H P Boy who lives Year 7- Summer
Chapter 19
Preparing to leave
--
Harry and the others prepare to head off to Hogwarts...yes he does cook them all dinner...Remus and Gene make an announcement...
--
Harry walked into the kitchen and found that Mattie was home. "When did you get back Nana?" He frowned.
"I got back a little while ago. Now what's with the frown?" Mattie walked over to him.
"I was going to try my hand at cooking dinner the wizarding way." He pouted.
Mattie smiled at him. "It's not as easy as it looks at first, so why don't you and I fix dinner together."
"Sure I'd like that. Uncle Remus thinks that I'm gonna poison everyone."
"Remus tends to put his foot in his mouth around you doesn't he." Mattie got out pots, pans, and utensils. "Ok first thing that you need to do is come up with the menu."
"I was thinking of fixing some of Hermione's favorites." Harry walked over to look at the cookbook that Mattie had propped up on the kitchen island. "...Ham, roasted potatoes, gravy, rolls, and peach cobbler for dessert."
"Now then you pick up your cooking wand and think of what you wish to appear in the saucepan." Mattie coached.
Harry, new cooking wand in hand, thought of what he wished to appear and out poured a rich cream sauce into the saucepan. "I think I just might like this new wand." He motioned for the pan to move over to the stove. Then used the wand to tap a spoon to go over and stir it. He had peeled potatoes appear in another bowl and a ready to cook ham was in the roasting pan complete with vegetable garnish.
"You really are a natural at almost everything aren't you?" Mattie watched as he went about preparing the meal as if he had been doing it for years.
James appeared beside his son. "Peach cobbler would be a good dessert, but I think a cake is in order." He suggested.
Harry glanced at his father. "Why what are we celebrating?"
"Well let's see you and Hermione's engagement, Remus and Gene's upcoming wedding, and their little bundle that they are expecting in April." He whispered in his ear.
Harry dropped the wand on the counter and turned to look his father in the eyes. "You expect me to be all nice after he flamed my ass, and then insulted my cooking abilities?"
"Actually yes I do, because you should have physically told someone where you were going. Need I point out that you are still healing and so is Hermione." James was in father mode.
"I forgot to take my dozen potions this morning, because I felt fine." Harry set the peaches in a container and then put them in the fridge. "It just aches when I laugh or move certain ways."
"I never liked pain, so I took my medicine. But you really don't mind it much anymore do you?" James frowned.
"Compared to what I went through with my scar, this is nothing just a tickle." Harry poured the huge bowl of chocolate cake batter into two large cake pans.
"Yeah, the books pretty much put it all into perspective. She has you praying that he kills you, because the pain is so severe." James watched as something changed in Harry's eyes. He looked drained and much older than his years.
"Look Dad there was times when I was in so much pain that I was mindless with it. It got to the point that yes I wished I could die if only it could end. Then I thought of the others counting on me and that made me fight back. This last battle was for the ones that lost their lives because of him and by that time I couldn't feel anything. I was numb inside and full of a fury that I never wish to feel again." Harry put the cake in one of the ovens. "Look I'm exhausted it's been a long war and I just wanna rest."
"Harry if you're finished in here it's time for your medicine." Gene carried in two potions.
"I'm not gonna take anything that's gonna put me out till tomorrow morning. I'll take the medicine to heal my ribs, but that's it." Harry narrowed his eyes at her.
"I know that taking medicine isn't any fun, but these are for your ribs, and the minor discomfort they cause you." Gene was a very patient healer.
"You win Aunt Gene. I'll take the medicine." He took the two potions both had a strange taste to them. "Those were different." He gagged.
"Gene you look absolutely radiant. I mean it there's this unearthly glow about you. Is there a reason?" James put her on the spot.
"Yeah, Aunt Gene you really do look radiant."
"If I didn't know any better I would say that you have that expectant mother glow about you." Mattie smirked.
"Remus and I have waited an eternity for him to be cured; we're getting married in a few days, so it wouldn't matter if we were expecting a little miracle or not." Gene narrowed her eyes at the three of them.
"Hey, we think it's great!" Harry eyed her warily.
"It's wonderful news, Gene." Mattie beamed.
"Yeah, no need to hurt us or anything." James chuckled. "I'll go tell everyone that dinner is just about ready." He vanished.
"I know that you didn't mean anything by it, but this is new to me, so I'm sort of protective." Gene smiled.
Harry got another bowl and used his wand to conjure some strawberries for her to munch on. "Here snack on these while dinner cooks."
"How did you know that I was craving strawberries?" She eagerly took the bowl from his hands.
