyone agreed it was time for food.
Harry was a little underwhelmed. The food was delicious, of course, but the atmosphere wasn't quite the same as a proper barbecue. Being the child of a muggleborn, a proper barbecue included an actual barbecue grill, people getting up to collect their food, the smell of the cooked meat flooding the air as the smoke rose up high and the mundanity of cooking the food yourself. The magical equivalent didn't hit the same. You didn't have to get up because the food was just floated to you, the smell didn't carry much and there was no effort put into the cooking. The burgers were done within seconds.
The other downside was Ron and Seamus. Oh, he thought they were great. He loved them even. But, bloody hell they didn't know how to eat properly. As with all there meals at Hogwarts, half of there food ended up on the floor or on their faces.
However, Harry let that all slide given that he kept making eye contact with Hermione and smiling. They had a few quiet moments to say hello and hug, but nothing significant enough to talk about 'them' and maybe even, Merlin allowing, to kiss again. Everyone was around and Harry wanted this moment with Hermione to be private. Just them. No one else needed to be involved. So, he ended up spending half the time trying to find a moment to pull Hermione away for a short few minutes.
It never came. His hopes of kissing Hermione again by the end of he day were dashed when Jonah stood in the back doorway and called his name.
Everyone turned to see him. They all, then, turned to Harry with questioning expressions. Harry had the same expression directed at Jonah. Jonah approached him and leant in so he could whisper in his ear.
"We have to go. Something's happened." Harry went pale. He looked into Jonah's eyes, hoping for clues, but all he got was cluelessness. Jonah didn't know anything. He left Harry to say his farewells, but Harry didn't know what to say. He was terrified. What could have happened. Was his Dad alright? Was Mum, the others? He didn't have time to explain or say proper goodbyes. He had to go.
"Sorry guys." he murmured.
"Harry, what's wrong?" someone asked, Harry didn't even care who. He just headed for the door. Before he went through though, he turned to search for Hermione. She was kneeling on the other side of the garden next to Lavender, her mouth hung open and her eyebrows furrowed in concern. She met his gaze, the question in her eyes. He didn't know what to say to her, or what to do. He wanted to stay for her sake. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, anything to have some contact from her. But he also needed to leave. He just looked down again and left.
When he landed back in his own living room, the sight he was met with was both reassuring and discouraging all at once. All of his family were present and unharmed. His Dad had returned and was kneeling before the others. His Mum was sat on the sofa, chewing her nails, with her arm around Ruby, who was curled up into her. Jack and Rory were both shaking a little.
"Dad? What's going on?" he asked, his voice trembling a little.
"Hi mate. I'm sorry, but the security measures are increasing."
"Why?" His voice cracked a little.
"Umm... Come here." He ushered Harry out into the hall. "I haven't told the youngens this bit, but the Death Eaters that we're after got the drop on Mad-Eye this morning. They ambushed him at a café near his house. He's hurt, badly, but alive. He's at Mungo's." Harry paled even more. If Mad-Eye Moody had been downed by these guys, they were no joke. He was one of the most private, mysterious, paranoid blokes Harry knew. How could they have got the drop on him? "You won't be able to go out and see your friends anymore. Even with supervision. You can go for short walks, or out to the shops quickly but not much more. You also may have to cut down on how many letters you send out. They're gonna be checked over before they're sent as well, just so, if they're intercepted, we know there's no information that can help anyone get to us." Harry's eyes were wide with fear now.
"I'm sorry, Pronglet, I know it's a lot. But we have to be careful. It'll be over before you know it, though."
It wasn't over. Not by a long shot. Harry had stopped writing to anyone other than Hermione. He, even, had to be more vague with her than usual about some things. Thankfully, the lighter bits of their conversations gave him a well needed respite for the fear that was looming.
The day after the barbecue, he got a letter from her. She asked him if he was OK. She didn't ask for specifics but really nailed in the fact that he could always talk to her if he needed to. Oh, how he wished he could.
'Hermione,
I'm so sorry I had to ditch you guys yesterday. I'm also sorry about how long getting this reply is going to take. I can't tell you much, but every piece of mail that goes in or out of my house is being very carefully checked. I can't tell you why, but it is related to why I had to leave.
I know I can always talk to you, and you have no idea how much I really appreciate that fact. You're amazing and I don't know what I'd do without you. As soon as we're alone, I'll tell you what's going on. This isn't something I feel like sharing with the others just yet.
