A/N: Sorry… no animagus Sasson, although that is quite a good idea. Thanks for reading!
'CHAPTER THREE: WHERE ARE MY PRESENTS?'
Harry awoke very early in the morning to quiet whispers. It did not take him long to figure out that it was Ron and Hermione when he noticed the cot beside him was empty.
"Shh," Ron spoke softly. Harry realized Hermione was crying. "It's alright. It was just a nightmare."
"It was horrible," she cried. Harry tiptoed to the curtain.
"I know. But it wasn't real. I'm here and Harry is asleep right on the other side that curtain.
A small part of Harry wondered the fact that he had never heard his best friend speak to someone with such honest sincerity. But at the moment, he was more concerned why Hermione was having nightmares about her two friends.
He moved closer and peered through the sheet. Ron was sitting on the floor with Hermione curled up on his lap. He brushed her hair back from her forehead and neck as he whispered comforting nothings into her ear. Hermione's arms wrapped around his neck and she sniffed into his chest. It was a very intimate position, Harry thought vaguely. Clearly this was not the first time something like this had happened.
"'Mione," the redhead was saying. "Everything will be alright. Everyone will be okay..."
"You –"
"I'll always be here, love."
"Harry –"
"He'll be there too. No one is leaving you."
She sniffed again and nodded. He kissed her brow lightly and helped her back to bed. Harry hurriedly climbed into bed himself and pretended to be fast asleep when he heard Ron whisper, "Good night, Hermione. I'll be right here in the morning."
It was at this point Harry made a silent promise to himself that he would return to Hogwarts, at least for awhile. It was the safest place he knew of, even without Dumbledore.
"When are we leaving?" Harry asked as he buttered his toast. It was five days later; Harry's birthday.
Hermione watched, repulsed, as Ron shoved his face with food. "Tonks is picking us up right before lunch," she said, nibbling daintily on her own ration.
"Excellent! Last day at the hell hole forever!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. He took a large bite of his newly buttered breakfast.
Ron choked on his food from laughing, but Hermione huffed. "Honestly, Harry, watch your language."
The messy haired boy rolled his eyes, but nodded. Hermione would never change, and neither would her rules.
"What did you get Bill and Fleur for a wedding gift?"
Ron shrugged at his best friend. "Was I supposed to get them something?" There was a pause as his words sunk in. Hermione gaped at him in shock.
"Of course you are!" she cried.
Ron's eyes widened slightly as he muttered, "Uh oh."
"Ron! You are in the wedding party! You're one of Bill's groomsmen! How could you possibly think you didn't have to get him a wedding present?"
"Simple, I thought agreeing to be in the wedding was enough gift for Bill to get." The redhead looked triumphant in his answer. He caught Harry's eye from across the table and winked quickly. Harry grinned and then grabbed his glass of orange juice when the only girl enquired as to why he thought the situation funny.
Hermione, who quickly returned to ranting, was oblivious to the exchange between the two boys. "It's their wedding day, Ronald. The least you could do is get them a card and – why are you smiling like that? This is not fun – oh!" She smacked Ron, who was laughing quite hard, upside the head and threw a piece of crust at Harry, who dodged it.
"You're...face!" Ron gasped, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Oh, please! You two are so immature." But she was blushing.
"Priceless!" Harry guffawed, sending Ron into an attack of silent chuckles.
"I hope this means you really did get them something?" Hermione asked, ignoring the boys' mirth at her ignorance.
Ron did not get the chance to answer as at that moment, Dudley decided to enter the kitchen. "What're you doing in here?" he asked stupidly.
"It's called eating, Dudders. Clearly you've heard of it," Harry deadpanned, giving Dudley and obvious once over at this large stomach.
His best friend choked again, spewing food everywhere. Hermione absentmindedly pulled out her wand and 'Squorgified!' the table. Dudley yelped and ran backwards the way he came in, running into the table as he went. He did not bother to retort to Harry's comment.
"What a pansy," Ron muttered and continued to eat his breakfast, ignoring Hermione's indignant huff at his language.
Tonks arrived at the door twenty minutes late.
"Sorry," she said, "I misplaced some things and I couldn't leave without them." She nodded at Aunt Petunia who was passing the entry way.
"That's alright," Harry said. "I just want to get out of here."
The three teenagers had packed their trunks much earlier than necessary, all eager to get out of Number Four Privet Drive as soon as possible.
'None more than me,' thought Harry.
They'd been waiting in the living room for over an hour when Tonks finally showed her face. Now all four of them stood there, getting directions squared away. Hermione and Tonks could Apparate, so they would be assisting the two boys. Right as they were about to depart, Dudley came waddling down the stares. Suddenly, Harry thought of something.
"Hold on, I've got to do something," Harry said to his companions. He side stepped and blocked Dudley's entry into the living room.
"Get out of my way, Potter," he snarled.
"Certainly, Diddly-kins. But first I just wanted to give you a little gift for making my life a living hell here for the last sixteen years of my life," he said in a light tone.
