AN: Hey all, back again! Thanks so much to my reviewers: SmartDancrGrl, skyfire2459, Shadowed Rains, PrincessLuckyCML, mysteriouscharm, someone you don't know, Margaret, Gryffindor620 (read the Author's note at the end of Chapter four, please :smile: ), anonymous, LaLa09, Lyr942, Ms. Sakura Moon, and nobody. Thanks to you all, keep it up :big smile:

Chapter 7: Getting Closer

Hermione awoke but didn't open her eyes, and for a few seconds thought she was back in the girls' dormitory at Hogwarts. That is, until she stretched. Her right leg moved over a few inches and hit an obstruction. Her eyes snapped open and she saw Harry's sleeping face only inches from her own. She jumped back in surprise, but managed not to scream. She calmed down when she reminded herself why she and Harry were in the same bed, then she quietly slipped out from under the covers, grabbed her wand, and tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs, determined not to wake Harry nor anyone else.

Once she was downstairs, she looked at her watch; it was seven o'clock. She was wide-awake, but she just wanted to relax alone somewhere. She crept into the dining room and gasped in awe when she saw the back wall, which had not been visible from the kitchen the night before. Right in the middle was a pair of gorgeous French doors leading out into the backyard, and on either side was floor-to-ceiling windows, leaving only six inches of wall space between them and the sides of the door. She slowly walked toward the doors, unlocked them, carefully opened them, and stepped out into the fresh morning air. She gently closed them behind her, then looked around the spacious backyard. There was a large white dogwood tree in the far corner of the yard, and under it was a white cast-iron lawn furniture set. She walked quickly over to it, and when she got there, she settled herself down on one of the small chairs. She simply sat there for nearly half an hour, just thinking.

Finally, her mind wandered over to yesterday's events, and she began crying; silent tears at first, but then she put her head in her hands and sobbed worse than she had yet. She carried on with this behavior for about ten minutes before she attempted to get control of herself, and she pulled out her wand to clear up her face, though still looking determinedly at the ground. However, as she said the spell, she felt someone sit down in the chair next to her. Startled, she jumped slightly, and looked up to see Mrs. Johnson sitting next to her with a shocked expression on her face. Because Hermione had moved as she said the spell, it missed its target, and Hermione's face was still tear-streaked. She quickly looked away from Mrs. Johnson, ready for the outburst that was bound to come...

But it never did.

After a moment's pause, Hermione slowly looked back up at Mrs. Johnson and timidly asked, "Aren't you going to shout at me? Demand I leave your house or something?"

"Why, of course not, dear," said Mrs. Johnson, who looked shocked at the very thought of such an action.

"You - you aren't?" asked Hermione tentatively.

"No," said Mrs. Johnson gently.

"But - but, I'm - I'm a witch! I would have thought you would hate me because of that!"

"Oh, come now, we all have our differences... and besides, how could I just turn you away when you're in such a horrible situation?"

Hermione hesitated, wondering if she could tell the truth to Mrs. Johnson.

"Um, about that..." she started.

"Yes?"

"Well, Harry and I... we're not really siblings, we're just friends. We were... we were..." Hermione stopped. She was getting choked up again.

"You were what, dear?" pressed Mrs. Johnson.

"Our boarding school, it - it got... destroyed... and we were the only survivors..." Hermione's tears threatened to come once more, and she tried to blink them back.

"Oh, you poor thing," said Mrs. Johnson, and she put her arms around Hermione, who again burst out in sobs. Mrs. Johnson simply hugged Hermione while she shed her tears for a few minutes before she pulled away.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping away her tears.

"It's quite all right, Hermione," said Mrs. Johnson. "Now, I believe we have breakfast to be getting on with."

"Right," said Hermione. "Do you mind if - if I use a bit of magic to - to clear up my face?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, no, not at all," said Mrs. Johnson. Hermione smiled weakly, then pulled her wand back out.

"Vizacium," she said, pointing it at her face. Her tears instantly dried and her puffy eyes returned to normal. Then the two women stood up.

"Now, what do you say to waking up Harry and getting you two to help us cook breakfast?" asked Mrs. Johnson, clearly keen to get Hermione's mind busy.

"I think that would be wonderful, Mrs. Johnson," said Hermione, who loved to cook.

"Now, Hermione, what did I tell you last night?" said Mrs. Johnson in a mock-scolding voice.

"Oh, right, sorry, Grace," said Hermione, and they began walking back to the house.

Hermione walked silently into the bedroom she and Harry were sharing and noticed Harry was still sleeping. His back was to her when she crept up next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Harry... Harry, it's time to get up..." she said quietly. No sign of life. She shook him a little. "Harry," she said a little louder. "Harry, wake up sleepy head."

"I no wanna get up, 'Mione..." came the muffled reply.

"Harry, come on, the Johnson's want us to help them cook breakfast," said Hermione.

"You can help 'em..." he said sleepily, still refusing to get up. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Harry, I need to talk to you before we go back down, please get up," she said urgently. Harry rolled over and looked at her.

"Whassamatter?" he said.

"Get up and I'll tell you, I want you to be awake," said Hermione, satisfied that he would get up now.

"Okay, okay..." he said, and he slowly swung his feet over the side of the bed and pushed himself into a standing position. He ran a hand through his hair and stretched before turning his full attention to Hermione.

"So what's up?" he said.

"Listen, this morning I was outside when Mrs. Johnson caught me doing magic. I told her the truth about us - how we're really wizards and that we're not brother and sister and about Hogwarts and stuff."

"Hermione! Why?" demanded Harry.

"What was I supposed to say to the fact that I had just said funny words with a wand in my hand?" she retorted.

