Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all Harry Potter content, I'm just borrowing it. I'll totally give it back, Madam Rowling, don't worry

Chapter 9

After depositing all of their belongings in the back, Harry and Hermione clambered into the backseat of Mr. Granger's white Jaguar XE while the adults climbed into the front.

"So, Harry, Hermione told us you guys met on the train?" Mrs. Granger asked as she fastened her seatbelt.

"Yes, we did." He answered quickly, not used to adults asking him questions. Sensing Mrs. Granger wanted a better story, he grinned as he remembered their first encounter. "She poked her head into my compartment because she saw me reading one of her favorite books. Of course, she ended up ripping it out of my hands and reading it out loud to me once she sat down…" He grinned, and both of Hermione's parents began laughing hysterically at that, and Harry joined in too. He turned to Hermione, who was blushing profusely. Harry thought she looked like she was trying very hard not to smile, despite the corners of her mouth slowly curling upwards.

"You make me sound like a lunatic, Harry…" She squeaked. Harry shrugged playfully, which earned him a swat on the arm from Hermione and more laughter from her parents.

"Well, that certainly sounds like our girl!" Mr. Granger wheezed as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Even before she got her letter she always loved reading, but she spent entire days reading all about magic up until she got on that train."

"That's not surprising. Your daughter's the smartest in our year by miles, you know." Harry responded. He turned to see Hermione beaming at him, but her cheeks had somehow turned even redder.

"Awfully kind words, Harry." Mr. Granger said, his tone turning deadly serious as he locked eyes with the bespectacled wizard through the rearview mirror. Harry felt his throat close up, suddenly remembering all those movies with overprotective fathers, when Hermione's mother threw her husband an elbow.

"He's teasing, Harry, relax." She smirked, turning to the backseat. Harry felt his panic subside. Mr. Granger even threw him a wink in the mirror and Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Hermione tells us you're not such a bad student yourself!"

It was Harry's turn to blush. He'd been ecstatic to see his final exam results, discovering that not only had he passed every class, but he'd cracked the top ten in his year.

"Well, I had a bit of help…" Harry stammered, looking at Hermione, who was still smiling giddily at him.

"Harry and I got the two highest exam scores Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration!" She rambled with glee, and Harry felt his face get even hotter. "He really is brilliant. I keep telling him he's a great wizard and he always gets flustered. See, look!" She grinned.

Harry had slumped into his seat in embarrassment, which only made the Grangers laugh. He still couldn't help but grin, and eventually he joined in the chorus of laughter. Eventually it died down, and Hermione's mother spoke again.

"So, Harry, Hermione told us you were in the Hospital Wing for three days in her last letter, but she didn't tell us why. My husband thinks you got in a fight, but I like to think you were protecting Hermione from some bizarre magical creature. Which of us is right?" She asked. Her tone was authentic and pleasant, and she was even smiling, but that didn't stop Harry's stomach from plummeting in fear.

"Ah, well…actually…" He stammered, feeling his palms start to sweat. "It's a bit…well…" He trailed off, his mind going completely blank.

"Well, if Harry won't tell you," Hermione huffed, turning to face her mother, "He got hit in the head while playing Quidditch. You remember me writing to you about Quidditch, right? The main sport at Hogwarts, on broomsticks?" She continued, shooting Harry a sly smirk. Harry gave his friend the most appreciative look he could muster. Hermione's parents nodded at her daughter's response, and the conversation flowed once again.

Mr. Granger in particular was fascinated by Quidditch, asking Harry about what being a Seeker entailed. The dentist explained that he'd played rugby as a teenager, and his position – wing – had a similar skillset to Seeker. The two eagerly conversed about their respective sports, with Harry knowing next to nothing regarding rugby while Mr. Granger knew only what Hermione wrote home on Quidditch.

"See, from what Hermione's told us, Quidditch is a brutal and dangerous sport and she isn't a fan of you playing it. She made it sound like a bloodbath!" Hermione groaned in embarrassment as her father recounted her letters. "Your description sounds much more fun!" He laughed.

"Ah, well, I suppose Hermione's a tad bitter towards Quidditch since she can't fly very well." Harry grinned, earning another swat on the arm from his best friend.

"It's not that!" She exclaimed as Harry snickered along with her parents. "I just worry about you zooming around at a hundred kilometers an hour, that's all." She added sheepishly. Harry felt his cheeks warm slightly, and he saw Hermione's parents glance at each other with unreadable expressions.

