A/N: Harry Potter and his world belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and anyone that has received licensing rights. I am grateful she gives us the privilege of playing in her world.

Edited: Proofed, edited and adjusted for consistency. 30 Apr 2022

-oOo-

Chapter 5

-oOo-

July 15, 1996

Little Sark, Bailiwick of Guernsey

Water streamed down the road and came off the roof in thick rivulets.

It had been raining for the last three days and today looked to be just as stormy. Harry was enjoying studying and filling out the forms with Hermione, but he had not trusted sending Hedwig off with their application to the ICW. He didn't want her getting hurt in this weather.

He had already done his chores, and then checked on the sheep again for good measure.

He was in the sitting room now, looking out the window towards the house she was in. It had only been a little over a week, but Harry found himself thinking of the brunette most times she wasn't around.

"What is wrong with me?" he asked quietly.

"Many things. Which one do you want to talk about today?" his aunt asked from across the room. She was sitting at her desk going through an arithmancy book and making notes in a hardbound notebook.

"Oh, funny," he said to her.

"Just go over. I'm sure she is as bored as you," she told him.

He wanted to, but he was so torn. "Aunt Bel, we hardly talked with each other until this year. Why do I want her around so much?" he asked.

"You find her attractive," she said simply, still working on whatever she was doing.

He knew his face felt hot. "I don't like her," he said on reflex.

"You keep telling yourself that. Did you finally get enough for your broom?"

"I need another six galleons," he told her.

"When we go to the Harpies on your birthday, we can stop by Diagon Alley after the match," she told him.

"I should have enough end of this week. I'll put the order form in so it is there when we go," he said excitedly.

"Or you can wait. I heard there may be a new broom on the market soon," she told him.

He turned away from the window. "Where did you hear that? There was nothing in Quidditch Monthly," he told her.

"I have my sources. Why don't you go over? If her parents agree, you can go to St. Peter Port or you know how to get around Cherbourg or Diagon Alley. You can take twenty galleons out of the pot," she told him.

"I haven't earned it," he told her.

She smiled. "Harry, you do enough around here to make an apprentice's share. Take the money," she told him.

"Can I take twenty-four? I would like to get a new book or two on runes or rune weaving," he asked. He didn't usually ask his aunt for money.

"Take what you want, just don't go crazy and I want the change back," she told him.

He jumped up, returned the book back to his room and took out his galoshes and the muggle umbrella. If they were out and about in a muggle area, a magical umbrella that kept them perfectly dry would be suspicious.

"I'll be back," he called to her.

"I want you back before dark. The storm should last tonight and clear tomorrow. Should be some strong winds tonight and tomorrow," she told him.

"Yes, Aunt Bel."

It was pouring out, and the wind was already sending it sideways.

He ran to the house and was surprised to see the door open. "Get in here," Hermione yelled at him.

He ran into the house. "What are you doing? It's pouring out." She had a smile on her face as she chastised him.

"I was bored and wanted to know if you wanted to go somewhere?" he asked.

Hermione looked relieved. "I've read the same book twice over the last two days. Let me ask my parents."

A few minutes later, Mrs. Granger came out with her from the kitchen. "Where are you planning to go?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Where would you let us go? We can get to London, Cherbourg or St. Peter Port. I think it's going to be just as wet in St. Peter Port and Cherbourg."

Hermione looked at him. "How about Diagon Alley? If I am here for the summer, I would like to pick up Crookshanks. He's been boarded there for over a week."

"Are you taking the Flow fire?" Mrs. Granger looked to him.

"It's Floo, mum. Are we?"

"It's a lot dryer and faster than walking into town to get a portkey," he said.

Her mother rose her eye. Hermione looked mildly amused until her mother just looked at him. "Make sure you have your wand, and you know the number here and to your grandparents?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be seventeen in two months. I think I know what I am supposed to do."

Her mother laughed. "I thought I had missed this part of your teen years. Fine. Go to London, have a good day. Don't stay out too late."

"My Aunt told me to be back before dark," he told her.

"That sounds fine," she said.

