Chapter Thirteen
Harry crept into the house, hoping no one was in the large, dark entrance hall of the House of Black. To his relief, the room was empty - there seemed to be no sign of anyone; not a coat or hat anywhere on the hooks that were loosely hung on the bare walls.
He pulled his invisibility cloak over him and started off up the stairs to Hermione's room. He checked up and down the narrow hall before pushing the door open.
Hermione jumped at the sight of the door being opened on its own. She stood up and eyed it suspiciously, but nothing seemed to be holding it open.
When it swung shut again, there was a swish of cloth and Harry appeared, holding his invisibility cloak between his hands.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.
"I needed to talk to you about something," Harry said quietly. "Well, a few things, actually. I'm a bit confused right now, and I thought you might be able to help. . ."
Hermione nodded and waved him over to her desk. "Come on, explain."
"Well," Harry sighed, sitting down on the dusty armchair across from Hermione, "Draco and I got in a fight last night, for one."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "What? Why?"
Harry let out a low hiss and pulled the ring holder out of his pocket, setting it on the desk. "Someone sent these to us. Draco hasn't seen them, and I won't show him."
"Why not?" Hermione asked, grabbing the small, elegant box. She opened it and gasped.
"Harry, do you know who sent this to you?" she breathed, picking up the first ring - a diamond engagement ring.
Harry shook his head. "I have no clue - it came with a letter, but there was no return address or anything."
"Why'd you bring it to me?" Hermione asked examining the other two rings.
Harry suddenly seemed slightly nervous. "Well. . . . It's not every day that an anonymous person sends you wedding rings and says that they were your parents', do they? I just thought - I mean, what if they aren't real?"
"And you're wondering if I know a way to tell if they really did belong to your parents," Hermione finished for him. He nodded, blushing. "Well, I wouldn't know any way to find out, but I'm sure Lupin or Moody would."
Harry looked horrified. "No! I don't want them to know about this - I don't want anyone to know, except you."
"But Lupin would probably know just by looking at it!" Hermione pointed out. "I mean, he was your dad's best friend, he should know. . ."
He nodded. "You're right, but - I don't know! It would just be weird, asking him if these are real. . ."
"Well you don't have to do it," Hermione smiled. "I'll ask him for you."
Harry grinned. "Really? You will?" Hermione nodded, and he jumped up and hugged her tightly. "Hermione, you're the greatest!"
"Well, I try," Hermione said jokingly. There was a comfortable silence between them, before Hermione asked, "What are you planning to do with these if they are real?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know, I only got them yesterday. It would be nice to have something of my Mum's. And all I've got of my Dad's is the cloak and the picture album."
***
"Hello, Harry," Jenni smiled as Harry apparated back to his house, where Jenni was cooking breakfast for them.
"Hey, Jenni," Harry grinned, walking over to Draco, who was sitting at the table, reading the Daily Prophet. He kissed him on the cheek, sitting down next to him. "Did you read my letter?"
"Yes, and I'm sorry about last night, too," Draco sighed, leaning against Harry's shoulder. "I know I shouldn't have yelled at you, or pushed you so much."
"Are you okay with me not telling you right now?" Harry asked quietly, and Draco nodded.
"I'll have to be, because I know how stubborn you are," Draco smirked impishly.
"Yes, I am stubborn," Harry admitted, sticking out his tongue. "And proud of it. And by the way, you are, too."
Draco smiled. Harry could be so damn cute sometimes. . . .
"What were you two fighting about?" Jenni asked concernedly, a dark brow raised.
"Harry won't tell me," Draco shrugged. "Not quite sure what we were fighting about. . ."
"How can you have a fight and not know what it's about?" Jenni said incredulously.
"I wouldn't tell him what one of our 'fans' sent us, because it's important to me," Harry explained. "And he got all huffy and told me off. That was about it."
"Oh," Jenni nodded, transferring the eggs she was cooking from the pan to the plates. "Here you go, scrambled eggs. Toast will be done in a minute. You want some sausage?"