Anyway, how was the rest of the day? I hope I didn't ruin the mood too much! At least you now know what Neville, Dean and I have to deal with, living in the same room as Ron and Seamus! They're nightmares. Trust me, food is not the only thing they have a talent for spreading around!
That sounds a little dodgy doesn't it haha! Basically, their clothes and books and crap end up everywhere. I once found Ron's homework in my bed. Not on it, in it. It was under the covers! They're shocking.
I hope you're alright, and send my love to your folks, as usual.
Lots of love,
Harry'
His siblings didn't help with the mood though. Jack was complaining the whole time. He'd got over the initial fear of the situation and moved onto the boredom of being stuck in the house most of the day.
Ruby wasn't all that fussed. She got her walk once a day but was happy to stay at home for the rest of it, now having also got over the fear. It didn't really register with those two long term.
Rory, however, was not over the fear. She was fixated on it. She kept asking Mum and the guards about protective wards and if they were enough and if Dad should be going out at all, would they be able to go to Hogwarts. It was manic.
Suddenly, it was Harry's birthday. There was nothing particularly exciting about the day, except the fact that he was 15! Though, the excitement faded quite abruptly. Rory was still terrified so they stayed in and, because of all that had been occurring, Harry hadn't got around to inviting anyone round.
He got mail though. It was all checked, of course, but he received it all quite promptly. Ron and Seamus both got him something Quidditch related; a magazine and new gloves, Dean got him a West Ham shirt. It was a good try, but Harry's football loyalties always stayed with his Mum's team, Aston Villa. He didn't expect, nor did he receive, any presents from the girls.
But, he did get something from Hermione. He hadn't really been expecting anything. They'd never talked at great length about their birthdays. They knew each other's, of course, but he'd never made them out as important. So, receiving a parcel from her was very exciting. He opened it rapidly and pulled out something he hadn't expected. A VHS. A newly released one. Little Women, starring Winona Ryder.
It took him a moment before it hit him. The conversation a while before, during which Harry admitted to having cried at Little Women. He chuckled at Hermione's incredible ability to retain knowledge, even the completely mundane kind. It was a nice evening, sitting with his family watching a film. Once it was over, though, he rushed into his room to pen a thank you letter to Hermione, with a thorough review of the film too.
Harry soon received an invite from Lavender to a party at her house. How did he get around this? He didn't respond directly to Lavender. She would have replied with something that Harry wouldn't be able to argue against without revealing too much. So, he relied in Hermione.
'Hermione,
I didn't realise dentistry was so dangerous. Ten stitches? Are you sure that was a child and not a rabid dog? What if it was a werewolf?! You don't get many Muggle werewolves! You're dad could be one of a kind! Haha
Anyway, about this party that Lav's having. I'm so sorry, but I'm not gonna be able to make it. This thing at home is stopping me from going out much. I can't leave the house for a while but I'm also being restricted with how many letters I can write.
I hate this so much, believe me. If I could, I'd ask to come and stay with you but, annoyingly, that's not allowed. But, could you make up some excuse for me? I can't write to Lav and, frankly, I wouldn't know what to say to her. She's very good at emotional blackmail! I'm so sorry to do this to you but I don't really have another choice.
I hope you enjoy the party though! Take some photos for me!
I miss you loads,
Harry'
The night of the party, he sat in his living room, sulking. He missed his friends. He missed Hermione. He so wished he could've been there. But, the Death Eaters had other plans.
Those plans, then, decided to disrupt his life even more a few days later. James arrived home, his expression downcast as he called everyone into the living room.
"I'm so sorry, but security is getting tighter again."
"What? Whyyy?" Jack whined.
"There have been more complications. So, you're gonna have to just stay in fully now. The Ministry guys can get you food and such, but home's gonna have to be it now."
Jack complained some more and Rory insisted on more information but their Dad kept tight lipped on the details around them. Eventually, Harry ended up in a room with just his Mum and Dad and then insisted on knowing what's happened.
"The Tonks house was attacked."
"Wait, Tonks? As in Nymphadora? Sirius' cousin? Is everyone alright?" Harry asked hurriedly.
"No. Andromeda's been killed." His mother gasped sharply and Harry's jaw dropped. "Ted and Dora are both basically alright, physically speaking. But, this thing is escalating like we never saw coming."
