17 March 2005
I am tired and have no desire to attempt to write a reasonable English paper at the moment, so I'm typing the next chapter... be happy for that. I wrote a short little one shot to follow this story, it's set a month after this story ends. I feel as if you will all be disappointed with the ending I've written, I hate to end fics, so maybe that's why, I'm always sorry to see them end, but always glad as well. Why am I saying all this when there's 3 chapters left? Well, I'm in a sentimental down in the dumps mood.. does that explain it?
This chapter is 6 hand written pages.
Chapter Twenty five-"The Prophet was correct..." (yes the title is a quote from the chapter).
The following morning, in the den. "Harry," Hermione called to Harry, who is reading a novel.
"Hm," he said, not looking up, too engrossed in the book.
"HARRY."
"What?" He replied annoyed.. before following it up with a, "Sorry, but this is really great!"
"I thought you'd like it," she replied matter of fact, "But, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."
Harry set the book down, "You have my reluctant attention, now." He joked, smiling at her.
"Harry, I don't think we should let our relationship and everything out just yet... or they'll wonder about Patrick's true identity."
"Or they'll think you were cheating on the great Harry Potter while he was in prison and on the run."
Hermione laughed, "Of course they'll think that! They did accuse me of leading you and Viktor on when I was fourteen!"
They laughed, "So no mentioning of you and me and... anything else, then?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. It's not that I don't want everyone to know," she was cut off.
"You just don't want the questions and where and what happened to me to come out ."
She nodded.
"Honestly, I don't want it to come out either. I want to keep you all to myself for as long as I can... well, which isn't too much longer," He grinned and leaned over and kissed her stomach, before going back to his novel he had been reading.
"OH, NO!"
"What?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"They think Wanda is being possessed by a dybbuk!"
Hermione laughed, and Harry kept on reading.
Harry and Hermione flooed to the Hog's Head at Six thirty.
"Seamus," Harry called after Hermione scorgified him and her her.
"Harry! How are you?"
"Better then I've ever been in my life, you?"
"Excellent, shall I show you to the private room?"
"Sure."
"Come on, this way."
"Wow! This is fantastic!" Harry gushed over the room for the dinner, "You've really fixed this place up!"
Seamus beamed, "Twas nothing a little wand work and polish didn't fix."
"Right," Hermione replied smiling herself.
"So who's paying for this party?"
"I am," Harry said.
"Harry, your accounts are still frozen," Hermione cut in.
"Oh, well Hermione is paying then."
"Thanks Harry."
"Well, you did inherit my vault. Take it out of my money, of course."
Seamus laughed at their exchange, "So, who should I be expecting besides the two of you and yours truly?"
"The Weasley family, Luna, Neville," Hermione started.
"Remus Lupin, Viktor Krum, Dean, and Tonks," Harry finished.
"What? Patrick's not coming, Hermione?" Seamus asked.
"Seamus, Patrick and I broke up in October, I thought you read the tabloids, wait, it wasn't publicized."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Why did you break up?"
"It was mutual, plus he was moving to Lithuania."
"Ah, so does a six sided table, with three to five sides and one side of two work?"
"Sounds fine, why?"
"It's my plan, so we can all somewhat see each other around the table.. I just think it's better then one long rectangular table."
"Sounds great Seamus!" Harry confirmed, as Seamus transfigured the table, before them.
"Should we be worried it'll revert forms during the evening?" Harry asked.
"Hey! I passed my Transfiguration N.E.W.T. and My Charms one as well."
"You barely did, Finnegan," came Dean Thomas voice from behind them.
"Hello Hermione," He hugged her, "Welcome back, Harry!" And he hugged him as well.
Ginny followed him in, "How was your vacation, Hermione? Did you meet anyone?"
Hermione laughed, "It was my best vacation since Hogwarts."
"Even compared to that one in France you were telling me about?" Harry asked.
"Even better," She smiled at him, "Despite the broken arm."
"Broken arm?" asked Dean.
"I broke it skiing, and the muggles would have noticed if I had a cast one day and a just fine arm the next," Hermione explained.
"So what did you do the rest of the time?" Harry asked grinning mischievously.
