A/N: Here's Chapter Two! Hope you enjoy! Longer Author's Note at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I don't own the concept of Harry Potter. The only thing I own is the plot. So, don't sue! Oh, and since the plot is mine, don't steal it!
Chapter 2: Thunder Mixed With a Bit of Rain and a Little Fear

The dining table was again dusty. That fact that it had not been cleaned for two years might have been the reason, but all the same, it was still dusty.

"Yuck!"

Hermione grimaced. She poked a piece of... very stale bread (or as the two had assumed it was) with a dusty fork.

"Ow!" Harry cringed. The arm with the burn on it had made contact with the edge of the kitchen counter.

Hermione glanced up from the "bread".

"What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing important. I just got burned making breakfast this morning," Harry answered. He went back to looking through the cabinets as he'd been instructed to do.

"You got burned?" Hermione asked, obviously concerned.

"Yeah. It's no big deal though," Harry said. He closed the cabinet he was looking through, but one of the hinges decided to come undone and the door sagged and creaked open again. "There's nothing useful around."

"Oh, I have a catalog for Martie's Supermarket upstairs. I can order groceries and have Hedwig pick them up," Hermione said, losing focus on Harry's burn a moment.

Martie's Supermarket had been the first wizarding supermarket. It had just opened a year ago and was a very popular place indeed.

"How long do you think it'll take her?" Harry questioned, leaning back against the counter with his arms folded across his chest.

"If I do it now, she could be there and back by tomorrow afternoon. We're already in London so I don't suppose it would take too long."

"Alright then," Harry said. "Want me to help?"

"Harry? Really, Potter," Hermione said, smirking, "do you think ordering groceries is the job for a man?"

Harry smiled. "If that's the way you want it... then fine by me. I was just trying to be helpful. But if you don't need help from a man, then okay."

Hermione laughed. She stepped up to him and taking his arm, dragged him all the way upstairs.

After ordering the groceries, Hermione decided to take a nap. Harry'd already fallen asleep ordering the supplies and was stretched out across her bed. She crawled over beside him, kicking her shoes off, and laid her head in the crook of his arm.

Harry woke up sometime later. He went to sit up, but something weighed him down. He fixed his glasses which were askew on his face and looked down at his chest.

Hermione's not-so-bushy-anymore brown hair came into view.

When did she get there?

Harry looked around to gather his bearings, and realized he'd fallen asleep on Hermione's bed. He figured out that it was raining outside.

A flash of lightning and the crackle of thunder was all it took for Hermione to stir. Instead of waking up, she clutched tighter to Harry's waist and let out a low moan.

My cheeks are warm, he thought to himself. Weird...

It was almost ten more minutes until Hermione finally woke up. She groaned, but it came out as more of a growl.

She opened her heavy eyelids and realized she was still holding onto Harry. Instantaneously, upon that realization, she jerked away.

"But Hermione," Harry laughed, "you looked so comfortable there."

Hermione looked at him with a scowl on her face. "I was going to say sorry, but I don't think I will anymore." Another flash of lightning and more thunder sounding through the house was all it took for Hermione to end up clutching Harry again.

This time, he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I hate storms," she whimpered. Harry noted that she was shivering slightly.

"It's pretty late anyway. I think we should just hit the sack," he suggested.

"No!" Hermione exclaimed, causing Harry to jump. "You can't leave me at a time like this, Harry!"

He sighed. "What, Hermione? What do you want me to do? Wish the storm away for you?" He was getting a bit agitated. It had been a very long, very bad day for him.

Another flash of lightning and thunder shook the old wardrobe that stood in a dark corner of the room.

Hermione buried her face in the folds of Harry's shirt. "Let me sleep with you."

Harry blushed again. "You do realize that... that just sounded horribly bad, don't you?"

Hermione slapped him on the shoulder. "Shut up, you know what I mean! Can I?" Her voice was terribly muffled.