"I didn't break the rules or anything. It's just that it's hard to ignore someone's thoughts when they're projecting them so loudly." Harry didn't know how she was going to react to that, so he braced for her to let him have it.
"In that case thanks for the strawberries and just remember that Occlumency comes in handy when the static gets to the point where your head starts pounding." She winked at him then left the kitchen.
Mattie was tending to the dishes so they didn't burn. "Harry pay attention to what you're doing."
"Damn sorry about that I got kind of distracted!" He got the potatoes out of the oven, the Ham was done, the rolls were done, the sauce was simmering on the stove, and the cake was coming along nicely. "Are these stoves and ovens Wizarding/Muggle appliances?"
"It's the only way to cook kiddo. It takes three quarters of the time a normal stove or oven does. So dinner only takes half an hour to prepare." Mattie pulled the ham out of the oven. "The cake should be ready in a minute."
Harry went into the dining room and set the table. "That's perfect." He went back into the kitchen Mattie had just pulled the cake pans out of the oven. "All we have to do is allow it to cool."
"No dear boy you need to use a cooling spell to cool off the cake." She showed him what she meant. She used the cooking wand to blow cool air over the warm cakes until it was cool enough to frost.
"I'll get the frosting out of the fridge." Harry went towards the fridge, but she stopped him.
"Harry this wand allows you to do amazing things, now hold it just above the cake, and think of what flavor frosting you wish to use on it." She lectured.
Harry thought of custard cream and it layered the top of the cake. He then used the wand to set the other cake on top of it. Then he frosted it with chocolate fudge frosting. "This makes cooking so much easier." He watched as the wand began writing the words that he wanted to put on the cake in golden and red colored letters, and then decorated it with frosting flowers and intricate designs. "Nana I need to go wash up could you set everything on the table for me?"
"I was going suggest that, but you were having so much fun."
Harry kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks Nana."
--
Draco, Hermione, and Ginny were in Harry's room playing video games.
"Draco you have to pay attention! This is the fifth time that you missed the seal on the Glacius slide!" Hermione watched as Harry's video game character died again.
"You're a backseat player you know that don't you!" Draco glared at her.
"It's just the two of us are getting motion sickness." Ginny frowned.
"Look if you think that you can get the seal go ahead and try." Draco gave Hermione the controller.
"I'll give it a try." Hermione resumed the game and managed to complete the level with all ten shields. "Here this really isn't broken arm friendly." She set it back in his hands.
"Sorry to break up the fun of killing my character, but dinner is ready." Harry stood in the doorway. "We're eating in the dining room."
"That proud of your meal are you." Hermione got up and snuggled up against him.
"You know that I feel the pain when you overdue with that arm." He growled into her ear. "Now be a good girl and go get ready for dinner."
"I wasn't going to play..." She gave him a guilty look. "I was looking for that chest that you took out of the vault."
"Not possible angel as that happens to be on my person. You can look at it after we eat dinner. We have some things to celebrate." He kissed her on the nose.
"So that's why we're eating in the dining room. We're celebrating your engagement, and the wedding of Gene and Remus." Ginny smiled.
"Something like that." Harry nodded.
Draco shut off the game after saving it. "What else is there to celebrate?"
"That my friend is the surprise saved for dinner." Harry smiled.
Hermione, Ginny, and Draco left to get ready for dinner.
--
"Harry is James right did you cook dinner?" Lily smiled at him when he entered his room. She was reading book five.
"I enjoy cooking especially wizarding style. I just want to say that I was an ass in that book and that isn't me anymore." He went into the bathroom.
Lily went to talk to him. "Son I'm not judging you by these books and you had every right to act like an ass in your fifth year. I find it amusing that you thought that James forced me to marry him." She watched as he searched the walk in closet for something to wear. "Just wear some slacks and a nice sweater and for Mab's sake shave."
Harry looked in the mirror. He had a slight reddish-gold five o'clock shadow. "I've never had to shave more than twice a week this is different." He set about getting ready for dinner.
"Nothin wrong with that kiddo, shaving is a right of passage." James popped up next to him.
Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Dad if I'd been shaving with a razor I'd have a serious nick right now." He glared at him.
"The wand is a wonderful gadget isn't it." James chuckled. "So you really got it into your head that I forced your mum to marry me?"
"Well to be perfectly blunt, Dad. You were a complete ass during what I saw and here I thought you were like the perfect role model. It completely crushed my image of you." Harry finished shaving as he talked to his father. "I mean mum really couldn't stand you and you tortured Snape just because Uncle Sirius egged you on about it."
