As the dawn breaks over the horizon, sunlight starts streaming through the windows. A beam crosses Hermione's face and she wakes, stretching her amrs and popping her back. She rubs her shoulders, sore from sleeping on the couch. It's not a bad couch by any means, but it's no bed to sprawl out on. She quietly pads into the kitchen and tries not to be surprised to see Harry sitting at the table, sipping on a cup of tea.
"Morning Hermione." He says over the lip of the cup.
"Morning Harry. The rain looks like it stopped." She says, accepting a cup from him.
"I think it petered out overnight." He agrees, looking out at the swamp of a backyard. From the sun streaming through the glass door, Hermione can see the kitchen in all of its' immaculate glory. Pale surfaces and white cabinets without a single spot. The stovetop has no crumbs, no stains. The floor looks clean enough to eat off! Glancing around surreptitiously, she can't even find evidence of last night's dishes.
"Hpefully they restore the phone lines soon, Mom must eb going spare." She frets.
"If they're not back by noon, we can always send Hedwig." Harry offers.
"Harry, I want to thank you for everything. For putting me up, for helping me yesterday, for all of it." Hermione says.
"Think nothing of it. I'm sure if our positions were reversed you'd do the same for me." Harry says quickly.
Hermione sips her tea for a moment before rising and walking around the kitchen, never noticing Harry's sudden tension at the sloshing cup.
"So, what do you do here all summer? Do you and your cousin ever play games? I'm sure you have a few board games stashed away somewhere." Hermione asks.
Harry grimaces. "Not unless chasing me and beating me up counts. No clue on the board games- if we have them, I've never seen them."
"Oh. There goes that idea." Hermione says.
They sit for a moment before Harry jumps up. "I know what we can do while we wait!"
"I'd rather not get soaked to the bone again so soon." Hermione says, assuming he is referring to the park.
"You shouldn't get more than your ankles wet at most." Harry counters. "Remus told me that the wards on this place are tied to the wardstone, which is around here somewhere."
"And he advised you to get it back so that you can pull them to you and thus make them more powerful!" Hermione says, stealing his thunder.
"I should have known you'd know why." He teases.
"I may have gotten a jump on next years runes." She admits.
"Only next years? You sure you stopped at one year in advance?"
"Okay, yes, runestones and the inverse power rule are technically NEWT level, though they are mentioned in the OWL textbook." She says.
"Overachiever." He teases.
"Hush, you. When have you learned anything you didn't have to?" Hermione shoots back.
"Literally every year." Harry says with a sideways glance, sobering the conversation.
"Right." Hermione says, looking out the window and unable to meet his eyes. "Any ideas where the runestone would be?"
"I've never noticed anything in al my years of living here. I'm more likely to overlook something because its familiar. What about you? You're the one who's taken runes."
"well, If I wanted to maximize coverage over the house, it would be easiest to array it as a bubble spreading in every direction. In which case, it'd be in the center." Hermione reasons.
"Would it interfere with electronics that got close to it?"
"I think so? I can't be certain, but electronics never work at Hogwarts so I guess?" She says.
"Then it can't be inside. Dudley's played his games all over every inch of the place." Harry says.
"then it looks like we're going out there." Hermione says, looking through the door. The backyard is a waterlogged mess, with standing water still pooled in places. The whole area from house to fence that isn't underwater is thick mud.
"well, it looks lovely." Harry says with false cheer.
"Ugh, and I just got clean." She grouses.
"Best to roll up your pants legs then. It's safe to walk on- I've cleared all of the rocks and nails and glass shards over the years." Harry says.
With great distaste, Hermione follows Harry out into the muck. Immediately, they sink in a few inches, mud oozing up between their toes. With a wet sucking sound, Harry lifts on foot up and takes another squelching step.
"Ugh, Harry." Hermione complains.
"It's not that bad!" Harry protests, working his way to the corner of the house. "They had a conservatory here, so the ground is a bit more stable."
"A conservatory?" Hermione asks, carefully sticking to the footprints Harry's already left in the mud.
"Yeah, it was where I inflated Aunt Marge like a balloon. If we'd been inside, she wouldn't have floated away. But since we were out here…"
"Wow. The Obliviators must have had a fun night." Hermione says.
"The who?" Harry asks, trudging to the fence.
"Honestly, Harry do you read anything you aren't forced to that isn't quidditch magazines?" Hermione grumbles. "Obliviators are responsible for hiding the evidence of wizards. They are the ones who modify the memories of muggles and maintain the wards over magical enclaves like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade."
"Lockhart would have been a shoe in then." Harry remarks, poking around the fence posts. "How identifiable is this runestone going to be?"
"How should I know? I've never seen a rune stone. But, knowing how ostentatious wizards are, I'd say fairly obvious. What was that about Lockhart?"