"Yes, alright. Fine," Harry relented. "But I have to warn you, I may kick you... oh and I sleep —"

"— in your boxers. Ginny told me," Hermione said casually.

Harry had dated Ginny Weasley all of last year and she'd occasionally spent a night or two in the Boys' Dormitory with him at Hogwarts. After Dean had professed his 'undying love' for Ginny, as he called it, Ginny had called it quits with Harry. It was pretty much a mutual decision, but Ginny had been first to take action.

"You're making me blush an awful lot Hermione. You'd better stop, or I'll begin to retaliate," Harry warned.

"You don't have anything on me, Potter!" Hermione said confidently.

"Oh really? So how is it that I know you used to take ballet, that you still dance around in your room in your tutu, and that you've kissed our own Ronald Weasley before?" Harry asked.

"One: my mother forced me. Two: I did it for my younger cousin who is only two-and-a-half. Three: He caught me under the mistletoe!" Hermione defended quickly.

"It's alright, Hermione. No need to be embarrassed!"

Hermione pouted against Harry's chest. She inhaled a bit of the scent of his shirt. "You smell good."

"Naturally. I have to — I am the Boy-Who-Lived, after all."

"You're cocky and kinky today, Harry Potter," Hermione said, at last pulling her face away from his shirt to look at him.

"I'll wait for you in the other room," Harry said, deciding to ignore her last comment.

"NO!"Hermione squealed. "Don't leave me!"

"Fine. I'll turn around. Is that alright, your majesty?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"You're a funny one, Potter," Hermione said dryly. "Now go on, turn around."

Hermione crawled away as Harry rolled over, face down on the bed, and opened her trunk and pulled out her nightgown. After she made sure Harry wasn't looking, she slipped out of her robes and casual-wear and slipped into her pink, ruffled nightgown.

Thunder rumbled again and Hermione squeaked.

Harry, forgetting himself for a moment, looked over at her. "Did you just squeak, Hermione?"

"Do you have a problem with it?" She wanted to sound confident, she really did, it was just the blasted storm that made her voice tremble.

"Are you done?" Harry asked her, to which he received a subtle nod. "Alright then, let's go."

She grabbed onto his wrist as they made their way quickly across the pitch-black landing.

Lightning illuminated the stairway for a moment and Harry thought he saw someone or something standing there.

"I wish we had a candle," he murmured. In response to his wish, the someone or something on the staircase lit a candle.

Hermione felt Harry stiffen in her grasp, and when she looked to where he was staring, she too went rigid.

Kreacher, in all his haunting glory, stood there with his lips moving in that perpetual mumbling that he never ceased.

"Filthy Mudbloods, dirtying the Mistress's home! Scum — all of them!" he whispered.

"Kreacher!" Harry said — his tone came out in an icy calm voice that seemed to float with the chilly wind that was hitting the windows right at that moment.

For the first time since Harry had known the little demon, his voice had never died as it did at that moment. Kreacher's lips stopped moving and he uttered no further sounds.

Harry was getting more and more tense as the seconds passed on. It was because of this monster that he'd gone after Sirius. This was the lying, cheating, deceiving fiend that had caused the most important person in Harry's life to die.

Hermione put a hand on his shaking arm. "Harry... don't do anything rash, now."

"HE LIED!"

The anger poured out of him. The pent-up rage that had been sitting within him for two years had been filling up, until this moment caused it to overflow over the edge.

Harry lunged at Kreacher, his arms flailing in all directions.

Hermione, though horrified, did nothing to stop him. This one thing was something he needed. Even she admitted that Kreacher didn't deserve to live.

Kreacher, seeing his master coming after him, ran from the scene all the way downstairs.

Harry skidded and slipped after him, Hermione on his trail. She had to hold up her nightgown which was excessively long as she blundered after the two.

They stopped in the kitchen where Harry had cornered Kreacher.

"Hermione," Harry said in a slightly delusional tone as his eyes bored into the House Elf's head, "light the fire."

