Chapter Nine:

Hermione put on her light pink coat and her matching blue hat, gloves and scarf. Harry was again just taken by her beauty and thought she could totally be in a GAP commercial. When they were ready he opened the door for her and they walked down the driveway. They started down the slightly frosted street towards the neighborhood park. Harry looked down at Hermione and smiled, "So, would you like to talk? Or we can just walk and talk about some other stuff if you're not ready."

Hermione looked into his deep eyes and smiled, "No, it's ok. I'd love to talk. I want to tell you everything."

Harry beamed, "Good. I want to hear everything," he laughed.

Hermione laughed too and started, "Ok, well. I just found out I was a witch about three years ago, at the end of eighth grade. We had received an owl from Dumbledore about how I should attend Hogwarts as soon as possible, as I was incredibly behind already. My parents though, really didn't like the sound of this, so we made an arrangement with the teachers at Hogwarts to do somewhat a correspondence type thing during the school year here and then I actually went over to London and lived in Hogsmaede for the summer."

"How did the correspondence work?" Harry asked.

"Floo powder." Hermione answered, "Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick would come every two weeks or so at different times to give me private lessons."

Harry looked shocked, "Snape?! In your living room?" He shuddered.

Hermione laughed, "He's really not too bad, and he is a good teacher."

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever you say."

Hermione went on, "So then, this year I decided to go for the school year. Dumbledore really emphasized that I needed it. I got there but I just couldn't do it. It was just too much. I actually started doing worse from all the stress. I stayed there through the Christmas holidays and did some more private lessons as I had at home and then decided to try the regular school part again. I really just broke down though. I hadn't made any real friends there and I just hit rock bottom. I wanted to talk to Ron and Izzy so badly, but I knew I couldn't. Dumbledore told me all the strict reasons why I could not have contact with them. We decided that I could come back here and finish the school year. Because I did so much in my first two years, and first semester of this year, I'm able to graduate early. Then for next year, instead of finishing school here, I'll go back to Hogwarts."

Harry took all this in for a moment. "But," he said, "what about all the stress and not being able to talk to Izzy and Ron?"

"Well, I think I'll be able to cope with everything better, I mean, I'm feeling already better just now, getting this all out. And as far as Izzy and Ron, Dumbledore said I might be able to tell them before I leave at the beginning of next year. I can trust them though, they have been my best friends through thick and thin, even though they didn't know the whole story. When I was a complete nutcase and I couldn't tell them way, they were still always there for me. I can't just leave them at the best year of our lives, them no knowing why. I'd practically be a traitor to the people I love most."

They had reached the park and headed towards the swings. Hermione sat down and Harry went behind her pushing her gently. "So," she said after a moment, "What's your whole story. You promised you'd tell me at Sirius's house."

Harry laughed, "Of course, I never break my promises." He went to sit down on the swing next to Hermione. "As I told you, my parents were killed when I was a baby. Luckily, that night I was with Sirius, it was my parents' anniversary. This was when Voldemort—" Hermione had shuddered at the name, "I'm sorry," Harry quickly said, "I didn't know you were going to be so sensitive about it… being you know, not really around the wizarding world too much."

Hermione smiled cheekily, "No.. it's ok, I need to get over it, it's quite stupid really, fear in a name only increases the fear in the thing itself." (A/N: not quite sure about that quote… but it's something like that.)

"Ok, well," Harry continued, "He was looking for supporters and went to my parents' house. When they protested he used Avada Kadarva on them and that was the end." Hermione looked horrified, "Dumbledore immediately went to Sirius to take me to my Aunt and Uncle's house so I would be away from the wizarding world and safer. Though Sirius thought that would only make my life more like hell, he did go along with Dumbledore. It wasn't shortly after that, when Sirius had found out it was Peter Pettigrew that had given away the information on my parents. Peter framed Sirius into being somewhere packed with muggles and stage his own death. He could transform into a rat, so everyone would think he was dead, Sirius would kill 13 muggles in the process and then go on to Azkaban. What the Ministry of Magic doesn't know, is that Sirius could also transform, into a dog, as you saw today. That was how he escaped from prison. Dumbledore helped him stay low for a while with the help from the rest of the Order. However, they all thought it was still too risky. That was when Dumbledore thought that he could come live here in the States. It is away from everything and about three of our neighbors have members from the Order living there too."

"So, how did you end up here?"

"Well, I found out I was a wizard on my eleventh birthday and have gone to Hogwarts ever since. Sirius came looking for me after he had escaped, everyone thought he was after me but it turned out he was after Pettigrew who was living in the castle. So that was when I met him and found out he was my Godfather. Recently, when Dumbledore had found him a place here and he had been here a couple months to settle in, he thought it would be ok for me to come join him. I've never really been in a place I could cal home, except for Hogwarts, so I decided that it would be perfect. Dumbledore also said I could then decide if I want to stay here or finish my final year at Hogwarts."

"You mean," Hermione jumped up excitedly, "you might be going back next year?!"

Harry got up too and smiled, "Well, I wasn't sure, but…" he eyed her and gave her a sexy grin, "I think I may have made up my mind now."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione squealed and gave him a huge hug. He laughed. Hermione pulled back, "What?" she asked inquisitively.

Harry's eyes twinkled, "Nothing," he grinned, "I just can't believe this one day. I've only met you this morning, and I feel like I've known you my whole life."

Hermione smiled, "I know, I feel the same way, I don't get it—but it is a wonderful feeling." She stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Suddenly she shivered, "oh, it's getting a little chilly out."

Harry looked at his watch, "Wow, no wonder, it's almost quarter to eight."

"Oh my gosh, I told my mom we were only going to be gone an hour!"

"Well, she hasn't called you yet, so I'm sure she's not worried," Harry said reassuringly.

"Yeah, you're right."

They started walking off the playground their hands brushing together. Finally Harry took the initiative and grasped Hermione's hand. She looked up, smiling at him, she then rested her head on his shoulder as they walked down the street.

"This day has been so incredible. I can't believe it has only been one day." She said as if she were in a daydream.

"I know," Harry replied softly, "It truly is amazing."

They ended up taking the long way home as they got into talking about everything. Music, food, books, Quidditch, and argued if Snape was truly evil. The came up to her door step and Harry gave her one last sweet goodbye kiss. She walked in the door and didn't even notice her mom telling her what the options for food were.

"Oh yes, Mum, that sounds lovely," She just said in a daze and slowly walked up to her room, almost running into her father along the way. Though she knew she had said she would talk to Izzy online, she just laid down on her bed and fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Harry walked back to his house in the same fashion. His feet shuffled along the pavement, and had almost slipped on some patches of ice, and just missed a light pole. He walked in the door and Sirius came in the hall smiling at him. Seeing Harry's facial expression he simply said, "Good day today, huh?"

Harry almost didn't hear him but then after a short moment, "oh, what? Yea, oh definitely, it was magical." With that he went upstairs to his room and closed his eyes as he fell asleep on his comfortable bed.