Hermione gave a broad smile to him and her mum a hug before rushing up the stairs.

"Anywhere special you want to go?" she asked him when she came back down. She was in a blue peacoat and jeans.

"Flourish and Blotts. Probably Fortescue's ice cream shop. Wherever else we end up," he told her.

"Just don't get into trouble," Mrs. Granger said with a smirk.

"I'll send my aunt and Mrs. Baker a Patronus if we get into real trouble," he responded.

"Will you teach me how to cast a Patronus when we get back to Hogwarts?" Hermione requested.

"Only if you teach me the protean charm," he offered. He had read her test results. She had earned the special mark in charms.

"Deal. Luv you, mum."

"Luv you too, princess. Have fun," she told them.

He stepped out the door and held the umbrella mostly over her as she moved in close. It was a short run to the dining hall, and they walked through the door that took them into the wizarding pub. No one was in there, but Mr. Baker came in.

"You two off somewhere?" Mr. Baker queried.

"London," Harry told him.

Mr. Baker nodded. "Have fun."

"Thank you, Uncle Tim," Hermione said.

Harry popped the coins into the pan. "How much?" she asked, taking out a purse pouch.

"I have it. Have you travelled by floo?" he asked.

"Not yet," she said, looking at it excitedly.

He chuckled. "Keep your arms close to you and annunciate clearly where you want to go. We are going to the Leaky Cauldron."

"How much powder?" she enquired.

He reached into the canvas bag and put about a tablespoon size into her hand. "That is all you need. Most people use more and waste it."

Harry liked the warmth when his fingers brushed her hand.

Her hand lingered open for a few seconds before she threw it into the fire. The fire flared into green flames, and she took a step back. His hand went to her back. After a second, she straightened and said, "The Leaky Cauldron."

Hermione disappeared.

"Keep an eye on her," Mr. Baker said.

"I will. I will send a Patronus if we get into trouble." He threw his floo powder into the fire and just before he stepped in, Mr. Baker told him, "Have a good date."

Harry almost tripped into the fire.

When he came out, he stepped and ran right into Hermione. She gave a small yell. Harry grabbed her, pulling her in tight as they stumbled and almost fell over.

When he straightened, she was in his arms, with her face looking up at his. Her face was quite close and the surprise in her eyes was rather attractive...

Harry let his arms fall and stepped back. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

It took her a moment to answer. "Fine. I didn't realize I needed to move further back," she noted.

"Or at least to the side." They just looked at each other for a few. Was she blushing? He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "You want to go to Diagon Alley or somewhere else?"

"You promised books if we came here," she reminded him.

"I did. Do you want to go there first?" he asked.

She smiled and took his arm. "I thought you would never ask."

Harry let her drag him to the back of the bar. He laughed. "We can walk you know," he told her.

"You offered to take me to the bookstore. We are in London all day. No one ever just lets me go and spend whatever time I want in a bookstore," she told him.

"We do need to eat at some point," he informed her.

"Fine, you let me know when you are hungry. Until then, we are going to Flourish and Blotts," she told him.

"How many books do you plan on getting?"

"Depends. I read the ones I have twice already this summer. I want to get some books for next year. Especially if we will get the grants before returning to Hogwarts," she said quickly. It was impossible to miss the enthusiasm in her voice. Hermione dragged him through the opening arch before it was even done forming.

"I guess I know what to get you for your birthday."

She stopped for a moment and looked at him. "You would get me something for my birthday?"

He realized he just said he would still be talking with her come September. He shrugged. "Why not? We are still studying when we go back. Unless you don't want to be seen with me?"

"I never said that," she told him. "Do you even know when my birthday is?"

He smirked at her serious face. "September nineteenth. Parvati told me," he responded to her questioning look. "But I understand if you don't want to be seen with me. I mean, I am only second in class. Wouldn't want to give people the wrong idea."

"And what idea is that?" she scoffed.

"That we might be friends?" he put to her, nervous for reasons he didn't know why.

She raised an eyebrow at him. He thought he saw some colour on her neck. "You would want to be seen with me?"

