Chapter Five

Harry and Hermione didn't know how long they sat there, clinging to each other. The simple fact that they were together was a large amount of comfort for them. Remus and Dumbledore watched in silence for a long time, unsure of what to say to make it better. Then again there wasn't much to make better, Hermione's mother was dead. No one could change that.

After some time Remus left to alert the other order members and the Aurors at the ministry. They needed a crew to cover up the site and arrange for the cover ups of the deaths.

Harry gently rocked the sobbing Hermione in his arms, feeling every bit of her pain with her. Even though he had only met Mrs. Granger for a few hours it still seemed like a great loss to him. Maybe because it was a great loss for Hermione. Harry turned his head to face the Headmaster, looking at his weathered face he nodded.

He watched as Dumbledore bent down and picked up a piece of rubbish from the street and turned it into a portkey. Harry gently picked up Hermione's now sleeping form and walked over to the Headmaster. He nodded again and grabbed one end of the candy wrapper.

- - -

They arrived at Remus Lupins flat at around noon time. Harry walked into his godfather's house and walked down the hall to the guest room. Harry gently laid Hermione down onto the bed and left the room. Outside the room Dumbledore was waiting for him with Remus.

"Harry, Remus and I have decided that you and Hermione are going to spend the remainder of the summer here. I don't think that will be much of a problem for you."

"Of course not Headmaster." Harry replied tonelessly.

Harry wasn't sure how he was going to comfort Hermione in her time of need. So many times had she been there for him when he needed her. She had always been there in the Hospital wing when he woke up. She was always the one to push him on when he was going to give up. She even had backed him up when he thought Sirius was in trouble. She was the reason Sirius hadn't been killed in the first place, without her Sirius would have gotten the kiss. Now she needed him, but Harry didn't know what to do. He himself had never had a mother he didn't know what it was like to lose one, just not having one. He would do the best he could though.

"Harry do you understand what I just told you?" at hearing this Harry snapped out of his little world of thought.

"'No sorry I missed it." Harry said lamely.

"Remus is going to be gone most of the time on Order business, so we are going to leave you in charge of Hermione. Take care of her; she needs a friend now more than ever. But don't forget to take care of yourself also. 'You need to put on your own oxygen mask first.'" He said and with that they disappeared with a pop.

Harry could hear noises from inside the room. Hermione must have woken up. Harry walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Hermione was lying there facing the ceiling not blinking. He could tell that she was thinking very deeply.

"Hermione?" Harry said softly.

"What!" she snapped

"Hermione, Remus and Dumbledore left us alone and said that were gonna stay here for the rest of the summer. I understand your upset, but don't push me away, I just want to help." Harry said a bit taken back.

"How can you help, you never knew your mum before she got blown up! How can you possibly understand what it feels like?!?" Hermione yelled. She regretted the words as she said them. She wished she could rip them back out of the air and stuff them down her throat. The distant dead like look in Harry's eyes was killing her.

"Oh. Ok then." Was all Harry could choke out.

Harry immediately turned around and walked out the door. Leaving Hermione in a worse state then she was in before.

- - -

For two days they walked around the house doing a little bit of cleaning and cooking when necessary. But they never spoke. Hermione shuffled and sniffled while Harry walked around with a dead look in his eyes. They were killing each other acting like this.

On the third day Harry couldn't take it anymore. He just couldn't watch Hermione be depressed any longer. But he himself was so hurt by what Hermione had said to him he was positive that she could care less what he said. So he let the matter lye.

Hermione on the other hand, was so hurt about her mother that she barely noticed what she was doing all day. And the fact that she knew she hurt Harry like that didn't help her depression any more.

Thank goodness that Remus came home early.

As Remus walked in the door he immediately knew that there was something wrong. Harry was lying on the couch spread eagle. Hermione was shuffling around the kitchen still in the same clothing that he had left her in, more than a week before. Something was defiantly wrong.

"Harry wake up now!" Remus yelled at his sleeping godson.

Harry jerked up and reached for his wand that was on the coffee table. No matter how depressed he was he wasn't stupid. Remus looked into Harry's jade eyes and saw a dead miserable look. An empty look.

Hermione shuffled out of the kitchen and started when she saw Remus standing in the open doorway.

"'lo" Harry mumbled.

"What the blazes is going on here?!?" Remus asked angrily.

Remus watched a strange scene unfold in front of him.

Hermione looked down at herself and seemed to wake up. She dashed over to Harry and yanked him down the hallway and into the spare bedroom. This seriously confused Remus but he decided that there was cleaning to be done and ignore that.

"Hermione what are you doing?" Harry questioned her after she had shut the door.

"Harry, your godfather put us in charge of his house and we trash it and act like the living dead. He's gonna think were on drugs or something. I know you probably hate me for what I said to you, but we need to put on a good show for him." Hermione finished the last quietly. "Hermione I could never hate you, you're my best friend...I love you, I could never hate you." Harry's eyes widened and Hermione's head shot up as he finished his sentence. Those last words, the words he swore he would never speak to her had somehow slipped out. Now she would probably never speak to him again.

"You do?" Hermione asked timidly, very un-Hermione like.

The cat was out of the bag now he might as well do it properly.

"Yes Hermione, I have ever since fourth year. I just didn't know how to put it into words. When you smile I smile, when you're sad I'm sad. And when you get hurt, I want to die." Harry decided that he might as well finish the job, he couldn't leave out the last bit.

"I would never ask you to be with me, no one would want there life posted in a magazine of newspaper. Besides you would be in constant danger, I just couldn't do that to you. You could pick anyone that would be better for you than me." He finished lamely. Not daring to look up from the grooves he had stared into the floor.

Hermione just stood there her mouth opening and closing, like a dying fish.

Harry decided that he absolutely killed his opportunity and started to walk out the door and handle his Godfather.

"Harry James Potter where the hell do you think you are going!?!" Hermione said in a high pitched voice.

Harry wheeled around and faced the emotionally erratic woman if front of him. Harry knew if she used his last name then he better just turn and face her otherwise there was going to be some serious pain later.

"Do you think you can make that decision for me? Hmm? How fair does that seem to you? You never once asked me what I thought about it did you? Well I'll tell you how I feel."

Here it comes, Harry thought, the big let down. He might as well leave now he knew what the answer was.

But he was very wrong.

Hermione Granger did the last thing in the world he expected her to do.

She grabbed his ears in a painful grip and kissed him. Kissed him senseless.

"I take that as a yes then?" Harry answered stupidly.

"Yes." Hermione said simply. "I have been waiting for you to tell me that for four years."

Harry just stared at her in amazement.

"What will Ron think?" Harry asked.

"I don't care, he will just have to get over it."

They left the room hand in hand and faced Harry's furious Godfather. They told him what had went on in the past week and a half. Then they told them there recent development. He was happy for them, but put them straight to work anyway.

The last few weeks of the summer were very good, Harry and Hermione enjoyed the time together. They planed to tell Ron on the train ride to Hogwarts.

Harry was happier than he had ever been in his life. He finally had the one thing he thought he could never have.

Hermione was in almost the same mood, other than the fact that her mother would never be there to see her and Harry finally together, she knew that she was watching from somewhere.

Wherever that place she and Harry knew that both his parents and her mother were watching the happy couple with big smiles on there faces.