"You saw his memories? Would that one be the one after the DADA O.W.L?" James could remember that day as if it were yesterday. "Before or after he called Lily a mudblood?"
"Let's just say that I was dragged out of the vision before I got a view of something that would haunt me for life."
"Lily didn't let me do it. She took my wand from me and I had to chase her all around Hogwarts to get it back." James chuckled. "I snuck a kiss when I caught her. It was well worth the black eyes."
"Tackling me to the grass and then sneaking a kiss got you more than black eyes." Lily had come back to check on Harry and saw that James was with him.
"That memory is too painful even to this day." James grimaced.
"You never did learn after that and must have liked having to get ice for that part of your anatomy." Lily giggled.
"Mum!" Harry stared wide-eyed at his mother.
"Harry dear you never just grab a girl, plant one on her, and then not expect retaliation." Lily frowned. "Particularly, when the girl in question even if slightly fond of the boy, still thought that he was an arrogant ass."
"That's my cue to head down to dinner." Harry left them to reminisce about the past.
--
Hermione was brushing her hair when Harry walked into her room. "Dinner smells heavenly." She smiled at him.
"I'm so glad that we were best friends before we became a couple." He set the chest down on the carpet and then used his wand to bring it back to size.
Hermione gave him a puzzled look, "Why what did your parents do now?"
"Mum is reading book 5 and she's at the part where I get to see one of Snape's memories. I just got the rest of the details and it's kind of scary really." Harry opened the trunk. "Bloody Hell! Now that's what I call a treasure." It was loaded with crown jewels.
"I think its time to go down to dinner." She glanced down into the trunk and then at Harry. "We can look at it all afterwards."
He took in what she was wearing a strapless sundress in iridescent shades of blues and matching sandals. "You look beautiful angel." He took her hand and kissed it.
"That's a first." She frowned. "Usually you pull me into your arms, and kiss me."
"Mum gave me a lecture. I learned that grabbing a girl can get you black eyes and a knee in a place where I don't wish pain." Harry grimaced at the thought.
"Harry we are not your parents. They had a love hate romance and we never did, so it's okay to show affection with each other." Hermione reassured him by planting a kiss on him herself.
"Oh no! None of that you two! Some of us are famished!" Wills looked in on them and then broke the two of them up. "Bloody hell, who went and robbed a museum!" He glanced down into the open trunk.
"Dinner awaits Royal pain!" Hermione ordered him out of her room.
"That's what was in your vault!?" Wills couldn't believe what he had seen. "My Gram would love to get her hands on some of that."
"Wills focus on dinner." Hermione cuffed him on the back of his head.
"Ouch, okay stop beating me up!" Wills winced when she whacked him again.
"Mattie where are Mum and Daddy?" Hermione walked into the dining room and noticed that her parents weren't home yet.
"They had to go collect your brother and sister from camp. They took some Wizarding candy with them and it didn't go over too well with some of the campers." Mattie was setting the various dishes on the table.
Draco, Ginny, Remus, Gene, and Kate were already sitting at the table.
"This looks great." Draco approved of what he saw so far.
"It smells delicious." Ginny agreed.
"Sorry that I doubted you." Remus apologized.
"I love wizarding cooking. We don't have to wait hours to eat." Kate smiled.
They sat down and ate dinner.
"That was like Hogwarts." Draco grinned.
"It was like what Mum makes." Ginny enjoyed her meal.
"It did taste like the feast." Hermione agreed.
"That was excellent my boy." Remus toasted him with his goblet of Elderberry Wine.
"Yes Harry it was very good." Gene smiled at him.
"That was gourmet all the way." Wills was happy with his meal.
"The palace food didn't taste this good." Kate agreed.
"Well done kiddo this was very well prepared." Mattie toasted him with her goblet.
"I hope you have room because next is dessert." Harry got up to go get the cake when the front door crashed open. "Sounds like you parents are back."
"GO TO YOUR ROOMS!! YOU ARE BOTH GROUNDED TILL SCHOOL STARTS!" Alex roared at the twins.
"Daddy we didn't mean any harm!" They wailed.
"YOU GAVE THOSE KIDS A SKIVING SNACK BOX AND THEN DIDN'T THINK TO GIVE THEM THE ANTIDOTES!" Katherine roared at them.
"YOUR CABIN MATES HAD TO BE TAKEN TO ST. MUNGO'S! YOU ARE LUCKY THAT ALBUS IS CO-MINISTER!" Alex roared.
"Hermione its not gonna come off, so quit trying to pull it off your finger." Harry hissed.
"We're toast." Hermione moaned.
