Chapter 15

Harry wasn't sure if accepting the spectacles from Dromeda had been a good thing or not. While the new glasses were growing on him and the thought of being connected to Lupin and his father was always endearing, the kind hearted woman had taken a little too much of an interest in the rest of Harry's wardrobe. At first it had just been the mention of how tired his shoes were looking, and when Harry had casually mentioned that he was probably due for a new pair the door had been opened.

Andromeda had slyly asked Harry to babysit for Teddy for a few hours as she had to run some errands. Delighted by a quiet afternoon with his nephew Harry was confused when he went to take Teddy for a walk around the property and strangely enough his shoes were not by the door. Nargles briefly crossed his mind, but eventually he chalked it up to absent mindedness, until Andromeda had returned with bags, and lots of them.

Immediately he refused insisting that she hadn't needed to go to the trouble and that she was far too generous already, but the woman had gall and pretty soon Harry was parading around the house modeling multiple outfits. It was odd to him as he had never really had clothes that had fit him properly besides his Hogwarts robes and Andromeda had laughed at his surprise that he didn't need a belt to keep up his pants.

He was also getting used to the prospect of what Dromeda called a "derby loafer." While this meant absolutely nothing to Harry he was now the proud owner of a pair of brown derby loafers. They were faded worn leather and Harry didn't understand why they had laces if they were considered a loafer. He didn't understand why you needed to tie a dress shoe, but was too polite to ask and Andromeda told him repeatedly that all young gentlemen had worn these back in her day. While most of her stories were quite stimulating that afternoon she told a particularly dull one about her late husband's shoes and how they were what had gotten her to notice him. While Harry was stunned at how somebody would be attracted to a person by their footwear he smiled and listened understanding that sometimes you just needed to talk about the people that you had lost.

So when Harry rapped on Andromeda's door on Saturday afternoon her face broke into a giddy smile as she clapped her hands together and Harry blushed beneath his beard.

"Oh my dear, dear boy," Andromeda spun him around, "you look so hansom!"

Harry blushed and scratched his stubble thoughtfully. It had been a strange experience looking at himself in the cracked mirror in the tent before he had left. Used to his baggy sweaters and hand me down corduroys from Dudley he had never really owned new clothes, besides the yearly sweaters that Mrs. Weasley had knitted for him and Hogwarts robes. He looked different in a pair of dark blue jeans and a crisp white oxford button down and while it took him a few laps around the house to adjust to the shoes, they weren't nearly as uncomfortable as they looked.

"I feel very… adult like…" Harry laughed awkwardly.

"Well you look like a young man, you are eighteen now! Happy Birthday my boy!" Andromeda flung her arms around him in a loving embrace and Harry chuckled returning her affections equally so.

"Now I know you said you didn't want anything else for your birthday, but I have one more thing for you…"

"Andromeda I can't-"

"Oh hush, hush, it's from Teddy not from me," she muttered shoving a rectangular package into his waiting arms.

Harry sighed mumbling about how much she had already done, but stopped when he opened up to a picture of him and baby Teddy sitting on the porch swing a few weeks prior and a wide grin spread across his face.

"I didn't even know you took this." Harry grinned embracing her once again, "Thank you, for everything."

"Of course dear." Andromeda smiled warmly and kissed his cheek lovingly. "You're becoming like a son to me Harry, and you've been so good to us this last month, I don't want to be too forward, but… I've been cleaning out Nymphadora's old room and I know you have your own well… living quarters, but if you ever get lonely you are more than welcome here any time you like…"

"Thank you," Harry smiled sadly a bit overwhelmed by her generosity. He had known this woman for a few months and already she had offered him a room in her house. He had lived with the Dursley's for over a decade before he was allowed a bedroom, and it hadn't been a gesture out of kindness.

"Now are you ready for your birthday!" Andromeda mumbled a bit sarcastically and Harry couldn't help but smile at her.

"Ready yes, excited… no."

"Oh come on," Dromeda began rounding up her belongings while Harry took Teddy from the nearby cradle, "I'm sure your excited to see your friends! Molly has told me before how close you are with Ron and Hermione."

Harry stopped briefly stunned by her name. While he had been avoiding the topic of Hermione for as long as possible he wasn't totally oblivious to the fact that he would be seeing her today and a large part of him was terribly excited.

"Y..yeah," Harry stammered naturally bouncing Teddy in his arms, "I guess I'm just worried about seeing Ginny," he lied unconvincingly.