Hermione's parents continued to ask the pair all kinds of questions. Hermione stepped in for most of them, much to Harry's delight, since it was difficult to be honest with the Grangers without revealing that they'd spent a good portion of their school year being in mortal danger. Harry was nervous enough around the two adults, and he didn't want to exacerbate his unease by lying to them.

As the four of them continued their pleasant banter, Mr. Granger exited the highway, and Harry gathered from the signs they passed that they had entered Crawley.

"Well, it is getting a bit late, and it'll almost be time for dinner by the time we get there I suppose. Any requests, you too?" Mrs. Granger asked. Hermione turned to Harry expectantly, and Harry suddenly found his shoes to be the most fascinating things on the planet.

"Oh, well – erm, I'll eat anything, I suppose." He mumbled quietly. Hermione flinched at his sudden change in demeanor, and her mother instinctively put a hand over her heart, unseen by Harry. An uncomfortable silence ensued and Harry found himself considering the benefits of jumping out of the moving car.

"Harry, Hermione, when was the last time either of you had pizza?" Mr. Granger suddenly piped up. The pair turned to each other, and Hermione gave him an encouraging nod. He nodded back, letting out a shaky exhale.

"I think it's been too long. For both of us!" Hermione smiled, and Harry managed a weak nod. The two adults shared a satisfied look and they continued driving until they turned into a wide driveway.

Harry couldn't contain his awe at the Granger residence, much to the surprise of Hermione's parents. He leapt out of the car and stared up at the home. It wasn't the most glamorous residence the world had to offer, but after growing up in the cookie-cutter neighborhood of Privet Drive, the colonial that stood in front of him was his version of the Pyramids.

"You have a beautiful house!" Harry blurted, and Mrs. Granger moved next to him gently patted him on the shoulder.

"Hermione was right…" She mused, and Harry turned to her quizzically. "You're a very sweet boy."

Harry found himself blushing once again, and hurriedly picked up his belongings. He let Hermione lead him into the house, and Mrs. Granger watched them go with a blissful smile. Hermione, meanwhile, beckoned Harry up the staircase once they were inside, and dashed down the hallway to open one of two doors at the end. Harry followed her in and stopped in surprise.

The room was immaculate, with the largest bed Harry had ever seen made perfectly. Harry gingerly laid his belongings down on the floor next to it and ran his hands over the blanket. He picked up one of the four ('Four!' he thought excitedly) pillows absent-mindedly as he looked around the rest of the room. A tidy wooden desk stood against the wall opposite the bed, with a tightly-packed but highly organized bookshelf next to it. He glanced out the window, admiring the view of the Grangers' well-kept backyard in the light of the setting sun. He turned to Hermione, who was beaming at him. Harry suddenly dropped the pillow.

"Sorry, I shouldn't – erm, I mean – sorry for touching your stuff." He stammered as he realized he was probably in Hermione's room.

'It's the nicest room you've ever seen, you git, of course it'd be Hermione's room.' He thought to himself abashedly. 'The bookshelf, the desk, it's perfectly organized. Get your head in the game, Potter!'

"Where am I sleeping?" He managed, his tone reflecting his shame.

THUD

"Why did you drop your – "

WHOMP

"Blimey, Hermione!" Harry sputtered as his best friend flew over to him in a blur, her trunk discarded on the ground in favor of wrapping her arms around him. He gently hugged her back, feeling the warmth he always got when Hermione hugged him permeating his entire body. He suddenly noticed her trembling and squeezed harder, realizing she was crying.

"Harry, this is your room!" She sobbed into his shoulder, shaking her head in frustration. "This is where you're sleeping!" She moaned, unable to subdue her tears. Harry felt his heart slow as he took in his surroundings. He was sleeping in this room? For an entire summer? If his best friend hadn't burst into tears, he would have been certain that this was all too good to be true. He tightened his arms around Hermione in a wordless expression of gratitude, feeling slightly teary-eyed himself.

He felt Hermione take a deep breath before she slowly stepped back, keeping her hands on Harry's shoulders. Harry gave her a grateful smile, and Hermione reciprocated it before wiping her eyes.

"Should we – "

"Yeah, let's go downstairs." Hermione blurted, quickly marching out of the room. Harry followed, and the two met Hermione's parents in the living room.