"No, thanks," Harry smiled, picking up his fork. In truth, he wasn't very hungry - he was too nervous to eat - but he didn't want to make Jenni think he didn't like her cooking; after all, she was a girl, and girls did tend to be touchy about those kinds of things.
Jenni's mother, Allyson, walked into the kitchen, still wearing her red silk nightgown.
"Oh, you're making eggs," she yawned, picking up one of the plates. "When did you learn this? I know you never wanted to learn anything from me. . ."
Jenni smiled and sat down with her own food. "Josh taught me, during school last year."
Harry's head shot up, and he grinned impishly. "A boyfriend?"
"No, just a friend," Jenni muttered blushingly, keeping her head down.
"Oh, Jenni, you've been going out with him for two years!" Allyson chuckled. "You don't have to lie to them about it!"
"Mum!" Jenni exclaimed. "We are not going out, we're just friends!"
"Then why are you blushing?" Draco asked, smirking slightly.
"Oh, alright, we did go out last year," Jenni confessed. "But we decided it would be best to just stay friends! I mean, we were friends for three years before that, and that's how it worked best. . ."
"Sounds like Ron and Hermione," Harry muttered, taking a bite of eggs. "On'y Ron'll never get up the courage to ask 'Ermione out."
Draco snorted. "Don't you hate Weasley?"
"Kinda," Harry shrugged after swallowing. "He is a bastard, but I still kinda miss him, you know - it's hard, not having a best friend. . . . I mean, a guy friend. . ." He sighed. "Besides, Hermione really likes him. I want her to be happy, even if it means going with Ron."
"You're a noble guy," Jenni sighed, shaking her head.
"That's what I hate most about you," Draco smirked. "I never liked the way you always stand up for everyone. . ."
"Well I thought you'd get used to it by now. . ."
There was a tap on the window, and Draco jumped. Hermes was waiting outside the window impatiently, his feathers ruffled from the slight breeze.
"Is that for you?" Jenni asked, walking to the window. Harry nodded.
"Isn't that Weasley's owl?" Draco asked as Hermes landed on Harry's outstretched arm.
"Family owl," Harry explained. "At least she didn't send Pig - he would never make it here."
"Pig?" Jenni asked, raising a dark eyebrow.
"Yeah, Ron's owl," Harry smiled. "Pigwigeon's his full name, but we call him Pig. He's tiny."
"Oh," Jenni nodded.
Harry untied the letter from Hermes' leg and he flew away almost immediately.
Harry,
I talked to Lupin immediately after you left. He said that the rings were real! I sent them back to you, in the same envelope. What are you going to do with them now? Have any plans?
How's Draco? Is everything going good? Is he still mad at you?
I have to go, Ron's going to wake up soon. Bye!
Love,
Hermione
Harry sighed with relief and stuffed the envelope and the letter into his pocket, not daring to let Draco catch glimpse of what it said.
"So?" Draco asked expectantly.
"Er - Draco. . . ."
"Alright," Draco sighed, pouting slightly. "But you will tell me, right? Soon?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed, sliding off his seat. "Just not now. I need some time to think first, okay?"
Draco nodded, and Harry kissed his cheek quickly. "I think I'm gonna send a letter to the Ministry - see if they have any open Auror positions."
"For you? Duh, Harry. They couldn't turn down the Boy Who Lived," Draco smirked.
"Ah, but they could," Harry smiled. "Fudge hates me, still, and he'd do anything to get rid of me."
*_*_*_*_*
A/N: How'd you like it? Was it good? Was it too short? Did I stop it to soon? Oh, well.
You'll find out what Harry's planning sometime in the future, maybe the next chapter, or the chapter after that. Maybe I'll keep up the suspension and stall for a while, write a few chapters' worth of author's notes. . . . I'm evil, I know, and I like to be evil.
Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting for any longer than I have to. :D I'm not THAT mean. . . . But I have been having TERRIBLE writer's block lately, and I ahven't been able to use the computer all week because my sister needed it to do "school work." Yeah, right, school work my ass!!!
Okay, gotta go so I can work on the next chapter of Easier to Run, which I haven't updated in a long time! BYE!!!