Dromeda looked at him through suspicious eyes, but never pushed. Pulling Teddy from Harry's arms she cradled him tenderly and reached into the pot of floo pulling out a handful of ashes. "The Burrow!" she mumbled clearly and a second later they disappeared into a familiar burst of green flames. Harry sighed deeply electing to apparate having never been a fan of the floo network. He groaned and fell into the crack of apparation his heart willing him where his mind dreaded to go.

Hermione observed herself strangely in the mirror in Ginny's room ignoring the hum of voices reverberating from below. While there weren't an abundance of people at the Weasley's there were enough where she needed to take time to compose herself before the birthday celebrant arrived. While part of her dreaded seeing Harry she was also strangely looking forward to it. She chalked it up to her love for him as a friend, but deep down she knew she was fooling herself.

Her eyes raked nervously over her reflection and she sighed running her fingers through her blonde locks. She was dressed simply in a white summer dress and casual sandals her eyes minimally done up and her skin bronzed from the long days she had spent outside. Her reflection saddened her some though, not because she felt unattractive, but because of how much she resembled her mother. She had been told that since she was a little girl, but she had never payed attention until the day she had lost them and had avoided mirrors as much as possible.

Hermione loved the Weasley's with all her heart, but there was a void missing where her parents once were and while the ache wasn't constant it still left a gaping hole that hurt whenever the wind seemed to blow.

She swallowed back her tears and let out a deep breath, Ron was downstairs reunited with Dean and Seamus and she could hear the boys laughing from through the window. She knew her presence would be expected soon. She was Harry's best friend and Ron's girlfriend, so of course she would be excited to see Harry and wish him a happy birthday with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. If only they all knew.

"You look nice," a voice startled her out of her thoughts and she spun around to Ginny leaning against the door staring at her arms crossed over her chest.

"You scared me!" Hermione breathed out nervously pressing a palm to her heart.

"Why aren't you downstairs?" Ginny strangely murmured. "Aren't you excited to see Harry?"

"Of course…" Hermione fiddled with one of her rings nervously.

"He's here…"

Hermione's eyes widened and she stepped back sweat beginning to form on her neck. Suddenly the situation became eerily more realistic than it had seemed a minute ago. "Oh…"

"I don't really want to see him." Ginny oddly remarked.

Hermione stared at her friend sadly, "He still cares about you Gin…"

"Not as much as he cares about you," Ginny spat out rather defensively catching Hermione off guard.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione retorted back sharply.

"Nothing, nothing…" Ginny caught herself awkwardly, "I just mean… you and Ron have always come first."

"I don't think that's entirely true," Hermione tried to console her bleary eyed friend.

"Of course it is," Ginny mumbled bitterly, "he didn't take me with him on the hunt for horcruxes."

"Ginny, we had to leave the wedding in a matter of seconds… he tried to find you."

"After he found you, you mean. He tried to find me after he found you."

Hermione watched her intently, "and Ron… he found both of us."

"What a happy accident that was," Ginny murmured under her breath, but still Hermione heard every word. "Ron's looking for you."

Hermione sighed and brushed past her friend. She descended the stairs slowly eyes on the floor her mind clouded with Ginny's odd behavior. She couldn't possibly know, there's no way Harry would have told her. There hadn't been anybody in the forest with them that night and even if she had seen them coming from the astronomy tower there was no way she knew what had transpired. No, Ginny was clueless she decided a little less than confident of her conclusion. She was just jealous of her friendship with Harry.

When she stepped out of the front door the light of the afternoon sun blinded her slightly. It was a beautiful summer day and it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust. As she blinked a few times she nearly missed the guest of honor a few feet away from her, but of course like always her eyes eventually found him and she was shocked when they did barely recognizing Harry.

It was like the passing weeks had taken a boy and created a man. She had been stunned by how different he had seemed at the ball, but this, she probably wouldn't have recognized him if it hadn't been for the scar. His hair was shorter and his beard a little lighter than she remembered. His hair was pushed back away from his eyes and he wasn't wearing his usual round lenses that she had remembered. His clothes were fitted and pressed and he wore shoes that her father would wear to work, but more shocking than anything was his demeanor. He seemed to stand a little taller, his shoulders were pushed back, the usual slump to his spine was now arched confidently. His eyes seemed greener and they sparkled with the reflection of the sun as he chuckled at something Seamus was saying.