"Well, I suppose you're right," he said, running his hand through his hair again. "Let's go make breakfast then, shall we?"

"After you and I both tidy ourselves up a bit... we both look terrible..." said Hermione, walking over to the dresser. "There must be a brush around here somewhere..." she said, opening and closing the dresser drawers. She found one in the bottom left drawer and pulled it out.

"Ha! Victory!" she said, running the brush through her hair, attempting to get all the tangles out, which took several minutes, as her hair hadn't been properly brushed since the previous morning. Once she was satisfied, she pulled all her hair that had come out of her scalp out of the brush and handed the brush to Harry. She then tossed the handful of hair into the desk trashcan and waited a minute while Harry tried to tame his messy hair with little success. Once he finally gave up hope on it, they both walked down to the kitchen together.

"Well, there's our two newest young guests!" said Mr. Johnson cheerfully from the kitchen table. He was reading the newspaper, but he got up when Harry and Hermione walked in. "What do you two say to pancakes, sausage, eggs, and toast for the breakfast menu?"

"That sounds great," said Harry, whose stomach was growling.

"I think so too, but can we have some fruit as well?" asked Hermione.

"Well sure, why not?" said Mrs. Johnson from the sink, who was washing her hands. "You two come over here and wash your hands, and you too, dear," she said to Harry, Hermione, and Mr. Johnson. The three people crowded around the large farm sink after Mrs. Johnson stepped away and scrubbed their hands.

"Okay," said Mr. Johnson, drying his hands on a dishtowel. "Hermione, you can be in charge of the fruit. I believe we have apples, grapes, and strawberries in the fridge. Harry, how about you mix up some scrambled eggs, we've got a full house so do about eighteen or so. Grace, you can start on the sausage and the toast, and I'll do the pancakes." Everyone went around doing their specific duties, Harry and Hermione occasionally asking where to find things like a whisk or a knife or a frying pan. While Hermione chopped up fruit on the island, she watched the sleepy-eyed guests meander down one by one. Some of them eyed Harry and Hermione, curious of where they had come from, while others just sat down at the dining room table. Eventually, six of the twelve seats were filled. Hermione finished slicing strawberries and added them to the large bowl of fruit, tossed it a bit with her hands, put a large spoon in the bowl, and carried it into the dining room.

"Breakfast will be a few more minutes, so if any of you wanted to snack on some fruit while you wait, here it is!" she said cheerfully. "I'll be back in a minute with silverware and plates." She then hurried back into the kitchen, found plates in a cabinet under the island and counted out ten. She then put them on top of the counter while she piled ten forks and ten knives on top. Then, staggering a little under the weight of such heavy china, she placed them on the dining room table. As she left she noticed three of the six people eagerly started spooning some fruit onto their plates.

"Wow, it smells wonderful in here," remarked Hermione. She looked around and saw Mr. Johnson loading more pancakes off of a griddle onto a plate that was already stacked high with them, Mrs. Johnson putting sausage and toast onto separate plates, and Harry spooning the small mountain of eggs into a large bowl.

"Hermione, dear, if you could grab butter and syrup and bring them in, that would be fabulous," said Mrs. Johnson. "Butter is in the fridge and syrup is in the upper cabinet next to it." Mrs. Johnson then carried the plates of sausage and toast into the dining room, closely followed by Mr. Johnson and Harry carrying the eggs and pancakes. Hermione retrieved the butter and syrup and came in right behind them, taking a seat next to Harry.

"Dig in everyone!" said Mr. Johnson. Hermione came to realize that even though most people didn't even know each other, it was like they were one big family. She soon got to know the people around her by chatting over the many dishes of delicious food. The man to her right was named Ralph, and he had dropped by from around Inverness, on his way to Manchester. He was a short and portly man, and he was definitely an optimist. He always had a smile on his face about something or other. The young couple across from Hermione - the Calverts - were both 23 years old and recently married the previous July. They were currently just traveling around the U.K. and staying wherever they ended up. Then there was a family of three: a father, mother, and young daughter, maybe around eight or nine. They all had blonde hair, and seemed very quiet, as Hermione hadn't heard much information from them about who they were. Most of the time, however, she was talking to the Johnsons.

"This really is a nice place you have, Grace," said Hermione.

"Oh, well, we've always wanted to do something like this, so when this house went up for sale, what was it George, seven years ago? Anyway, when the house went up for sale we snatched it up, and now look where we are!" said Mrs. Johnson with a smile.

"Yes, it has been a joy, hasn't it?" agreed Mr. Johnson. "And I believe it was eight years ago we bought the house."

"Oh, yes, I suppose you're right... I just lose track of time."

Later, after breakfast was finished and the dishes were washed, Harry and Hermione decided to take a walk outside in the back yard. For a while they just walked, not really saying anything. Suddenly, Hermione spoke.

"Harry, I know we're on a bit of rocky ground because of our argument yesterday... and I think that we should just forget about it completely. I'm really sorry, honestly... It seems so trivial now," she said quietly.

"Yeah, it does. I'm sorry, too." He stopped walking. "Friends?" he said, holding out his hand. Hermione looked at it for a second.

"Friends," she said, but when she took his hand, she pulled him into a hug. Harry was startled at first, but he wrapped his arms around Hermione's shoulders anyway. They just stayed like that for a few moments before Hermione pulled away.

"Wow, I feel so much better now," she said.

"Yeah, me too," said Harry. "So... what do you want to do?"

"We could keep walking," she suggested. "Or, we could play chess?"

Harry smiled. "Chess sounds great," he said, and they both walked back toward the house to ask the Johnsons if they had a chess set.

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