"No we're not." Harry smiled at her. "I told them that I was going to marry you after seventh year and that just seals that promise."
"That's right he did say that to them, so the ring won't be too much of a shock." Remus agreed.
They could hear Alex and Katherine entering the kitchen.
"One of the kids must have fixed dinner." Katherine commented.
"I think they're celebrating Gene and Remus's up coming nuptials." Alex looked down at the cake sitting on the counter and began to read it. "Congratulations Aunt Gene and Uncle Remus on your upcoming wedding and the little one on the way. Oh and Hermione and I are officially engaged!?"
Alex and Katherine stalked into the dining room, and then took in the rest of the family, who were congratulating the expectant couple, and the dinner that was remaining on the table.
"You cooked this entire meal?" They stared at him in shock.
"Sure did with Nana's guidance. Everyone seemed to think it was Hogwarts standard fare." Harry was proud of his meal.
"You bought her a ring?" Katherine frowned.
"No he gave me Godric's mothers ring. Isn't it breathtakingly exquisite? " Hermione proudly showed off her ring. "I believe that Mr. Griphook said that she was Queen Guinevere."
"That's the ring James wanted to give to Lily, but for some reason couldn't find." Alex took a good look at the ring.
"Honey that's a priceless heirloom," Katherine sighed. "You could lose that at school."
"It's as stuck to me as his HBP ring is stuck to him." Hermione assured her.
"Hermione is my other half and that's the way it's going to be forever." Harry assured them.
Draco and Ginny got up to go get the dessert.
"We'll help." Wills and Kate followed them into the kitchen.
"Mum, Daddy. The two of us take this very seriously." Hermione was showing them that she was more adult than she was teenager. "We know more about our future than the two of you realize."
"Now exactly how much were the two of you shown in that vision of yours." Katherine frowned.
"We saw enough to know that we have a year to ourselves before having to worry about any little ones." Harry winked at them.
"It's the calm before the arrival of our little monsters." Hermione muttered.
"Baby you don't have the patience for twins." Katherine knew that her baby was going to have a time of it in the future.
"I can just picture two little miniature versions of the two of you." Remus smiled.
"Oh it's something like that." Harry and Hermione both gave each other a knowing look.
"Although, what I got to see was nothing compared to what Hermione saw, but then she's more of a seer than I thought she was." Harry winced when she hit him in the ribs. "Thanks luv and they were almost healed too." He fell to his knees in agony.
"Oh Harry!! I'm sorry!!" Hermione got up and went to his aid. "It's just that you didn't have to say that."
"I wasn't referring to that..." He gasped in pain. "You should've aimed lower it would have done less damage."
"Remus, help me get him back to his room." Gene growled. "Hermione you really have to rein in that right hook of yours."
"Why is Harry on the floor?" Draco set the plates that he had in his arms down onto the table and went to his friend's aid.
"Hermione nailed him in the rib cage with that right hook of hers." Wills frowned.
"Bloody Hell! I know what that feels like in the nose, but in an already injured rib cage that was low." Draco helped Remus get Harry to his feet.
"Never tease Ginny or she might put you in traction too." Remus and Draco helped Harry out of the dining room with Gene and Hermione trailing after them.
"Just think he actually wishes to marry her." Wills gave Alex and Katherine a look.
Kate hit Wills in the back of the head.
"Ouch!" He glared at her. "I just meant that he loves her enough to put up with being beat up by her and deal with her tempers."
"He does have a point and he didn't even seem angry when she re-broke his ribs." Alex was impressed.
"That would be the ultimate test in loyalty." Katherine agreed.
"Oh yes, he has our full blessing." Alex agreed. "I trusted him completely before, but now there isn't even a shadow of a doubt in my mind.
--
Harry spent the rest of the week in bed, because Hermione had re-broken two ribs, and broken another with her punch to his midsection. It wasn't until the day before they were to leave that he was let out of bed.
"You can lie outside in the sun for a while." Gene gave him a little freedom.
"Oh, gee thanks Aunt Gene. I get to lie outside instead of in bed in my room." Harry rolled his eyes at her. "Don't you have a wedding to plan?"
"Let's see. My gown has been past down for generations. Hermione, Kate, and Ginny are going to be my bridesmaids. Lily and Katherine are my matrons of honor. Sabrina is the flower girl and the wedding is going to be on the castle lawns. Remus is going to have you, Draco, and Wills as his groomsman. Sirius, James, And Alex are his best men, and Sebastian is the ring bearer. I believe that Albus is going to perform the ceremony, so we're all set for the wedding." Gene helped him to the lounge on the terrace.