Hermione hadn't even realized how long she had been staring and it caught her off guard when his emerald eyes magnetically locked onto hers as well.

Harry knew the minute that Hermione had stepped outside. Not only had his eyes been searching for her since he arrived minutes earlier, but an electric pull seemed to draw his eyes right to the door the moment she stepped through it. She was beautiful as always, but that was nothing new. She had taken his breath away on many previous occasions and this time was nothing different. The greatest thing about Hermione was how oblivious she was too her beauty. Sure she had a few awkward years, but who hadn't? She was absolutely stunning, even with minimal makeup and a simple dress all sightlines seemed to shift right to her.

"Ron," Seamus broke Harry out of his temporary daydream, "I don't know how many times I've said this, but you are one lucky bloke."

A triumphant smile spread across Ron's face immediately and he smiled lovingly across the yard at his girlfriend waving her over happily pointing to Harry, as if to say look who has arrived.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably and walked towards the trio of waiting boys.

Harry braced himself for the cool greeting he knew he would receive and averted his eyes to his feet swallowing nervously as Hermione paced towards them.

Hermione turned and smiled at Ron kissing him briefly on the cheek and cordially greeted Dean and Seamus in turn. When she got to Harry he almost expected a slap across the cheek the way her eyes blazed at him, but he was utterly stunned when she chuckled nervously biting her bottom lip.

"Look at you," Hermione shyly sized him up and down.

"Hey," Harry managed to murmur out if her glances wouldn't send him over the edge the events that happened next would.

Hermione pressed her lips to his cheek softly and whispered in his ear softly, "Happy Birthday Harry."

Harry's cheeks blazed scarlet red and he had to take a step back to compose himself. If only she knew how she affected him, her smiles could reduce him to a puddle in seconds and her touch caused him to erupt into flames. "Thanks," Harry grumbled throatily and Hermione watched him a strange glint in her eyes. It disappeared moments later as Ron flung his arm around her shoulder and resumed a quidditch argument he was having with Seamus.

Harry grinded his teeth quietly and avoided Hermione's eyes that seemed glued to him, and he prayed for a distraction before one of the three boys realized how oddly he was behaving.

Call it the gods or call it a coincidence, but Mrs. Weasley came out of the house just seconds later with a crying bundle in her arms. "Shh, shh, hush now," she cooed to the baby boy yards away from the group of teens.

Automatically Harry stepped past Hermione and Ron and walked quickly over to a flustered Molly Weasley.

"What's wrong," Harry instinctively reached for his nephew and Molly tentatively handed him over.

"I'm not sure," Molly responded, "but Harry you have to be very careful and…" but her words were useless as Harry skillfully rocked Teddy in his arms and the cries quickly subsided to whimpers.

"You're alright," Harry whispered bouncing Ted steadily pressing his lips to the boy's forehead, "I bet the floo just riled him up a bit."

Hermione stared her mouth hanging open in shock, "How did you know he traveled by floo?"

Harry's eyes jumped up to meet her accusing curious glance and before he could respond somebody else did for him.

"Harry's been helping me." Andromeda stepped out from behind the front door a tender smile on her face as she walked over to the group placing a tender caress on Harry's bicep. "Hello Hermione, don't you look lovely dear."

"Hi Mrs. Tonks," Hermione politely responded, but there was a distance in her voice as she stared at Harry who was paying full attention to the baby boy in his arms. The distance wasn't unnoticed by Andromeda either and she curiously watched Hermione watching Harry and Harry purposefully avoiding her gaze.

"Well I think I'm going to take Teddy for a walk around the yard," Harry mumbled pathetically slyly stepping away.

"I'll join you," Hermione sharply responded and even Ron looked down at her his brow furrowed.

"I'll come too," Ron went to follow his girlfriend and Harry, but was stopped.

"Ronald!" Dromeda said a little too exuberantly, "I wanted to talk to you actually," she placed her arm around his shoulder and pulled Ron towards the house. "I noticed you have a particularly interesting pair of shoes on this afternoon and I have a story about my late husband's shoes that you will find absolutely hysterical!"

Ron grimaced and he stared longingly after his two friends as Dean and Seamus chortled at his retreating form.

Harry glanced back at Dromeda and her piercing gaze didn't go unnoticed by him. He knew what it meant, Harry had a lot of explaining to do and not just to her. For trailing close behind him was a very, very persistent girl. Harry groaned and stared down at a peaceful Teddy as he trudged towards property edge. This was going to be a very, very, long day.