This part is where the subject of Harry's parents gets brought up and Draco hits on Hermione. Tsk tsk, he's a naughty boy! R/R..please.
Hermione giggled and rolled over, so she was lying on the bed and Harry was lying on top of her. She felt extremely happy, and shots of pink appeared on her cheeks as Harry kissed her again and again and again. He shifted position; now lying next to Hermione on the bed. Hermione nestled in beside him, listening to the beating of his heart and watching the falling and rising of his chest as he breathed. Harry's arms wrapped around her protetctively and Hermione closed her eyes.
The ride over from her house to Harry's on the Knight Bus was extremely neaouseating and jumpy. 10 minutes after the trip had started, Hermione was about to jump up and demand to be taken back home again, just because she felt so sick. But now, lying here besides Harry, she knew it was all worth it.
The door to Harry's bedroom banged open, and the couple pulled apart quickly, looking over in suprise. Draco Malfoy was standing in the doorframe, looking startled and smug, as usual.
" Why don't you two just lock the door so I don't have to walk in on this most unpleasant sight?" he suggested in his all-too familiar drawl.
Harry's fingers gripped Hermione's arm tightly as he sat up. " And why don't you learn to knock?" he shot back.
Sensing a shouting match between the two was about to start, Hermione jumped in quickly. " Did you need something, Draco?"
Draco's icy blue eyes flicked over to her before turning around. " Sirius and my mum are calling you two lovebirds downstairs. It's time for lunch," he added before slamming the door shut behind him.
" Why that little.." Harry started.
" Harry," Hermione said quickly, placing the palms of her hands on top of Harry's chest and gently pushing him down on the bed. " We'll continue this later. Let's go eat now, I'm starving," she added, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before getting up.
Harry nodded reluctantly and the two walked down the stairs together, hand in hand. They entered the sunny, cozy kitchen to find Sirius, Narcissa, and Draco already seated. Draco was staring glumly off into space while Sirius and Narcissa were discussing a future trip to Diagon Alley. The conversation stopped when they realized Hermione and Harry had entered.
Hermione gulped and she felt herself blush slightly. She felt a little out of place, yet in the back of her mind, a little voice inside her head was telling here there was no need to be.
Harry squeezed Hermione's hand and led her over to the table, where he pulled out a seat for her before sitting down himself.
Sirius and Narcissa were staring at the two fondly, in a mother and father-ly sort of way. Hermione smiled shyly and knew she needen't be scared. Sirius was a nice guy, Narcissa seemed nice as well, and Draco..well, Draco was Draco. And even Hermione knew he could be nice as well, since she had experienced that only months before.
***
Harry fiddled with his silverware and with an accidental slip of his hand, his knife and fork crashed to the floor, making a loud, unearthly noise in the comfortable silence. He bent down to pick it up, noticing something underneath the table that made his blood boil.
Draco was sitting across the table from Hermione, and his feet were slowly inching closer to hers.
" Stupid prat," Harry muttered to himself, straightening himself up and setting his silverware back on the table. He turned to face Hermione and gave her a smile, taking one of his long legs and wrapping it over Hermione's, so if Draco succeeded in reaching his feet out far enough, he'd be playing footsy with Harry instead of Harry's girlfriend.
Hermione gave him a suprised smile and tucked a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear.
Just to show Draco up, in case he was too blind to get the hint, Harry leaned over and gave Hermione a quick kiss on the lips. " Hermione," he said, loud enough for Draco to hear. He laced his fingers through hers. " Hermione love," he repeated after a second thought. " After lunch, would you like to go for a walk to see the lake? It's not far."
" Sure, Harry. I'd love that," Hermione replied quietly, her eyes brightening.
Harry smiled triumphantly, his eyes sweeping over to Draco, glaring. He glanced over at Sirius and Narcissa, who were staring at Hermione and Harry as if they were newly-weds just like them.
" Lunch is almost ready," Narcissa spoke up, getting up from the table to check on the food cooking on the stove.
Minutes later she returned, carrying a steaming pot of scalloped potatoes and another of beef stew. The five of them dug in quickly. Soon the only noise that could be heard was of five mouth's chewing and once in awhile, Sirius or Narcissa broke the silence by asking Harry, Hermione, or Draco a question.
After helping Narcissa with the dishes, Harry escorted Hermione outside into the warm, spring air. They headed down the sidewalk, hand in hand, Hermione occasionally leaning her head against Harry's shoulder.
" This is a really nice place, Harry," Hermione said after awhile. " I bet you're really going to like it here."
" It definetly beats Privet Drive, that's for sure," Harry responded.
Hermione looked up at him. " H-have you heard from your aunt and uncle?" she asked tentatively.
" No," Harry replied. " I bet they've probably just forgotten about me," he added bitterly. He didn't care much for his aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon, anyways.