Harry considered asking the question that he was so desperate to. What did Wormtail have to do with anything? Why was the mention of a man long dead such a big deal? Could he afford to out himself for eavesdropping on them? His temptation grew faster than he could think so, before he knew what he was doing, he started speaking.
"Dad, what's Uncle Peter got to do with all of this?"
"What? You're Uncle Peter's dead Harry. What are you talking about?" he replied quickly, a wary expression on his face.
"The day I got back, the day all this security stuff started, I maybe have eavesdropped on you, Mum and Sirius. Sirius mentioned Wormtail and you looked shocked. Wormtail is Uncle Peter, but he died in one of the later battles of the war, right?" His parents just looked at each other, wide eyed and incensed.
"Harry, I don't know what you heard," he began. "but it was not Wormtail. He is dead, as you said. You must have misheard something." Harry knew that was a lie. It was very clear. They're not telling him something.
"Harry James, how did you eavesdrop on us exactly?" Mrs Potter asked, barely suppressing her fury. Harry, reluctantly and a little guiltily, explained the Extendable Ears and was not surprised even a little when she stormed out to go and find them. He never saw them again, nor was he allowed control of the television for a few days.
The rest of the summer was not fun. He couldn't write a single letter now. He couldn't write to explain anything to Hermione. He spent his time daydreaming about her, trying to do the little work he needed to do, pretending to do extra revision, given that he was headed into his O.W.L year, and trying to entertain or calm Ruby, Jack and Rory. He was exhausted. But, the Death Eaters, apparently, didn't sleep.
It had been decided that Harry would be allowed, with the company of several aurors, to go out to Diagon Alley to purchase his and Rory's things for Hogwarts. James and Lily were insistent that they still go to school. However, disaster struck the morning he was set to go.
At about four in the morning, Harry was awoken jarringly by shouts and cries. He rushed downstairs to find his mother, father and Uncle Sirius all in the dining room. But, his father was lain out on the table and bleeding from, what looked like, everywhere.
"Mum?!" he exclaimed after a moment to take in the scenery.
"Harry, get me the dittany from the bathroom. NOW HARRY!" she insisted. Harry jerked into action. He bolted up the stairs and burst into the bathroom. He dug around in the cupboard until he found the dittany and rushed out. As he came out into the landing, his siblings exited their rooms.
"Harry?"
"What's going on? Was someone shouting?"
"Go back to bed, both of you. I'll come get you in a few minutes, just stay in your rooms." he ordered as he thundered down the stairs. He rounded into the dining room and handed his Mum the dittany. She ripped off the stopper and just poured the whole bottle around his Dad's' body. She, then, started guiding her wand over his body and was incanting indistinctly. As the blood cleared a little, Harry could see the excessive cuts all around his body. It looked like someone had legitimately tried to kill him with a thousand cuts.
After a few moments though, he started to look improved. Harry let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, his eyes fixed in his Dad.
"We were ambushed." Sirius replied. "They led us into a trap. We were tailing this one guy, he went into a building alone and James and I were sent in first. As soon as the curses started flying, the rest of the team charged in. James was already down though. I was only able to get him out once the fighting had stopped."
"Why the hell didn't you take him to Mungo's?!" Lily demanded, her voice a mixture of fear and fury.
"It's too public. After how quickly this has escalated, nowhere is safer than your house, the houses of the other public Order members, Hogwarts and Gringotts. Here made the most sense for him." Sirius explained. The long time healer couldn't argue with him there, but didn't admit it. She kept her scowl on, maintaining her displeasure about it all.
"Is he gonna be OK?" Harry asked, anxious for his father.
"He should be. I can't be sure what he was hit with but he does seem to be improving already." his mother responded.
"Lils, we both know what curse this was." Sirius announced ominously. He and Lily shared an intense look for a few moments before Harry couldn't stand the apprehension anymore.
"What's the curse?" he asked.
"Never mind that Harry." she rushed. Sirius seemed to silently question her decision to keep Harry in the dark with a look but went along with her in the end.
"It's nothing you need to concern yourself, bud." he assured with a forced wink. Harry gritted his teeth in his frustration. He knew he could handle it. He hated when adults always thought he was too young for things. He could help them if only they'd let him. However, he, reluctantly, allowed them to keep him ignorant.
"Well, at least, if you know what it is then, doesn't that mean you can help Dad better?"
