Grains of Sand
Author's Note: Think this story looks familiar? Well, to my former fans it should. This was taken from my old story, Harry Potter and the Demon's Scepter (smarta—reviewers should note that nobody owns the word 'scepter' except the dictionary). I was planning on doing some sequels to HP and the D's S (lol that sounds funny) but since I never finished the first one, how can I write any more?? So! Since I really wanted to do this, here it is. I obviously don't own Harry Potter, cuz if I did, I would be getting out books 5-7 NOW! And putting Harry and Hermione together…because Ron is…funny…looking, lol but oh well. This chapter takes place at the summer of their 5th year. And sorry its kinda choppy, but I really want to get started on the next part, lol.
Chapter One: Ocean of my Heart
Harry sat up with a jolt, his hand pressing to his scar, which burned fiercely. His body was covered in a colt sweat. He had had another nightmare. He groped the nightstand beside him, and found the item he was searching for, jamming his them onto his face. The room slowly came into focus as he blinked rapidly. He swept his bangs back, though they stubbornly flipped back to their normal position. He flung the covers off of him, and made his way to the window. He opened it, letting a cool breeze wash over him, soothing away his fears. Somewhere out there, Voldemort was waiting. Waiting to kill him. Waiting to get revenge. Harry shuddered, stepping away from the patch of moonlight he had been standing in, as if it were a searchlight Voldemort could use to find him. His owl hooted at him, and he petted her lightly through the cage bars. Seeing Hedwig made him think of Hermione, both had an affectionate and free spirit, its what intrigued him the most about them. Thinking of Hermione, he touched the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him at the train station. He wondered what she meant by it, or if she meant anything by it at all. His stomach fluttered at the thought. He realized now how much he really did care for her, not just as a friend, but more. He couldn't wait for the summer vacation to end, so he could see his friends again, especially Hermione. He kept thinking of her at the Yule Ball and her amazing transformation. He hit his forehead with his hand, trying to get her off of his mind, it was only making him miss her more.
The days trickled by slowly, until, finally, Harry received a letter from Ron inviting him over to his house for the rest of summer. Harry whooped with joy! And sent his acceptance via Ron's incredibly hyper mini-owl. The only thing now was to convince the Dursleys to let him go. That would be easy. Just a little mention of his godfather would get them to agree, not as if they didn't want to get rid of him already anyway. Harry bounded down the stairs, and swooped into the kitchen. Aunt Petunia was just about to call for him as he entered.
"Cook some breakfast!" she barked.
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry said obediently. He quickly began cooking some eggs and bacon.
"You're going to starve our poor Dudley with rations like that!" Petunia cried, patting her overly-large son's head. "Our Dudleykins needs his nourishment."
"Yes, Aunt Petunia, I'll cook some more," Harry replied, rolling his eyes as he turned away from them. He cooked some more bacon and eggs, placing them in front of the human garbage disposal. Once Petunia was finally satisfied that her 'Dudleykins' had had enough food, she allowed Harry to cook a small portion for himself. "Uncle Vernon, one of my friends is coming over to pick me up to spend the rest of summer at his house, is that alright?" Harry asked as he was washing the dishes.
"One of your stupid 'wizarding" friends?" he asked. Harry fumed.
"Yes Uncle Vernon, One of my 'stupid wizarding friends'," he replied.
"I don't know…has this boy been acting up lately, Petunia?" Vernon asked his beanpole of a wife.
"I don't know, that boy is always up to something."
"Well, my godfather…" Harry said.
"Right then, I guess you can go. Won't have to deal with you till next year," Uncle Vernon muttered.
"Thank you Uncle Vernon!" Harry cried, smiling. He raced upstairs, and threw together a bag, readying his trunk and Hedwig's cage. A short while later, an owl came to Harry's window, pecking on it lightly. Harry ran to the window, and levered it open. The owl flew in, and landed, dropping a letter from Ron on Harry's bed. Harry eagerly ripped it open.
Dear Harry,
We're on our way. Hope its ok with the Dursleys. If its not, we're taking you anyway. Dumbledore finally gave the ok for you to come over. Mum thinks you'll be safer here anyway, around all these wizards. Just keep the owl with you, we'll take him with us when we get there.
See you soon,
~Ron
Harry cheered quietly and gave the owl some water from Hedwig's cage. The owl hooted gratefully as Harry sat back to wait. Soon he heard the doorbell buzz, and he leapt up, running to get the door. Ron and his parents were there, smiling, the first friendly faces he had seen in weeks.
"Ron!" Harry cried, gleefully. Ron grinned.
"Did they give you any trouble?" he asked, obviously referring to the Durselys. Harry shook his head. "Let's go get your stuff, then. Oi! Fred, George! Come help me with Harry's bags!" Ron shouted over his shoulder.
They bustled up the stairs and came back down a second later laden with Harry's items. They loaded his trunk into the car, and they piled in. Petunia and Vernon watched solemnly from the door, silently shaking their heads before closing the door.
