Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Harry Potter. I really want to though. Like, I'm talking Veruca Salt levels of 'I want it now', but tragically I do not own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. Hopefully I'm not a bad egg.

Chapter 68

It was the first full day of the summer break. Sirius had met Harry on Platform Nine and Three Quarters the day prior and promptly Apparated him back to Twelve Grimmauld Place after some merciless teasing for his lengthy goodbye kiss with Hermione. Just as Harry had finished unpacking his trunk and began reacclimating himself with his bedroom, his godfather had informed him that he had some business with the Order of the Phoenix to attend to and that he would be back in a few hours. When Harry had asked what that entailed, Sirius sighed and said that he had been sworn to secrecy for the time being. Before Harry could protest, the Marauder was gone with a CRACK.

Feeling a bit miffed at his godfather's sudden disappearance and that he had been left in the dark, Harry busied himself with writing his first letter of the summer to Hermione and then dove headfirst into his summer homework.

He was just putting the finishing touches on his second Ancient Runes essay when he heard a knock on his door. He checked his watch and realized that he had been working nonstop for over four hours. "Come in," He called out, placing his Sword of Gryffindor quill on his desk and swiveling his desk chair around. The mahogany door of his bedroom – emblazoned with HJP by his godfather a year prior – creaked open a moment later.

"How are you?" Sirius asked, closing the door behind him and sitting on the edge of Harry's bed across from him.

"I'm fine," Harry said, leaning back in his seat a bit. Sirius sighed, the remorse on his face visible from a mile away.

"I'm sorry, Harry," He said earnestly. "I didn't want to just up and leave without telling you where I was going."

"I guess I get it," Harry shrugged one shoulder, leaning back in his chair. "Setting up the Order is pretty important now that he's back. And I can keep myself busy without you hanging around here to corrupt my mind," He added with a smirk, one which his godfather returned.

"Do you want to know where I was?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Are you going to tell me if I say yes?"

"Yep," Sirius steepled his fingers. "I went to Hogwarts. I met with Dumbledore, to be specific."

"Oh?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "Have you been sworn to secrecy about the topic of this visit?"

"No point, really," Sirius smirked, drumming his fingers on his thighs in visible excitement. "You were going to find out anyway."

"Why is that?"

"I convinced him to make Twelve Grimmauld Place the official headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."

"Seriously?" Harry's face was torn between dropping his jaw and breaking into a smile that could span galaxies. "The Order of the Phoenix is going to meet in this house?"

"It's ideal, really," Sirius grinned. "It's close to the Ministry and St Mungo's. It's big enough to accommodate a lot of people. And I can't think of anything that would piss off my bigoted ancestors more than using their home to do this. It's poetic, really, plotting to stop a manic pureblood in the House of Black."

"So, what happens now?" Harry asked, leaning forward excitedly. "When does everything start?"

"A few days from now," Sirius answered. "The Order will hold its inaugural meeting here on Wednesday night. Until then, everyone involved keeps a low profile and nobody says a word about it. Sound good?"

"Can I be a part of the meeting?" Harry did not even attempt to hide the hopefulness in his voice. Sirius's smile faltered, and Harry slumped in his seat. "Oh," He mumbled. Sirius opened his mouth a few times, but the words died in his throat. Eventually, he patted the space on the bed next to him, and Harry reluctantly sat by his side.

"I never told you what happened when we watched your memory, did I? When Dumbledore brought Tonks, Remus, and I into the Pensieve?" He asked after a few seconds of silence. Harry shook his head, but he realized his godfather was staring directly in front of them and was oblivious to the gesture.

"No."

"It was horrible," He whispered, shaking his head over and over again. "And not just because I had to watch the man that killed Lily and James come back." He took a deep breath, looking down at the floor and refusing to meet his eye. "The three of us…the moment he started torturing you we all started crying. Not just crying…I bawled my eyes out."

Harry was so stunned he couldn't even bring himself to speak, but Sirius kept going anyway.