"Hello, you two. Harry, I assume Hermione showed you your room?" Mrs. Granger asked without looking up from a book she was reading. Harry nodded, joining Hermione on a sofa across from the two armchairs currently occupied by the adults.

"It's really nice." Harry half-whispered, eliciting a sad smile from Hermione's mother.

"Perfect. Jean, would you be willing to go grab the pizzas? I'll set the table and tidy up the kitchen." Mr. Granger offered, standing. Mrs. Granger set her book down and stood excitedly.

"Of course. I'll probably need some help. Harry, would you mind joining me?" She asked. Harry stiffened, glancing worriedly at Hermione. "Relax, dear, it's barely a ten-minute drive." Harry sighed shakily and stood up, nodding uncertainly. "Oh, perfect. Dan, dear, we'll see you in a bit. Bye, Hermione, love you dear!" She called out as she led Harry to the front door.

The two walked out to the white sedan, and Mrs. Granger stifled a giggle as Harry tried to enter the backseat.

"Harry, sweetheart, sit up front." She smiled, and Harry – somewhat reluctantly – closed the back door and clambered into the passenger seat with a mumbled apology. Mrs. Granger started up the car but didn't back out. Instead she turned to Harry, who was gazing down at the ground. "Harry?" She asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Granger?" He answered meekly, barely meeting her eyes.

"Harry, please call me Jean."

"S-sorry Mrs. Gr – Jean. Sorry. Jean." He stammered, and his eyes went back to the floor.

"Harry, if you apologize to me one more time I'm going to throw you out the window…" She smirked to herself. She couldn't hide her surprise when Harry chuckled softly. "Oh, that one made you laugh?"

"It's just," Harry smiled wistfully, "Hermione's made a similar threat once or twice. Maybe more. It's not hard to tell she's your daughter." He continued, remembering earlier that day Hermione making the same threat on the Hogwarts Express.

"Well, I'm certainly glad she hasn't acted on those threats. Yet." She added with a sly smile. "Even though you've been scared to death of me and my husband you've been a delight to have around thus far."

Harry managed a small smile, but felt a guilty knot form in his stomach at the mention of his blatant nervousness.

"Thank you again," he finally managed, "for having me for the summer holiday. I don't know if you had plans, and I'm sorry if I've been an inconvenience if you did, and I – "

"Harry, please." The dentist interjected, her tone still warm enough for Harry to feel his guilt gradually subside. "You are not an inconvenience, and the sooner you get that out of your head, the better." Harry nodded weakly. "You're spending the summer with us, and Dan and I couldn't be more excited about it. Really. Although you do have a bit of a reputation to live up to according to my daughter's letters!" She laughed as she shifted the car into reverse. Harry felt his face heat up as he let out a quiet laugh.

"Well, I'll do my best." He said, feeling a smile creep across his face. Mrs. Granger smiled in satisfaction as she pulled out of the driveway and began their drive. "What does Hermione have to say about me, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh dear, what doesn't she have to say…" she mused, flashing Harry another smile. "She spent half of her first letter talking about how you complimented her teeth when you first met, which I thought was just adorable." Harry blushed, remembering how that encounter had unfolded. "She wrote a lot about how you hugged her on Halloween after someone hurt her feelings, she wrote about how you're a terrific flyer, let's see, what else…"

"Oh, I think I get the picture." Harry muttered as his cheeks did their best impression of Gryffindor scarlet. Mrs. Granger just laughed again, prompting Harry to bury his face in his hands.

"Don't be embarrassed, sweetheart. When we're having dinner we'll ask all about Hermione and you can embarrass her all you want." She offered, gently patting him on the shoulder. "In all seriousness, Harry, you mean the world to her. And I can see why."

Harry felt the hand on his shoulder, but didn't recoil like usual. Instead, he felt a warmth flow from his shoulder to the rest of his body. Harry gingerly lifted his head and nodded, giving Mrs. Granger a small smile.

"Thank you. For everything." He said quietly. The two sat in a much more comfortable silence before the dentist launched into another series of questions – mostly about studies at Hogwarts. Harry was quickly figuring out where Hermione's studious side came from as he explained his favorite spells and more.

Eventually they pulled into their destination, and Mrs. Granger explained that it was Hermione's favorite pizza parlor in town. Harry fought the urge to snort as he tried to imagine his bushy-haired friend stuffing her face like Dudley Dursley did every time he had pizza.