"I get it now." Harry heard Hermione and Mattie entering his room. "You need me out of the room so all of you can pack all my stuff."
"Sunshine is good for you and yes this way you can relax and not be bothered by all the packing going on in your room."
"The thing is she did more damage than Krum did and it was only one punch." Harry sulked.
"You were prepared for Krum, so your body tightened against the attack, and with Hermione you weren't even expecting it so your body was relaxed." Gene explained.
"Yeah, that makes sense." Harry was bored out of his ever-loving mind. "Hermione hasn't been the same around me since. It's like she thinks she's gonna break me again."
"Well she did sort of overreact and you did get broken." Gene sighed.
"I told her that I wasn't angry at her and still she just mopes." Harry sighed in frustration.
"Remus, as he had to take the twins to Diagon Alley for their supplies, took the chest back to Gringotts." Gene changed the subject.
"Good I was trying to think how I was gonna do that." Harry sighed in relief. "I asked Dad which ones were safe to take to Hogwarts and Dad said the matching set to her ring, a few tiara's, bracelets, necklaces, diadems, circlets, and crowns. Not that I want to wear any of it. I just know that I'm gonna have to though."
"That goes with being the Half-Blood Prince, but then you've really embraced the role." Gene used a crystal in her hand to see how he was healing. "It looks like you're back to just bruised ribs, but you still need to take it easy."
"In that case I'm gonna shed this form for a while." He turned into Prince.
"I did not mean that you could turn into Prince." She knelt down in front of the wolf. "Is that form causing you any pain?"
Prince slobber kissed her across the face and took off down the steps.
"Very well, but only for a short time young man," Gene called down the steps.
"If he gets to go for a run then I get to go with him." Draco stepped out of his rooms. "Besides I'm all packed." He turned into Dragon and off he went down the stairs.
"I just know that Remus is going to growl when he gets back from Diagon Alley." Gene sighed in defeat.
Hermione walked out onto the terrace. "He's all packed for Hogwarts..." She noticed that he was missing. "Where's Harry?"
"Prince and Dragon went for a run." Gene sat down on the lounge.
"I thought that he was still you know broken."
"Not exactly. I've kind of lied to him for about two days, so he wouldn't overdo it. He's bruised and that's about it, his ribs have healed." Gene relaxed in the sun.
"Why didn't he come see me?" Hermione felt like crying.
"Sweetie, you felt so guilty about hurting him that all you've been doing is brood and that in itself is driving the boy crazy." Gene sympathized with her.
"I can't help it. I broke him." Hermione sniffled.
"Hermione you punched him where he already had an injury, so you really didn't break him." Gene tried to prevent another outbreak of Hermione breaking down into tears.
"It's just that he didn't even get cross with me or anything. It's like I'm waiting for him to let loose his temper on me."
"I see what you're trying to say, but he really isn't angry with you about sucker punching him."
"I'm all packed, so I'm going to go for a ride." She headed to her room to change.
"Riding is fine. Just be careful with your arm." Gene called after her.
Hermione waved her hand as if to say I heard you.
--
Hermione changed into riding clothes and walked down to the stables.
Wills was getting ready to go for a ride. "Wanna talk about it."
"I need to clear my head and get some fresh air." Hermione wasn't in the mood for a big brother.
"I'll saddle Lady for you then." Wills didn't want a taste of her right cross. "I should never have taught you how to box."
"I didn't mean to break HARRY!" She snarled at him.
"No of course you didn't and we know that." Wills eyed her warily as he went about saddling Lady.
"Look William. I just want to go for a ride." She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm going back to a place where something horrible happened and I'm not sure how it's going to affect me."
"Hogwarts isn't exactly a place where you want to go to is it?" Wills helped her onto Lady.
"No it isn't, but it's not like I have a choice." She sighed. "It will just take time to get comfortable in certain areas like the Great Hall, the main entryway, and the Grand Staircase."
"I think you and Harry will be taking the secret passageways for the first few weeks." Wills now understood what was wrong.
"I plan on doing that and eating in the kitchens." Hermione took the reins from Wills. "Thanks big brother I needed to talk about it." She then headed out for her ride.
--
Harry was sitting under the shade of the ancient oak looking down at the workers building his new home. "It's amazing how fast they can build something." He glanced over at Draco, who was looking at someone down in the valley.
"What I find astounding is that we know absolutely nothing about Hermione." Draco watched, as she jumped various obstacles in her path.
"Are you watching Hermione?" He got up and looked down at the valley. "She really does know how to ride." He watched as she and her mount rode towards them. "What makes my relationship with Hermione fascinating is that I get to find out everything that she's hidden over the years."