"Maybe, it's difficult. We might know the curse, but we don't know the counter curse." Sirius explained. "You see, the thing with this curse..."
"Sirius." Harry's Mum hissed. Sirius stuttered over his words, realising his mistake.
"Sorry, got carried away. Don't worry about this Harry. We'll deal with it. Everything will work out just fine." His smile didn't reach his eyes.
Harry, bitterly, dragged himself back upstairs, though not before his mother made one final announcement.
"You will not be going to Diagon Alley young man. Someone will get all of yours and Rory's stuff for you." He clenched his jaw, ticked off that his first venture into the outside was ruined mere hours before it was supposed to happen. Then, he remembered why and didn't let himself be bitter about his Dad getting hurt. That wasn't OK.
When he arrived upstairs, he remembered his awoken and, likely, terrified brother and sister so turned away from his own bedroom door and approached Jack's. He gently knocked and inched it open.
"Hey, kiddo. You wanna come into Rory's room with me?" he asked softly. Jack rushed off his own bed and collided with Harry's side. He didn't let go until they were inside Rory's room and approaching her bed. She was sat against the headboard and Jack went to squeeze in next to her. Harry sat in front of them, side on.
"What's going on Harry?" Rory asked, her voice trembling. Harry wasn't sure how to handle this. Was he honest? How vague should he be? Should he just not tell them anything and get them to go to sleep? Knowing his siblings, Rory in particular, they wouldn't be able to go to sleep again without knowing what the commotion had been. Nor would they manage to return to slumber knowing what had happened to Dad. No matter what he did, they wouldn't be getting back to bed.
"Dad and Uncle Sirius came back. But, Dad's been hurt." Both of them lurched up and started to camber off the bed. Harry leant forward and stretched out his arms to stop them. "No, no, no. Mum and Sirius are taking care of him but he needs time to recover."
"But we want to see him. Doesn't he want to see us?" Jack insisted.
"He's not awake at the moment. He needs to rest. And so do you."
"Bollocks to that, Dad's been hurt. Do you really expect us to sleep?" Rory exclaimed.
"Aurora! You know what Mum would say to that! Do not use that kind of language! Where did you hear that phrase anyway?!" Harry asked, shocked. Rory had the grace to look sheepish as she explained.
"I overheard Uncle Sirius saying it to Mum once. She was trying to stop him and Dad taking us to a Quidditch game on a Friday, I think."
"Of course it was Sirius." Harry sighed, shaking his head a little. "Well, sleep or no sleep, we can't go downstairs and see Dad yet. So, we need to stay up here. Do you want to at least try and rest?" They both shook their heads. "Right then. Ummm... Do you want to play a game or something?"
He managed to distract them for a couple hours. It was uncomfortable to say the least. He had them play chess, they were silent and not very good because they were, naturally, distracted, as well as shaky. Eventually, he was too bored so played a card game with them. Still near silence. Then, he resorted to reading them a story. Rory was indignant the whole time and Jack seemed to be trying to resist getting excited by the story and asking "What then?!"
After what felt like a day, he heard footsteps climbing the stairs. Harry checked the time and it was just a little past ten o clock. It had already been a long day. Then, he heard the pace of the steps. He could almost hear the panic driving whoever it was.
"Harry?" came the muffled voice of his Godfather, Sirius. Harry shuffled out from in between his siblings on Rory's bed and gently left the room, instructing them to stay put.
"Sirius, what's up?" Sirius spun around, having been facing Harry's room.
"Downstairs, now." He rushed downstairs after Sirius, feeling a weight in the pit of his stomach quickly grow until he dragged himself into the Dining room once again. His mother was pale and moving around his father's body frantically, while his father was looking worse again.
"He's worse. Why is he worse? What do we do?" he begged.
"I'm sorry, I'm out of supplies. Harry, I need you in Diagon Alley after all. I need Dittany, Blood Replenishing Solution and a few other things. I've written it all down here. You know it all, it should be quick." she explained desperately.
"Ma'am, I really think it should be one of us. We shouldn't put your son in danger like that." Jonah interrupted. Harry was scanning the list as his mother looked up at Jonah, furious.
"You have just said that you and your men have little to no experience with these kinds of potions. Harry has plenty. He's lived with me all his life. He knows what he's looking for. I don't like this anymore than you do, but we need this stuff quickly." she berated, her voice thick with suppressed sobs. Harry looked up again.