Hermione, who didn't want to get in the midst of this, did as she was told.

"You don't deserve to live," Harry whispered. "You were the reason I went after Sirius, the reason why he came after me and had to fight Bellatrix. You lied and killed my Godfather. I blamed myself before, but now... I don't think I was the one at fault."

He stepped closer to Kreacher, still staring intently at him.

"I HATE YOU!" Harry yelled. He pushed the Elf into the burning hearth, then dropped to his knees. "Go to hell... literally."

Kreacher screamed his final words: "MUDBLOODS DON'T DESERVE MY MISTRESS'S HOME!"

Hermione kneeled beside him and laid her head on his shoulder.

Harry's eyes trailed away from the fire down to his hands.

"I killed him," he whispered. His voice trembled with many things including rage, disbelief, fear, and hatred.

"You did... Harry, you were right. He didn't deserve to live and now he's with that damn God-forbidden Mistress of his!" Hermione replied.

Harry shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Yeah... you're right. I just... I killed him, Hermione."

Hermione nodded sympathetically. "I know, I know. It's okay."

"I'm a bit stressed. Maybe I'll be able to sleep it off," Harry said.

"Let's get to bed," Hermione suggested, which Harry nodded.

Laying in bed, neither could get to sleep. Hermione, who had her back turned to Harry was thinking about many things, including why they were even at Grimmauld Place anyway.

"Harry?" she asked.

She rolled over so that she was facing him.

Harry put one of his arms under his head, and answered, "Yeah?"

"Why did you have to come here? I mean, to Grimmauld Place — why'd they make you?" she asked.

Harry breathed a deep sigh.

The loud storm was still raging fiercely outside and the pair could hear the raindrops thundering down around them.

"The charm died," Harry offered. She knew exactly what he meant.

Harry'd fought with himself for an entire three months after the end of their fifth year, debating whether or not to tell Hermione and Ron about the Prophecy. Finally giving into his conscience, he'd spilled the story.

Hermione gasped slightly. That was the last thing she'd expected him to say.

"It was only supposed to last until I turned seventeen," Harry continued. "So, the day after my birthday, Dumbledore realized the charm that Mum had put on me had faded so he moved me here. You know the rest."

Hermione had also had to come because she wasn't safe during the summer. Unlike Harry, she'd had no protection put on her or her family so she was sent with Harry to talk to Moody about their situation.

"That's awful," Hermione whispered.

Harry could not see her in the darkness that shrouded the room, but he knew that her face had contorted in concentration.

"You know what?" she said after a minute of contemplation. "This could give us some insight as to what charm she used."

Harry nodded. "Yeah... maybe," he mumbled.

A crack of thunder caused Hermione to whimper.

Harry propped his head on his elbow and asked, "Why are you so afraid?"

Hermione gulped.

"When I was around eight or nine years old, lightning struck our swimming pool. I was standing at the edge when it happened. I remember seeing the electricity racing through the water..." she trailed off, looking down. "It's silly, I know. I just... I don't know."

"I understand," Harry replied. "Don't worry about it."

Hermione bit her bottom lip. An idea struck her and she voiced it. "Let's play a game."

Harry shrugged. "Sure."

"We have to ask each other random questions... we've never really talked, you know? I thought it would be a good way to learn a little about each other."

"Okay," Harry answered. "You go first."

"Alright... um, what's your favorite color? Mine's blue," Hermione said.

Harry thought about it for a moment. His favorite color was something he'd never really taken notice of. "Green, I suppose. Okay, my turn. What's your favorite type of non-magical animal? Mine is the lion."

"The swan," Hermione answered. "What's your favorite type of dessert?"

"Pumpkin pie with vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream," Harry said. "Your's?"

"Strawberry cheesecake with vanilla icing on top. Who do you think has a worse temper? Ginny or Ron?"

At once, both said, "Ron."

