Chapter 15

The next morning, Harry was again the first to awaken.

He found himself on his right side this time, facing the wall. And yet, in a similar manner as yesterday, Hermione was huddled up against his back. Her left arm was hugging him with her hand resting on top of his heart.

He happily smiled at how he ended up in Hermione's protective embrace again. If this was how he could get to wake up every morning, in the arms of an angel, then he would gladly do so.

As much as he didn't want to disturb her, he couldn't resist trying to slowly twist himself in her hold so that he could face her. And sure enough, as soon as he was lying on his left side, her face scrunched up a bit, and she yawned before her eyes slowly blinked open. The smile she immediately gave him, however, made his actions worthwhile.

Then, she leaned in and gave him a kiss, lasting for a couple of seconds. When she pulled back, she whispered, "Good morning, you."

He grinned and replied, "Good morning to you, too." He then became more serious. "Sorry if I woke you, I was trying not to."

She placed her hand on his cheek. "Don't be, it's alright. What time is it now, since you're the one that can see my clock?"

Glancing up to check, he said, "About five forty-five."

She just nodded in response. After a few seconds of silence, though, her expression grew a bit thoughtful. Then, she slowly wrapped her left leg around him and began gently pushing him over until he was flat on his back and she was sitting astride his waist.

His eyes widened a bit, as he waited to see what her next action would be before he did anything for certain. But a pit began to grow in his stomach when she continued to remain still, simply looking at him. And after half a minute or so, her expression became quite pensive and sad.

Harry wrapped his left arm around her and began to sit up, using his right hand to adjust the pillow to lean up against the head of the bed. Once he was up, he placed his right arm around her and then shuffled back so that he could lean against the pillow. And the entire time, while a bit of confusion did appear in her eyes, Hermione continued to look at him with that fallen expression while sitting in his lap.

He couldn't help fearfully asking, "Hermione, what's wrong? What's on your mind?"

That caused her to rapidly blink for a second, like she was only just recognizing where she was. But then, the terror within Harry quickly grew when he saw tears begin to build in her eyes.

Before he could say anything more, she chokingly whispered, while trying her hardest to give him another smile even though it clearly was forced, "Just… I'm glad that you're here."

His eyes widened even more, and his mouth fell open in sadness. The words themselves may have been a repetition of what she told him that morning after his nightmare, but the meaning this time was so much deeper after his confessions from yesterday.

He started to remorsefully speak. "Hermione – "

He stopped when she quickly tried to wipe her eyes of the tears. It didn't appear to help much at all, as he could see them just continuing to rise afterwards.

Then, with every word sounding as though she was one step away from breaking down, she replied, "I'm sorry. I know that I shouldn't be thinking back on what you revealed yesterday, because it ultimately never happened. I know that you even stopped your actions because of me. And it's hypocritical for me to think about it when I've been the one saying not to worry about the what-ifs – "

He interrupted her at that point by pulling her into a hug, placing his arms around her shoulders. With that, he gently whispered into her ear, "Let it all out, Angel. Anything that you need to tell me or do, don't hesitate to do so. I know how much of a prat I was for what I was about to do in the summer. But I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."

And that seemed to open the dam. As she immediately circled her arms as tightly as she could around his middle and then buried her head in his left shoulder, she began sobbing harder than he'd ever before seen from her. He could feel his neck and shirt beginning to get damp from the tears that must have been spilling from her eyes.

If Harry had thought that he was worse than scum for having remained silent regarding Ron's disparaging comments about Hermione in first year when she was telling that story of the bullying she experienced as a child, that was nothing compared to how low he felt right now, listening to Hermione cry her heart out. Because this was completely his doing. He and his actions alone were responsible for giving her this agony. And he didn't feel that he was in any way worthy to be the one trying to comfort her.

But… she had been strong for him so many times. It was time for him to do the same for her.

Thus, without a word, he just tightened his own hold on her and leaned the side of his head into hers. He hoped that giving her as much contact as possible would reassure her even a little bit that he was right here with her. He felt her somehow tighten her arms around him a bit more, which he didn't think was possible. But as long as she was receiving comfort, that was all he cared about.

For however many minutes it took, he simply hugged her as she cried out all the pain that had built up within her from the confession of his near-actions in the summer. Every sob was like a knife piercing his heart, but this was his deserved punishment for so badly hurting such a wonderful soul as Hermione. So, he would sit here with her for however long she needed to cry. And if that still wasn't enough, and she required more from him as penance, then so be it.

Finally, her sobbing began to grow quieter and gradually came to a stop. Another minute went by, with not a sound in the room as the two teenagers remained clutching one another. Only then did Harry feel Hermione slowly lift her head up, so he loosened his hold and allowed her to pull back enough to where they were gazing into each other's eyes.

After a few seconds, he saw her glance for an instant at the shoulder that she'd been crying on. Then, as she wiped her eyes of the remaining moisture within them, she quietly said, "I'm sorry, I got your shirt wet."

Of all the things she could have done after finally letting out all of her tears, she wanted to apologize for anything to him?! God, he really didn't deserve a woman like her.

"Don't be," he gently said. "It's just water, it'll come out." He then added, hoping that his tone was just light enough that it might lift her spirits a bit, "Besides, I have it on good authority from my best friend that holding in our emotions or problems for too long will only make things worse."

His heart fluttered when he saw the corners of her mouth lift for an instant, before she whispered with the barest hint of a tease, "That doesn't sound like bad advice. You must have a smart friend."

"She's the most brilliant person I've ever known," he replied just as quietly. That made a faint blush rise on her face, as well as a shy smile.

