Chapter 7:The Morning After
"Look at them. They look so…"
"Peaceful?"
"Not exactly what I was going for, Remus."
"What are you talking about?"
"Honestly, guys are hopeless, Ginny!"
"I know!"
These were the voices Harry heard in mid-consciousness. He didn't open his eyes, but shut them harder in the morning's bright light. He felt a weight on his chest, felt hair, and smelled strawberries. He smiled to himself and felt content, that was until he got an…unexpected surprise.
He felt a large force of something very cold hit him right in the face. "WHAT THE!" he shouted as he leapt from his resting place. He could feel the ice-cold water in his hair and dripping onto his face. He wiped the water from his eyes and saw Lupin, Tonks, Ginny, and Ron looking back at him, all trying to hide their laughter. Harry felt his anger rise and he began to make a plan: If I could just jump Ron and tackle him quickly, I could use him as a human shield against Lupin, then I could throw Ginny at Tonks…
It was then that he noticed the other person in the room, Hermione. He felt guilty when he realized she must have been the weight on his chest. She was now attempting to get up, massaging her aching body parts. Harry instantly helped her up. After slapping away his hand and getting up on her own, she glared at Harry. When she pointed at him with her forefinger, he turned it around to point at the other four. She turned her head back to Harry, then to the others, then back to Harry. She turned on her heel and glared at Lupin, Tonks, Ginny, and Ron. Harry did the same.
"Exactly what the BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?" Hermione screeched, surprising everyone, including herself. She grabbed her hair and brought her hand down to the tips, accumulating a puddle of water in her hair, which she flung at them. She did that until she felt that her hair was sufficiently dry and the others were wet enough. She shook her head, and her hair puffed out, showing the hair she had only a few years ago. She screamed and ran up the stairs to her bathroom, Tonks and Ginny in tow.
After watching them go up the stairs, Lupin and Ron looked at Harry. "Not a single word," he growled, and as Ron opened his big mouth, "not a single, freaking word!" Harry walked into the kitchen to get something to eat, while Lupin and Ron unanimously followed him. Harry entered the kitchen to find it empty. He rubbed his temple for a moment to attempt to ease his headache. Right, it's Saturday. Dobby has the weekends off. Oh well, I guess I'll just have some toast. He got out the bread and put it in the toaster, when he suddenly became aware of the other two people in the room.
"So…what went on between you and Hermione last night, Harry?" Lupin asked, pouring a glass or orange juice for the two of them. He sat down at the table across from Harry with his hands wrapped around his glass, looking thoughtful. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Nothing happened." Lupin and Ron exchanged looks before looking at Harry again. "Honestly! Hermione had a nightmare and she came running down the stairs hysterically crying about 'him'. And then I comforted her, and we went to sleep," Harry finished simply.
"Ok, and what else?" Ron said, after exchanging a look with Lupin. Harry raised an eyebrow. "How did Hermione end up on top of you with your arms wrapped around her?"
"WHAT?" Harry exclaimed, his eyes wide. That didn't happen… "That didn't happen, Ron. What are you talking about?" The last Harry remembered, Hermione was sleeping on the couch, and he had lain down on the floor.
"When we found you two this morning. Hermione was laying on top of you, with her arms around your neck, and you had your arms wrapped around her, rather tightly, by the way," Remus said in a matter-of-factly tone. Harry's cheek's reddened and he hoped no one noticed.
"Er, um, uh…well, uh…" Harry stammered, and Ron snickered. "I honestly have no idea, Ron." He said the last word pointedly. Wait, Harry thought, I think I remember something like Hermione rolling off the couch, and I just put my arms around her. Wait! Why'd I do that? I was just trying to comfort her, she had a hard night, he reasoned with himself. "Nope, I don't know what happened."
The three girls were quite a sight. Hermione sat in a chair in front of the vanity mirror, fuming. Ginny was using every tool she had to straighten and make Hermione's hair sleeker. Tonks was frantically trying to brush out her frizz, while also flipping through a book in her lap. "Are you sure you don't remember the spell, Hermione?" Tonks pleaded.
"As I've told you, Nymphadora, I do not quite remember the exact spell that I used on my hair, I am deeply sorry!" Hermione said flatly, her voice stinging with venom. She was still very angry with them for dumping water on her and Harry, also angry with Harry for dropping her.
Tonks flinched at Hermione's words. She gave Ginny a look and Ginny made a face behind Hermione's back. "I saw that, we ARE in front of a mirror, Ginevra!" Hermione said, seeing Ginny. Ginny and Tonks bit their lips to hold in laughter. "We wouldn't have this problem if you wouldn't have thrown water on me, you know!"
"Well, you and Harry wouldn't wake up! What were you guys doing anyway?" Tonks questioned, very interested. She got excited when she thought she found the spell, but it was for a sleek scalp, leaving you bald.
"Nothing you and Lupin haven't done, I'm sure," Ginny said, making Hermione giggle. "What did you guys do anyway?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "We didn't 'do' anything." She emphasized "do" by making quotations with her fingers. "I had a horrific dream about—about Voldemort. Harry comforted me, and then I fell asleep on the couch and Harry fell asleep on the floor."
"Ok, but how did you end up on the floor with your with your arms on his chest lovingly?" Tonks teased.