"Draco, would you please leave us for a while." Hermione had reached where they were standing.
"Sure I'll go check out the building site." Draco headed down the grassy knoll. "See you back at home."
Harry reached up and helped her off the horse. "So is everything set for tomorrow?"
"We're all packed to leave." Hermione wasn't looking at him instead she was gazing down at her riding boots. "I just don't want to go back."
"You don't want to go back early or you don't want to go back period?" Harry looked down at her. "Hermione look at me and not at the scuff on your boots."
She looked up at him tears shined in her eyes. "Too much happened there for it to be just like old times."
"I know that, sweetness. Believe me I know, but we can't just skip seventh year." Harry raked his fingers through his hair. "We'll take the secret passageways and eat in the kitchen with Dobby."
"We're Head Boy and Head Girl this year. We can't just avoid the other areas." Hermione dug at the grass with the heel of her boot.
"We did not survive sixth year just to go somewhere and hide." Harry pulled her into his arms and held her. "This is our time to enjoy school and have some fun for once."
"Why aren't you angry at me?" Hermione pulled back from him, so she could look up into his eyes.
"I teased you and you overreacted. You didn't do it on purpose and I don't blame you for hurting me." He stepped away from her, so he could take in the view of her in her riding gear. "By the way you look hot in that outfit."
Hermione folded her arms across her chest and gave him a look. "Did you just call me hot?"
"Why yes my lady. I did call you hot." Harry grinned wickedly at her. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"
Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
--
The two of them were walking up from the stables when the twins raced up to them with their new wands in their hands.
"Bree and Sebastian watch where you're pointing those!" Hermione glared at her siblings.
"That's not a toy. You could hurt someone with them." Harry took them out of their hands.
"Those are ours!" They pouted.
"You two are grounded remember. The last thing you want to do is get Mum and Daddy angry at you again." She growled.
"You're no fun!" Bastion growled.
"You're like the adults!" Bree sniffled.
"Yeah, well, we really never got to be kids." Harry herded them back towards the house.
"No we didn't, so pouting isn't going to work on us." Hermione so did not want to share her last year with her siblings.
"If you don't watch it you won't last a week at Hogwarts and then you'll have blown the most incredible chance of your lives." Harry warned them.
"It is not like Muggle School. There are rules that you need to follow or the House that you end up in gets points took away from their Houses hourglass." Hermione lectured them. "Mess up too badly and you can get detention or expelled."
"The two of us should know." Harry chuckled.
"You got in trouble?" Bree frowned.
"In our first year we lost 150 points for Gryffindor. We did have good reason, but we were punished. I don't think that anyone has ever topped that." Harry shrugged.
"Harry do not tell them that!" Hermione glared at him.
"Don't tell them that even you get into trouble at school?" He grinned. "All they have to do is read the books to find out all of our secrets."
"Really!? All of that was true!" They raced up the stairs.
Hermione kicked him in the shin.
"Don't start that again or I will make you pay." He glared at her.
"You just challenged them to beat our record!" She glared back at him.
"I did not. I just proved that even their perfect sister can get into trouble at school." He rubbed at his sore shin.
"YOU DIDN'T NEED TO DO THAT! THEY DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT! I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT!" She screeched at him.
"Stop screeching at me like a banshee and calm down!" He was slowly losing his temper.
"I WILL NOT STOP SCREECHING! YOU JUST BUNGLED UP OUR SEVENTH YEAR! YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT YOUR BIG MOUTH SHUT!!" She ranted.
"Save it! I will talk to you when your toddler tantrum is finished!!" He threw his hands up in the air and stalked outside.
"You get back here!! We are not finished!!" Hermione chased after him and grabbed him by the arm.
"Let go of my arm Hermione!"
"Or you'll do what!?"
"I'll do this!" He took her over his knee, swatting her five times on her backside, before letting her go, and stalking off towards the stairs of the terrace and his rooms.
"YOU BEAST!!" She screeched in outrage.
"Do you want another swat on your rear?" Harry turned on his heel and headed back towards her.
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" She wasn't really thinking clearly and was beyond furious.
"You are acting like a spoiled little brat, who didn't get her way!! So hell yeah, I'd swat you in the rear again!" He glowered down at her.
"I don't like you right now!" She fumed.
"That's good because I can't stand you right now either!" Harry wasn't in the mood to deal with a full-blown tantrum.
"FINE!!" Hermione stalked off up to her rooms.
"RIGHT BACK AT YOU!" He stalked towards his rooms.