"So, Harry, how's your summer been so far?" Ron asked. Harry glared at him in response, he already knew the answer. "Oh, right," Ron chuckled. "We're gonna pick up Hermione on the way back, hope you don't mind." Harry's heart fluttered, but his face remained impassive and he shrugged casually.
"Sure thing," he said.
A time later they arrived at the front of a very large house.
"Wow," Ron said. "Hermione lives here?" The twins whistled in appreciation behind him. Harry and Ron extracted themselves from the car and made their way up the neatly paved driveway. Harry, getting there first, rang the doorbell trying not to look too eager. A few seconds later the door opened…and there stood Hermione. Her hair was straight and no longer bushy and she had finally filled out, taking on a more womanly appearance.
"Harry!" she cried. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Harry saw her father scowling behind her. He cleared his throat gruffly.
"Let's not suffocate the boy now," he said. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Oh, Daddy," she said, releasing Harry. "Ron!" she said with a grin, administering a similar treatment upon him. Harry and Ron grabbed the ends of her trunk and carried it to the awaiting car. Hermione quickly said goodbye to her parents and crammed into the car with everybody else.
The day had finally arrived: The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were taking a trip to the beach (A/N: don't ask me which one…). Mrs. Weasley had announced a week before that they all needed to get out of the house, and had scheduled the trip immediately. There was a flurry of activity around the Weasley home as everyone prepared their belongings for the trip. Bags were piled into the trunk of a large Buick that Mr. Weasley borrowed from the Ministry, and soon everyone was ready to go, however Mrs. Weasley insisted they all sit down and have a full breakfast. After that, they finally managed to pile inside the car which adjusted slightly to allow more room. Harry sat squished between Ron and Hermione, and Ron couldn't help but snigger as Harry blushed profusely and tried to keep quiet the entire ride to a private beach that served as a vacation spot for Ministry workers, hidden somewhere in Scotland (A/N: don't ask…just popped out a random country, lol) The twins whooped as the car drove up and parked in a small parking lot (as in there were about 4 parking spaces) overlooking the beach. Fred and George poured from the car as soon as it came to a semi-stop and dashed towards the water, pulling off their shirts as they did so, tossing them aside. The rest of the group waited till the car came to a full stop and walked out together, pulling out towels and a large umbrella from the trunk. Mrs. Weasley pulled out her bag and immediately attacked Ron, Harry, and Hermione with sun block lotion. As soon as she finished lathering them up, she released them, and began the process on her husband, who protested like a child. Harry and Ron ran to the water, shedding their cover-ups as they went. They leapt in and immediately began a water fight with the twins. Fred tried to dunk Harry, but Harry would have none of that with his new muscles and proceeded to dunk Fred instead.
"Aw, no fair!" Fred sputtered. "I haven't had a chance to work out all summer!" he protested with a laugh. They frolicked in the water a while longer till Harry noticed Hermione wasn't with them. He looked around for her and found her sitting under the large umbrella stabbed into the sand, reading a rather large book. Harry ran over, and snatched the book from her hands, setting it down beside him as he kneeled in front of her.
"Hey! I was reading that!" she cried.
"I know, but we're at the beach! You're supposed to swim!" Harry said pointedly. Hermione sighed patiently, probably thinking of a lecture. Harry rolled his eyes and tugged on her hand, but she refused to budge. "Fine," Harry said casually. She seemed surprised by this and glared at him suspiciously. He began to walk away, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her reach for her book. He grinned and raced back, snatching her up and running with her to the water, proceeding to dump her in with a laugh. She shrieked on contact with the water, and coughed and sputtered as she surfaced. She glared up at Harry who smiled down at her mischievously.
She glared at him and said one thing: "Run." From the furious look on her face he turned and ran from her, down the shore line with her just behind him. They ran through the surf laughing as they kicked water at each other.
"Cute, huh?" Fred asked to no one in particular.
"Yep, real cute," George replied with an amused expression on his face.
"I'm gonna get you, Harry!" Hermione shouted. Harry made a face at her and scurried away as she charged at him. She finally proceeded to tackle him to the ground and they rolled into the water, laughing. Hermione dunked Harry into the water, who rolled over and returned the favor. He stood with a laugh, water rolling down his skin.
"Hermione?" he asked, she was nowhere in sight. "Uh, where are you?" he sounded worried now. He didn't notice the shadow swimming towards him from behind, reaching for him. He suddenly felt something grip his ankles and pull his feet from beneath him. He crashed down into the water to find Hermione holding his ankles with an amused expression on her face.
"Got ya!" she cried, chortling at his expression.
"Yeah…well…I got you!" Harry replied, tickling her the best he could underwater. She immediately began shrieking and splattered around in the water.
"Harry! –Ah!!- That tickles!!" she cried, rolling in the water.
"That's the idea," he replied with a sly grin. She jumped up and tackled him once again, landing on top of him, still laughing…not totally realizing what position they were in. They opened their eyes and found themselves staring at each other, they were centimeters apart. They slowly leaned towards each other and their lips slowly met. Their first kiss. Hermione pulled back suddenly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" she began, but was interrupted as Harry pulled her back to him, their lips meeting again. He wrapped his arms around her, and her hands tentatively framed his face.