"Spent a lot of time in the Chalet with my friend and his broken leg."
"Who is it that went with you? Ron wouldn't tell me," Ginny asked.
"A friend of mine."
"Harry, what happened to your face, it's all swollen?" Ginny inquired.
"Ah, that was a welcome back gift from your brother."
"Why didn't you tell me yesterday, when you got home, Harry? I could have reduced the swelling," Hermione asked concerned.
"I didn't think about it Hermione, Honestly! I was just so excited to see Remus again.. and you again of course!" He said for the benefit of everyone else.
Seven O' Clock rolled around and all those expected arrived. Harry sat at the hexagon table with Hermione next to him and Ron kiddy corner to him, next to Luna.
When everyone was seated, Harry addressed the gathering, "Hello everyone, yes the Prophet was correct, for once. I am alive. Dinners on Hermione."
"Thanks Harry."
"Hey! You control my accounts Hot Shot with two best sellers."
"Plugging my books now, Potter?"
"Why not? I doubt Ron's read them, I read them in prison." To answer how he could have read them, when they came out while he was in the slammer.
"Hey! Do I need to even out those cheeks?"
"No, you already did that, see," Harry pointed to his cheeks, there even now," Harry laughed.
"So how is everyone? I'd like to thank Seamus for letting us have this here."
"Your welcome, Harry," Seamus replied.
"Where have you been since May?" asked George.
"I'm not telling."
The wait staff came in and took everyones orders off of the short list of the Hog's Head's menu... fish and chips, etc.
"Do any of us know where you were?" asked Neville.
"Five of you know, or inferred it."
"Really?" asked Molly.
Harry nodded, still not happy with the elder female of the Weasley clan.
"Hermione, where's Patrick, tonight?" Asked Charlie.
"Oh... we broke up."
"When?"
"October."
"Really?" asked Bill, "Why?"
"It was for the best.. and he got a great job in Lithuania, so I'm really quite happy for him."
"I'm shocked, you seemed so... I don't know... in love at the Reunion," Neville said.
"Looks can be deceiving. He is a great guy, just not the one for me. How is he, Viktor?"
Krum looked up and stoically said, "Dead, there vas an accident his first veek. He died along vith three others."
"Your kidding?" Asked Charlie, who was sitting next to him.
"No, he's very much dead."
"Who was this Patrick fellow?" Harry asked Hermione feigning confusion.
"My ex-boyfriend. We broke up in October," Hermione smiled, barely holding back her mirth.
"Ah. How long did you date?"
"Just over eight months."
"Wow!"
"Anyone want a drink? Harry, what would you like?" Seamus asked, getting up and going to the small bar in the room.
"Butterbeer."
"Alcoholic?"
"No."
"You want the kiddie version?"
"Yes, Seamus, the non-alcoholic version."
"Okay," Seamus had coerced Dean into handing out the drinks.
"Ron, what are you having?"
"Rum and coke."
"On the rocks?"
"Nah."
"Hermione?"
"Just water."
"Water! Hermione, you can have anything you like, butterbeer, firewhiskey, hell, I'll even let you have cranberry juice."
"Okay, I'll have cranberry juice then, if it's such a big deal."
"Vodka?"
"Plain."
"Fine, fine, one cranberry juice coming up. Mister Lupin, what'd you like?"
"Manhattan."
"Tonks, I think someone called you. What will you have?"
"It is Tonks and Firewhiskey."
"Luna, what would like?"
"Vodka and Tonic."
"Neville?"
"Beer."
"What kind?"
"Tap."
"House brew then?"
"Sure."
"Ginny?"
"Vodka and Cranberry juice."
"Fred and George?"
"Firewhiskey," they replied in unison.
"Viktor Krum?"
"Ve house veer."
"Mister and Mrs. Weasley?"
"Your house beer," replied Arthur.
"A Martini," replied Molly.
"Elder Weasley brothers, sorry, I've never met you."
"I'm Bill, I'll have a Firewhiskey."
"Butterbeer, and I'm Charlie and I have to apparate back to Romania tonight."