"Okay, Sorry. He tried to wipe Ron's and my memory. That's how he wrote his books, after all. He found people and erased their memories, stealing the credit. There was a whole article in the Prophet last summer."
"That's despicable!" Hermione says with disgust. "Now I know why McGonagall collected all the sixth- and seventh-year girls end of last year."
"Oh Merlin. You don't think-" Harry swore.
"Would you put it past him?" She shot back.
"No. Makes me wish I had kicked him a couple more times though." Harry says.
"At least he can't hurt anyone again." Hermione says.
"Unless he recovers." Harry spits.
"Oh, he won't." Hermione says with a feral grin. "I overheard a few of the seventh years who were going to work at St. Mungo's- he isn't going anywhere. They blamed him for failing their NEWT DADA exam."
"Serves him right." Harry says.
They continue to search the backyard, checking along the fence and under the bushes. The mud is thick, but the rain would have washed anything hidden out into the open.
"Harry, I don't think it's back here." Hermione admits, wiping her hands on her legs.
"Maybe in the front of the house?" He suggests.
"Worth a shot." She agrees. They trudge around the house to the front. As the day wore on and the sun dried things out, the scene has much improved. The road is covered with mostly dried mud, but at least it isn't flowing anymore. The ditch by the side of it still has a healthy stream running through it, but otherwise everything is recovering from the surprise deluge. Hermione and Harry poke and pull around, but still no ward stone appears. "Harry, I don't think it's out here either."
"Neither is the mailbox. But that was here. Do you think the ward stone got washed away?" Harry asks.
"Harry, what if I was wrong about it messing with electronics? Then it could be inside the house, and it would even be likely to be in there. Somewhere central." She reminds.
"Yeah, but I just- I think it's out here. I can feel that it's not inside, if that makes any sense?"
She bites her lip, "I don't know."
"C'mon. We can wash off the muck with the hose in the back." He says.
"Harry, without power, the hose won't work."
"Lucky for us, the Dursleys had to be perfect to the neighbors. They have a rain barrel for watering the roses. That's just gravity." He explains.
"Smart of you." She praises.
"Well, I have good reason to try my best, don't I? Have to impress you with my hostmanship." He says with a smile.
"Harry, 'Hostmanship' isn't a word."
"Sure it is."
"Pretty sure it isn't." She argues.
"I just used it, so it has to be one." He shoots back, connecting up the hose.
"Prat." She sticks out her tongue.
"Bossy." He teases back.
"Harry Potter you take that back!" she yelps.
"Now you're just proving my point." He says, laughing.
"You. Take. That. Back." She says, punctuating each word with a blast from the hose she wrestled from him.
"Never!" Harry shouts, seizing the hose and spraying her. Her gasp of shock means that the war is on. They dance around in the mud for a while, quickly draining the rain barrel. Both lightly soaked, the impromptu water fight ends with them washing the mud off and heading inside.
"That was surprisingly fun." Harry admits, looking over. "You aren't mad that I got you wet?"
"I used the hose first. Under the standard rules of war and escalating weaponry, you were fully in the right to return in kind." She says primly, de-plasterning the shoulder of her shirt from her skin. Truth be told, they're not that badly wet. Harry has a stripe down his pants, and on his shoulder. He got Hermione across the back, and in the face when she ducked unexpectedly.
"So, where in here would you put a ward stone?" Hermione muses.
"I've never seen anything it could be. Maybe up in the attic?" he offers.
"Worth a shot." Hermione agrees, "lead the way."
They dry their feet and go upstairs, Harry opening the door to Vernon and Petunia's bedroom.
"The attic is in here." He explains, leading her into their private bath. Indeed, in the ceiling is the hatch for the attic. Harry pushes it open and finagles the stairs down. "I'll warn you; it'll be dusty."
"I don't mind some dust. But," she pauses, "Do you think there'll be wasps?"
"They have the house sprayed every other month, so I doubt it. But I don't know the last time someone has been up here. So, maybe? Hopefully not." Harry explains.
"Then we'll just have to be careful." Hermione adds. When Harry doesn't say anything she continues, "Get it? Bee careful?"
"I understood. But that was a terrible pun, Hermione. It stings my sensibilities that you'd use one so weak." Harry deadpans.
"Really? Stings my sensibilities? Now who's crawling around the truth? That really bugs me, Harry."
"And for my nest trick…" Harry says, pulling aside a few boxes, which reveal a widow and let some light in. "Shedding some light on this situation."
"You've really got me in a box here, Harry. Some real attictude." Hermione smirks,helping him move the boxes
"These are awful. Can we just shelve this?" Harry asks, looking through a cabinet.