Before he could say anything else, however, her expression fell a bit as she said, "Even when I started thinking about things after you had fallen asleep last night, I was still able to tell myself not to dwell on the what-ifs, and that you were right here with me. I didn't think any more about your revelations, or even have a nightmare of what could have been, so I thought I was OK. And I was genuinely happy to see you first thing when I woke up.

"But then, our talks about waking up together every morning played in my mind, and that immediately led me to once again thinking about how closely things came to the point that this past week would never have existed, and the fear of you drinking that potion started building up inside of me, and I just…"

When she trailed off and looked away, Harry immediately placed his right hand on her left cheek, causing her to turn back to him.

Then, with nothing but remorse and regret, he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I never wanted to hurt you so badly like this, even unintentionally. Not after everything you've ever done for me."

Her eyes widened a bit before she frantically replied, "Oh, Harry, no! Please, don't blame yourself for this – "

He sadly interjected, "What else can I do, Hermione? You cried because of my actions in the summer. There's no one else to blame but me."

She lightly shook her head, trying not to jostle his hand off her cheek, and responded, "Harry, no. You don't ever have to apologize for the pain that you were in."

Mirroring his earlier action, she placed her right hand on his cheek and continued, "Yes, it breaks my heart that you thought about going so far. But it's because of the fact that you've had to suffer so much for the entirety of your life that I can understand why such a path felt like a viable option for you in that moment. And you never have to take blame for that which was ultimately out of your control. All that matters is that you're here now and you've made the choice to help yourself so that you can try to keep from ever feeling so low again."

At that moment, she moved her hand to the back of his head and gently brought his forehead to hers. Then, she tenderly said, "I'm in this with you every step of the way, Harry. No matter how many valleys we have to traverse through to reach and enjoy the peaks. That hasn't changed, and it will never change."

He couldn't help closing his eyes as he completely choked up from his emotions. Even if he knew at all what to say to her in response, he was quite certain that nothing would be good enough to thank her for her patience, understanding, and loyalty. He asked himself again, how could he ever deserve to be with her?

Then, though she kept their foreheads touching, he felt her hand return to his cheek before she whispered, "Hey."

When he opened his eyes again, he saw nothing but affection in her own chocolate ones. And she added, "You are more than deserving of all that I give you, Harry. Like I said at the graveyard in Godric's Hollow, I fell in love with you simply because you are you, all strengths and faults included."

His chest tightened even more at this further showcase of her steadfast loyalty. This time, though, he wasn't able to resist giving her a tiny smirk while saying, "You can just read me like a book, can't you?"

She smirked right back at him and retorted, "Well, I like to think that I would know you a bit after all these years."

He became more serious again. "You do, Hermione. You really do."

She didn't say anything in response, but rather used her left hand that was wrapped around him to gently rub comforting circles on his back. He smiled for a second in appreciation of what she was doing. But then, a realization in his mind quickly caused him to release a knowing chuckle. When she stopped her motions in confusion, he spoke his thoughts in order to clarify for her.

"I guess the shoe is on the other foot this time, with you comforting me even after you were the one reliving a terrible memory."

Recognition lit up in her eyes about the day at the church. Then, she smiled and replied, "Well, that's what happens when you love someone. Their happiness becomes more important than your own."

His grin turned into a loving smile. "Yeah… I can truly say that I know that feeling."

Her smile widened before, rather than using words, she simply tilted her mouth forward to kiss him. Her arms shifted to circle his neck, while he also tightened his own hold on her. And for another ten seconds, the two basked in the comfort that the gentle kiss brought forth.

When Hermione finally pulled her head away, emerald eyes once again stared into chocolate-brown for a few seconds. Then, still needing to make certain that she was fine, Harry quietly asked, "So, you're really alright, Hermione? After what happened when you woke up?"

A seemingly knowing expression came over her face at his question, and the corners of her mouth twitched upward for an instant. But she just replied, "I am, Harry."

He nodded before then adding, much more hesitantly, "I know that this next question is most likely stupid to ask, but still… are we still alright?"

This time, a sympathetic look appeared in her eyes before she once again touched her forehead to his. After a couple of seconds, she said, "We are, and we always were, Harry. I promise."

Her usage of a promise finally assuaged the remainder of his fears, causing him to give her a reassured smile. He also knew that she could visibly see the relief in his expression when she gave him a quick squeeze with her arms in response.

When she pulled her head up again, he turned to look at her clock, and then said to her, "Ten minutes after six. Do you want to get the day started?"

She gave a quiet but amused snort and pulled her arms away, though she still remained sitting in his lap. Then, she replied, "Sure, we can. Do you want the bathroom first this time?"

"No, go ahead, Hermione. I don't mind sitting in here and waiting on you first."

This time, the left side of her mouth lifted in a grin. She replied, "Always have to be noble, don't you?"

His only response to that was a sheepish blush and smile, which caused her to laugh for a couple of seconds at how easily he'd been teased.

Then, she shifted to get out of his lap and stood from the bed. She said to him, "But alright then. Once I pick out my clothes and leave this room, you know what kind of time I take. Feel free to look through anything in here while I'm gone, Harry. You don't have to sit and do nothing just because you think it's not your room."

He simply nodded and said, "I'll keep that in mind, Hermione. Thanks."

She nodded in return, and a couple of minutes later, she left him alone as she went to the bathroom.

At first, all he did was make her bed up before sitting back down on it, setting the pillow up against the head again so that he could lean back into it. Then, even knowing what she had told him beforehand, he simply thought back to all that had just taken place, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them while thinking.

It was one thing to have first realized yesterday how badly Hermione would have been affected if he'd given into that suicidal temptation, given how she'd forced him to get rid of that Draught of Living Death right then and there. But she'd still been able to remain strong then and hold her tears back. It was a whole, terrifying new level to see her, the person who had been his rock and anchor for so long even when she may not have realized it, completely break down the way she did.

