MEET THE GRANGERS
AN: So this is a quick thing I had to get out after a binge of Harry/Hermione stories. I hate the threatening father thing. I would call it a trope or cliche but I know it's also a real thing that some idiots do, which I think is ultimately just pathetic. When it happens in real life it just makes the father look like an asshole, which reflects poorly on the girl, and in a story I think it generally doesn't add anything unless the point is to show the female's family in a negative light.
Harry Potter's sixth year as Hogwarts was unlike any before it.
In a way it felt more peaceful than any other as he wasn't dealing with an oppressive inquisition, a deadly tournament, the threat of dementors, the paranoia of the Heir of Slytherin, or adjusting to life in a new society. Yet it was also the year he watched Dumbledore be murdered by someone he trusted, someone Harry had tried to warn him was untrustworthy. It was the year Hogwarts was invaded by a group of Death Eaters due to Draco, who he'd spent the year warning was dangerous. It was the year he knew would be his last at Hogwarts, as he now had a mission to fulfill if he ever hoped Voldemort could die.
However in the years to come it would ultimately be remembered by him as the year he finally started dating Hermione Granger.
There had been a lot of drama throughout the year, but it barely mattered once he kissed her. He'd forever be sure it happened because he was coming off his use of the Felix Felicis potion, which had clearly picked up on the feeling he'd buried years earlier. There had been more drama afterward, the Luck Potion only lasted so long, but it was easy to deal with since they had each other.
He'd considered distancing himself from her, but their talk early had played in his mind.
"There's no point in keeping quiet," Hermione had told him as they went to speak after their kiss. "I'm already involved in this, Harry. I've been your friend since first year, and even if I wasn't I'm a Muggleborn. This might come down to you, but this war is about people like me."
She was always going to be a target. Her friendship with Harry made her a bigger target than someone like Dean or any other Muggleborn, but in the end she would always be a target to people like the Malfoys.
Things were still shaky with Ron, and they weren't sure he'd end up joining them on the Horcrux hunt, but there had never been any doubt she was coming with Harry. He knew how important Hogwarts was to her and joining him meant giving up her last year there, but that wasn't what made him offer the choice even though he knew she wouldn't take it.
"That's my parents," Hermione said as they exited the platform into King's Cross and saw the muggle parents waiting for their children.
Harry recognized them from their brief meeting during his second year, but this was different. It wasn't just that he was Hermione's boyfriend, but this could end up being the last time he met them. In a few days Hermione would wipe their memories and send them out of the country.
Part of him had felt guilty, and likely would for the rest of his days should they be unable to find them or repair their memories afterward, but she'd convinced him it was necessary. She knew her parents better than him, she knew how they would react or behave to certain things, so he couldn't really argue against it beyond offering ideas that had ultimately fallen short of what she'd decided to do.
After hugging her parents Hermione turned to Harry beaming. "Mom, Dad, you remember Harry. My boyfriend."
"Hermione's written quite a lot about you," Mrs. Granger said with a smile that reminded him of one Hermione got when she knew more than she was saying.
Mr. Granger however wore a stern expression, leaving his arms crossed until Harry finished shaking Mrs. Granger's hand. He then latched his hand onto Harry's as firmly as he could, clearly putting a bit of extra effort in to make sure it was tight as he could muster.
"You'll have to come by sometime," the father barely hid his hostility as he added with a smirk, "I'll have to show you my rifles."
The Granger women rolled their eyes while Harry nodded, then turned his attention to Mrs. Granger. "I'm sorry, but every time Hermione talks about you she says Mom and Dad, and I think Doctor and Doctor could be confusing."
Hermione's eyes widened, realizing her lapse. "Oh!"
Mrs. Granger snickered. "It's fine dear. You can call me Emma."
"And you can call me Doctor, or Colonel."
"Colonel?" Harry asked arching his brow.
"I earned it by serving five years in the SAS," Mr. Granger said as if it were a threat.
Maybe it was a year of more personal problems. Maybe he'd unconsciously began to channel Sirius. Maybe it was his nature as the son of Prongs. Maybe it was Hermione. Or maybe it was years of dealing with ponces and idiots, but Harry's personality had a developed. It was a shift that meant he knew he didn't have to be intimidated by this nonsense. In fact, he could do it better.
"Oh, well then you may address me as Lord Harry Potter or Lord Black," Harry said raising his chin to look down his nose at the man, doing his best to channel Draco. "Or you may use one of my other titles, such as the Chosen One, which I was given for the prophecy saying I'm going to kill a dark lord; the Slayer of Slytherin, which I earned by using a sword to kill a twenty meter long snake that kills any it looks at; Soul Savior, which I earned by fending off a hundred creatures which suck the souls from their victims, Dragon Rider, which I've earned by out flying a dragon. While others use the Boy-Who-Lived in reference to my surviving a spell meant to kill all it touches, I prefer the Undying Lord."
The Granger's gaped at him, the shift clearly shocking their view of him. Hermione simply tilted her head and asked with a furrowed brow, "Harry?"
"Oh, sorry, I thought we were being pompous assholes," he said with a smile aimed at Mr. Granger. "Otherwise the implications of all this is pretty awful."
"Implications?" Mr Granger sputtered.
"The subtle threats and stuff," Harry said with a shrug. "It implies that you think your daughter is too weak to defend herself or too stupid to make a good choice on her own, if not both. Unless of course you're trying to scare me away out of some primal thought that she's yours, which has some pretty awful implications on it's own, since that kind of jealousy only really makes sense with those you're attracted to."
Mrs. Granger put a hand to her mouth as she turned to look at her husband. "Dan?"
"Wh-what? Of course not, I-you can't actually think-" The horrified man looked to his wife but a moment later turned to Harry with a glare. "YOU! How dare you-"
Mr Granger had stepped forward with his arm thrown back, ready to swing until he suddenly tripped and fell on his face, his nose crunching against the ground as it flattened and sprayed blood across his face. When he turned over he saw Hermione glaring at him, the end of her wand subtly sticking out of her long sleeve as tears trickled down her cheeks.
"You just had to act like this and embarrass me, didn't you?" she spat before turning to Harry and sniffling. "I'm sorry for my idiot father, Harry."
Harry shrugged. "It's not your fault." He stepped forward and kissed her cheek, the edge of his lips touching the edge of hers gently before he turned and made his way toward the fuming Dursleys off in the distance. "I'll see you, Hermione."
She smiled gently, touching her cheek as she nodded. "I'll be there."
With his own nod he looked to her mother. "It was a pleasure, Doctor Emma." He turned looked at the man slowly getting to his feet while holding his face, which was leaking blood down his chin. "Mr Granger."
Hermione watched Harry walk off to meet with and deal with his relatives before turning to her own, any hint of the smile he'd given her gone by the time she looked at her father. If this hadn't been Harry, but someone with whom she had a less steady relationship, she wouldn't be surprised if the boy for dumped her on the spot. Thankfully she and Harry meant more to each other than the rude man who barely knew her.
The ride home was perhaps the worst she'd ever experienced. She'd been embarrassed, insulted, offended and hurt by his behavior and let him know about it. He tried to defend himself, but went quiet as Hermione pointed out Harry knew her better than either of her parents. As a girl she'd thought she'd return from Hogwarts and spend her days with her parents, but often ended up spending more time alone, which was why she'd looked forward to spending time with the Weasleys for weeks on end when they offered.
She'd stormed up to her room in tears when they arrived home and spent the night there, but there was one good thing that came out of this all.
She wouldn't feel as bad altering her parent's memories anymore.