First the lateness:

I just got engaged – Not yet 18 and engaged and I did not even get the girl pregnant----------- :D. A few of you might say that I'm too young – I probably am – but that's not the point. The story of why and how is rather interesting – but I'll tell that in the Next Chapter of Septanic Dueling. The wedding date is – 31st of DECEMBER 2002. I am also posting this from Australia (why is part of the story and I'll tell all in the next chapter of Septanic Dueling).



For Money and Property?

Nappa



Chapter Three : Where there is a Will there is trouble!


Hermione walked calmly across the foyer of the apartment building that she had been living in for the past two months and towards the entrance. The door man, an elderly looking man, held the door for her. She nodded slightly at him as she approached the door. " Going out so soon, Ms. Granger..." the eldery man looked a bit confused. He had a right to be, she had just walked in a few mintues ago with the same suitcase that was in her hand now. " Do you need a hand, miss..."

" No thank you, James. I can do it." Hermione walked onto the other side of the glassdoor.

" Must have been..." He mumbled to himself finally realising what had happened to the young girl. The elederly man in question had seen a lot of things happen in the apartment complex in his lifetime. Anniversaries, birthdays, parties, birth and deaths – even a murder a few decades ago. Of all the things he had seen – he could not help think that this was one of the worst. He really did not think that the girl deserved what had happened to her. She was unlike anyone he had met in his entire life. Hermione was uncommonly kind – in the two months that she had lived there, she had spoken to him longer than some of the other residents had in years. His heart went out to the girl. He looked out to see that she was standing at the edge of the footpath – looking blankly at a poster. He picked up the phone behind his little counter and called a number – when he was done, he opened the door and walked out to her.

" I called a taxi Miss Granger."

" Thank you James." Hermione said looking up. She was not like what he had expected her to look like. She looked as though nothing was wrong. The man nodded and started to head back inside – when he turned back.

" I hope you don't me saying this Miss Granger – but I have to. You're a beautiful girl and a very kind one. That lout of a hoodlum didn't deserve you, miss. You'll find someone better in a day's time, I can promise you that."

Hermione smiled warmly at the man. " I'm alright, James. You don't have to be worried on my account."

" It's no bother really miss..." The man's voice trailed off as the a black taxi pulled up in front of Hermione. " Let me get you the door miss." He hurried to open the door for her – knowing that she would not let him do it for her if she reached the door first. When Hermione was in he said, " Goodbye, Miss Granger. It's been a pleasure knowing you."

Hermione nodded and the door closed.

" Where to Ms.?" asked the driver.

" Tilford."

" Tilford?" there was a genuine surprise in the man's voice. " As in Tilford in Surrey?"

" Yes." Hermione looked out the window at the retreating figure of James. She was going to miss James more that she would miss the apartment or her boyfriend.

" I'll need some money upfront miss. It's quite a long trip from here... and...you know – I don't need the passenger doing a runner."

Hermione opened up her purse and took out two notes. " Would a hundred pound do?"

" It will." said the driver, taking the money. The car started up with a low hum.


~o0o~


Hermione wrapped the thick green blanket around her leg and leaned back against the porch swing. In her hand she had favourite book of all times – well non magical one - " A tale of two cities". It was always a good read at early winter mornings with the light filtering through the foliage of the trees just right. It was a quite rural setting and she was looking forward to her read. This would have been the first time she would have had done this after her father died. She missed the love and affection he showered onto her and times like this when she felt truly alone, she she missed the fact that he was not making a cup of hot chocolate inside. He would bring it out and site on one of the other chairs look at her drink and read the book – totally oblivious to the rest of the worls. Hermione had tried to make hot chocolate like he used to make – but it never tasted the same. She missed the thick and rich flavour of chocolate. She could almost smell it and thinking about it made her crave it.

" Want some?" asked a voice from behind her.