And none of her tears were born out of anger at him. No, at least part of her breakdown was because it simply pained her to know that his life had been hellish enough to the point that she could see why ending his life would even come up as an option for him at the time. And the rest of her tears was her just being thankful that he was here with her right now, and that he was willing to work at trying to heal from his issues.

Staring at his knees, Harry had to shake his head. He'd known for a long time, thanks to how consistent his worst nightmares always were, how Hermione held his life in the palm of her hand even long before she ever would have realized that fact herself. But getting to really witness how much power he had with her… it truly was an incredible thing.

He couldn't help the small smile that came to his face at that point. As much as he didn't believe that he deserved any of Hermione's kindness over this, she thought otherwise. And it was entirely her choice to do so. That's what he needed to focus on in order to keep with that declaration he made on Christmas Day to start appreciating the choices of others. Focus on how this brilliant woman truly wanted to do whatever she could to help him and make him happy.

As he stretched his legs out and dropped his hands into his lap, he whispered out loud, "You really are too good for me, Hermione. Too good for anyone. But I thank you, with every fiber of my soul, that you deemed me worthy of your heart. And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that your dream of us having that long and happy life together comes true."

Resolution filled him with his final statement, and he couldn't help giving a nod to somewhat officially stamp it. That action ended up making him smile as well. To think that he had been so miserable just nine days prior, and now he was in the position that he was willing to seriously think about a future even if he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with it beyond being with Hermione.

Incredible, he couldn't help thinking again. Just well and truly incredible.

With that thought, Harry looked to the clock and saw that a little more than ten minutes had passed. Letting out a sigh, he knew that he had at least thirty more before Hermione would show up. He may as well take her words to heart and not just sit around.

That actually caused him to look to her desk, remembering the books that he'd seen laying on it. Thinking this would be another good chance to make sure that he had mastered summoning, he pictured the top book in his mind before holding out his hand and silently willing the book to come. And to his happiness, it immediately zoomed over and stopped in the air in front of his palm.

Grabbing it out of the air and looking at the cover, he found that this must have been one of the other history books that Hermione had told him about. In fact, the title of this one being History of the Ancient World: Volume 1 was an obvious clue that this was the chronological first book, since she'd mentioned having four total in the set with each one about different time periods.

Well, he'd been interested enough to read her Mesozoic Era book for hours on the day that he was alone. And he had told Hermione how he regretted not having the same opportunities for learning as a child that she did. Why not start from the very beginning?

Thus, he pulled up his knees closer to his chest again so that he could rest the book against his legs. And with that, he opened the book up to begin a new journey into prehistoric times.

-O-

About forty-five minutes after she had left her room, Hermione was exiting the bathroom. Her thoughts were all on Harry at the moment, hoping that he hadn't started losing himself in guilt over her tears at any point while she was gone.

What she ended up finding once she was at the entrance to her room, however, definitely was a pleasant surprise.

Harry apparently had made up her bed and was now sitting up against its head, with his knees pulled up close to his chest. And he was reading a book, seeming to be intensely concentrated on it to the point that he had yet to realize she was standing in the doorway, even though he should be able to notice her out of the side of his eye.

She couldn't help smiling as she quietly made her way closer to the bed, with Harry still not removing his attention from the book. She just stood and observed him for a few seconds before gently knocking on her dresser a couple of times. That jolted him out of his reading as he turned his head to the left. Upon seeing her, though, he gave her a sheepish smile, knowing that she had caught him off guard.

She playfully asked, "What do you have there?"

He replied, "This was one of the books that you had sitting on the desk. Since it seemed to be the first of the set of history books that you had mentioned before, I couldn't help but dive into it."

Her eyes immediately became huge at his statements, and she was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't see Harry becoming quite concerned.

She'd forgotten. She had actually forgotten about the books, even though she had placed them on her desk in the first place so that she had easy access to them again.

Hermione was pulled out of her cascading thoughts when she heard movement from the bed. By the time her attentions were focused, Harry had stood from the bed and moved to be right in front of her, just a step away.

He fearfully asked, "Hermione, what's wrong? Did I do something that I shouldn't have?"

She shook her head and replied, "No, Harry. I did."

His face instantly filled with confusion, so she clarified. "On the evening that you had that nightmare, I was sitting in here after dinner and thinking about you, when I recalled the two of us reading together. That made me want to find the other three books of my history set, which I did in one of the boxes in my closet. I had those books on my desk so that I wouldn't forget about them. Because I…"

She trailed off, unable to resist the blush that she could feel rising in her cheeks. Shyly looking down at the floor, she quietly continued, "Because I wanted to give them, along with the one sitting on the coffee table in the living room, to you."

Silence reigned for a few seconds before Hermione felt a hand underneath her chin. Giving no resistance, she let Harry pull her head up until the two of them were staring at each other again. Astoundment was easily visible in his eyes, and he waited another couple of seconds before dropping his hand and speaking.

"Hermione, if there's just one thing that I know about you since we became friends, it's that you've always loved your books. Why would you want to give any of yours to me?"

His bafflement was totally genuine. He truly didn't understand.

She started, "The morning that we first read together, you don't – "

Her emotions were already building and making her choke up, but she needed to say this out loud to him. Thus, she forced through the lump in her throat to continue.

"You don't know how special you made me feel by wanting to read with me. That you said I didn't need to change who I am just because you were here with me. For someone like me – someone who had never even had friends before you, someone who thought that Ron was the only person that would give me even a remote chance as a girlfriend – it was the most heart-melting thing that anyone had ever told me in my life."