"You have no idea how it felt, watching you suffer so much while I couldn't do a thing. Remus handled it the best – he shed some tears, but he managed to keep himself composed. He's always been good at keeping his emotions in check; I don't know how he does it sometimes." He paused, and Harry felt his throat constricting with emotions of his own. "But Tonks and I…we don't have that kind of composure. I couldn't stop crying, Harry. Neither of us could. It was because of that, watching you get tortured, that we refused to let Hermione watch the memory. If I was crying, I don't even want to think about what she would have done."

"I had no idea," Harry whispered, clearing his throat awkwardly. Sirius was silent for a beat before he spoke again, his voice atypically soft.

"You know that I care about you. A lot. You know that, right?" He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, and Harry found himself doing something similar. "I don't want…I don't want you to interpret me not telling you everything right off the bat as me not caring about you. Because I do."

"I know," Harry said quietly. Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close.

"I'm working on a way to get you in the know," He said. "Believe me, Harry, I am working on it. I'm not going to leave you in the dark; I can't think of any logical reasoning behind doing that. Even if you weren't my godson, I reckon I would be fighting tooth and nail to keep you in the know because it's the right thing to do."

"Thanks," Harry gave a grateful smile. "I just…I really want to help."

"I know you do," Sirius winked. "You're not going to be happy unless you're going Mach 2 with your hair on fire, right?"

Harry's jaw dropped. "You've seen Top Gun?"

"Hermione recommended it in that letter she wrote when she invited us up to Hogsmeade after the Second Task," The Marauder chuckled, his usual breezy demeanor replacing the saddened one he had taken on for the past few minutes as he pushed himself to his feet. "I got takeaway burgers waiting for us downstairs; if you're not down in five minutes I'm eating yours."

"Ah, glad you're gracing me with your presence this wonderful morning," Sirius greeted as Harry entered the kitchen a few days later for breakfast on Tuesday. "For a moment I thought you were going to skip breakfast in favor of writing another love letter to Hermione."

"Shut up," Harry rolled his eyes, yawning. "Do I need to set you up with someone to get you off my back?"

"You're funny," Sirius smirked, pouring two glasses of orange juice at the table. "I doubt anything will ever get between me and teasing you, but if you want Tonks off your back you can help me get her to stop mooning for Moony and ask him out. He's honestly clueless with birds."

"Don't call my sister a bird," Harry chuckled as he stretched.

"Whatever," Sirius rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Sleep well?"

"Fine," Harry sighed, joining him in helping to prepare breakfast. "Dreamt about the graveyard again," He admitted under his godfather's questioning gaze. "Same as usual; I'm back there with him but I don't escape."

"Anything else?" Sirius frowned as he pulled out a jug of maple syrup to accompany their French toast. "Still dreaming about that locked door, too?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded sleepily. "I honestly don't mind that one. I'm sure it's just a reflection of how trapped I feel in this house or something like that. Maybe if I didn't drop Divination I could tell you what it really symbolized," He snorted as he recalled the ridiculousness of Trelawney's class. "Anyway, at least it's not really a nightmare."

Sirius placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and guided him to the kitchen table, each of them carrying plates of food. "I wish there was something I could do about the nightmares."

"I know you do," Harry shrugged. "It's alright, honestly."

"Well, I do have some good news if you're interested," Sirius offered as he speared a bit of French toast. At Harry's raised eyebrows, he continued. "You're leaving the house today."

"I was expecting you to tell me that I could join the meeting tomorrow," Harry frowned a bit.

"You and Tonks are going for a run! Isn't that exciting?" The Marauder said cheerfully. Harry barely managed to avoid rolling his eyes.

"Tonks and I have been working out every day. I think she's trying to kill me with how much she makes me do."

"Come on, the fresh air will be good for you. And I have a feeling you'll like the way this run turns out."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked warily.

"Nothing," Sirius shrugged in a manner that signaled that he was definitely lying. "I haven't the faintest if there will be any surprises on your run today, why do you ask?"