--
Harry stormed into his rooms and threw the twins wands down on his bed. "She is the most spoiled rotten little pain in the ass brat! I can't even see where the Hermione that I love is in her right now!" He paced the carpet of his room.
James took that as his cue to appear. "So first fight?"
"No father! Our first fight she used my wand, with me still holding it, to Incendio my foot three times!" He glowered at his father.
"She has this insane notion the twins need to see her as little-Miss-Prefect-never-did-anything-wrong Head Girl of Hogwarts! When in truth she's such a little fraud!! She kicked me in the shin for telling them the two of us got into trouble at their age! I mean they just might respect her more if they knew that little-Miss-Prefect-big-sis is human!!" Harry ranted as he paced the carpet. "I know that we weren't perfect! I'm not embarrassed by it in the least!"
"So she's embarrassed by her past years in school?" James tried to find the underlying cause of why Hermione went off on his son.
"The hell with that she can't just suddenly go nah sorry none of that happened!! It doesn't frickin work that way!!"
"Calm down son. I'm not the one you're furious at!" James snarled back.
Harry stalked over to his bed and got out the birthday present that he was working on for Hermione. "If that's the way she feels then this doesn't matter anymore!" He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the scrapbook.
"NO!!" Remus raced into the room and got the book out of harms way.
"Why the hell not it's not like she wishes to remember any of it!!" Harry glared at Remus.
"She doesn't want to go back to where she almost died!! Neither of you want to go back there nor do you have a choice!" Remus shouted at him.
"Hermione and I talked about that this afternoon and she was fine with it. Or at least I thought she was fine with it." Harry sat down on his bed. "Then when we got back the tweebs were showing off their new wands and she went mental on them..." He buried his face in his hands. "I should have known that something was wrong, but the truth is that I'm dreading going back tomorrow too."
Remus sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "I know Harry, but this is one of the reasons you're going back early. The two of you need to make peace with what happened and you can't do it with all the students around."
"You know what sucks about Hogwarts." Harry grumbled.
"You can't bring your toys with you." James chuckled.
"No not unless you bring a years supply of batteries for your CD/MP3 player. No video games, movies, or even the computer, it really sucks now that I have them." He got up and walked into the other room. "Look at all of this and I can't use it!"
"What happened to everything?" Remus frowned.
"Draco is intent on finding a way to be able to use Muggle electronics at Hogwarts." James grinned.
"He packed all of it?" Harry looked at the almost empty shelves.
"Yep," James nodded.
"Never hurts to try I guess." Harry grinned.
"HARRY!!" Ginny raced into the room.
"Easy Ginny. What's wrong?" Harry could see that she was very upset about something.
"It's Hermione...she took off as Princess..." She panted.
Harry swore under his breath. "She took off as Princess with a broken left front leg!?"
"She was going mental about how badly she messed everything up with you and then took off!" Ginny was worried sick.
Harry grabbed a blanket and shoved it into a pack that he slung over his shoulder. "Stay here and don't worry I'll bring her back." Harry turned into Prince and shot out onto the terrace.
"Ginny could you put this in Hermione's trunk?" Remus handed her the scrapbook.
"Did he almost destroy it?" Ginny couldn't believe the two of them would have this bad of a falling-out.
"Yeah, he was going to, but I stopped him." Remus sighed in frustration. "They don't want to go back to make peace with what happened there on that last day and they're taking it out on each other."
"Draco and I see it as a whole beginning." Ginny sighed.
"That's as it should be. You see for the two of you everything will seem like new. You didn't have to go through that final battle that they did, so it's not the same for the two of you." James assured her.
"I saw Luna die in the Entryway, but as for the rest I was in the common room." Ginny would never forget the sight of her best friend dying in Ron's arms.
"All of you were affected by what happened. Harry and Hermione just went through a great deal more." Remus yawned tiredly. "Remind me never to take those two brats anywhere again."
"They were that bad, huh?" James chuckled.
"Ollivander's will never be the same again." Remus groaned.
--
Harry found Hermione curled up under the ancient oak bawling her eyes out. "Angel, it can't be that bad." He knelt down in front of her. Just as she had with him, third year after he overheard that Sirius killed his parents.
Hermione threw herself into his arms and cried her heart out against his shoulder. "I RUINED EVERYTHING AND NOW YOU HATE ME!"
"I don't hate you, Hermione. I love you and together we're going make peace with what happened." He crooned rocking her in his arms. "I was furious with you, that I almost destroyed what I made for your birthday."
"I don't deserve anything after the way I treated you."