Tears began to rise in her eyes before her next words. "And the fact that, later that night, you said that you wouldn't mind reading with me again. Like you had considered our morning read an actual date that you enjoyed, just like I had. Harry, why wouldn't I want to do something to show how much I appreciated you?"

She rapidly blinked a few times to try and clear her eyes. "And since you had enjoyed reading that one book with me, along with having talked about not getting the same chance to learn when you were growing up, well… I thought maybe you would like to start the set from the very beginning, whether by yourself or together with me. So, I wanted to pass the books on to you."

She had to look away in shame at this point. "But I forgot. Sure, so much more has happened since that day. But I wanted it to be a Christmas gift for you, and I completely forgot. What does that say about me that I could – "

"Hermione."

Harry's interjection caused her to go quiet and look back up to him. She could only describe his expression as completely serious. Just like at the church after her apology, there was no tell as to whether this meant good or ill tidings. She desperately hoped it would be the former, but one had to be prepared for anything, right?

He remained silent for a few seconds. Then, without removing his gaze, he slowly reached up with his right hand and placed it on her chest, right over her heart. She felt a spark of desire within her at the action, but she remained still and silent in order to let him say or do whatever he needed to. And after another second, he finally did speak.

"The fact that you wanted to give me the books at all says that you will give so much of yourself. Because you already gave me a gift, the greatest gift of all even, by entrusting this right here to me. So, to give me something more on top of that is something where there aren't enough words to properly thank you."

Her eyes widened at his heartfelt statements. She wasn't sure if she could find the words to thank him for what he said. But she wouldn't have had a chance to say anything regardless, as Harry pulled his hand away and continued talking.

"But Hermione, are you really sure you would want to give your books to me? Like I said before, you love your books. And you've had these history books since you were seven, so they have to mean something to you if you've kept them for so long."

She couldn't help smiling at him, knowing exactly what to say in response. "Well, that's the only kind of gift worth giving, right? Something that has a great meaning to us. And who better to receive those books than the one person who I know will understand and appreciate my reasoning for wanting to pass them on?"

Still, she also couldn't resist timidly adding at that point, "Of course, you don't have to take them if you don't want to. I know that it's a really silly gift, all things considered – "

He stopped her at that point by placing an index finger over her mouth. He held it there for about two seconds before pulling it away.

Then, he gave a smile of his own and replied, "No, Hermione. Coming from you, it's a wonderful gift."

She was filled with happiness that he thought so highly of it as she asked, "So, you'll accept it?"

He gave a quick chuckle before simply saying, "Yes, I will."

Instantly, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms went around and hugged her an instant later.

She whispered into his ear, "Thank you for understanding and accepting this."

He replied, "Thank you for wanting to give such a meaningful gift, Hermione. And I wish that I had something to give you in return."

She quickly retorted, "You already did, Harry, when you sat and read the book with me on that morning. You made me feel like the most special person in the world."

His head nuzzled the side of hers for a second before he responded, "That's because you are, Hermione. Even if I hadn't quite realized at the time the full extent of just how special you are."

Rather than using words, she just tightened her arms a bit more around his neck. And for a minute, nothing more was said as the two hugged one another.

Hermione was eventually the one to start pulling away. Once she did, the two of them stared at each other again for a few seconds before Harry reluctantly sighed and said, "Well, let me go take my turn in the bathroom now."

Before he could move, she asked, "Do you want to go ahead and take the three books that I have in here with you and put them in your trunk?"

His expression turned thoughtful as he seemed to ponder her question. Then, he said, "How would you feel if we just kept them all here at your house for now? We're going to be spending most of our spare time studying for N.E.W.T.s when we return to Hogwarts, and I figured that if we take any breaks from that, we would try to work on our wandless magic. And I know for sure that the books will be safe here, since you've kept them for twelve years."

He then turned quite sheepish. "Plus, I thought that… maybe that could be something to look forward to once we do finally finish our N.E.W.T.s and leave Hogwarts. We would theoretically have a bit more time to spend since we won't have any more summer homework. Like us being able to sit down and read the books together is a small reward for getting through this year of school, you know?"

She couldn't resist shaking her head in affection. In a way, he was still putting her first by wanting to make sure they concentrated on N.E.W.T.s first and foremost, since he knew that doing well in school was important to her.

Thus, she leaned in and surprised him with a two-second kiss before then saying, "Then it's a date. I'll be looking forward to the first day of summer so that we can sit down and read together without any other priorities holding us back."

He blinked in surprise for a second before smirking at her and simply replying, "Alright. It's a date, then."

She chuckled at his cheeky affirmation. Then, looking at the clock to find that it was ten minutes after seven, she said to him, "Alright then. How about you go take your turn in the bathroom so that we can head downstairs afterwards?"

He nodded and said, "Sure. I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, he walked out of the room to go across the hall and gather some clothes.

Once she was alone, Hermione picked up the book Harry had been reading and placed it back on the top of the stack on her desk. Then, she sat in the same place as he had on the bed and leaned back against her pillow, legs stretched out in front of her and arms crossed over her chest.

The entire time that she had been in her shower routine, she had been worried that Harry was going to feel guilty about things again after her prolonged outburst of tears. But he seemed to have truly taken to heart her pledge that they were alright.

She couldn't help smiling. He really was keeping to his words about trying to appreciate what people chose to do for him rather than feeling guilty that people would make those choices. It showed that he truly did want to help himself with his ongoing issues.

With that, she just tilted her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes, losing herself in the wonderful memories of all that had happened during this holiday break.