Hermione was surprised would have had been an understatement. She did not even look at the person or what he was offering. She jumped to grab her wand which was only an arms length away on a pedestal – but she she fogote all about the blanket that was wrapped around her leg. Hermione felt herself wobble before she started to head for the floor – backwards. She closed her eyes for the inevitable fall, which somehow never came. Hermione opened first her left eye – making sure that she was still in the real world and not dead. When she saw that the porch ceiling was the same as the one she lived in, she opened her other eye. She realised why she was no falling to the floor. Someone had caught her. Normally she would have been very thankful to the person who had saved her, but this time she was not. She was still mad at him after two months. She was mad at Harry for leaving her like that at the graduation party. " What do you want?"

" I came with hot chocolate and end up saving you from a fall – and this is what I get?" Harry let go of her, and this time she fell to the floor completely – she banged her elbow in the process too. She got up really quickly, and her anger at Harry increased more when she found that Harry had taken her seat on the swing. There was still plenty of space left next to him, but it would have been uncomfortably close. She was still mad at Harry about the party – and that combined the way she was feeling about all men after Oliver and her anger at Harry suddenly showing up was a dangerous combination. Any other man would have had sensed how unwanted he was and would feel uncomfortable – but Harry with the ego the size of Hogwarts, was different. He did not even seem unfazed in the slightest. Harry pointed at the steaming cup of chocolate on the pedestal near her. Reluctantly she took the cup. Harry could have had put something in there as a joke or with malicious intent. She could find a lot of reasons not to take the cup, but there was only one reason to take it. It was chocolate. Hermione held the cup close to her nose and was going to smell it when Harry said, " I didn't put anything in there."

Hermione pretended that she had never thought of that.

" Honestly, you pretend like I have nothing better to do then just put some kind of drug in your beverage and have my way with you."

" You do? What would that be – chasing the slut of the month?" Hermione did not know what came over her, but somehow she did not feel as vulnerable as she used to feel around Harry and it gave her the courage to speak her mind.

" Hey!" Harry said protesting, " that's slut of the week..."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

" Besides," Harry said pushing off the ground with his legs and staring to swing a little on the chair. " ...if I wanted to have my way with you, I could easily do it without resorting to drugging you – I would have had thought after that Graduation party, you would know that."

Harry was right about the party and Hermione knew it was true. Harry need only corner her. Hermione's eyes darted above the cup of chocolate – making sure that she was in as much open space as she rememebred. " ...you love me and you know it."

Hermione shouted, almost squeezing the cup in her hand enough to risk splashing herself with the hot liquid. " It was lust! Just pure unadulterated lust! There's a big difference between lust and love, Harry, and you would not know it if bit you in the ass..."

Harry was surprised to see that Hermione had protested at all. He did want to infuriate her, but he did not know that he would be successful in getting her to swear at him. It was a pleasant surprise for him. She never failed to surprise him and that's what he liked about her. " Swearing?"

" It's only swearing if the other person is respectable."

Harry chuckled. " Since when exactly?"

" Since..." She could not find anything to say in her defence. " Why should I have to explain myself to you? You're the one that's here – uninvited if I may add. Which brings me to my original question." Hermione leaned against the railing. She was enjoying her role as the one to be the dominant one in their conversations. " What're you doing here?"

" and I told you... brought you the hot chocolate... for which you still have not thanked me yet."

Hermione looked at her chocolate. It was good. It was not as good as the one her father made but it was good none the less. She was mad at Harry, so he would never hear of it. " You want me to believe that you came out of that large house of yours to give me a cup of chocolate?"

" Yes." Harry said very strongly. " You make it sound like it's a chore. I live across the street remember."

Hermione ignored him. " Just the cup of chocolate?"

" Yes..." Harry's voice seemed to have had gone a bit softer.

" Just the chocolate?" She asked yet again.

" Yes... erm kind of.." Harry finally seem to give away that he was after something else.

" What is it? - Just ask me and put me out of my misery."

" Erm... It's about the tie." Harry showed her his bright yellow tie – almost a flurocent yellow. The only thing that she could come up with is that he wanted her to give him a new one – which turned out not to be the case. " Can you tie it for me?" He asked – almost begging – as close as Harry Potter could come to do it. " I had two others," he explained, " the first one caught fire when I tried to magic it to do it – the other one, tried to choke me."

'Why couldn't it have had done a good job of it?' Hermione thought bitterly.