~~TTFN, Deathdragon4~~
Harry crept into the house, hoping no one was in the large, dark entrance hall of the House of Black. To his relief, the room was empty - there seemed to be no sign of anyone; not a coat or hat anywhere on the hooks that were loosely hung on the bare walls.
He pulled his invisibility cloak over him and started off up the stairs to Hermione's room. He checked up and down the narrow hall before pushing the door open.
Hermione jumped at the sight of the door being opened on its own. She stood up and eyed it suspiciously, but nothing seemed to be holding it open.
When it swung shut again, there was a swish of cloth and Harry appeared, holding his invisibility cloak between his hands.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.
"I needed to talk to you about something," Harry said quietly. "Well, a few things, actually. I'm a bit confused right now, and I thought you might be able to help. . ."
Hermione nodded and waved him over to her desk. "Come on, explain."
"Well," Harry sighed, sitting down on the dusty armchair across from Hermione, "Draco and I got in a fight last night, for one."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "What? Why?"
Harry let out a low hiss and pulled the ring holder out of his pocket, setting it on the desk. "Someone sent these to us. Draco hasn't seen them, and I won't show him."
"Why not?" Hermione asked, grabbing the small, elegant box. She opened it and gasped.
"Harry, do you know who sent this to you?" she breathed, picking up the first ring - a diamond engagement ring.
Harry shook his head. "I have no clue - it came with a letter, but there was no return address or anything."
"Why'd you bring it to me?" Hermione asked examining the other two rings.
Harry suddenly seemed slightly nervous. "Well. . . . It's not every day that an anonymous person sends you wedding rings and says that they were your parents', do they? I just thought - I mean, what if they aren't real?"
"And you're wondering if I know a way to tell if they really did belong to your parents," Hermione finished for him. He nodded, blushing. "Well, I wouldn't know any way to find out, but I'm sure Lupin or Moody would."
Harry looked horrified. "No! I don't want them to know about this - I don't want anyone to know, except you."
"But Lupin would probably know just by looking at it!" Hermione pointed out. "I mean, he was your dad's best friend, he should know. . ."
He nodded. "You're right, but - I don't know! It would just be weird, asking him if these are real. . ."
"Well you don't have to do it," Hermione smiled. "I'll ask him for you."
Harry grinned. "Really? You will?" Hermione nodded, and he jumped up and hugged her tightly. "Hermione, you're the greatest!"
"Well, I try," Hermione said jokingly. There was a comfortable silence between them, before Hermione asked, "What are you planning to do with these if they are real?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know, I only got them yesterday. It would be nice to have something of my Mum's. And all I've got of my Dad's is the cloak and the picture album."
***
"Hello, Harry," Jenni smiled as Harry apparated back to his house, where Jenni was cooking breakfast for them.
"Hey, Jenni," Harry grinned, walking over to Draco, who was sitting at the table, reading the Daily Prophet. He kissed him on the cheek, sitting down next to him. "Did you read my letter?"
"Yes, and I'm sorry about last night, too," Draco sighed, leaning against Harry's shoulder. "I know I shouldn't have yelled at you, or pushed you so much."
"Are you okay with me not telling you right now?" Harry asked quietly, and Draco nodded.
"I'll have to be, because I know how stubborn you are," Draco smirked impishly.
"Yes, I am stubborn," Harry admitted, sticking out his tongue. "And proud of it. And by the way, you are, too."
Draco smiled. Harry could be so damn cute sometimes. . . .
"What were you two fighting about?" Jenni asked concernedly, a dark brow raised.
"Harry won't tell me," Draco shrugged. "Not quite sure what we were fighting about. . ."
"How can you have a fight and not know what it's about?" Jenni said incredulously.
"I wouldn't tell him what one of our 'fans' sent us, because it's important to me," Harry explained. "And he got all huffy and told me off. That was about it."
"Oh," Jenni nodded, transferring the eggs she was cooking from the pan to the plates. "Here you go, scrambled eggs. Toast will be done in a minute. You want some sausage?"