By the end of the evening Harry was so sick of dodging the questions he turned to Hermione and Ron, pulling them close and asked.
"Should I just tell the truth, what could it hurt? I trust everyone here.. most might as well be my family.. what do you think? It would also ease our future announcement, Hermione."
"What announcement?" Ron asked.
"We'll tell you in a few days, okay?"
"You better!"
"We will, Ron, just have to tell my parents first."
"Oh, okay."
Harry turned to Hermione and kissed her smack on the lips. (that certainly wasn't subtle :-))
Everyone but Ron, Luna, Viktor and Remus' jaws dropped, there conversations stopping dead.
Harry turned back to everyone else smiling madly, "Knew that was a good way to get everyones attention! I was in England, Scotland or Bulgaria.. the entirety of my time on the run from the ministry."
"Wait a minute... Harry take off your glasses," Neville ordered.
"Would this help, Neville?" Harry changed his eye and hair colors and his hair length.
"You were Patrick!" Exclaimed Molly Weasley, "Oh, my," she gasped.
"Don't worry about it, your son apologized profusely," Harry replied coldly in an Irish accent.
"How long have you known you were a Metamorphagus, Harry?" Inquired an intrigued Tonks.
"Since all those months cooped up in Azkaban with Malfoy.. guarding the hell hole, not imprisoned in it, just yet."
"Malfoy?" asked Ron, "You never said anything about, Malfoy."
"Oh, he was fine company... though he did end up liking muggle nursery rhymes and Go Fish, just a little too much..."
Everyone laughed. "So is he really dead then?" Asked George.
"Yeah, I never heard from him.. and he is the one who encouraged my escape."
"He's the reason you landed there in the first place as well, Harry!" Hermione added.
"I know, but he gave me a way out as well. We didn't do anything wrong but conspire to kill a corrupt ministry official... someone else beat us to it, we were drunk, big deal."
"You and Malfoy?" Ron asked disbelievingly.
"Yep, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter working together, just like in Auror Training. I'd bet if they had paired us out of training.. We would have been an asset to the department. Instead they put us with people who worked horribly with us and shuffled us into meaningless menial jobs. Tonks you saw our office."
"You mean closet! You had students desks in there!"
"That proves my point, thank you."
"How long have you and Hermione been together?" Asked Bill.
"Pretend or for real?"
"Both."
"Pretend since June, when I escaped thanks to Viktor, thank you."
Krum nodded.
"And for real?" asked Fred.
"I'm not sure, when it became real, Hermione?"
"August, September.. I don't really know."
"There's something for the papers," said George, "Harry Potter doesn't know how long he's been dating girlfriend."
Everyone laughed.
"Now, you all have to promise you won't tell anyone any of this. Everything we've said stays here, or Hermione'll do a Marrietta Edgecomb, or whatever the traitors name was, on you."
"Of course Harry," wincing at what happened to that girl there fifth year.. or what they had been told by those who had been there.
"What's the other news, Harry?"
"Sorry, Ron, I can't tell you."
"Come on!"
"No."
"Hermione what's the news?"
"Harry and I are horrible skiers," she replied in a mock serious tone.
"Come on, Hermione!"
"We are!"
"I broke my leg on our first run," Harry elaborated.
"I broke my arm," Hermione added.
The Weasley's looked puzzled as did Neville as to what skiing was, while Dean, Seamus, Remus and Tonks burst out laughing and Luna just had a dreamy half smile on her face.
AN: Anyone catch the big hint in this chapter?
Disclaimer: Wanda belongs to Issac Bashevis Singer's and his novel, The Slave. If you want an awesome read, check it out.. come on Singer won a Nobel Prize for Literature, so I'm not recommending a crap read, trust me, it's one of my top 3 favorite books... can't decide which is number one, so it's one of my 3 all time faves.
I finished typing this: 8 March 2005...
This maybe the post for the week... we'll find out later this week... I am running on fumes and caffeine today.. I woke up at 3 am today and wrote my paper... for today... yeah.. I crashed as soon as I got home yesterday.. at around six.
Rachel, Happy Birthday.. fifth teen tomorrow right?
Review please...PLEASE!