"Only if you're ready to admit defeat. I've got this in the bag." She rejoins, tossing the burlap away.
"Sorry, your pun was trunk-ated." Harry shoots back, pulling out a somewhat familiar looking trunk. "I think this was my mom's. Remus told me it should be here."
"I don't see the wardstone up here through," Hermione adds, walking to Harry and the trunk. "Maybe we missed it."
"It could be anywhere." Harry says. "Help me get this down? I'd like to go through it without all this dust." Hermione takes a moment to look around, and notes the billowing clouds of dust they stirred up, caught up in the contest of puns.
"That would be illuminating." She can't help but crack one last pun.
Together they lever the bulk box down the attic stairs. Harry folds them back up and tucks the attic away, then drags the trunk of supplies left behind out of the master bedroom.
"What do you think is in there?" Hermione asks.
"I have no idea. Remus told me my Mum was going paranoid when she made it, so anything really." Harry says.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough." Hermione says, helping him drag it down the stairs. Just as they get the trunk to the living room, where there is plenty of light, a knock comes from the front door.
"I wonder who that could be?" Harry wonders, moving toward it. Answering it, there are two adults on the porch, and two cars perched on the street.
"Mum! What are you doing? How'd you get here?" Hermione asks in a flurry, darting past Harry to hug her mother.
"Well, I was worried, dear. You left and then the storm hit. We lost power shortly after, so I have no idea if you tried to call. Thankfully, the officer helped me get past the blockade and your grand aunt told me about Harry here." Mrs. Granger explains.
"I'm glad to see you safe." The officer says with a weary smile. "We've been running search and rescue all night and we're still finding people. Glad to see someone found safely."
"Do they know any more about the storm?" Hermione asks him, twisting around but not leaving her mother's embrace.
"Nope. It's got the eggheads riled up something fierce. One moment skies are clear, then next there's a supercell over London. Completely unknown. But I'm sure they'll announce something once they figure it out."
"What about power and phones?" Mrs. Granger asks him.
"Here, they said a day or two. Dunno about anywhere else yet." He says, taking a step back. "If you're all good, I should probably report back. They need every hand. Just follow the same route back out, I'll radio them to let you through."
"If you think it would help morale, feel free to share our story." Mrs. Granger says to the officer as he walks away. He tips his hat and climbs in his car, which rumbles to life and rolls away. She then turns to Hermione. "Alright Hermione. Let's grab your things and get going. Dad is beside himself with worry. He needs to see that you're safe."
"But Harry-" She bites her lip.
"I'll be fine Hermione. Let me give you the number for the telly, so you can call me once they get things working again." Harry says, letting them both inside.
She grabs her bag from the couch and waits for Harry to return.
"Here you go." Harry says, handing over the scrap of paper with messy scrawl on it. Mrs. Granger tugs Hermione's shoulder and they leave the house. Once they're both in the car Mrs. Granger clears her throat and asks,
"Is it just me, or was Harry not in a single one of those family photos in the living room?" With that, the dam breaks and Hermione starts talking.
Harry lets the door close and watches the cars roll over the mud. As they turn out of the road he loses them in the houses and trees. While sad to see Hermione leave, Harry is a little glad she's gone. He needs a few days to get things together, to figure out what he should do. He was so determined at Hogwarts, so fired up to do things a certain way, but now the truth is sinking in. If he does some of these things, then everything changes. Harry knows Dumbledore has plans for him, he'd be a fool not to. But Dumbledore let Sirius die. Or at least, his plans did. Sirius, supposedly the last of Harry's family, is dead. Remus was convinced of this and advised Harry so. His suggestions were some drastic changes: the wards, the house, training. Remus wanted Harry to be someone, to grow powerful and stand on his own. And Harry thought it would be cool, but he also knew it would be the end of his childhood. He'd had much of it torn away already, and Lupin wanted him to give up the rest of it. To study and train and make himself independent of anyone. And then there was Tonks, who wanted him to take his seat. To use his fame. Harry scowled. He didn't want any of it! He wanted to just be Harry, to be normal. As heir, he couldn't just date and play around and not worry. He'd be responsible for people, or things, for making decisions that could change the world. There was still a chance he could have some fun along the way, but Harry was a realist. With his luck, he'd be fighting a full on war within three months. He'd be forced to be an adult. Even as he leaned toward giving up this mad quest to change things, he remembered Tonks' story. She wanted to be normal too, but she realized that just wasn't going to happen. So, she adapted. She overcame. She did what she knew to be right. And for all that he hated it, that he didn't like it, Harry knew what the right thing to do was. He didn't really have a choice.
Harry flopped down on the couch and blew out a breath. Everyone wanted something from him. Wanted him to do this, or do that, or not do this. But who did he want to be? What did he like?