"You're ridiculous," Harry shook his head in disbelief before resuming his breakfast. Sure enough, Tonks Apparated over three hours later dressed in running gear. Harry reluctantly laced up his trainers and grabbed some of his more athletic clothing before meeting the Auror in the entrance hall, where she was chatting with Sirius excitedly.

"Ready to have fun?" She teased, transforming her hair into a mane of long, raven hair and turning her irises emerald green. "What do you think, do we look like real siblings now?"

"More or less," Harry couldn't help but grin. "Hey, if you can morph yourself to look exactly like me, would you be willing to swing by Hogwarts and serve my detentions for me this year? I'm sure Snape is going to be extra vindictive now that O.W.L.s are coming up."

"Oh, a Metamorphmagus would have been a lifesaver when your father and I were back at Hogwarts," Sirius laughed wistfully. "We actually got into detentions so often we made these…" He trailed off, a dreamy expression overtaking his face. Harry could see the gears turning in his head but had no idea what the Marauder was thinking about. A quick glance at Tonks revealed that she was equally befuddled.

"Sirius?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"I've got it," He blinked back to reality and grinned at Tonks. "I figured out how to handle…" He unsubtly motioned towards Harry. "I've got it, I just need to find something."

Not waiting for the other two to ask about his unexplained epiphany, he dashed up the stairs without another word. Shrugging, Harry and Tonks made their way outside and began to run.

"Sirius said there was a surprise happening on this run," Harry stated nonchalantly after a few blocks.

"I have no idea what he could be referring to."

Before Harry could call her out on such a blatant lie, she picked up speed and Harry was forced to do the same, barely managing to stay by her side as they rounded corner after corner. Just when Harry was ready to throw away his pride and ask the Auror for a break, she began to slow down until they had stopped in front of the Pink Flamingo Ice Cream Shop.

"Ice cream?" She asked, wiping her brow. Harry, who had soaked his shirt with sweat and had to place his hands on his knees to stay upright, mustered the strength to nod. "Oh, can't have you all sweaty and gross. Stand still." She crouched down and drew her wand, pressing it against the inside of her foot as she pretended to tie her shoes. A few muttered incantations later, the only sign that Harry had been running furiously was the fact that his chest was heaving.

"Thanks," He smiled gratefully. With a wink, Tonks sheathed her wand and stood up straight, opening the door to the parlor. "Ladies first," He motioned for her to go ahead.

"No, I think you should go in first," Tonks smirked. "I might need to spot you in case you get knocked onto your arse."

Frowning, Harry hesitantly walked through the open door. He barely had time to survey the familiarity of the ice cream shop when there was a loud shrieking sound and his vision was suddenly obscured by a large quantity of very bushy hair. A millisecond later, a wall of force slammed into him and a pair of slim arms had flung themselves around his neck. He stumbled backwards and nearly wiped out if not for the strong hand of Nymphadora Tonks on his back.

"Harry!" Hermione cried out in unfettered delight, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Hermione?" He spluttered in surprise, wrapping his arms around her.

"Surprise!" She giggled, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before nestling into him. "I hope you're not furious with me for not telling you; Sirius suggested we make this a surprise, but I really wanted to tell you. All three of us did, because we miss you so much, but it's alright now because we're here! You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Tonks chuckled from the door. Hermione pulled back, keeping her arms around his neck. She was sporting a small smile, but her eyes were wide with apprehension.

"How could I be mad? I'm with you," He reassured her, and she squealed before burrowing herself into him once again. He immediately smiled, resting his cheek against her curls and inhaling the familiar scent of vanilla. "What are you doing here?" He finally asked, still smiling. "And who's all three of us?"

"Hello, Harry," A familiar voice chuckled. He looked up and grinned as he caught sight of Hermione's parents sitting at one of the larger tables in the ice cream parlor.

"Mrs. Granger!" He beamed. "Mr. Granger! How are you guys?"

"Honestly, Harry, it's been four years," Mrs. Granger chided him with a smirk. "When are you going to learn to call me Jean?"

"I think it's going to take at least another four years," He winked, rubbing circles on Hermione's back as she giggled into the crook of his neck. "I've missed you guys."