"Why not? Believe it or not, I have found our conversations really interesting and there isn't anyone else at Hogwarts I have found to talk like we do." WHAT IN MERLIN AM I DOING! He yelled in his head.

Getting closer to kissing her, a voice responded.

She gave a really pleasantly abashed smile that made his insides feel funny. "I have liked talking with you too," she confessed.

"Besides, who else is going to tell me I'm barmy when I go to submit my papers to the Grant Board," he told her.

The smile became more confident. "Finally admitting I'm brighter?"

He laughed. "If that is what you need to tell yourself."

"I'll just have you tell me," she said before they walked into the store.

He hadn't caught her dry sarcasm at first. After a moment, he smiled.

Harry liked books, and he liked bookstores, but Hermione was worse than he was. At one point she had fifteen books and was still working through the store.

"If you need that many, we can come back," he offered.

"It's not that many," she responded.

"Are you carrying them, because I didn't bring a bag with an extension and featherlight charm today?"

Her brow scrunched. "Would you help?"

"Not with fifteen," he replied.

It took her another hour to pair it down to five. He added it to his pile of three. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Paying," he said, as though it was the most natural thing to do.

"I have my own money," she told him.

"How about you buy lunch?" he asked. The eight books were nearly twenty galleons. It was most of the money he took from the jar. He had more on him, but it would have to come out of his broom fund.

Looking at the way she was looking at him, he could wait another week or two to get his broom.

"Sure, I can do that," she said.

It was getting close to lunch time by the time they left. After a quick trip into Amanuensis Quills, he stopped at the window to Quality Quidditch Supplies on their way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione laughed at him. "I don't think I've ever seen someone drool over a broom," she joked.

"It's not just a broom, it's a Firebolt. It is far better than the Nimbus 2001 I currently have," he told her, looking at the polish. The gleaming foot holds beckoned to be used.

She looked at the broom. "Is it really that much better?" she asked.

"The articles say it is like night and day. Aunt Bel took me to the World Quidditch Cup as my birthday present last year. Krum and the others went at speeds the Nimbus just can't reach. It's more of a racing broom, than a quidditch broom. Just to touch one," he said, not hearing the dreamy tenor to his voice.

She giggled at his expression. "One might think you would rather that broom to a witch," she teased.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Depends on the witch," he told her.

They stood there for a moment, Harry looking at the broom and Hermione looking at him. "Do you have a witch in mind?" she enquired.

Until recently, he would have said two or three. He was realizing that he hadn't thought about Susan since the Hogwarts' Express, and neither Susan, Cho nor Daphne had been in his head for weeks. He kept looking at the broom so she wouldn't see his thoughts. "Maybe," he said rather furtively.

"One that is more important than a broom?"

"Probably," he admitted. What was it with him!

"Let's go get something to eat. You want to eat at the Leaky Cauldron or go into London?" she asked.

There was a peel of thunder overhead.

"The Leaky Cauldron. I think it's going to rain soon," he told her. He didn't have the feel for weather his aunt did, but it didn't take that to feel the storm coming.

She took his arm, and he was easily pulled away from the window. Hermione is more important that a broom, the voice in his head said.

SHUT UP! he yelled back at himself.

-oOo-

July 28, 1996

Little Sark, Bailiwick of Guernsey

Hermione was sitting on the fence in jean shorts, a tank top and a swimming costume beneath it. It was a very hot day and she wanted to go swimming. He had promised to take her.

"Are you just going to sit there and watch me?" he asked as he brushed down a horse. He was taking Wednesday off to go see the Harpies play and Mrs. Baker had agreed to let him do some work today.

Her legs were swinging. "I am just waiting for you to be done. Aunt Millie said you could do it another time."

"The tide isn't low enough for another hour and it's only ten minutes to walk there," he said back.

"I still want to see it when water comes over the rocks."

"You already have," he reminded her. He had taken her there at least twice. This was the first time she wanted to go swimming.

"I like to watch the tide come in. Will you just finish," she said impatiently.

"Another ten minutes," he told her. He was trying not to look at her legs as she swung them, or the way the tank top showed the sides of the blue suit top.