"No, thanks," Harry smiled, picking up his fork. In truth, he wasn't very hungry - he was too nervous to eat - but he didn't want to make Jenni think he didn't like her cooking; after all, she was a girl, and girls did tend to be touchy about those kinds of things.
Jenni's mother, Allyson, walked into the kitchen, still wearing her red silk nightgown.
"Oh, you're making eggs," she yawned, picking up one of the plates. "When did you learn this? I know you never wanted to learn anything from me. . ."
Jenni smiled and sat down with her own food. "Josh taught me, during school last year."
Harry's head shot up, and he grinned impishly. "A boyfriend?"
"No, just a friend," Jenni muttered blushingly, keeping her head down.
"Oh, Jenni, you've been going out with him for two years!" Allyson chuckled. "You don't have to lie to them about it!"
"Mum!" Jenni exclaimed. "We are not going out, we're just friends!"
"Then why are you blushing?" Draco asked, smirking slightly.
"Oh, alright, we did go out last year," Jenni confessed. "But we decided it would be best to just stay friends! I mean, we were friends for three years before that, and that's how it worked best. . ."
"Sounds like Ron and Hermione," Harry muttered, taking a bite of eggs. "On'y Ron'll never get up the courage to ask 'Ermione out."
Draco snorted. "Don't you hate Weasley?"
"Kinda," Harry shrugged after swallowing. "He is a bastard, but I still kinda miss him, you know - it's hard, not having a best friend. . . . I mean, a guy friend. . ." He sighed. "Besides, Hermione really likes him. I want her to be happy, even if it means going with Ron."
"You're a noble guy," Jenni sighed, shaking her head.
"That's what I hate most about you," Draco smirked. "I never liked the way you always stand up for everyone. . ."
"Well I thought you'd get used to it by now. . ."
There was a tap on the window, and Draco jumped. Hermes was waiting outside the window impatiently, his feathers ruffled from the slight breeze.
"Is that for you?" Jenni asked, walking to the window. Harry nodded.
"Isn't that Weasley's owl?" Draco asked as Hermes landed on Harry's outstretched arm.
"Family owl," Harry explained. "At least she didn't send Pig - he would never make it here."
"Pig?" Jenni asked, raising a dark eyebrow.
"Yeah, Ron's owl," Harry smiled. "Pigwigeon's his full name, but we call him Pig. He's tiny."
"Oh," Jenni nodded.
Harry untied the letter from Hermes' leg and he flew away almost immediately.
Harry,
I talked to Lupin immediately after you left. He said that the rings were real! I sent them back to you, in the same envelope. What are you going to do with them now? Have any plans?
How's Draco? Is everything going good? Is he still mad at you?
I have to go, Ron's going to wake up soon. Bye!
Love,
Hermione
Harry sighed with relief and stuffed the envelope and the letter into his pocket, not daring to let Draco catch glimpse of what it said.
"So?" Draco asked expectantly.
"Er - Draco. . . ."
"Alright," Draco sighed, pouting slightly. "But you will tell me, right? Soon?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed, sliding off his seat. "Just not now. I need some time to think first, okay?"
Draco nodded, and Harry kissed his cheek quickly. "I think I'm gonna send a letter to the Ministry - see if they have any open Auror positions."
"For you? Duh, Harry. They couldn't turn down the Boy Who Lived," Draco smirked.
"Ah, but they could," Harry smiled. "Fudge hates me, still, and he'd do anything to get rid of me."
*_*_*_*_*
A/N: How'd you like it? Was it good? Was it too short? Did I stop it to soon? Oh, well.
You'll find out what Harry's planning sometime in the future, maybe the next chapter, or the chapter after that. Maybe I'll keep up the suspension and stall for a while, write a few chapters' worth of author's notes. . . . I'm evil, I know, and I like to be evil.
Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting for any longer than I have to. :D I'm not THAT mean. . . . But I have been having TERRIBLE writer's block lately, and I ahven't been able to use the computer all week because my sister needed it to do "school work." Yeah, right, school work my ass!!!
Okay, gotta go so I can work on the next chapter of Easier to Run, which I haven't updated in a long time! BYE!!!
~~TTFN, Deathdragon4~~