"I should have realized that you weren't okay with going back. That you were sounding off because you didn't want to go back to Hogwarts." He let her cry.
"I just don't want the twins thinking that I was brave and courageous during those times. That isn't true half of the time I was frightened out of my mind." She whimpered.
"We both were and anyone that reads those books can see that. The tweebs may be little pain in the asses, but they're smart enough to know right from wrong." Harry continued to comfort her.
Hermione looked up at him. "I love you so much."
Harry kissed away her tears. "I'll love you forever and even that isn't gonna be long enough."
"What's in the, um, sack?" She noticed the pack on his back.
"I didn't know how long it was gonna take to find you, so I took a blanket with me. How's your arm feeling?" He let her go long enough to wrap the two of them in the warm blanket.
"I got as far as the stables then had to walk up the rest of the way. It's a little sore but nothing to worry about." She snuggled closer to him. "Oh look Harry the moon is rising over the lake."
"Let's just stay here for a while and enjoy the peace and quiet." He settled the both of them against the trunk of the ancient tree.
"So what exactly did you make me for my birthday?" She sighed happily.
"It's sort of an on going work in progress. I guess in a way it's never gonna be finished." He yawned.
"Harry?" Hermione looked up at him and saw that he had fallen asleep. "Poor baby you really weren't ready for a full day yet were you." She snuggled up against his shoulder and settled off to sleep.
--
Draco paced the terrace. It was after one in the morning and no Hermione and Harry. "Did they get lost?"
"A wolf and a Kneazle lost?" Ginny curled up under a blanket on the lounge.
"Yeah, you have a point." Draco was worried and it wasn't like him to worry about anyone but himself. "I should go look for them."
"He took a blanket with him so they should be warm." Ginny yawned.
"That's good to hear. He took a blanket with him." Draco muttered.
"Look Dragon. Uncle Remus is not gonna let you go off in the middle of the night just so you can go search for them. He can keep them safe that we know. If she were hurt he would have sent up some sort of flare. There's no owl or feather message from Dumbledore, so that tells me that they're fine. They probably fell asleep under the shade of a tree or something." Ginny was losing her patience with him.
"Yeah, they could be under the old oak tree. That makes sense, but it's going on two, and they should be here not under the tree." Draco yawned.
"I've checked everywhere and no sign of either of them." Wills was tired and worried sick. "I just don't get why everyone went to bed when the two of them are missing."
"Did you check the ancient oak?" Ginny opened one eye to glare at him.
"They weren't there." Wills growled.
"Did you walk around the whole tree trunk?" She inquired again.
"No Ginny I did not play ring around the rosy with the tree!" He was not in the mood for twenty questions.
"Well then you didn't look everywhere did you?" She growled.
"You two go to bed." Remus came out onto the terrace.
"But..." Ginny and Draco protested.
"Now..." He wasn't in the mood to argue.
The two of them reluctantly headed off to bed.
"You too Wills," He yawned.
"Not until they come home safe and sound." Wills wasn't about to go to bed.
"Take the SUV over there and then the three of us will ride back with you." He took out his wand and disapparated from the terrace.
"No way, I checked that tree." He headed back to the SUV that he had left running in the front courtyard.
--
Harry awoke to a loud crack that echoed around them. He was half-asleep, but he could see that Remus was about five feet away from them. Harry glanced at the illuminated dial on his watch and gently shook Hermione. "We fell asleep, it's almost two, and Uncle Remus just arrived."
"So there you are." Remus came around the other side of the tree and just barely spotted the two of them under the blanket.
Hermione blinked at Remus and yawned. "Sorry about that we just took a little nap under the tree."
"I can see that now what the two of you need is your own beds." Remus smiled down at them.
"Well, I'll be damned they were here." Wills having run up the hill was out of breath as he spoke.
"You thought that we were hurt or lost?" Hermione wasn't awake yet.
"The thought did cross me mind." Wills growled.
"How can a wolf and a Kneazle get lost?" Harry chuckled.
"Ok you two let's go home." Remus yawned.
Harry and Hermione got up to their feet and stayed huddled in the blanket, as they made their way down the hill towards the SUV.
"I was worried and everyone else except Draco was calm about the two of you not coming home." He wanted them to know that he had been searching for them.
"Sorry big brother." Harry and Hermione yawned.
--
Chapter 20
Making Peace
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I do not claim any of JKR's characters only that I love being able to create my own kind of mischief with her beloved characters. I do not claim any other things that are owned by other companies that I may mention once and a while in the stories...Although the original characters and ideas are mine and I loved creating them. So please review if you wish but try not to flame me too badly.
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Cindra 2004-2008