All too soon, a soft knock sounded on her dresser, causing her to open her eyes and look to find Harry standing by the bed. A glance to the clock showed that it was already seven forty. It seemed that she'd dived much deeper into her memories than she had anticipated.

And at that moment, Harry hesitantly said, "Hey. I wasn't sure if you might actually be asleep."

She shook her head. "I wasn't, Harry, it's alright. I just lost myself in pleasant thoughts, that's all."

An amused hum of agreement sounded from him. As she got up from the bed to stand with him, he added, "So, ready to head downstairs?"

She nodded, and the two teenagers walked down to the first floor. Once they met with Jack and Miranda, Harry surprised them all by quickly offering to make breakfast again. And it seemed that he wouldn't take no for an answer, when the parents tried to remind him that there was no need for him to do anything. So, Harry once more got to be in charge of the morning's food, along with again being sheepishly happy when he received compliments for his cooking.

Once everyone had finished eating, however, it seemed that Harry had another surprise in store, something that even Hermione had not known he was going to do.

Before either Jack or Miranda could begin washing all the dishes that were placed in the sink, Harry hesitantly said, "Jack, Miranda. Would you mind if I asked you about something?"

The parents looked at each other for a second in confusion, but Miranda replied, "Sure, Harry. What might be troubling you?"

Rather than immediately responding, Harry took his seat back at the table. The three Grangers followed his lead and returned to their places, though all of them were looking at him in concern. In particular, after she sat down, Hermione couldn't help leaning towards him and whispering into his ear, "Harry, is everything alright?"

When she pulled back, he looked at her before responding just as quietly, "Just trust me. Please?"

Though her concern was heightened a bit, she simply nodded, knowing that he had more than earned her faith. The quick smile he gave to her told her that she made the right decision.

With that, Harry looked to her parents and began speaking. "So, here's what I've been thinking about. Last week, the three of you all went to see Jack's family for the holidays. Well… what about Miranda's family? Why hasn't there been any mention about going to see them? In fact, the only mention of them at all so far was about them doing something because the two of you were together."

Hermione couldn't keep her expression from falling a little. And glancing at her parents for a second, she saw that theirs had done the same. She already knew that Harry was going to start feeling guilty and ashamed that he might have brought up some kind of taboo subject.

His next words indeed proved her right, as he timidly spoke. "I'm sorry. It looks like I asked about something too personal, and I didn't mean to do that – "

Miranda gently interrupted him at that point. "No, Harry, don't feel bad. Jack and I are aware of the importance you place on being with family that loves you, so it's logical that you might be curious as to why nothing has been spoken about my relatives. And I don't mind filling you in on the questions that you may have."

Harry's quick response was, "Really, you don't have to tell me anything – "

She interrupted him again, this time with a chuckle. "Harry, it's alright. You're already as good as a member of this family by virtue of us letting you call this your home. And we're certain that, at some point, you will officially become a member of the family. Thus, if there's anyone that has a right to know the answer to your question, it's you."

Hermione couldn't help quietly giggling at how Harry's expression became awestruck, and he went silent, at the high praise from her mother. That also gave her mother time to take a deep breath and continue speaking.

"And to your question itself, the reason that you haven't heard any talk about my family is that… I've had nothing to do with my family for the last fifteen years, ever since my mother died when Jack and I were twenty-nine."

The way that Harry's mouth dropped open in absolute shock immediately washed away any remnant of amusement within Hermione. That disbelief also easily flowed into his tone when he spoke. "Nothing? For fifteen years? But why? What could have happened that you completely cut them out of your life?"

The mother sympathetically looked at him before responding with her own question. "Answer me this, Harry. Now that you know you have a future, would you want anything to do with your relatives at any point in your life now?"

He rubbed the back of his neck before sheepishly saying, "My Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, definitely not. My cousin Dudley… I'm admittedly a bit more conflicted on him because, even after everything he did to bully and torment me growing up, it seemed like he changed some after he was nearly attacked by a Dementor that was sent to kill me in the summer of 1995, since he was willing to acknowledge that I saved his life during the last time that I saw my relatives. Though it's also pretty safe to say that we would never be that close if I even did try to get in touch with him again, considering the aforementioned previous years."

The look of sympathy deepened on Miranda's face for a second. Then, she said, "Well, while my own situation was nowhere near the same as yours, perhaps your experiences with your relatives may give you a better understanding of why I would abandon my own. And perhaps, the story of this will also give you better insight into some of my and Jack's choices regarding you and Hermione."

Bafflement immediately appeared on Harry's face after her final statement, but she simply took a deep breath and continued. "Ultimately, it came down to my family forcing me to make a choice to keep either them or Jack in my life. And I'm sure you can easily guess which choice I made."

Sadness creeped into Harry's expression with that information, and he said, "Why would they do that?"

Jack jumped into the conversation at that point. "Basically, because they all hated me and thought I was beneath them. Miranda's mother was the only one that didn't, but I only found that out after the aforementioned ultimatum was given, because Miranda revealed to me that her mother had only acted the same as the rest of the family to keep up appearances for her own parents, who basically dictated things to the others in the family."

To further clarify, Miranda took over again. "Harry, do you remember Jack mentioning on Christmas Eve that he and his family needed to know how to knit?"

He just silently nodded a confirmation.

"Well," she continued, "he came from a large family that basically got by week to week, which is why he worked so hard to try and make something better for himself. I, on the other hand, grew up with the exact opposite because I was born into money. Because of that, however, we also had the reputation of being the snootiest people around, though it was admittedly well-earned considering how most of the family acted. The attitudes of the rest of my family never sat right with me, and I tried not to be that way towards others, but I was branded with that same reputation for the longest time just because of my family name. At least, until Jack and I met in secondary school and eventually became best friends."

