A/N: This story contains SLASH. Later chapters may contain rape and torture.
DISCLAIMER : This is based on characters created and owned by JK Rowling, and publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books and Waner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
************
Chapter Two - Shopping and a surprise
Harry stepped out of his uncle's car, quickly dragging out his trunk and Hedwig's cage. He was staying at Ron's for the following three days seeing as his uncle didn't want to drive in for him again. He had already let Hedwig fly off to the Burrow. Before he could even think of greeting or thanking his uncle, the older man had sped off. 'No wonder they think I'm ungrateful,' Harry thought, 'They don't give me the chance.'
And it was actually the last time he would see his uncle. The parting from the house had been a little painful for him. Not that he had ever really considered 4 Privet Drive his home, but he had stayed there for the first ten years of his life. He had said goodbye to both Dudley and Aunt Petunia, neither of which had seemed to realize that it was the last time they would see him. Maybe then they would have responded more enthusiastically.
Shaking his head, he picked up his things and entered the quaint little wizarding pub known as The Leaky Cauldron.
"'Ello Harry!" he heard the jovial voice of Tom the innkeeper carrying over the buzz of conversation, which obviously stopped when they realized he was talking about that Harry. He just sighed and stepped further into the dimly lit room. 'No use in hiding.'
"Hi Tom," he said as he stopped in front of the toothless man, "Do you have somewhere I can put my things until this afternoon?"
"You're not staying?"
"Oh no, I'm going to Ron's for the last bit of the vacation," Harry explained.
"Ah yes," Tom nodded, "Well, of course you can leave your things here. Come on." He took Harry's trunk and guided him to a room behind the bar where they deposited his belongings.
"Thanks Tom."
"No problem, Harry, you enjoy yourself now."
"I will, thank you. See you later." Harry ignored everyone's stares as he made his way to the back of the pub and into the room leading to the Alley itself. He slipped his wand from the holster on his belt (another thing he had acquired during his clothes shopping - a wizarding belt) and tapped the bricks. While not as impressive as the first time, the sight of the twisting bricks remained somewhat wondrous. He flattened his hair over his scar as he looked over the street full of witches and wizards bustling about. Glancing down at his watch, which Sirius had given him for his previous birthday, he saw he had five minutes before he had to meet Jean. He only hoped no one would recognize him.
He quickly laced through the crowd, making his way to Flourish & Blotts. He kept his head slightly bowed and walked at a brisk pace. He had often wondered how it would feel walking through a wizarding place such as this without anyone knowing who he was. 'Maybe I should try disguising myself someday,' he thought, 'I could use muggle makeup to cover the scar and hairdye or something to that effect.' He smiled slightly as he thought of himself walking down Diagon Alley with vibrant blue hair. That would certainly attract more attention than his scar.
Opening the door, he quickly stepped in and scanned the room, his eyes straying to the magical weapons category. Jean had an interest in magical sword fighting (that he shared) and they had discussed getting a few books about it. There…the long black hair and intense azure gaze. They only looked at each other for a second before their eyes moved on. Nobody would suspect a thing. He made his way up to the higher level and browsed through the shelves until he stopped near the books on sword fighting and glanced through the titles.
"Do you find it interesting?" Jean asked.
Harry looked up. "Sword fighting? Well, my girlfriend and I are interested in it but I'm looking for a book to give her," he explained, barely holding his grin back.
"Your girlfriend?" Harry nodded, the grin widening, "Well, I think she will like this book." Jean, who had been holding a book, closed it and handed it to Harry. "The first few pages are especially helpful."
"Thank you," Harry nodded and turned, going back down the steps. He quickly paid for the book, thankful he had kept some galleons with him, and went out of the shop. He opened the book to the first page where a small note was placed.
Celeria's Charms - 5 minutes
Just look around.
He wondered what Jean meant with 'Just look around.' Shrugging, Harry started down the alley, walking closer to Gringotts. Celeria's Charms, he knew, was a very large and intricate shop owned by a rather eccentric witch. It was filled with all sorts of gadgets and small toys, bracelets and necklaces, odd clothes and funny hats; basically a large conglomeration of odds and ends that didn't belong anywhere else. The inside of the shop was, like all others in Diagon Alley, magically expanded but it consisted of a multitude of rooms and hallways. It was enough to get lost in, but somehow you always found back when you wanted to leave. It was the perfect place for romantic encounters.
He stepped inside and glanced at the Celeria who was giving him a crooked smile from behind the counter. "Need any help, dearie?"