"Plus, I know the Apothecary like the back of my hand at this point. I know where all of this stuff is. I can be in and out in a couple of minutes." Harry said as he held up the list, summoning all the courage he had. He couldn't let himself panic or break down. Not with his Dad in this state.
Jonah flicked his gaze between the two Potters and, soon, sighed with a nod. He ordered 3 other men to join him and Harry on this excursion and then laid down the law to Harry.
"You are going to the Apothecary and back. Nowhere else. We will deal with you and your sister's books. We'll be disillusioned and by your side the whole time. Try not to stop if anyone talks to you. Clear?" Harry just nodded and hurried to the fire place.
He was bouncing on the balls of his feet as each bodyguard disappeared in the green flames and was still just as impatient as he waited for the flames to fling him to the Leaky Cauldron.
He didn't take a second to acclimate to his surroundings before jetting to the back room. Jonah was already there, tapping his wand on the correct bricks. He disillusioned himself the second the wall started to move. It wasn't even open far when Harry bolted through the gap.
The Apothecary was only a few doors down from Gringotts so he had to push past the thick bustling crowds for a while to get there. There was small gap, after he had pushed through mountains of people, around halfway down the alley so he jogged a little out of sheer desperation and impatience when someone suddenly entered his path before he had time to stop. He collided, shoulder to shoulder, with this person. Harry was about to just keep going when he heard a familiar voice say "Whoa, Harry mate." He turned to him and realised he was face to face with Dean Thomas.
"Where've you been mate? We met up here like half an hour ago?" Dean asked. Then, Harry took in the others. Everyone was there. Ron, Ginny, Neville, Seamus, Lav, Parvati, Padma and... Hermione. His eyes had just landed in her when four wands appeared by Dean's throat. The bodyguards were now visible and looking deadly.
"Whoa, guys. He's fine. They're my friends. Just gimme a sec." he assured them, his hands outstretched in a placating gesture. They began to withdraw and, with his rush, Harry immediately turned back to his friends. "I'm sorry guys, I can't stay. I'm in a bit of a rush." He felt Hermione approach him from his right side and take hold of his hand. He wanted to resist looking at her again because he might get lost in the comfort her hold would bring, that the sight of her would bring. But the pull of her was too strong.
He turned his gaze on her and she was beautiful. She was, again, just wearing simple clothes, but she was stunning. Maybe it was because of how comfortable he was around her, because of how strong she was, but whatever it was that made him so besotted with her just made her so beautiful.
Then he noticed how she was looking at him. She was clearly worried. More worried than he'd ever seen her. She looked him up and down, subtly, and he realised what he must look like. His hair was probably worse than usual, he was just in his pyjama shirt and some tracksuit bottoms and he hadn't showered or brushed his teeth. Of course she was worried.
"Harry, talk to me." she encouraged, gently. "What's got you like this?" He couldn't keep the truth from her in that moment if he tried.
"It's my Dad. He got home at like 4 this morning. He's hurt. It's bad." Her eyes widened and began to glisten as he explained in a rush. He could hear his own emotions coming out in his words, which was clearly making the tears come quicker for her. He could feel his own tears start to drip down as it all came out in that moment, and all she had done was look at him and hold his hand. It took a great effort to avoid spilling the confidential secrets he had heard over the Extendable Ears, but they were in public now, and the non-classified stuff was enough.
Once he was done, she engulfed him in a heavenly hug. He gripped her tightly and sobbed for a moment or two. But he couldn't stay like that for long.
"Mr Potter. We need to hurry, remember." Jonah asserted. Harry pulled back in a rush and immediately missed her warmth and comfort.
"Right." she said. "You'd better go before I change my mind and never let go of you." she joked half-heartedly with a sad smile. He let out a wet chuckle before leaning in and kissing her in the forehead. He needed to thank her in some way. He didn't think kissing her on the lips was the right move just now. For him, he'd never want to leave again. For her, she'd worry that it was because he was so emotional at that moment. Now was not the time. He lingered for one last moment to look at her, not even sparing a look at their friends, before he span on his heel and sped away to the Apothecary.
He could feel the bodyguards at his heel but he could also feel Hermione's eyes on the back of his head. It hurt to walk away from her, even more than it had been on Platform 9 3/4. It was harder because he needed her now more than ever. But he'd have to wait for that. Right now, his Dad needed him.