Harry's eyes widened in amazement. "You two were best friends when you were younger?"

Hermione couldn't resist giving a resigned chuckle, getting Harry's attention, and saying, "They sure were. Does that sound familiar?"

Jack chuckled himself and retorted, "Arguably still are, too, to have lasted this long together." That caused his wife to give him a jesting slap on the arm, which made his laugh get a bit louder before he added, "OK, maybe there's no arguably about it."

Miranda simply shook her head in amusement at his joking. And once again, Hermione couldn't resist comparing the actions to how she and Harry acted with each other.

Harry brought things back on track with another question. "So, how did you two become friends? And when did your family start showing distaste for you two being together?"

"We grew close because of our schoolwork actually," the mother answered. "I was friendless for the longest time because not only did I not hang around the people that my grandparents would have most approved of and that my two older siblings were friends with, but everyone else avoided me as well because of the family reputation. So, I threw myself into my schoolwork to try and earn something for myself. While they were annoyed at how I always kept to myself at school, the family did approve of my goals to do great in my work, though their overall attitude still irked me because they only cared about 'showing the lowly people who is the best,' in my grandparents' words."

Taking control of the tale for a moment, Jack added, "I had the same drive to do as well as possible, because of my own situation. I did have a few people besides my siblings that were OK with talking to me at school, but it never went beyond an acquaintanceship because they never understood why I was willing to spend so much time learning and studying. But once Miranda and I met… well, it started out as basically an unspoken competition as to who would get the best grades."

"But as time went on," Miranda interrupted, "we became aware of how we would both study some before and after school hours. So, we started spending that time together, silently at first but then eventually moving on to helping each other with topics. As we became more and more comfortable with one another, that led to us confessing that we were friendless and the reasons why. And from then on, the two of us became peas in a pod."

Her face fell again. "Well, when we were at school, at least. Outside of school, things required a lot of working around."

Harry couldn't help asking in sad confusion, "What do you mean?"

Miranda said, "My siblings all considered Jack as one of the lowest of the so-called lowly people just from the fact that it was obvious that a lot of his clothes were hand-me-downs. They quickly told the rest of the family about me hanging around with him a lot more, but my siblings assumed that I was simply using him for grades, and thus they were content to continue ignoring my presence at school. Most of the adults very begrudgingly tolerated me being around Jack at school because I was keeping my grades at the top of the class, but they steadfastly refused to have him anywhere near the house. The only one who never said anything was my mother, but that worked both ways because she also never spoke out against the others at the same time. So, when Jack and I decided to start a romantic relationship together when we were sixteen, we kept it hidden from anyone else."

"My family didn't like me hanging around with Miranda either," Jack added, "since they were like so many others and held her to the same reputation as her relatives. And though the two of us had each other's home phone number, we rarely called one another unless we knew for certain that both of us would be alone at home. Thus, when not at school, we could basically only get together on a Saturday, having decided during the week beforehand on some designated spot where we would meet, and switching the location up each time so that we wouldn't get too predictable. Of course, we also managed to make it work for two years with no one else the wiser."

Miranda smirked at him and replied, "Yes, there certainly were a lot of secret weekend dates in our A-level years of schooling that I have fond memories of."

At this point, Hermione looked to Harry to find him staring at her parents with a wistful expression. She couldn't resist scooting her chair a bit closer to him so that she could more easily place her left hand on his thigh in comfort. He turned to her and flashed her a small smile for an instant before returning his gaze to her parents and taking a deep breath.

He then asked, "So, how did things end up coming to a head?"

Giving him a sad smile, Miranda said, "Because of us choosing to go into dentistry. The week before Jack and I would go to university, my grandparents finally asked what career path I was taking. I had been content to not say anything as long as the family hadn't cared to ask, but once it came up, I couldn't just lie to them about it. Once they heard, many in the family saw this as me demeaning myself into something that was unworthy of us, and they demanded to know why I was making such a choice. Of course, they didn't know that one large part of my choice was to stick by Jack. And when they repeatedly refused to back down when I tried to tell them this was what I wanted to do, that's when I finally revealed, in a flash of utter wrath, that I wasn't going to be separated from my best friend, boyfriend, and person that I loved most. When they quickly realized that I was indeed talking about Jack for all of those, well…

"That night, because so many in the family were furious, and they needed to 'calm themselves before anyone would properly speak to you about this sheer foolishness' in my grandparents' words," Miranda said with venom in her voice, "I was forbidden to leave my room until they decided, even having people standing outside my door as well as on the outside where my window led to, so that I wouldn't try to leave on my own."

Her expression became pensive again. "My mother ended up visiting me, being allowed since the family thought she was going to set me straight according to their wishes. But she ended up shocking me by saying that she had been wondering if things between Jack and me would ever grow considering our friendship seemed to have persisted against the odds for years. That's when she spent time telling me about how her marriage with my father, who had died many years prior thanks to some heavy drinking in the last year of his life, was more of a marriage of convenience than one of love because her parents had approved of my father early on in his and Mum's relationship, and Mum called herself too much of a coward to go against the approval of her parents. She said that cowardice was also why she never spoke out against the rest of the family about only barely tolerating my friendship for those years. And she desperately apologized for never having stood up to the others for me, saying that she knew her weakness was completely unforgivable for a mother."

A tiny smile then appeared on her face for a second before she continued. "But that's when she told me about having set up a bank account in secret once I turned sixteen, where she would place funds for me in it. She did so as often as she could whenever she left the house, afraid that such a time like this would come where the family might take drastic measures if things between me and Jack ever went further. Those funds actually allowed Jack and I to get a little flat for ourselves and live on our own during those school years until we became fully licensed dentists, but I digress. Anyway, Mum and I went out the next day, under the guise that she was having a longer talk with me, and we set things up so that the money was transferred to a new account in just my name. And indeed, once we finally returned home, Mum's fears came true as my grandparents started an argument that eventually led to the ultimatum, forcing me to choose between them and Jack.