Taking a wild guess, he said, "No, thank you, m'am. I'm just looking around."
"You'll want to go through that door then," she said, pointing to a white door at one side of the room. Nodding, he walked over and opened the door. It was a room, completely white - walls, ceiling and floor. There seemed to be no way out of the room, but he stepped in anyway. The door closed behind him and disappeared, while two other doors appeared, one to his left and one to his right.
"This is very strange," he muttered dryly but decided to go through the door on the left. He was awarded as he found himself in a large and beautifully decorated room. The walls were panelled with gleaming dark wood and the floor was covered with a lush, red carpet. There was a large four-poster bed to his left with shimmering golden colours. All around the room, standing on chests or tables with intricate carvings, were all sorts of contraptions made of silver. He glanced at the window in one side of the room, and curiously, made his way over. He gazed out, only to look out over a white beach and past the foaming sea to the arc of the horizon in the distance. He shook his head in wonder before turning around. Opposite the bed, a large wooden double-door stood and he almost jumped in surprise as that door opened and Jean came through, locking and shutting the door. The other door he had entered through had disappeared. "This is a really strange place, did you know that?"
"And here I thought it was just me."
"Ah, wonderful Slytherin sarcasm, how I've missed that."
"You liked your gift?"
Harry blushed brightly in remembrance, but protested, "I'm not going to wear that." They were pressed against each other now.
"We'll see," was the last whisper before their lips met and talking ceased. It was hot and passionate and fervent, their bodies alight at the familiar contact. Hands running through ebony hair, the end of one the beginning of another. And then the rush was broken as their lungs protested, the need for air overriding the pull of desire.
"I've missed you," Jean said softly.
"I know," Harry smiled, "And I you."
Jean grinned, "We have fifty minutes left, let's make use of the time."
***
Harry emerged from the shop an hour later looking severely ruffled. The old witch had smiled knowingly at him when he had emerged from one of the doors in the shop. He guessed she often had young people sneaking off into the dizzying dementia of the shop.
Harry was grateful the shop wasn't that far from Gringotts because he was already ten minutes late. He straightened his robes and hair as best he could, but he knew they would see something had happened. He was planning to tell them anyway. He and Jean had talked about it and they had decided to tell the people closest to them about it. But he would wait until they were at the Burrow.
He grinned as he saw the tall, gangling figure topped with red hair over the heads of the crowd. Ron was the tallest guy in seventh year, standing at 6'2. Harry was lucky he couldn't be called a shrimp anymore as he stood at almost 6' precisely. He quickened his pace as he could see Hermione was already looking around impatiently.
"Sorry I'm late!" he called as he pushed through the crowd and neared the steps leading up to the bank, "I was a bit busy."
Hermione, recognizing the voice, quickly turned, taking in the flushed skin, tousled ('Well, more than normally') hair, kiss-swollen lips and enormous grin. "It seems you took your own advice, Harry," she greeted with a grin of her own.
Harry was confused momentarily before he remembered what he had told her to do with Viktor. He flushed a bit deeper, but grinned nonetheless, "Oh, we've just been kissing. Nothing below the belt."
Ron, who was normally a bit slow on the uptake, summed his confusion up by asking, "Kissing? What are you talking about?"
"Harry's secret girlfriend, of course," Hermione pulled Harry into a hug, "Good to see you again."
"You too," Harry replied with a smile before he turned to Ron and shook his hand before the red-head could say anything, "Great to see you, Ron."
"What girlfriend?" Ron asked, looking from Hermione to Harry.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "You haven't even noticed him sneaking out of the dorms at night?" Ron just shook his head, "Oh, honestly Ron. Harry's been going out with someone for five months, although I only started to suspect it two months ago."
"Who is it?" Ron asked curiously and more than a little shocked that he hadn't even noticed his friend's disappearance. 'Well,' he thought, 'It's not as if I haven't been sneaking out myself.'
"A Slytherin," Hermione whispered mock-dramatically and Harry just laughed.
"Are you serious?" Ron asked, "You're not pulling my leg here?"
"No Ron," Harry said, "I have been going out with a Slytherin for five months, well, six if you count the vacation. Just don't tell the whole world, will you. I still want to keep it a secret."
"Why?" Ron asked, "And who is it?" Harry only glanced at Hermione, silently asking her to explain.