That's a good question, Hermione thought, Hold on, I seem to remember falling on the ground. I snuggled up to Harry for warmth, or was it because he smelled nice? No, it was definitely because I was cold! Yes, it must have been! Hermione smiled and said, "I really can't recall."
Harry had spent the rest of the morning making lunch. At least it will give me something to do so Ron and Lupin will leave me alone. 'What happened, Harry?' 'Really, Harry, do tell us what happened?' Harry smirked to himself as he placed the chicken in the oven. Now, for the potatoes, he thought, slicing them up. While he cooked, he noticed his thoughts begin to slip to Hermione. He then forced himself to think of something else, ANYTHING else. He couldn't think of anything.
When he was finished, he noticed the other inhabitants of the house wandering into the kitchen. First came Ron, of course, then Ginny, and Lupin, followed quickly by Tonks. Harry had hardly realized that he was cooking dinner for other people. It had seemed so natural after all the years with the Dursleys.
"And just what are you all expecting?" Harry questioned, and the others looked quite sheepish.
"Umm, we caught the scent of something delicious cooking, and came to check it out," Ginny explained. Harry smiled and served out six plates. Then he noticed Hermione's absence and questioned it. "She's up in her room fiddling with her hair, still. Mmm, this is excellent Harry!"
Harry muttered thanks and slipped out of the room with two plates. When he got to the stairs to the girls' rooms, he remembered the spell that was on them. Stupid Dumbledore probably put it here, too. He raised himself up on an intricate pile of books and chairs to place the plates on the landing. He then managed to swing himself over the railing onto the floor with a soft 'thud.' He gave himself congratulations as he walked up to Hermione's bedroom, balancing the two plates.
He knocked softly on the door. "Go away, you guys already screwed up my hair!" Hermione yelled from inside the room.
Harry smiled and replied, "It's me. I came to see if you were hungry. Apparently, the lunch I made is delicious."
He heard Hermione's soft footsteps as she came to open the door. She laughed as she saw Harry balancing the two plates. She took one from him and motioned him inside. Her hair was a mix of what it was this morning and what it looked like yesterday. Harry could help but find it sexy. She sat on the floor and Harry followed her lead. She smiled sweetly at him before digging in. Harry remembered that she had missed breakfast.
"Harry, this is fantastic." Harry blushed at her compliment. "Where did you ever learn to cook?"
Harry's eyes looked downcast. "The Dursley's."
Hermione mentally kicked herself and changed the subject. "Can you believe what they did to my hair? I've spent all morning trying to fix it!"
Harry laughed. At Hermione's glare, he continued. "I never thought you would be one to spend so long on her hair. Besides, I don't think it looks so horrible," he muttered.
She gave him her beautiful smile before frowning. She blew air out of the right side of her mouth, causing her bangs to rise slightly and then fall. "Umm, Harry?" she said meekly.
"Hmm?" he answered, his mouth full.
Hermione blushed slightly as she said, "Do you remember what happened last night?"
Harry felt the food catch in his throat. He coughed and hit his chest to make the food go down. "You mean the positions we were in when we woke up this morning?" She nodded. "Well, I remember you falling asleep on the couch, and I remember falling asleep on the ground. The rest is a little…fuzzy."
"Yeah, same here. I do remember falling off the couch, I'm pretty sure I have a bruise, and then I sort of crawled over to you and I guess I just got comfortable and fell asleep." By the time she had finished her story, Hermione's cheeks were sufficiently flushed. She hid them by looking far downward at her plate.
"Er, yeah. I remember that too. I put my arms around you I think…" Harry trailed off, now blushing as well.
"Uh, yeah." They ate in silence for a long time until they were almost finished. "How did you get up here anyway?" Hermione asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Haha! Let's just say The Monster Book of Monsters and a very large easy chair were involved," Harry laughed. Hermione laughed too and gave him a curious look.
With Harry dragging Hermione down the stairs, the pair walked into the kitchen to be greeted by several members of the order, including Fred, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, along with Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" was the first and only thing they heard as Hermione and Harry both hit the ground and watched the stunning spell fly over them and into a vase. They got up and dusted themselves off, giving Moody a glare.
"Honestly! Hello Harry, Hermione! How have you been dears?" Mrs. Weasley cooed, coming up to grab the two of them in a tight embrace. The rest of the Order merely stated their greetings, or grunted in Moody's case.
"Harry, the lunch really was fantastic!" Lupin stated, placing his clean plate in the sink. Harry's ears began to change color along with his face as he shuffled his feet.
"So what are you making for dinner?" Ron questioned, his mouth full with pumpkin juice.
"Dinner? I made lunch!" Harry protested.
Then Ginny butted in. "It was soo good. And we didn't get to finish ours," she motioned to herself, Ron, Tonks, and Lupin, "because THEY came in and ate it all!" Ginny finished, giving the Order members a glare that caused even Moody to flinch.
Harry laughed loudly. "Why not?" he said, giving in. "What do you want for dinner?" After he said this, everyone began to shout suggestions. He cleared his throat. "I was speaking to Hermione, who has had the most trying day!"
He smirked at Hermione who gave him a scowl. "I would like to have shepherds pie. And maybe mince meat for desert."
Harry beamed and said, "But of course. However, I want Mrs. Weasley to help so I don't burn the house down! Now, shoo, shoo, all of you!" The crowd looked shocked and then upset as they sulked out of the kitchen.
Once out of earshot, Hermione gathered the group around them. "Now about Harry's birthday party…"