"And when I said I was choosing love, they replied, 'Then let's see how well you can live off of that supposed love' and told me to pack my things and never return. Mum took me to the public phone nearest to the secondary school, where I called Jack's house in the hopes that he would pick up. I'm so thankful that he did end up answering, and I managed to tell him what happened while crying at the same time, to which he immediately said he was coming to get me and bringing me to his house no matter what his family said."

Jack interjected at that point. "My family, who had gathered around me at the phone since I had called out Miranda's name in surprise when I heard her voice, had been about to fight with me over leaving to get her. But they all immediately shut up in astonishment when I furiously rounded on them about Miranda willingly being kicked out of her home because she chose me over her family, and they were too stunned to say or do anything as I left the house in a rush. Once I came back with Miranda in tow, they were all silently sitting in our living room, waiting for us. My parents gave a quiet request to talk with her, if she was willing, about why she gave up so much for me. And that's how they finally took off the blinders that they had on for so many years and began to really see Miranda's true character."

Miranda looked at him and smiled. "I'm certainly glad that your family had the capability to let go of their biases, and that you were able to remain on good terms."

She then turned back to Harry with a more serious expression. "As for me… after Jack and I hung up the phone, Mum tearfully apologized that she was such a coward to let things end up like this, but I thanked her for being willing to help me, and I told her that I loved her. And once Jack arrived, she pleaded with him to please look after and take care of me where she had failed so badly. Then, she gave the both of us an enormous hug for a few seconds before she finally left.

"Jack and I did eventually start exchanging letters with her when, after we first moved into this house while I was pregnant with Hermione, I decided to take the risk and write to Mum for the first time. I disguised my name but left her enough hints so that she would realize it was me, and gave her our address in the hopes that maybe she would respond. And she thankfully did, leading us to exchange at least one letter a month until her death. But she said in her letters that I was still intensely hated and vilified by everyone else in the family for my choice. Thus, she couldn't see me without raising too many questions, since it was already a great risk that she was writing to me. Because of that, the night that I was thrown out of the house remained the last time that I ever saw my mother until her death from cancer, a death of which I only found out after the fact."

At that point, Hermione saw her mother's eyes glance down towards the table in sadness, while her father placed a hand on her mother's shoulder in comfort. Even though she had never known her maternal grandmother, Hermione knew that it still pained her mother a little to have never been able to see her own mum again while she was alive. A glance to Harry also showed that it was hurting him to hear all this.

After a few seconds, though, Miranda looked back up with a small smile and continued, "It's not like Mum is completely gone even if I never saw her again. We still have all of her letters as keepsakes."

Her gaze then shifted to Hermione, though her words were still directed at Harry. "And in a way, Hermione here was named in her honor, for how my mum helped Jack and I stay together. Mum was a huge fan of William Shakespeare, and I still have all of the plays that she owned and loved to read. In fact, I was named for the character Miranda from the play The Tempest, since Mum was able to convince my father to use a Shakespearean name when I was born but also wanted it to be one that was subtle enough to seem mundane. But one of her favorite plays was always The Winter's Tale, of which one of the key characters was a queen named Hermione. Thus, after some convincing of my own, that's where our daughter got her name."

Her eyes then locked back onto Harry himself. "Mum also helped me and Jack to get the last laugh, in a way. She made certain with a lawyer that both Jack and I would be notified about her death no matter what, having given him our address from our letter correspondences. The rest of the family had to grin and bear it when we showed up because I made certain to bring the proof of invite with us. Along with that, Mum had written a final letter to be given to me along with the notification of death. A letter in which she deeply apologized for keeping her health problems away from me, talked about how immensely proud she was that I had forged a path for myself, and even told Jack that she was so glad that I ended up with a wonderful husband that helped to bring out the best in me.

"And all of us were stunned to find out that, in her will, Mum had left everything she owned strictly to me and Jack. Her share of wealth ended up amounting to about six million pounds in total when all was said and done, with Mum also having liquidated as much as she could that wasn't sentimental for her. I tell you, the family was quite furious, most of all my grandparents. Everyone especially fumed when Mum included a line for all of them to hear after her death, which said that I was the only person of the entire bunch to deserve anything due to valuing love over material wealth, but there was nothing they could do short of killing me and Jack right there in the room."

Harry's jaw had dropped, and it seemed that he couldn't help saying, "Do you really have that much?! I would never have guessed, if you don't mind me saying."

Miranda gave an amused snort at that. "That's precisely how Jack and I have wanted things to appear ever since we received the inheritance. Put most of it away so that we're not tempted to be wasteful, invest so that we can make it gradually grow, and simply be mindful enough of our budget to live off of our dentistry income. Of course, we did use some of it to immediately pay off the house so that it would truly be ours, as well as paying to finally start up our own dental practice. Jack also figured out ways to get his parents to take a bit every now and then over the years, since they were quite stubborn about accepting any outside help and always said that they survived just fine without it for so long. And we're always willing to splurge a little when it comes to food and clothes for the donation drive."

She let out a sigh before finally ending with, "But I digress. The ultimate point is, my mother's death was the very last time we ever had any sort of contact with my side of the family. Now you know the history as to why. And hopefully, now you also have a better understanding as to why Jack and I have mostly stood back and let you and Hermione take whatever steps in your relationship the two of you want."