Harry gave out a small chuckle. "He's got a very short temper meter. It fills up before mine even gets a quarter of the way there."

Hermione giggled. She stopped and then said, "He asked me out, you know. Last year, but I turned him down."

Harry was taken aback by this. He knew that Ron had been infatuated with Hermione for a few years, but this event was a shock to him.

"Did you ever go out with Viktor?" Harry asked abruptly.

"No, did you?" Hermione asked deviously.

Harry, though knew she couldn't seem him, scowled.

"You dated Ginny... but did you still like Cho when you did?" Hermione asked.

"Nah... I got over Cho when I found out she'd started dating Michael Corner," Harry replied immediately. "I don't think I truly liked her anyway."

Hermione yawned. "Let's go to sleep now. I'm getting tired."

Harry agreed, and they settled into the warm sheets.

Hermione scooted over and laid her head on his shoulder.

Harry was slightly uncomfortable. This was different than with Ginny. Hermione was his best friend. It didn't feel right this way... or did it?
A/N: Alright, now that I've got that out of my system, a couple of things. I'm sorry the end of this chapter was crappy. I didn't know how to end it, so I just drew it out a lot! A couple of people noted that I spelled Kreacher's name wrong last chapter in the preview. I know, and I'm sorry about that. I was just in a hurry, and didn't really pay attention to what my fingers were doing. Sorry again! I thought I was spelling Kreacher but my fingers thought I wanted to spell Kreature.

Now, for the reviews:

ANDTORR: well, as you can see, I listened and yes... Kreacher died! I didn't like that little Elf, he gave all House Elves a bad name... And, what happened to Buckbeak you'll find out NEXT chapter, lol. I take time to write all these things up. Thanks for reviewing and glad you like my story!

Steel: Thank you for reviewing and I appreciate your compliments! It feels really good to read these reviews with people saying nice things about your writing, lol.

Trumpet-Geek: I didn't really realize the plot was original until you said it. I think I write more than I read so I guess that's why I didn't notice. Thank you for reviewing! And also for your compliment!

Gryffindor620: Nooooo, definitely not! I would never even dream about killing them! Kreacher was the first character I've ever killed in any of my stories, besides Voldemort of course. I cried the first time I killed Ron off in one of my stories, and so I changed it and let Ron live, lol. Thank you for reviewing!

Usha88: Thank you! Yes, I hope this chapter wasn't too dark. I know killing Kreacher was gloomy, but I tried to make the beginning and end light-hearted. I think Harry noticed in Hermione's behavior that she was being more playful and less studious. She wasn't a walking library anymore and her thoughts had been directed elsewhere. Thank-you for pointing out the Kreacher mistake, but as I said above, I just wasn't thinking when I typed it. Just out of curiosity, what nationality are you? I'm Indian, and your screenname suggests that you are too. Just curious! Thanks for reviewing!

SeCret SnitCH: Thanks for reviewing!

ladybird: I hope it's interesting! Thank you for reviewing!

Lunatic Pandora1: Thank you. I'm trying to make the chapters longer, it's just that this was planned to be a short story not really too long. I don't know if I'll keep it short, because the way I'm thinking about it now, I might make a full-blown story, we'll see. This chapter was a bit longer than the last. Hopefully, by next chapter it'll be four to six thousand words, I don't know. I hate introduction chapters and that was what last chapter was. Sorry about that! I'll try harder! Thanks for reviewing!

Misty: Thank you! Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate it!

fanjimmy: Thanks for reviewing! Hopefully, you didn't have to wait toooo long, lol. Just a couple days.

leviyl: Yes, I definitely listened! Thank you for noting my misspell, and thanks for reviewing!
Chapter Three: Harry and Hermione try to cook, and the only things either knows how to make are eggs, bacon, toast and pancakes! In the process, they get to know each other a little better! -:- wink wink -:- Makes for an interesting lunch!

-:- Wicked Dreamz -:-