"Isn't it obvious, Ron?" she asked exasperatedly, although Harry could tell she was only faking it, "He doesn't want the attention from the media. Would you like your every move to be printed in the paper? I think not. Besides, he's never really had something which was just his own, like a family." Ron nodded silently.
"I understand," he said after a moment, "I don't mind if you don't tell us. But you're sure she's not some Death Eater or something?"
"No, Ron. You should know by now that not all Slytherins are bad," Harry responded.
"Oh, and you would say that coming from a secret rendezvous with one looking like that," Hermione retorted with a smile.
"It was innocent kissing!" Harry exclaimed, "Not like you and Viktor in his room at Hogwarts."
Hermione instantly blushed and hit Harry on the shoulder, "Shut it, you. We didn't do anything in Viktor's room."
"No, no, no," Ron grinned, "Tell us more. How do you know about this anyway, Harry? Spy on them did you?"
"A voyeur, me?" Harry asked innocently, "As if. Well, I guess the Marauder's Map could classify of voyeurism, but it wasn't as if I was looking for it on purpose."
"The Marauder's Map?" Ron asked, mouth open.
"Yeah," Harry said amusedly, "You've never wondered what it means when two of the dots on the map merge?" Now both Hermione and Ron were red in the face. "Yes, Ron, I know everything about your little liaison with Miss. Patil from Ravenclaw."
"Padma?" Hermione asked in surprise before turning her stern gaze on Harry, "I'm going to take that map before you do any more damage." Harry just laughed in response. "Maybe then we'll know who you go out to see almost every night."
"Don't bother, I'm gonna tell you guys tonight."
"You are? But I thought you didn't want…"
"We've discussed it," Harry interrupted, "And we've agreed to tell our friends about us, just not here." He looked pointedly around at the people. "Have you guys got your money yet?" When they shook their heads, the trio entered Gringotts and while Hermione was busy at the counter exchanging money, Harry and Ron went down to the vaults and retrieved money for their school things. Since Ron had turned seventeen, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley felt that they could trust him to care for his own financial matters and had set up a vault for him, with his allowance paid directly into the vault.
After their brief excursion through the lower parts of the bank, they met up with Hermione and set out to stock themselves with this year's requirements. Their first stop was Flourish & Blotts and Harry looked up to where Jean had standing a while earlier. There was nothing now except the shelves of books.
As could be expected, there were more books on their lists seeing that it was their last and most difficult year yet. They would also be taking two advanced-level subjects this year and they had filled in their choices of subjects the previous year. All three of them were taking Defense Against the Dark Arts on advanced level as the one subject, while Hermione was doing Arithmancy and Harry and Ron were doing Care of Magical Creatures with Charlie Weasley who had gone on teaching since Hagrid's demise.
They handed their lists to the assistant whom, after a few minutes of flitting about the store, had all their books loaded in special featherweight bags. They paid the man and left the store, roaming here and there, buying more school items and meeting some of their friends from Hogwarts.
Three hours later, and laden with bags, they were sitting at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and enjoying their respite from the bustling about.
"Have you guys decided what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked suddenly. Nobody spoke for a moment, so Harry decided to answer his own question, "I've thought about it and I think I'd either want to be an Auror or a professional Quidditch player. Since Voldemort isn't gone yet and there are still Death Eaters about, I think I'd go for Auror. And you guys?"
"I have talked to Professor McGonagall about it a bit," Hermione admitted. "She thinks I can take any career option I want," she went on, a little embarrassed at the praise from the Head of House, "But I think I want to teach at Hogwarts."
"What subject?" Harry asked curiously.
"I'd be willing to teach any subject I can get," Hermione said.
"Wouldn't it be too boring for you?" Ron asked, "I mean, after all our adventures, wouldn't a job like that be too plain?" Despite the slight teasing tone, the question was serious.
"I don't know," she answered, "I'm really not sure, but I have thought about that. I have also considered a research job at the Auror department because they also get to do field work. But other than that, I don't have an idea." Harry and Hermione turned expectantly to Ron.
"Well, everyone says I'm a good strategist and I've also thought about becoming an Auror…but, it's just, I don't know if I want to be an Auror because I'd like to do it or because I feel a sort of duty to."
Harry nodded, "I know exactly what you mean and at the moment, the only reason I want to be an Auror, is because of that feeling of duty. Maybe guilt too." Ron and Hermione knew not to try and tell him that none of it was his fault, because after the war they had experienced the exact same feeling of guilt. "So," Harry smiled a bit, "We're all going to be Aurors then?"