" This is the last one I have and it was a gift from Ginny. - She had great taste, didn't she?"

Hermione wanted to choke Harry herself with the yellow tie. She could not believe after the way Harry was treated by Ginny, he still put her in a pedistale. Not only was he doing it, he was doing it in front of her. As for Ginny's style, Hermione did not like it. Nor would anyone else with a modicum of sense. Hermione supposed that when the topic was Ginny – Harry had no sense what so ever anyway. She decided that she would help out Harry just so that he would leave her alone, faster. She started to undo the butterfly knot (like in the shoe) that he had done with the tie and started to do it properly. " I could have had sworn that I saw you in a tie before..." Harry nodded, and it made it hard for her to tie the knot. " Don't do that."

Harry went rigid. Apparently he needed this very much and that is why he was behaving himself. " I've worn ties before – usually the girl's tie them onto me. This girl I'm going out with now isn't so good in these sorts of things. Ginny and Alicia did that very well."

" Ohh... You miss her?"

" Of course I do. She was my ex-wife...I loved her... Oh! You mean, Alicia." Harry went quite. It was very unnerving for Hermione. " I miss her. If Ginny hadn't been there when she had, I wouldn't be here."

' That would have had done us all good.' Hermione thought sarcastically.

" What did you say?" Harry asked suddenly, surprising her. She was sure that she had thought it to herself – but apparently she had not. Harry looked curious, not angry at her comment, so she figured that he had not heard her completely.

" Nothing." She said quickly, before changing her mind. " Actually, this tie is horrible on you. Do want something else – I think I know where dad's old ties are. I'm pretty sure that there's a blue tie that would look great on you."

" Really?" Harry looked happy. " Good. Please."

Hermione undid what she had done and headed inside the house. She was gone for about a minute, when Harry entered the house through the front door. The house was looking very much like what it was when he had come there last. Cozy and clean. Very clean Harry noted – almost like Hermione re cleaned everything every hour of the day. Hermione came down the stairs, and frowned at him. " Why're you inside?" She demanded, " and why didn't any of the magical alarms ... wait let me guess... you don't trip alarms."

Harry grinned. " Never have. Well there was the time I was born – the doctors were alarmed at how big my..."

Hermione rolled her eyes, expecting Harry to brag about a certain part of his body. " I'll do the tie and then you leave."

" ...feet were." Harry finished his sentence with a large grin. " I'll behave, I promise."

Hermione gave him a scrutunising look, before she walked the small distance she had placed between them. She took the blue tie and wrapped it around his neck. " You haven't told me why you need it." Hermione said.

" Oh. Well, I'm going to Muggle convention – something about the Rainforest – it's Bambi's favourite charity."

" Bambi..." Hermione sniggered. Harry's tie was almost done and she felt disapointed. She would have had liked to take some pot shots at him and the sorts of girls he went out with. She did not feel as childish and foolish around him as she usually felt.

" You're only sniggering like that, because I'm not taking you out."

Hermione tightened the tie harder than she really needed to – almost choking him. " That's all done" she said looking proud and not even noticing how Harry was desperately trying to loosen his tie a bit. " Now, Out!" When he finally loosened his tie, Harry looked at her with his green eyes. They flashed and Hermione found herself instantly recalling that they had done the same in her first year. She wondered what it was. Harry shook himself to get rid of something. He smiled at her – albeit an almost bitter one. " You're right. I must get going."

Hermione sighed in relief. " Good."

Harry held the door open and said, " I told you you loved me. Despite everything I did, I still got you to do this."

" I do not!" She yelled after him, but he had already closed the door. Hermione opened the door and shouted, " It was lust! Just lust! Just..." However the person on the other side of the door was not Harry. It was the village priest. Her face coloured quickly. " Hello, father." she said in a small voice.

" Morning, my child." He said in his soft voice. " Was someone here before me?"

" Don't worry about that, father." Hermione said quickly. " Can I help?" She led the elderly man to a nearby sofa. " Tea?"

" No thank you dear. I am here on business." He said. That did not help Hermione to guess why he was there. Not only was he the priest of the the small community – he was their doctor, lawyer and the postal messenger. " I'm here about your father." He extended a thin folder with bits of paper poking out. Hermione took the folder, but did not do anything to open it. She took a seat on a nearby sofa. " What about my father?"