"We've probably missed you more," Mr. Granger smiled as he stood up.

"Let him breathe, Hermione, I need to give this boy a hug," Mrs. Granger stood up next to her husband. Blushing, Hermione pulled away from Harry's arms and stepped back. A second later, he was engulfed in a fierce hug from the dentist, one that he happily reciprocated. A few seconds later they separated and Harry shook hands with her husband, certain that he never stopped smiling.

"How about we all sit down?" Tonks suggested, motioning to the table where the Grangers had been sitting. "I know you're dentists, but this conversation calls for ice cream."

A few minutes later, all five of them were sitting at the only occupied table in the parlor. Harry, Tonks, and Hermione each had gotten sundaes while the Grangers had opted for smaller cups. Harry was forced to use his left hand because Hermione stubbornly refused to let go of his hand under the table, but he certainly was not complaining. Tonks quickly introduced herself as an Auror and the Grangers were quick to inform her that Hermione had mentioned her many times in letters and the like.

"What prompted this visit?" Harry asked, still grinning.

"Hermione's safety," Tonks said plainly.

Harry stilled, his spoon halfway to his mouth. "Oh, is this about…him?"

"It is," Tonks nodded. "These guys know, don't worry."

"You do?" Harry whipped his head towards the Grangers, who nodded solemnly.

"We subscribed to the Daily Prophet when Hermione wrote to us that you had been hoodwinked into the tournament," Mr. Granger explained. "We wanted to know as much as possible about it."

Harry pursed his lips, waiting for one of them to continue. If the Grangers had heard his story from the Daily Prophet, then they most likely…

"You know we believe you, right?" Mrs. Granger leaned forward, and Harry blinked in surprise. "Harry, you lived in our house for two summers; we know you're neither delusional nor an attention-seeker. You could not be any more different from those labels, really."

Harry released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you." He felt Hermione squeeze his hand under the table and gave her a quick smile before turning back to the Grangers.

"The Headmaster came to visit us yesterday afternoon," Mrs. Granger continued. "He suggested that Hermione stay with you and your godfather for the summer."

Harry's spoon fell from his hand onto his bowl with a clatter. "Really?"

"He informed us that with the coming dangers, it was best that Hermione stay in a heavily guarded place like your godfather's," Mr. Granger piped up. "Considering how close she is to you, he thought it would be best."

"Really?" Harry repeated, his eyebrows climbing towards his hairline.

"I must say, I was hoping he would send us to France again…" Mrs. Granger smiled wryly before averting her eyes and shrugging. "But I suppose this is more practical. We'll be expecting daily letters from both of you, of course. Tonks, can I trust you to make sure that they eat properly?"

"Oh yes you can," Tonks winked, and Harry's jaw dropped.

"Wait, are you actually –"

"In exchange for sending our baby girl to London for seven weeks, of course, we were wondering if you would be willing to join us for a few days of the winter holidays," Mrs. Granger continued, feigning obliviousness to Harry's stunned expression. "Your godfather wrote us a letter that he asked Dumbledore to give to us. In it, he wrote that he and several others can place all sorts of protections on our house for a certain amount of time, but that the ones on your house here in London are much better for long-term stays. That said, can we interest you in a few days of Christmas in Crawley?"

Harry stared in disbelief, his mind barely processing what Hermione's mother was saying. Hermione was going to stay with him for the rest of the summer – that news alone could induce enough euphoria to render him unconscious. And then he was invited back to the Granger residence for part of the winter holidays?

"Am I dreaming?" He blurted before he could stop himself, prompting the others to burst out laughing. Hermione giggled into her free hand before nudging him with her elbow.

"Harry, you are very much awake right now," She smiled. "What do you think?"

"Definitely," Harry nodded dumbly, still wondering silently if he was dreaming. The ensuing bone-crushing hug from Hermione informed him that he was one hundred per cent conscious. He broke into a wide smile and patted Hermione's arms, profusely thanking the Grangers.