She sighed and pulled a book from under her towel.

When he was done, he walked out the gate and she jumped down. "About time," she told him.

"Bossy, aren't you?" he teased.

She shied away a little. "I just want to go swimming. It's hot out."

He was sweating some from taking care of the horses. "Mrs. Baker, we are going down to Venus Pool," he called out when he saw her.

"Have fun," she called back.

Hermione was here with her cousins now. Her mother had gone back for two weeks, and her father wasn't coming back this summer.

"So, are you going to be gone all day Wednesday?" she asked.

So far in the last three weeks they had only spent three days apart. Harry had no idea he could like someone this quickly. Well, now he thought about it, maybe this new friendship and his attraction to her had started after Christmas...

"Maybe. The last Harpies game I went to was a little over two hours. Why?" he asked her.

"Well, I was, thinking," she said, almost tripping over her words, "if you were serious about being friends, you wouldn't mind a small birthday dinner? With me?"

He looked at her. The thought of him and Hermione, possibly alone... had merit. Not that they weren't alone most of the time, but something sounded different. "As long as my aunt doesn't have anything planned."

"She doesn't," Hermione told him.

The smile on his face was totally for her. "You already know that? How?"

She looked a little abashed. "I asked."

"I look forward to it," he said after a moment.

Her face grew into a smile. It was only a few more minutes to get to the pool. The tide was still going out, but it was almost safe to go in. He was surprised no one was here, but again, it was Sunday, so many tourists were switching out today.

"Can we go in?" she asked.

"You should wait another few minutes or a wave could thrash you around," he said, motioning as a wave came over the wall and made deep currents in the pool."

She shrugged and put her blanket down. Harry didn't think about it to sit next to her. They were so close they were almost touching. "Are you going in too?" she asked.

"I feel like I'm melting. It rarely gets to 27 degrees," he told her.

"This is hot." She reached and took off her tank top. Harry tried to keep his eyes off her, but the blue bikini top pulled against her, and her stomach was flat and showed the exercise she was getting around the island with him.

She folded her shirt and he tried to look away before he was caught looking. It was worse- or better? He wasn't sure. - when she leaned back, her arms straight and head back. The way she arched highlighted parts of her he found he liked. The goosepimples on his skin had nothing to do with the slightly cool breeze from the ocean.

He got up and found some rocks. "You decide what classes you are going to do?" he enquired.

"Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Advanced Arithmancy, Ancient Magics and runes. DADA and Astronomy were going to be just because I wanted to and I think I agree with Aunt Millie and Uncle Tim. Eight would be too much, especially if we get those grants," she said.

When he was done throwing the rocks in, he turned. She was still in the same position, and he felt the goosepimples return. She was more than cute.

Told you so, the voice in his head said.

He didn't fight it this time. He felt like he really needed to cool off now.

"Are you still going to do DADA and not potions and herbology?"

"I was still trying to decide. Nothing I want to do deals with either, but I really like Defence Against the Dark Arts. I guess if I add Potions, it would open me to most jobs out there," he said. Harry didn't sound that convinced he wanted to take Potions though.

"I think you should do potions. You are good at it, even if you don't like Professor Snape."

"You think so?" he said reaching down for another rock. He liked her eyes as much as the rest of her body, so it was easy to hold her eyes, instead of his eyes roaming. He still couldn't stop himself from looking her up and down a little when he thought he could get away with it.

"Definitely. Can we go in yet?" she pleaded.

He didn't care if they should or not. She was too pleasant to look at. He took his shirt off and threw it towards his towel. He put his glasses with his shirt. He could see nothing clearly outside of five feet now. He extended a hand as he walked up to her. "Come on," he said.

She brought her head up and when her eyes fell on him, they widened a little. He caught her just staring at him. He looked down for a second. "Do I have something on me?" he asked.

Harry didn't realize how his body looked. Between his workouts, chores, always running or walking everywhere and doing other stuff, he didn't think about how his body was muscular or his abs sculpted. He looked up to see a nice flush on Hermione's face. "No. It's nothing," she said in a small squeak.