" What you have in your hands is his will."

" His will..." Hermione had not thought for a second about his will after his death. She had thought when he had died he left everything to her, and that is why nothing come to her in writing. After over a year, he was sure that she owned the hose she lived in – no on else had come to claim the property. " What... What does it say?"

The elderly man looked uncomfortable. "It was a joke my dear, please remember that. Your father and Sirius Black came down to the town one morning and asked me to make it out for them. It was all a joke. They were going to change it in a few weeks time."

Hermione's hand started to shake. " What's in it?"

" ...Sirius Black did the next month, but you father had died already. It was a joke my dear..."

" I get it was a joke, but what's in it?"

The priest took the folder from her and said, " basically it says that you have to get married, if you want to keep the house and the adjoining lands. Your trust fund will always be there for you – but nothing of the earnings from the land or anything can go to you – if you don't. The will only takes affect after one year and sixty nine days from the death of the person. Again, my dear, don't think of your father in a bad way. He did this as a joke and he was going to annul it a few day later – he just never made it to do it."

" This can't be legal! He can't force me to get married from beyond the grave."

" My dear, he didn't want to. It was all a joke. It is legal. I was the lawyer who did it." Hermione gave him a scornful look. " I have filed appropriate papers to get the will dismissed – but there's a problem my dear."

Hermione did not really care about the property. She had her trust fund and in a few months she would be able to buy a house almost as big as this one. The only reason she had even thought to oppose the will was because the property in question also had a section where she and her mother played together when she was young. She did not know what kind of people were going to get her land if she did not get to keep it and feared that she would loose all her memories of her mother. Having lost both her parents Hermione was very afraid that she would loose all her memories of her parents. " What?"

" It'll be three months till the hearing and the judge refused to issue an injunction – so unless you get married in the next three months my dear all this land will go to the other benefactor."

" Who is that?"

" Erm... Mr. Harry Potter."

Hermione did not know it but at that moment her eyes flashed and it scared the poor priest. Hermione could not believe what had happened. If she did not get married, then she would have had lose all that she had of her mother and father to Harry.

" Don't be angry with Mr. Potter, my child. His uncle had made the same will – with you as the other benefactor."

" Does he know?" Hermione said gritting through her teeth.

" No. He won't know till you loose the property to the exectutor – me – and it's time for him to take it over."

Hermione let out a small sigh of relief. ' Thank merlin for small favours!"

" I won't tell him – you can trust me. I'm trying to get in touch with one of my old friends – he's a judge – if I can get him to take the case, then I can speed up the case."

" When will I know if you have the new judge?"

" In a few weeks I think – but I suggest you make an alternate plan my dear. A trusted friend perhaps."

" I think I need a drink..." Hermione said getting up. " Do you want something father?"

" Apple juice if you have any."

Hermione nodded. She went into the kitchen and got out the bottle of concentrated butterbeer and then she conjured up a bottle of apple juice. She poured herself a coctail of Apple Juice and concentrated butterbeer and for the minister - just a normal glass. The priest left after he was done with his drink – Hermione however stayed there for a long time sipping and drinking herself into a stupper. She had lost her mother and father and it looked like the world she had helped save was not finished taking away precious things from her. It was determined to take away her memories as well.


~o0o~


Bambi came up from behind Harry and wrapped her arms around his waist. Harry who had been looking out the window to the small house across the street, let go of the curtains. " What're you looking at?" she asked.

" Nothing..." He started to lie, before he caught himself. He had promised himself that he would not lie – unless he really had to. "...Light is still on across the street – you know the white house across the street." Bambi didn't really listen, as she was trying to give Harry's shoulder a soft bite. He sighed exasperatedly. What she was doing was quite nice – but he was worried and she was not paying any attention. He did not like it when people did not pay attention to him. " I think I'll go and check." He said turning around and removing her hands from his person.

That got her attention. She wanted to play and he was not being co-operative. " You're not serious!" She stood back in horror. She was wearing the sexist thing that she could afford – which given her background, cost a small fortune. She knew she was good looking and that combined with her outfit she was sure that no man could resist her. So it did not make sense to her when Harry wanted to go off and do something else.