"I don't know what to say," He said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I mean, thank you for agreeing to let Hermione stay. I had no idea this was –"

"We know," Mrs. Granger smirked. "We wanted to see your expression."

"Still," Harry blushed and tried to school his features. "I mean, I know it probably isn't easy to part with her."

"She'll be safe with you all, right?" Mr. Granger cut him off, to which Harry and Tonks nodded confidently. "That's the important thing. I love Hermione more than anything, but I would not be able to live with myself if I acted selfishly feels the same," He turned to his wife, who nodded.

"Still…thank you," Harry gave them a grateful smile.

"We know that you – more than anyone – are going to do your best to keep her safe, right?" Mr. Granger added with a knowing smile. Harry nodded.

"We are worried, of course," Mrs. Granger added. "You're right, this is far from easy. We truly do cherish you, Harry, but that doesn't mean we're worried about placing our daughter in someone else's hands."

Harry nodded in understanding, feeling guilty for the turmoil that the Grangers – arguably the first adults that truly cared for him – had undergone over the last twenty-four hours. He felt Tonks nudge his foot under the table and he glanced over to her. She mouthed 'Boggart' and then jerked her head towards the Grangers so quickly Harry almost thought he imagined it. Realizing what she meant, he awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Has Hermione ever told you guys about Boggarts?" He asked, and the dentists nodded. Hermione stiffened next to him, perplexed by the sudden shift in conversation. "Well, during the Third Task of the tournament, in the maze …there was a Boggart. It was one of the obstacles. We first learned about them in our third-year and my greatest fear at that point was these creatures called dementors." He paused, taking a shaky breath. "In the maze, the Boggart did take the form of a dementor, but not before it appeared as something else." He had to pause again, his voice threatening to crack.

"It was Hermione…dying. I've never been so terrified, so paralyzed, as I was when I watched her body slump over in front of me. I would not wish the feeling on my worst enemy. Losing Hermione is by far my greatest fear; I give you my word that I'll do everything I can to protect her."

Tears began to well up in Mrs. Granger's eyes and her husband was completely speechless. "I…I don't mean to make you guys think morbid thoughts, I just want you to know how serious I am," Harry continued, nervously rubbing the back of his neck with one hand while Hermione squeezed the other so tightly he expected his fingers to break. "I love Hermione; I know that hearing someone my age say that they love someone isn't very convincing, but I do. I love her with every fiber of my being. If anything happened to her…it would destroy me."

"Oh god…" Hermione sobbed, releasing his hand and flinging her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck once again. "Oh, Harry!" She whimpered, repeating the phrase over and over again.

Harry sighed, lightly patting Hermione's arms and allowing her to soak his shirt with her tears. Slowly, he lifted his gaze and met the gaze of Mr. and Mrs. Granger. The dentists exchanged a silent glance and turned back to Harry.

"Take care of her," Mrs. Granger whispered, still teary-eyed.

"I will."

"Don't let me down," Mr. Granger paused for a beat, "son."

Harry nodded, feeling tears of his own threaten to spill.

A/N: Alright, I thought about lengthening this chapter, but I decided it would change the tone too much and make the chapter feel inconsistent. The good news is that because I decided against adding it into this chapter, I already have the first act of the next chapter written so it won't take that long to post.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed seeing the Grangers again. I know the conversation got heavy at the end, but I had to make it realistic. No parents are going to just hand their child off during a war unless they are completely confident that they will be in good hands, and in order for them to know, Harry had to convey just how serious he was about protecting his girl.

Cool, so, I promise the next chapters are happy. Hermione is staying with Harry at Grimmauld! The Order is meeting at Grimmauld! Sirius, Tonks, and Remus are trying to subtly find a way to keep Harry in the know! Come Christmas, Harry will be going to Crawley for a bit! So many reasons to smile in the coming chapters, I promise!

To my readers, I love you guys so much. I really, truly do. You guys make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside when you say nice things about my story, but even just giving this fic the time of day means so much to me. I love writing this, but you guys giving it a chance makes it that much more enjoyable. Thank you all, and stay safe!