"It seems that way," Ron said, "But hey, we'd be brilliant. We've kicked enough Dark Wizard ass over the last six years, why stop now?"
"Oh, Ron," Hermione sighed in exasperation but she couldn't stop the smile creeping onto her face.
"I really must thank you again for the dagger, Ron," Harry said, suddenly changing the subject. He had sent presents to every Weasley with a thank you note, but he still felt the need to tell them in person. It was a very beautiful dagger, after all.
"It was nothing, Harry," Ron said, "I told you, we all pitched in."
"But still," Harry insisted, "It's beautifully crafted. Thank you."
"Dagger?" Hermione asked.
Harry turned to her, "You know I like dagger fighting, right?" She nodded. "Well, Ron and his family bought me one."
"That's very thoughtful of you, Ron," Hermione said, making the other boy blush slightly, "And now you have a dagger and a sword, Harry." Harry just grinned. "Talking about buying, we still have to go and get some dress robes."
"Again?" Ron exclaimed, "What for?"
Hermione lifted her eyebrows, "It says so on the list, Ron." Though he didn't doubt her, Ron grabbed the list from her and groaned as he confirmed that they did indeed need dress robes.
"And I've grown too long for that one Fred and George bought me," Ron said, gazing down at his long legs.
"You're longer than everyone else in your family," Harry commented, "I wonder where you get it from."
"Uncle Thaddeus, one of my father's brothers, is taller than I am," Ron said.
"I think it's another ball," Hermione commented, looking at the list, "Oh, of course, how silly of me. Despite the fact that there may be a Yule Ball, we'll have the Graduation Ball just before we graduate."
"And you probably read about it in Hogwarts : A History?" Harry asked and they all laughed. "Let's get it over with then," Harry sighed. As much as he liked wearing nice clothes, he disliked shopping except if Jean accompanied him. So, Harry and Ron unwillingly followed Hermione as she made her way for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, their gazes still drawn by the new Hurricane racing broom in Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"Can I help you, dears?" the plump saleswitch asked once they were inside.
"Yes, thank you," Hermione said, "We're looking for uniforms and dressrobes."
"Ah yes, Hogwarts then. I'll sort out your Hogwarts robes and you can look for something nice in the meantime. This way." They followed the older witch further into the shop, coming to a large circular room with robes and other clothing items hanging all round. "Now, I'll leave you three to look around, call me if you need anything." They nodded and the saleswitch disappeared behind the reams of cloth.
"Can't we rather dress in muggle clothes," Harry said as he sifted through the items on the walls. "I mean, I did spend all the money on getting me some casual and formal muggle clothes to wear."
Hermione turned from where she was examining a shimmering lilac dress, "I'm sure you can. There has to be some sort of open robe that you can use for a cloak to wear over the muggle clothes."
Nodding, Harry returned to his inspection. If he was going to reveal his relationship with Jean at a Ball, he might as well make an impression. The image of the leather harness came to mind and he felt the heat stain his cheeks red. 'Definitely not, although it definitely would make an impression.' "Aha," he cried in success as he picked a cloak from its place. It was black but it shimmered faintly and it had a band of silver running along the edges. He turned to Hermione, who had stopped what she was doing at his outcry, "Do you think I can wear this with black pants, boots and my red silk shirt?"
"It would be perfect," she nodded, satisfied and continued her browsing. Harry turned to look at Ron currently holding up a yellow robe and making a disgusted face. Since Fudge's removal from office and Mr. Weasley's subsequent election, the Weasleys had been able to afford much nicer things and Harry was glad that they were finally being repaid for their kindness.
He walked over to Ron, "Ask Hermione for some help, she always knows what you should wear to go with your hair."
In the end, Hermione had picked out an elegant black robe for Ron that was slightly fitted at the top that cut to his narrow waist, making his shoulders look broader than they really were. The robes then flared out slightly and fell down to his shoes. After an hour of waiting on the part of the boys, Hermione emerged from the dressing room in a dazzling gown of deep crimson.
"Wow," was all Ron managed to say with his slack jaw as he shamelessly goggled at the fitting dress and the beautiful woman behind it.
"You look amazing, 'Mione," Harry commented. He wondered if the reason she always looked so lovely when she made herself up was because she did it so rarely or because she was good at it. 'Maybe it's just because she is beautiful.'
"Thank you, Harry," she said, twirling around before going back into the dressing room.
"Are you regretting breaking up with her?" Harry asked teasingly.