He glanced down at Hermione who was fixing him with a sympathetic smile. " I'm sure Sirius and Narcissa will make up for it."
" We're all adjusting," he said, swinging the hand that held Hermione's back and forth, back and forth. He sighed, closing his eyes momentarily as the gentle breeze whipped his hair around, messing it up even more.
" I'm sure Draco's adjusting too," Hermione added casually.
Harry froze and stopped walking, making Hermione stop in alarm. " D-do you care if Malfoy adjusts or not?" he asked through clenched teeth, dreading the answer Hermione might give him.
" Of course I do, Harry," she replied matter-of-factly.
Harry squeezed her hand tightly, feeling the color drain from his face.
" Harry!" Hermione called, nudging him in the side.
His eyes opened as he looked at her, giving Hermione a pleading look.
" I care about Draco adjusting on friendly terms. I don't like him that way. He's just a friend." Hermione threw her arms around Harry's neck and squeezed tightly. " I love you, Harry."
Harry let out a big sigh of relief before responding. " I love you too, Hermione," he said. He pulled away far enough to give her a quick kiss on the mouth. " Why don't we head back," he suggested, placing his hand on the small of Hermione's back as they turned around.
***
The breeze blew Hermione's chestnut brown hair off her neck, tickling it. She rubbed her neck quickly before looking up at the sky, smiling dreamily to herself.
" Can you believe it, Harry? Next year will be our last year at Hogwarts!" Hermione sighed to herself, tugging at Harry's arm. " The years have gone by so quickly," she added sappily.
Harry chuckled but didn't respond.
Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, looking up at him through lowered lashes. His emerald green eyes glimmered behind his glasses. She smiled. " What do you think you'll be, Harry?"
Harry shrugged his free shoulder, looking down at Hermione and kissing her nose quickly. " I have no idea, Mione."
" I don't know what I want to be either," Hermione admitted, sheepishly. She stared back up at Harry, head still resting on his shoulder. " What were your parents jobs, Harry? What did they do?"
Harry, still sensitive to the subject of his parents, tensed up, his jaw clenching. Hermione didn't notice, since her gaze was fixed on his messy black hair, wondering if it would always stay that way. Her eyes fell on Harry's lightning bolt scar and she smiled, remembering in the early years at Hogwarts how people had stared, in suprise and in awe, happy that they were standing in the midst of such a hero. She had even stared herself at first.
" I-I don't know what they did," Harry stammered, swallowing hard. They reached the house and Harry opened the front door, standing aside to let Hermione in first. " Hermione, I've got to ask Sirius something," he spoke up, sounding urgent. " Why don't you go upstairs and wait for me in my room?" he suggested.
" O-okay, Harry," Hermione stammered, wondering what was so important. She watched him walk through the kitchen and disappear.
Hermione made her way upstairs slowly and was just about to turn the knob on Harry's bedroom door when a picture to the left of her caught her eye. Hermione turned and walked closer to it. The picture, placed in a beautiful gold frame, was of Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter, on their wedding day. They waved at Hermione cheerfully as she approached.
Hermione, wondering if she should wave back or not, studied the picture closely, first looking at James Potter. She smiled to herself as she noticed his unruly black hair, his glasses, and his wide grin. Harry is getting to look so much like his father, she thought. The black tuxedo James wore made him look just positively handsome. Her gaze then fell on Lily Potter. She knew Harry's mother was pretty, but she didn't know just how much. The white wedding gown and veil blended in perfectly with Lily's emerald green eyes( just like Harry's), and her long red hair. She looked radient and happy.
" I told them they should put a picture of my side of the family up, but Sirius and even my mum refused," came a voice behind her.
Hermione whipped around, heart beating fast in suprise. Draco was leaning against his doorway, a smug smile on his face.
" I-I'm sure they'll place pictures of..of your family somewhere else," she stammered.
Draco shrugged his shoulders and straightened, taking a step closer. " I mentioned the fact that there should be a picture of them on their wedding day, but they declined that suggestion too."
Hermione took a subtle step backwards, anxious at how close Draco was getting to her. She wondered where Harry was. " Maybe their picture is in..um..their room." Beads of perspiraton were already starting to form on her forehead.
" Where's your loverboy, Potter?" Draco asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He took another tantalizing step closer.
Hermione backed away and bumped against Harry's closed bedroom door. Behind her back, she felt around for the knob, the cold surface of it comforting against her clammy hand. " He went to go ask Sirius a question. He'll be back in a jiff."
" Well then, we don't have much time, do we?" Draco asked, so close, she could feel his breath on her throat.
Just as Draco started to lean in for a kiss, Hermione twisted the knob open and burst into Harry's room, breathing hard. She watched as Draco fell flat on his face, lying there for a minute before getting up again. He glared at Hermione with his steely blue eyes.