Soon enough, the two of them were marching out of the restaurant with multiple boxes in hand, each sporting giant grins. They quickly hopped into the car, and Harry found the smell nearly intoxicating as they made their way home.

"I'll give you a fiver if you yell 'Honey, I'm home!' when you walk in." The dentist whispered to Harry as they walked to the front door. Harry gave her a perplexed look. "Just do it." She added with a wink. Harry shrugged and waltzed into the front door.

"Honey, I'm home!" He called out, cracking a smile as Mrs. Granger broke into a fit of giggles.

"What?" A half-confused, half-indignant voice rang out from the kitchen. Harry's stomach plummeted in fear as he heard heavy footsteps stomped towards him. Hermione's father stormed in, furiously dying his hands on a dish towel. "What did you call her?" He repeated, locking eyes with a now petrified Harry. He turned to his wife, who was now doubled over in laughter. "Oh…you put him up to this didn't you?" He sighed. "Of course you did. Sorry, Harry, my wife gets very mischievous from time to time. Jean, I can't believe you let me terrify the poor boy like this. I'm sorry, Harry."

"I'm okay." Harry stammered out, but he managed a laugh as Mr. Granger playfully whipped the towel at his wife.

"Come on in, Harry, let's eat." Mrs. Granger smiled, strolling towards the kitchen. "He's a bit overprotective of Hermione, but I just think it's adorable." She whispered playfully as she walked past Harry.

The three of them met Hermione in the kitchen, who was just finishing setting the table. The four quickly sat down and didn't hesitate to dig in. Harry quickly fell in love with pizza, and although he enjoyed just about every topping he tried, he found plain to be his pie of choice.

Mrs. Granger lived up to her promise, and soon Harry laughed along with the adults as they swapped embarrassing stories about Hermione, much to her chagrin. The dinner rivaled Hogwarts's greatest feasts in Harry's book, as he ate until he feared his legs wouldn't support his sudden weight increase.

"Well, we did quite a number, didn't we?" Mr. Granger smirked at the pile of empty pizza boxes.

"Why don't the two of you head up for bed? You've had quite the day, haven't you?" Mrs. Granger asked, standing up to clear the table.

"Oh, I can help cleaning up if you need it!" Harry brightened, quickly corralling the Grangers' dishes. The adults tried to hide their surprise at his offer.

"Harry that's quite alright, you don't have to – "

"Please, it's the least I can do." He insisted, his voice more confident than it had been all day. The Grangers relented, and Hermione volunteered to help as well, and soon the four of them were cheerfully washing dishes and wiping down surfaces as a well-oiled machine.

"I wish you two had met sooner, this might have been the easiest cleaning endeavor we've ever gone through!" Mr. Granger laughed as the children made their way upstairs. Harry blushed and offered a quiet thanks before Hermione dragged him all the way upstairs.

"Good night, Harry!" She grinned as she wrapped him up in a hug outside his bedroom door.

"Good night, Hermione." He sighed contentedly, gingerly resting his head on her mane of bushy brown hair. "Thank you."

She pulled back with an even wider smile on her face, and before Harry could walk into his new bedroom, she hopped up and pecked him on the cheek once again.

"Hermione!" He cried out in surprise, bringing a hand to his now burning cheek. His best friend gave a shy smile as she strolled into her room, her cheeks turning redder by the second. Harry let out a content sigh, watching the door next to his close gently. He grinned to himself, shaking his head as he thought about how much he had enjoyed his first day with the Grangers.

"What kind of day has it been…" he muttered to himself as he turned and walked into his room, still smiling.

A/N: Howdy, everyone. Day one of a summer with the Grangers is in the books! You may have noticed I suddenly decided to name all the chapters, mostly because I re-watched one of my favorite episodes of Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing and couldn't resist the urge to throw in the What Kind of Day Has it Been reference. Expect named chapters in the future. Sorry if it seemed random, but hey, it's my story! *shrugs*

Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. Hermione's parents are there for Harry! He was nervous but he's starting to feel at ease! Harry will have a good summer, damnit! Who knows how this changes the events of Harry and Hermione's second year?

Thank you again to all of my kind reviewers, followers, and favorite-rs. Y'all are my favorite people on the planet. Please do review/follow/fave if you're enjoying the story, it means the world! Stay safe!