The twins watched in the distance, then pulled Ron over, asking, "Are our eyes failing us or are they kissing?"
Ron squinted at the couple in the distance laying on top of each other. He looked to the twins with a grin.
"What are you guys staring at?" Ginny asked incredulously. She noticed the couple in the distance as well, and felt her jaw drop. "uh, well," she sputtered, "We should let them have their privacy!" she said, turning her brothers in a different direction.
Harry and Hermione pulled apart, gasping for air. The stared at each other with mixed emotions.
"So…" Harry said.
"So?" Hermione asked.
"Be my girlfriend?" Harry asked, feeling a sudden onslaught of bravery. She grinned, rolling her eyes playfully.
"I guess," she said, feigning a yawn. At Harry's stricken look, she laughed and said, "Of course I will Harry, what took you so long?"
Harry stared at her, "Uh, well…" he stuttered. She laughed and splashed him again, jumping up and running down the shore again, Harry on her heels.
"They're such a cute couple aren't they?" Mrs. Weasley asked her husband. He grinned and leaned in towards her.
"Ew! Mom! Dad! Do that somewhere else!" they heard Ginny cry. They turned to face their daughter who glared at them pointedly. They sighed, deciding to continue another time. (A/N: ick! Please, y'all have enough children!) They waved everyone in, and all the teens came trotting up to them. Everyone stared at Harry and Hermione as they stood there, dripping wet.
"What?" they asked at the same time.
"Was it just me, or was there snogging going on over there?" Ron asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Ronald Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "Leave them be! If there was any, they'll tell you if they want you to know." She glared at him, making sure the point made its way into his head.
"Ok, mother," he muttered, rolling his eyes when she turned away. He grinned at Harry and Hermione who were both blushing profusely.
"So! Let's have the guys set up the tent, and the girls will start cooking!" Mrs. Weasley announced. Why they were camping in tents on the beach was beyond any of them, but it was cheap. There was a bustle of activity as the girls gathered wood for a fire, and the boys began unpacking the tent poles and housing. The smell of cooking food began to waft through the camp, and the boys began drifting towards the campfire. "Are all the tents up?" Mrs. Weasley asked, not looking up from her work. The guys grumbled and headed back to finish putting up their tents. A time later they all gathered around the campfire, sitting against and on logs set up around it. The twins were talking secretively on one log, probably about their future shop. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley sat on another log, talking quietly among themselves. Ron and Ginny sat arguing about something against another log, while Harry and Hermione talked to each other, leaning against each other and their log. They smiled tentatively at each other, which Ron couldn't help but notice as he grinned at them. Soon the talking died down and the logs were vacated slowly as the night wore on.
The dying embers of the fire cast shadows against the last couple left, Harry and Hermione (a/n: of course!) They talked about various things at random till Harry realized that Hermione was asleep. He draped his arm around her, pulling her close so her head rested on his chest. He stroked his fingers through her hair, his cheek resting on her head. They sat (or slept) like this for a time, till finally Hermione began to stir. Harry shook her shoulder lightly, helping her back to reality.
"Come on, Hermione, time for bed," he said softly. She yawned and nodded sleepily, dragging herself up with Harry's help. He walked her to the tent she would be sharing with Ginny and kissed her softly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping his lips glued to hers. His hands snaked around her waist as his tongue went over the seam of her lips, she opened to him willingly. They broke apart from lack of oxygen, comfortable in each other's embrace. "Night, Hermione," Harry said softly, kissing her forehead.
"Night, Harry," Hermione said, quickly kissing his cheek before entering her tent. Harry walked to the tent he was sharing with Ron, surprised to find him awake, and grinning wickedly.
"H-hi, Ron," Harry said uncertainly.
"I knew it!" Ron cried as quietly as he could.
"Knew what?" Harry asked dubiously.
"That you two are a couple now!" Ron said, smiling. "How does it feel, mate?"
"Uh…its….oh come on, Ron!" Harry said with a light laugh. Ron pouted slightly. Harry rolled his eyes and replied in a whisper, "Its great." He sighed in content, changing into his sleepwear. Harry bedded down into his sleeping bag, and wiggled a bit to find the most comfortable position before settling down.
"Harry, I have one more question for you," Ron said.
"What?" Harry asked, already slipping into dreamland.
"Is she a good kisser?" he asked wickedly. –SMACK- "Ow! Just kidding."
Author's Note: Ok, sorry, choppy, bad, I know. But I need this part for the next part which will take place the summer after their 7th year. You really don't need to review this chapter cause it sucks, and I already know that. And if you tell me it sucks, I'll cry….cause I have no self confidence. LoL. Poor me. Romantic stuff never happens to me. Oh well, I've still got my space monkey (that's Bobbo *Bob-o* to you people out there.) Onward!!