She took his hand after a few seconds. "Can you see?" she asked.

"Well enough," he said, liking what he was seeing this close to her.

She didn't let go of his hand. "Well, you aren't falling on my watch."

They walked up to the edge of the pool. Standing on a rock that was a good five feet from the surface, he asked, "You ready?"

"Is it cold?"

"Let's find out," he said jumping and pulling her in.

"HARRY!" she screamed before they fell into the cold water.

He came up and laughed as she tried to splash him. "You berk," she chastised while laughing.

"Pretty much," he said, splashing her back.

"That's it," she said swimming over to him.

"And what are you going to do?" he challenged her.

"This," she said jumping on him and pushing his head down with her hands. Harry went below the water by about a foot before he touched the bottom and shot up. "Get back here Granger," he yelled as she swam away, laughing.

"No!" she screamed as he was just able to grab her foot and pull her back.

"Hold your breath," he told her.

She screamed again while laughing as he pulled her back to him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He had the insane thought he liked how she fit against him like this as he pulled her under.

When they came back up, she didn't do anything to get out of his arms. "Got you," he said.

"This time," she responded before pulling away now. After that, she started to swim, and he joined her in doing short laps around the pool.

By the time they got out, the goosepimples were from the chill of the North Atlantic waters. She was shaking a little. She wrapped her towel around herself, and he joined her. They sat on the sun warmed rocks. "It might make you warmer if you lean against me," he offered.

It was good to have his glasses on again so he could see. After a moment, she sidled up to him, leaning against him with her head propped on the side of his shoulder. "That water is cold," she told him.

"Refreshing though. William and Reece would take me here when I was younger. It was always fun," he replied.

"That was fun," she said with a smile, her head now resting on his shoulder.

He was quickly feeling warm with her this close. "There is a nice restaurant not far from the Gayle Wind in St. Peter Port," he started.

The Gayle Wind was one of two wizarding pubs on Guernsey.

After a moment, Hermione shifted so her brown eyes were looking at him. "Is there anything special about this restaurant?" she asked him.

This was not part of his plan.

Not that he had a plan.

In truth, he was still denying to himself that he was feeling the way he was. The way she looked in her bikini and the feel of her against him in the pool and now just wouldn't leave him be.

"I was hoping it might become a little more special," he said.

She bit her lip. "And why would that be?"

"Would you want, you know… to, maybe… you know, go tonight?"

She was still biting her lip and he thought it cute. "Just the two of us?"

His insides were flipping again. It was a feeling that he was still not used to when around her, but he liked it the more he spent time with her. "That is what I was thinking. It can be just as friends, if you want?"

"If we head back now, will there be time to explore a little bit before we go eat?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She got up and quickly put her jean shorts and tank top on, not caring she was still damp and the spots it made.

He put his shirt back on and took her hand when she offered for him to get up.

It was a quiet walk back. He felt her hand in his. She hadn't let his hand go since helping him up. When they split, she said, "Give me an hour?"

He nodded. It was midafternoon now. "Sure."

She bit her lip again. He turned to go into his house, at the door, Hermione called out, "Harry?"

He turned, liking the way she said his name. "I don't want to go just as friends. Is that alright?" she asked.

He smiled, feeling very pleased. "I don't either," he agreed.

She smiled back and turned.

It wasn't until he met his aunt inside and said, "I'm going into St. Peter Port with Hermione for dinner," did he realize he had a date with Hermione Granger.

She smiled and returned to cleaning the vegetables in the sink. "Enjoy your date."

He smiled.

He had a date with Hermione Granger!

-oOo-

27 C = 81 F

A/N: Harry's inheritance and Sirius will be discussed in more detail later, for those that have asked.

A/N2: From previous reviews, spell exceptions are a choice between Magical Governments. I don't see the British Ministry making any exceptions. The Council of Guernsey, on the other hand, is a little more laissez-faire and progressive. They have some exceptions, mostly to help protect the International Statute of Secrecy or 'endangerment' under the Underage Wizarding Act.