He raised his wand and heard Hermione gasp as she recognized the jinx. Dudley looked confused.
"A little something to go with your tail," Harry explained. He turned around and laughed when he heard Dudley cry out. Then, with the help of a chuckling Tonks and no look back, he disappeared for the last time from Number Four.
Clutching their stomachs and laughing hysterically, the four Apparated into the Burrow's kitchen. Ginny Weasley looked up from the sink and shook her head confusedly with a small smile on her face. "What happened?"
"Dudley –" Harry gasped and sat down at the table.
"Oh my!" Hermione wiped a few mirthful tears from her eyes and Ron sat down on the floor, still laughing uncontrollably.
"Dudley what?" Ginny asked, feeling very left out. She sat herself next to Harry at the table. He gathered his breath and looked at her. She looked very pretty.
"I gave him pig ears and a snout," he explained. Ginny giggled and Tonks, leaning against the counter, asked for the reason behind the spell. Harry told the group all about Hagrid, his little umbrella, and the night Harry found out he was a wizard. By the time he was through, Ginny was bent over the table from laughing.
"Oh, goodness! What a way to leave your mark, Harry!" she exclaimed. Harry smiled widely.
"Where is everyone?" Ron asked when they had all settled down.
Ginny grabbed a carton of pumpkin juice and was filling five glasses as she spoke. "Mum's at Headquarters and Dad's at the Ministry. Fred and George were supposed to be watching me." She pursed her lips, clearly disliking the fact that her mother thought she needed to be watched. "They left about three hours ago, precisely five minutes after Mum. Bill and Fleur are doing last minute wedding things."
"House to ourselves? Excellent." Ron rubbed his hands together and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Mum left us sandwiches and said to keep the house neat. People are coming over tonight. That reminds me, Harry, happy birthday!" Ginny said, touching his arm lightly. He looked up and smiled gently at the youngest, more attractive Weasley. She blushed lightly, but did not remove her hand.
"Thank you, Ginny." Harry grinned at the other three and said jokingly, "Where are my presents?"
"Harry Potter!" Hermione scolded in a scandalized tone. Ron, Ginny, and Tonks laughed.
"You'll have to be patient, Mr. Potter," Ginny whispered in a somewhat husky voice. "You'll be getting those tonight." Harry gulped visibly, envisioning the sort of things he wished to receive from Ginny late at night.
'Cut it out,' he told his brain.
Ginny got up from the table to serve sandwiches. "Aren't you staying?" she asked Tonks who had just stood from her own seat.
"No, I've things to do. Reports to write, you know...the usual." She shrugged. "I'll be here later tonight. See you then!"
"Are you coming with Remus?" Harry taunted.
"Very funny, Harry. Keep it up, I dare you." She laughed wickedly at the face the birthday boy made and Disapparated with a pop.
The four teenagers enjoyed a lazy afternoon indoors. Ginny, who had wished to go out to the lake for a swim, was in a slightly foul mood when Hermione told her they weren't allowed to leave the house. She'd curled herself into a tiny ball, reminding Harry of a feline, and watched as her brother trounced Harry in yet another game of Chess. Hermione stretched out on the other couch with a Muggle book in her hands.
"Why do I even try?" Harry groaned as Ron took his King once again.
"Because it boosts my confidence?" Ron said cheekily. "Another round?"
"I'm done," Harry answered. He leaned his head back on the sofa cushion behind him. It was also the one Ginny had positioned herself in. "How about you play him, Gin?" he asked, looking at her face upside down.
"No." Her response was quick and final. Her golden eyes were shut, but she looked anything but asleep. Mainly because her forehead was wrinkled like she was forcing her eyes shut and her lips were set in a straight line. She obviously did not want to be bothered.
"Alright." He turned his head in the upright position and smirked at Ron's attempts to get the other girls attention.
"Do you want to play Chess, Hermione?" he asked once he slid himself over to her sofa.
"No, Ron. I'm busy."
He ignored her and sat himself on the edge of her seat and tried to read the pages of her novel. When he was denied, he leaned forward and read the cover. "Pride and Prejudice?"
Hermione made a sound in her throat. "It's a romance novel."
"Why are you reading that mushy crap?" Ron asked seriously. He watched as Hermione forcefully turned a page and looked over the top of the book at him.
"It is not crap, Ronald. It is romance. I'm sure you've heard of it?"
"Yeah, once or twice," Ron backfired sarcastically. "I just don't know why you're reading it. Shouldn't you be filling your brain with more knowledge? Like how many different types of man-eating flowers there are in our world?"
Hermione snapped the answer to his question without looking up this time. Ron grinned across the room at Harry. "But just because I read factual books, does not mean I don't like to give myself a break every once in awhile."
"You say taking a break is reading more?"
"No, I say taking a break is doing something I enjoy. And I like this book."
"Why?"
Hermione sighed. "Just leave me alone, Ron. You would not understand."
Ron snorted. "What's to understand?"