Jack had one last thing to say, as well. "Because we both knew, thanks to her giving us up to fight alongside you in that war as well as her unyielding defense of you after you left Australia, that if it came down to it, Hermione would go against us for you exactly like Miranda left her family for me. And because of that, neither of us could have ever stood in her way if that was the choice she made. Which is why we never wanted to put her in that position in the first place."

Harry looked completely lost at the finish of the tale, like he had no idea what to say. Hermione couldn't resist shifting even closer and wrapping her left arm around his back before then laying her head on his shoulder. She felt his head twist as much as he was able towards her before he whispered, "Thank you, Angel."

Then, he took a deep and slightly shaky breath and said, "That's terrible what your family did to you, all because they thought Jack was somehow lesser than them."

Miranda gave him a sad smile and simply replied, "Yes. It is."

The simple acceptance from the older woman made Harry shake his head for a second. Then, he continued, "You are kind of right, though, about me being able to understand a bit through my own experiences. My relatives were sticklers for being normal, so anything that wasn't within their notions of normality was something to be shunned or avoided. Hence, why they always despised me, since they knew I would have magic thanks to my parents. And like I said earlier, I don't want any part of my aunt and uncle going forward, so I see why you would avoid all those in your family that forced you into that choice."

He then became quite timid. "I do have to ask, though. Does it change anything that I now know about how much more money you have?"

Jack was the one to respond. "Well, answer this, Harry. Does it change anything for you that we know about you having a similar pile of funds in your magical bank account?"

Harry immediately replied, "Not at all. You two have earned my trust with everything you've done. Not to mention that Hermione knows how I trust her with everything that's in my vault."

Miranda retorted, "Then that means you can hopefully understand when we say that we feel the same way about you in regards to knowledge about our funds."

Harry gave what sounded like an amazed scoff, so Hermione lifted her head up in curiosity to look at him. Sure enough, he was completely astounded from how her parents could find new ways to show their own trust in him.

His next words, in their stunned tone, even affirmed her thought. "I may never get used to the trust that you two are willing to show me. But it means so much that you do."

He then sobered up and added, "And thank you for sharing that insight into your family, Miranda. I hate how all of that happened to you, but… I guess sometimes that's just the way things go, isn't it?"

Miranda nodded and responded, "Indeed, Harry, indeed. But it also means that sometimes, when you're willing to risk everything, you can end up gaining so much more in the process."

After the statement, Harry immediately turned to look at Hermione. Her breath hitched at the absolute tenderness that was on his face.

Then, while still looking at her, he quietly responded to her mother's answer. "Yeah… I think I can understand that."

While her left arm was still around Harry, Hermione couldn't resist reaching over with her right hand to take his own, giving it a squeeze. He just gave her another affectionate smile in response.

They both looked back to her parents when Jack spoke up. "Well, are there any other questions you want either of us to answer, Harry?"

He became thoughtful for a second before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. Not at the moment, at least." He then turned back to Hermione. "You want to go upstairs and start discussing what magic we practice on this time, and possibly a schedule for the week?"

She smirked for a second before letting go of him and replying, "Sure, that sounds great."

He nodded before the two of them stood from their seats. As the parents moved to stand a second later, he said, "I know I'm being repetitive about this, but thank you again."

Miranda chuckled and responded, "Don't worry your head over it. You two just go have fun now. Just promise to keep us in mind if there's any spells you master and are willing to show off?"

That actually got a laugh out of Harry as he answered, "Definitely, we will."

He then looked at Hermione and nudged his head towards the ceiling. She just silently nodded, and after another minute, the two of them were sitting on her bed with the door to her room shut.

Once they were seated and gazing at one another, Hermione couldn't help asking, "Are you OK, after everything that you heard from Mum?"

Harry let out a quiet sigh before answering. "Like I said, it's terrible that it happened at all, and I hate that your mum had to go through such a thing."

An amused snort then left his mouth. "Of course, now I see why your dad made that 'like mother like daughter' comment after you admitted right in front of them that you would give them up for me. And what your mum did actually reminds me of Sirius, with how they both had the courage to reject the values taught in their families and eventually leave those families behind to be with people that cared about them just for being them."

Hermione's heart lifted at how Harry was able to freely talk about Sirius. It was another sign that he was draining himself of the pain that he had been holding within him for so long over everything that had happened through the years.

Then, his expression became her favorite soft one. "And I also realize that, without what happened, maybe your parents end up not staying together, which means you wouldn't be here at all. And maybe this is selfish of me to say, in light of the information I just learned, but I wouldn't give up what you and I have now for anything in the world."

Placing her left hand on his cheek, she whispered, "It's not selfishness, Harry. It's love for the one person you can't do without. It's what Mum and Dad felt and why they were both willing to fight their own families for one another. It's why I've tried to remain at your side through every ordeal you've ever had to face whether it's outward antagonists or inward turmoil, even before fully realizing my actual feelings. And it's why I'll continue to do anything I can to give you happiness."

With his eyes filled with emotions, he nodded for a second before quickly pulling her into a tight hug. And as she wrapped her arms around him, he shakily whispered into her ear, "I love you, Hermione."

She nuzzled the side of his head before saying, "I love you too, Harry."

As they sat in their embrace, rocking just slightly from side to side, Hermione took a moment to be thankful that Harry had gathered the courage to ask that question to her parents this morning. Maybe the example shown through her mother's recollection would help to further emphasize to him that a long and happy future could be possible, no matter the obstacles that tried to stand in the way.


A/N: A little bit of fallout from the revelations of the last chapter, and some deeper insight into allusions made in much earlier chapters. Hopefully, it all works.

As always, if you've made it this far, thank you for reading! And I hope you stay tuned for more!