" I get the hint. You could have just told me," he muttered, turning around and walking away, just as Harry hurried back up the stairs.
Hermione giggled and rolled over, so she was lying on the bed and Harry was lying on top of her. She felt extremely happy, and shots of pink appeared on her cheeks as Harry kissed her again and again and again. He shifted position; now lying next to Hermione on the bed. Hermione nestled in beside him, listening to the beating of his heart and watching the falling and rising of his chest as he breathed. Harry's arms wrapped around her protetctively and Hermione closed her eyes.
The ride over from her house to Harry's on the Knight Bus was extremely neaouseating and jumpy. 10 minutes after the trip had started, Hermione was about to jump up and demand to be taken back home again, just because she felt so sick. But now, lying here besides Harry, she knew it was all worth it.
The door to Harry's bedroom banged open, and the couple pulled apart quickly, looking over in suprise. Draco Malfoy was standing in the doorframe, looking startled and smug, as usual.
" Why don't you two just lock the door so I don't have to walk in on this most unpleasant sight?" he suggested in his all-too familiar drawl.
Harry's fingers gripped Hermione's arm tightly as he sat up. " And why don't you learn to knock?" he shot back.
Sensing a shouting match between the two was about to start, Hermione jumped in quickly. " Did you need something, Draco?"
Draco's icy blue eyes flicked over to her before turning around. " Sirius and my mum are calling you two lovebirds downstairs. It's time for lunch," he added before slamming the door shut behind him.
" Why that little.." Harry started.
" Harry," Hermione said quickly, placing the palms of her hands on top of Harry's chest and gently pushing him down on the bed. " We'll continue this later. Let's go eat now, I'm starving," she added, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before getting up.
Harry nodded reluctantly and the two walked down the stairs together, hand in hand. They entered the sunny, cozy kitchen to find Sirius, Narcissa, and Draco already seated. Draco was staring glumly off into space while Sirius and Narcissa were discussing a future trip to Diagon Alley. The conversation stopped when they realized Hermione and Harry had entered.
Hermione gulped and she felt herself blush slightly. She felt a little out of place, yet in the back of her mind, a little voice inside her head was telling here there was no need to be.
Harry squeezed Hermione's hand and led her over to the table, where he pulled out a seat for her before sitting down himself.
Sirius and Narcissa were staring at the two fondly, in a mother and father-ly sort of way. Hermione smiled shyly and knew she needen't be scared. Sirius was a nice guy, Narcissa seemed nice as well, and Draco..well, Draco was Draco. And even Hermione knew he could be nice as well, since she had experienced that only months before.
***
Harry fiddled with his silverware and with an accidental slip of his hand, his knife and fork crashed to the floor, making a loud, unearthly noise in the comfortable silence. He bent down to pick it up, noticing something underneath the table that made his blood boil.
Draco was sitting across the table from Hermione, and his feet were slowly inching closer to hers.
" Stupid prat," Harry muttered to himself, straightening himself up and setting his silverware back on the table. He turned to face Hermione and gave her a smile, taking one of his long legs and wrapping it over Hermione's, so if Draco succeeded in reaching his feet out far enough, he'd be playing footsy with Harry instead of Harry's girlfriend.
Hermione gave him a suprised smile and tucked a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear.
Just to show Draco up, in case he was too blind to get the hint, Harry leaned over and gave Hermione a quick kiss on the lips. " Hermione," he said, loud enough for Draco to hear. He laced his fingers through hers. " Hermione love," he repeated after a second thought. " After lunch, would you like to go for a walk to see the lake? It's not far."
" Sure, Harry. I'd love that," Hermione replied quietly, her eyes brightening.
Harry smiled triumphantly, his eyes sweeping over to Draco, glaring. He glanced over at Sirius and Narcissa, who were staring at Hermione and Harry as if they were newly-weds just like them.
" Lunch is almost ready," Narcissa spoke up, getting up from the table to check on the food cooking on the stove.
Minutes later she returned, carrying a steaming pot of scalloped potatoes and another of beef stew. The five of them dug in quickly. Soon the only noise that could be heard was of five mouth's chewing and once in awhile, Sirius or Narcissa broke the silence by asking Harry, Hermione, or Draco a question.
After helping Narcissa with the dishes, Harry escorted Hermione outside into the warm, spring air. They headed down the sidewalk, hand in hand, Hermione occasionally leaning her head against Harry's shoulder.
" This is a really nice place, Harry," Hermione said after awhile. " I bet you're really going to like it here."
" It definetly beats Privet Drive, that's for sure," Harry responded.
Hermione looked up at him. " H-have you heard from your aunt and uncle?" she asked tentatively.
" No," Harry replied. " I bet they've probably just forgotten about me," he added bitterly. He didn't care much for his aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon, anyways.
He glanced down at Hermione who was fixing him with a sympathetic smile. " I'm sure Sirius and Narcissa will make up for it."