The bushy haired girl snapped the book closed. "Sometimes it's nice to get caught up in a fantasy, alright? Things like this," she gestured to the book in her hands, "don't happen in real life. Not to me anyway." She looked down at her hands. "So don't make fun of me because I like to read. It's not always about cleverness, Ronald."
She stood from the couch, pushing Ron to the floor and escaped up the stairs. The remaining three winced as a door slammed.
Ginny looked at her brother in resentment. "You are the most insensitive prat I've ever had the misfortune to meet." She too rose from her seat and headed for the kitchen. "You'd better apologize before she really gets angry."
"I didn't even do anything," Ron said in bewilderment, gazing at the staircase.
His sister sighed and sat down again, this time on the other couch. "You've got to understand that we girls like a little bit of romance, Ron." She touched his shoulder lightly. "We like the idea of being swept off our feet by our Prince Charming. That's just how we are. I can't tell you why, but someday you're going to have to realize that Hermione is just an ordinary girl with ordinary feelings, Ron. I don't know what else to tell you. Just apologize. And for the record, even if you don't think so, you definitely owe her an apology."
"For what though?" Ron asked, seriously considering his younger sisters words.
"That's something you need to figure out for yourself," Ginny said softly. And with that, she was in the kitchen.
"She's right, mate." Harry decided he needed to put in his two-sense. "Just go talk to Hermione."
"Thanks for the advice, Harry," Ron said sarcastically. "I appreciate it."
Harry put up his hands in surrender. "Don't get hacked off with me."
Ron sighed and swept a hand through his red hair. "Fine, I'll talk to her. If I don't come out in one hour, go looking for me. She might've strangled me and tossed my body out the window." He hurtled himself up the stairs three at a time.
Harry smirked when he heard the voice of his best friend saying, "Hermione, I know you're in there! Open up!" in a sing-song voice.
He heard his other best friend mumble something he couldn't quite make out and then Ron exclaim, "I've come to sweep you off your feet, of course!" Harry met Ginny's eyes as she strolled back into the living room and they laughed when they heard the door slam again.
"He's such a fool," Ginny sighed.
"Hermione, c'mon! I didn't mean for that to upset you! Please come out? I'm here to apologize..." His voice trailed off as the door opened again and Hermione stood before him.
"You get one more strike and then you're out," she said.
"What?"
"Nothing, never mind. What do you want?" He noticed her eyes were a little red and a closer look over her head told him she'd been reading more of her stupid book.
"To apologize, like I said."
"You didn't do a very good job of it the first time," Hermione pointed out.
"I was just joking around."
"Hilarious," she stonily said.
"I thought it was."
She heaved a great sigh, glared at him, and then made to close the door in his face for the second time. He swiftly blocked it with his hand.
"Wait –"
"I've been waiting too damn long, Ron." Hermione's voice was soft. Almost as if she...no, that couldn't be right.
"I don't see what you mean," he responded. He stepped sideways into the room Hermione and Ginny were sharing together. "Now, I'm going to apologize."
"It doesn't much work when you tell me outright what you're doing, Ronald."
Ron sighed. "What would you like me to do, buy you a rose? Or do you prefer chocolates?" He shut the door quietly behind him.
Ginny turned her head slowly to look at Harry's shocked face. "Good, I'm not the only surprised one then," she stated.
He didn't respond. "Harry? Are you alright?"
"Who knew Ron was so smooth?" he finally spoke with a wide grin on his face. Ginny smiled.
"He's more like Bill than we thought he was." The smaller teen looked sideways at her companion from across the table, which still held Ron's chess set. Harry was still gazing towards the stairs.
"I wonder what they're doing up there?" Harry questioned after minutes of silence.
"Probably shagging." Ginny smirked when Harry coughed wildly with embarrassment. "Or not. Merlin knows that Hermione wouldn't be able to keep so quiet after all these years..."
"Please stop," Harry moaned. "Too many scary images. Oh, God. I'm scarred for life!"
"Unless they used a Silencing Charm?" Ginny suggested.
"I'm leaving." Harry abruptly stood from his couch and sprinted into the kitchen, causing Ginny to laugh. She giggled even harder when she heard fake gagging sounds coming from his way.
"What in the bloody blazes is going on down here?" Ron's voice boomed as his foot hit the bottom step. Hermione came right after him looking very confused herself.
Harry entered just in time to hear Ginny ask, "Did you two have fun? Everything you expected?" He nearly collapsed at his two best friends' bewildered faces.
"Just ignore her. I think being locked up inside all day is starting to get to her." Ron chuckled appreciatively while Ginny stuck out her tongue. Harry smirked and sat down on the floor near the redheaded girl's feet.
"So, who's coming over tonight?" he asked after awhile.
"Oh, only a few people," Ginny muttered absentmindedly from behind her most recent issue of 'Witches Bop – we have all the latest gossip!'
He heard Hermione guffaw and looked around at his other friends. "What do you know that I don't?"
Ron smirked and suddenly Harry felt very worried.
A/N: Feedback is Love