Ron regained his composure as he looked at Harry and he grinned, "A bit. But you know it couldn't have gone on much longer."
"Not if you wanted the common room to be left standing," Harry joked, earning him a punch on the shoulder, "Hey! You can't deny your little arguments were that bad, can you?"
"Well…not really, but still!" They laughed and stopped when Hermione emerged again with the gown over her arm.
"What are you guys laughing about?"
"Just your fiery relationship with Ron," Harry remarked.
The three friends paid for their purchases and made their way out of the shop. "Mum said we should just floo home when we're finished," Ron said as he walked back to the Leaky Cauldron.
"I put my stuff there when I came in," Harry said, "And your things, Hermione?"
"Oh, when my parents dropped me off, Ron, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley was already here. She shrunk them for me."
"Yeah, Mum was taking Ginny to do her shopping."
They stepped in and the people inside glanced at them, instantly recognizing the famous Gryffindor Trio. Harry walked over to the bar, "Hello Tom, can I get my stuff quickly?"
"'Ello again Harry. Yes, come on," the older man said as he walked with Harry, and picked up his trunk. He carried it over to the fireplace, "'Ello Mr. Weasley, Miss. Granger."
"Hi Tom," Ron and Hermione greeted.
"I hope you have a lovely time," Tom said, "But gotta get back to the customers." The greeted him before he walked off.
"Well, shall we go then?" Hermione asked as she picked up the pot of floo powder and took a handful. She threw it into the roaring flames, "The Burrow!" She disappeared in a flash of green flames.
Ron helped Harry pick up his trunk and owl cage and with another shout of, "The Burrow!" they were gone.
The two boys stumbled out the other side and fell, the trunk slipping out of their grips and narrowly missing landing on their feet. Coughing, Harry stood up and brushed himself off. "I hate flooing," he remarked absently before he was suddenly gathered up in a crunching hug.
"Hello Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she released the boy from her grip, "It's so wonderful to see you again. How was your holiday?"
"Hello Mrs. Weasley, it's nice to see you too," Harry said, "The holidays were quite relaxing. And thank you for the dagger!" Ron rolled his eyes.
"Oh, it was a pleasure, dear. Ron told us how good you were and he said you would love it. And I should thank you for that lovely book you sent me," she said, "Now come on, make yourself at home." And with that, she bustled off to the kitchen.
"Let's get your stuff up to my room," Ron said. He and Harry grabbed a side of the trunk.
"Can you get my cage please, Hermione?" Harry asked and she just nodded, taking the cage and following them up to Ron's room. As Harry stepped in, he noticed something was wrong. "You've painted your room!" Indeed, it was not a glaring orange anymore.
"Yeah," Ron said, shuffling his shoes, "I thought it was time for a change." All but one of his Chudley Cannons posters had been removed and the walls were plain white.
"I think it looks much better like this," Hermione commented as she placed Hedwig's cage on a shelf.
"It actually feels larger now," Harry said and he could see Ron enjoyed the comments. They pushed the trunk next to Ron's in the corner and went back downstairs.
"Hey Ginny," Harry said as they entered the kitchen and he saw her sitting at the table. He was lucky that she had finally got over her crush on him and had started dating Colin Creevey, thereby also curbing his Harry Potter fascination. Harry had been extremely grateful for that.
"Oh, hello Harry," she said.
"Thank you for the dagger," Harry said.
"You should thank Ron," Ginny said, "I was barely involved."
"He's thanked me enough," Ron said.
"But thanks for this," Ginny said, motioning to the leather bracelet on her wrist, "I love it."
"It was the least I could do," Harry said and gave Ginny a smile that she returned before looking back down and immersing her in the book she had been reading. Mrs. Weasley was currently waving her wand around and pots and pans and utensils were all flying through the air.
"Mum's preparing dinner for tonight," Ron said, "We'd best go outside." Nodding, the three of them made their way to the garden. They walked closer to the pond and made themselves comfortable lying in the grass under the shade of one of the old trees. "So, you gonna tell us about your secret girlfriend now?"
Harry just rolled his eyes at Ron's impatience, but he only hoped that Jean had been right and that his friends would accept it. "Okay, I did want to wait until tonight, but there's hardly anybody around, so…" He took a deep breath, "You promise not to tell anyone about this?"
"We promise," his two friends swore.
"Right, because I don't want it to be known yet." They nodded, "Well, it's a Slytherin in our year."
"What's her name?" Ron asked impatiently.
"Jean," Harry said, "His name is Jean-Paul."