" We're all adjusting," he said, swinging the hand that held Hermione's back and forth, back and forth. He sighed, closing his eyes momentarily as the gentle breeze whipped his hair around, messing it up even more.
" I'm sure Draco's adjusting too," Hermione added casually.
Harry froze and stopped walking, making Hermione stop in alarm. " D-do you care if Malfoy adjusts or not?" he asked through clenched teeth, dreading the answer Hermione might give him.
" Of course I do, Harry," she replied matter-of-factly.
Harry squeezed her hand tightly, feeling the color drain from his face.
" Harry!" Hermione called, nudging him in the side.
His eyes opened as he looked at her, giving Hermione a pleading look.
" I care about Draco adjusting on friendly terms. I don't like him that way. He's just a friend." Hermione threw her arms around Harry's neck and squeezed tightly. " I love you, Harry."
Harry let out a big sigh of relief before responding. " I love you too, Hermione," he said. He pulled away far enough to give her a quick kiss on the mouth. " Why don't we head back," he suggested, placing his hand on the small of Hermione's back as they turned around.
***
The breeze blew Hermione's chestnut brown hair off her neck, tickling it. She rubbed her neck quickly before looking up at the sky, smiling dreamily to herself.
" Can you believe it, Harry? Next year will be our last year at Hogwarts!" Hermione sighed to herself, tugging at Harry's arm. " The years have gone by so quickly," she added sappily.
Harry chuckled but didn't respond.
Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, looking up at him through lowered lashes. His emerald green eyes glimmered behind his glasses. She smiled. " What do you think you'll be, Harry?"
Harry shrugged his free shoulder, looking down at Hermione and kissing her nose quickly. " I have no idea, Mione."
" I don't know what I want to be either," Hermione admitted, sheepishly. She stared back up at Harry, head still resting on his shoulder. " What were your parents jobs, Harry? What did they do?"
Harry, still sensitive to the subject of his parents, tensed up, his jaw clenching. Hermione didn't notice, since her gaze was fixed on his messy black hair, wondering if it would always stay that way. Her eyes fell on Harry's lightning bolt scar and she smiled, remembering in the early years at Hogwarts how people had stared, in suprise and in awe, happy that they were standing in the midst of such a hero. She had even stared herself at first.
" I-I don't know what they did," Harry stammered, swallowing hard. They reached the house and Harry opened the front door, standing aside to let Hermione in first. " Hermione, I've got to ask Sirius something," he spoke up, sounding urgent. " Why don't you go upstairs and wait for me in my room?" he suggested.
" O-okay, Harry," Hermione stammered, wondering what was so important. She watched him walk through the kitchen and disappear.
Hermione made her way upstairs slowly and was just about to turn the knob on Harry's bedroom door when a picture to the left of her caught her eye. Hermione turned and walked closer to it. The picture, placed in a beautiful gold frame, was of Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter, on their wedding day. They waved at Hermione cheerfully as she approached.
Hermione, wondering if she should wave back or not, studied the picture closely, first looking at James Potter. She smiled to herself as she noticed his unruly black hair, his glasses, and his wide grin. Harry is getting to look so much like his father, she thought. The black tuxedo James wore made him look just positively handsome. Her gaze then fell on Lily Potter. She knew Harry's mother was pretty, but she didn't know just how much. The white wedding gown and veil blended in perfectly with Lily's emerald green eyes( just like Harry's), and her long red hair. She looked radient and happy.
" I told them they should put a picture of my side of the family up, but Sirius and even my mum refused," came a voice behind her.
Hermione whipped around, heart beating fast in suprise. Draco was leaning against his doorway, a smug smile on his face.
" I-I'm sure they'll place pictures of..of your family somewhere else," she stammered.
Draco shrugged his shoulders and straightened, taking a step closer. " I mentioned the fact that there should be a picture of them on their wedding day, but they declined that suggestion too."
Hermione took a subtle step backwards, anxious at how close Draco was getting to her. She wondered where Harry was. " Maybe their picture is in..um..their room." Beads of perspiraton were already starting to form on her forehead.
" Where's your loverboy, Potter?" Draco asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He took another tantalizing step closer.
Hermione backed away and bumped against Harry's closed bedroom door. Behind her back, she felt around for the knob, the cold surface of it comforting against her clammy hand. " He went to go ask Sirius a question. He'll be back in a jiff."
" Well then, we don't have much time, do we?" Draco asked, so close, she could feel his breath on her throat.
Just as Draco started to lean in for a kiss, Hermione twisted the knob open and burst into Harry's room, breathing hard. She watched as Draco fell flat on his face, lying there for a minute before getting up again. He glared at Hermione with his steely blue eyes.
" I get the hint. You could have just told me," he muttered, turning around and walking away, just as Harry hurried back up the stairs.