Well, he could channel Hermione and list them out. Gabbing a piece of paper and a pen, Harry sat down at the kitchen table. "Harry Potter likes and dislikes:" he named it.
Likes: Magic, Flying, knowing what was happening, Friends, Treacle
Dislikes: Malfoy, Voldemort, people keeping things from him, attention, the Dursleys
It seemed a pathetically short list to Harry, but it conveyed enough to him for a decision. Some of the items were related, like Malfoy and the Dursleys- both annoyed and belittled him. Other, like being aware and attention were at odds. He knew that if he wanted to be aware, to be included, he had to make himself a place to sit at the table. Vernon had long espoused that there was no such thing as a free lunch. So, he had to compromise.
It was easy to agree to some things, like staying on the quidditch team. Sure, it drew attention, but it allowed him to fly, and the attention was something he earned. Other things, such as taking up his seat or making a play for the Black magics were harder to accept. If he made a bid, then there would be no going back. He would be the Boy-Who-Lived, hyphens and all. But, the thought of Malfoy profiting off of Sirius' death was unquestionable. So that was that. He was going to go with the Tonks'. And if he was going to go along with them, then he might as well go with Remus as well. Harry scarcely thought Dumbledore would approve of him seeking the Black magics. That sounded like the exact opposite of enjoying his childhood. As Harry stretched and shredded the document with newfound determination, something bubbled up inside of him. His fingertips tingled and buzzed. Harry was concerned, but as he sat up, the feeling grew softer on one hand and harder on the other. Focusing, he realized that he could feel the whole sensation along his body, from the tips of toes to the split ends of his hair. Following the strengthening feeling, Harry walks back upstairs. He moves down the hall and back into the master bedroom, and through to the bathroom. Hair on end, harry pulls the attic back open and climbs up. He slowly searches again, circling around the small space until he's directly in the center of it all. The floor beneath him is solid wood and no board pry up. He's only stumped for a moment before Harry looks up. Directly above him, rafters. Harry drags a couple boxes over and stacks them, climbing up and searching along the wood. Atop the rafters is nothing but dust, but his fingertips feel like they're going to start spasming. Above the rafters is only the roof- and harry realizes he's on the wrong side of the house. Jumping off the boxes, he wrestles the window open and carefully steps out. Balancing because his life does depend on it, Harry climbs to the very top of the house and searches. There's an indent in the spine of the roof, a small section chipped away. Harry edges closer, fighting the energy coursing through him. He can't even feel the hand he sticks into the hole, fingers barely tightening on the small blue stone. With a slight zap, Harry feels the charge leave him, grounding in the orb he's cradling.
Once Harry is back in the kitchen, he looks over the stone. It's blue, like he first noted. Hard and shiny, with cut edges. He holds it up carefully and looks through it. The fading sunlight just barely shines though it and he can almost make out a series of symbols carved into its faces. With a yelp, it slips through his fingers and his other hand shoots out to catch it. Holding it back up to the light, Harry catches the almost invisible lines radiating off the orb like otherworldly strings.
Following the strands of invisible power, Harry walks out to the back garden. Nested in the corner, burned on part of the fence post that is normally buried in the dirt, is a formerly unnoticeable circle of runes. Harry takes a handful of mud and rubs out the circle. The moment the delicate lines are broken, the stream of power flowing to the corner vanishes, and the stone in his hand grows a bit brighter. He follows the next stream of power to the corner of the house, where there is another rune circle carved in. Harry repeats his process and the wards on the home shrink even more in, the clouds within the stone clearing up with each successive rune brushed away. The next anchor he finds in the garage- stuck to the ceiling is a parchment with another rune circle drawn on. He breaks it too. With one stream left, the sapphire is much clearer than before it almost glows from within, warm to the touch. It takes Harry a moment to find the last rune circle, as it's far trickier than the others. Rather than pasted on or carved in, this one is made of living things- namely Petunia's prize roses. Only by tracing the pattern does Harry realize the significance. All this time he'd been keep the wards on the property strong, not by living there, but by pruning and feeding the roses. Harry takes pleasure in raising a shovel high and scooping out the precious plants.
While happy to break the runes, Harry is somewhat attached to the flowers. He had raised them the past near decade. He replants them in a different spot, using both the uprooting and planting to disrupt the circle. When the final rose bush is replanted, and the circle breaks, the stone flashes. It heats up in his hand and beams of light shoot out from between his fingers. The gem sings with power, warm and bright. Harry takes it inside and slips it inside his shoe, making sure to use the one that doesn't have a hole. He blinks and looks out the window, only now noting the dark skies. His search took the whole day! Harry quickly fixes himself a light dinner and rushes to bed. If the phone were restored tomorrow and Hermione called, he'd better answer, or face her wrath!