" I'm very serious – she could be hurt or killed or even worse." Harry said. He really did not think that Hermione was in mortal danger. The woman he was with right now had been very irritating the whole day, and now she wanted to play. For the first time in his life, Harry did not want to "play". He was willing to find an xcuse to get away from her. With the short attention span that Bambi had, he was sure if he stepped out she would forget all about playing and go to sleep. Finishing the day by irritating Hermione would been the perfect ending to an otherwise horrible day – he thought.

" She? As in a girl. A woman. You're going to leave me here to go check up on another woman."

" It's nothing like that. She's just a friend." Harry tried to convince Bambi, when she failed to see that – Harry resorted to an "adjusted" truth. Harry feigned a look of horror. " Do you think I would have a relationship with a 91 year old woman?"

" Oh no!...Why didn't you say so before silly? I was beginning to doubt my hotness." She said coming closer to Harry. She hugged him and said, " I think it's really sweet when a man so much about his elederly neighbour. A kind man like that is a big... wooo..." Bambi started to blush and fan herself. Harry caught on that Bambi liked sensitive men a lot. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.

" I'll be right back. I promise."

" Hurry back – I'll just lay down on the bed."

" Okay."

Harry rushed down the stairs. He told himself that he had not lied about Hermione's age – he just said the numbers backwards. At the door he grabbed his heavy cloak and made his way onto the other side of the road. He was careful not to use magic as Bambi was a muggle. Going around the back Harry found why the light was on in the back – Hermione was there – so was a very strong smell of butter beer. This was not one of the surprises that he liked. He was on the thrid step when a very drunk Hermione looked up at him.

" Ohh.... Here comes the male slut *hick*... we girls all have to drop our knickers now *hick* " Hermione started to undo her pajama bottom. Harry quickly made his way up the stair and before she could undo any more buttons, he restrained her hands. He didn't want her to do what she told her imaginary audience of girls to do. " No need to horrify me now, Elliana."

"*hick* I'm Elliana now?*hick* So when you want something I'm Elain.*hick* " Harry laughed slightly. Hermione was so drunk she was saying her own name wrong. " *hick* You're laughing. *Hick* You're taking everything away from me and you're laughing." Hermione tried to get her hands out of his grip and hit him – only managing to get herself in a more rigid position. She kept fighting more and more and before he knew it, Harry was having to restrain her by holding herself to him. Hermione was saying something about a person named Will and how he was going to give Harry everything. How James and Olive (A/N: Not Oliver) were doing things when she was there. Harry did not know who James and Olive were or where "there" was. Having left with no other choice he started to walk backwards into the house – with Hermione trapped in his arms.

" You're going to have a very big hangover tomorrow." He said

" What *hick* do you caaaaare..?"

Harry threw Hermione on the sofa. " I don't care. You're right. But you're staying put. I don't..." Hermione tried to get up again, but Harry pushed her back. " I don't want you going outside – you're a walking invitation for someone to take advantage of you."

" *hick* and you're not? What do you call taking away all my stuff? My parent's are gone and now you're taking away their memories from me. *hick* Why're you here? You want to take me now too – my dignity? *hick* I'll make it easy for you..." Hermione started to unbutton her nightshirt.

Harry groaned, before sitting down next to her. He grabbed her hands again. " Will you stop it?"

"*hick*"

" I'll let you go – but no more trying to expose yourself – you'll give me nightmares."

"*hick*"

Hermione stopped trying to get her hands free and Harry let her go gently. " I've never seen you like this – what happened?"

"*hick*"

Harry got up. " that bad, ey. Well... " He magiced Hermione to the sofa so she could not actually get out of it and then magiced the house so that no one else by her could get in and out. He made sire that she could escape in an emergency – but other than that he made sure that Hermione was a prisoner of her own sofa. Harry considered whethere or not he should stay there to see to it that she was alright – but in the end decided that he had done more than what he was required to do as a "decent" person. Guilt free he returned to his own house. When he entered his own bedroom – he found Bambi sleeping.