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. 11 June 22

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Chapter 9

-oOo-

August 4, 1996

Sark Island, UK

Harry was eating breakfast with Hermione and his aunt. She had come over and helped with the sheep about six. Today she was in the shorts and tank top he liked. He could tell she was in her blue bikini. He was looking forward to going swimming with her again.

"You going to Venus Pool again," Aunt Bel asked.

"Yeah. The tide should be low enough in another hour or so, and then we were thinking of going to the Vineyards," Hermione said. She had been keeping track of tides now.

It was a beautiful day and promised to be so tomorrow too. "Would you mind picking up two jugs of vinegar and a case of butterbeer?"

"Sure. I'll ask the Bakers if they need anything and see if they will let me borrow the cart," he told her.

"I want you to stick around after dinner. I have a client coming tonight and you should learn how to deal with them," she said.

"The sheep need shearing in the next few days too," he told her.

Hermione was just looking at them. He caught her smirk and asked, "What?"

"Nothing," she said and turned back to her hash.

He nudged her foot. "What?"

"I just like how you and your aunt work. It reminds me of my parents. You both know what needs to get done and come to some silent conclusion," she said.

"It's taken me fourteen years to train him. I hope you have an easier time," Aunt Bel joked.

Hermione laughed as he scoffed at his aunt. "I'm not that bad!"

"Yes, you are," Hermione told him.

"Whose side are you on? Aren't you my girlfriend?"

"Yeah, there is that," she said with a smirk.

"Face it, Harry. You're out numbered now. Cork, get in here," his aunt said laughing at his expression.

"Mistress," the elf said.

"Cork, it's Belvina or Bel," his aunt said annoyed. "Why were you just lurking over there?"

"Prim and I tried to stop them," he said in a low voice.

They all stopped laughing. "Stop who, Cork?"

"Maribelle and her lamb got out. The fence was broken," he said.

Harry was up and rushing towards the barn. "Where," he asked.

"The south field," Cork said.

"I thought you fixed that fence," his aunt said concerned.

"I did. Prim helped," he told her.

"What can I do," Hermione asked.

"Come with me," he told her. "I'll go check the slope if you and Cork check the other fields. Can I use my wand?"

"Only in the fields. We don't need a visit from the Aurors," she said.

Harry nodded. "Do you have your wand," he asked her.

"Not on me."

They walked in the barn. Prim was already getting the other sheep into the barn. Harry grabbed a net and two coils of rope. "Take this," he said putting one of the ropes into her hands and the other over his shoulder.

"Prim, make sure they are all accounted for," he said to the elf.

"Yes, Master Harry," she squeaked.

He took off at a jog, Hermione on his heals. As they approached the back of the fields, the hackles rose on his neck. Something was wrong. A section of fence eight feet long was just snapped and splintered. Harry took out his wand. "Hermione, go back to the house. Get my aunt or your cousin to call the Aurors."

She moved in closer. "Harry, what's wrong," she asked.

They heard the bleating of a lamb.

"I don't know. You don't have your wand. Go."

They heard a shriek unlike anything he had heard before. She moved in to press herself against him. "What is that?" she asked.

"Protego Maxima," he said, and a shimmery shield popped before them. He would not take any chances with her.

"Harry, we should go," she told him.

"I have to try to save the lamb," he said. He had a feeling that Maribelle had not gotten out.

They moved towards the fence and the dip towards the cliffs. The lamb bleated again and the shriek followed. They made it to the broken fence. There was a trail of blood off to a small dell about twenty-five feet away.

He heard large wings beating.

There were only two creatures he could think of native to this area, and neither of them were large enough for that sound. She knelt down behind him and picked up a broken piece of the fence to hold like a club.

The lamb came out from behind the dell, running. Harry dropped the shield and flicked his wand. "Accio Tiffany," he called out. A large birdlike head with a giant beak and long neck suddenly shot out and tried to grab at the lamb. Tiffany was already out of reach.

He didn't think as he let go of the spell and cast a stunner. It hit the creature, who stumbled and shook its head. "Hermione, run!"

She dropped the fence and grabbed the lamb as it landed and rolled at their feet.

the creature screeched at them and its whole body came into view. It was easily eight or nine feet tall, with a long feathery neck and wings. the rest of it looked more like the painting he has seen of bipedal dinosaurs.

"Is that a snallygaster," she asked as he pushed her. That was exactly what it was.

He cast a tripping jynx and the power of it blasted dirt up and the creature crashed to the ground.

"Can we talk about it later," he snapped, making sure she was before him.

The thing scurried to its feet.

"They live in America though," she said, running and holding the bleating lamb in her arms.

"Well, it's here now," he snarked, stopping to cast a few stunners and some ropes at it as it charged them. It shook off the stunners but fell to the ground as the ropes wrapped around its neck and wings. It made a god-awful noise. They made it to the lane as his aunt came running towards them. Mr. Baker puffed another fifty feet behind her.

"Snallygaster," he said.

"You and Hermione in the house," she ordered, stepping past him.

"Go," he told Hermione and turned, following his aunt.

"Harry, in the damned house," she snapped as the thing finally got up. One of its wings was bent a little funny. He felt a small tinge of guilt for hurting it like that.

"I'm not letting you do this alone," he told her.

The creature saw them, then narrowed in on him. "Oh, bugger," he stated as it started to charge. He cast another tripping jynx and it jumped over the spell this time.

"Stun it," she yelled at him. They both started to cast stunners and he was forced to run as it got closer. It shot its neck out at him and fell. He turned to see more ropes around its legs this time. It screeched at the top of its lungs. Only the sound of wings alerted him to something else.

Out of instinct, he jumped and rolled. Something ripped through his shirt. He grit his teeth at the pain. A screech came from over his head as something thudded into the ground behind him.

He rolled and some spells shot over him. He stopped and came into a crouch as a second snallygaster stumbled back under his aunt's onslaught.

The first was bound in ropes and still struggling.

"On three," she yelled.

He raised his wand. "Three!"

They both cast a stunner and it stumbled back, shook its head and angrily screeched at them.

"Again!"

This time it was hit by three stunners. Its head whipped back, and it stumbled, as though drunk. "Again," his aunt ordered.

"Stupefy!" It was Hermione next to him, taking in great breaths and looking as though she had run faster than she ever had.

The three spells hit the snallygaster and it fell over.

Harry held his wand towards it for a moment. When it didn't move, he lowered it.

"Help me stun this one," his aunt ordered.

The three of them had to hit it twice. When done, his wand fell out of his hand and he fell to his knees.

"Harry," Hermione called, dropping next to him.

"How bad is it," his aunt asked coming over to him.

"There's a lot of blood," Hermione said, sounding afraid.

His Aunt moved to his back. After a moment, she said, "Not bad enough to go to St. Mungo's, but you aren't playing quidditch for a few days," she told him.

He laughed. "Do you and Madam Pomfrey trade lines," he asked.

Hermione didn't look amused.

Three cracks came around them. He saw three ICW Aurors in their light blue robes standing in the field. Their wands were out, looking for trouble. "We were called... C'est quoi ça!" It was a tall man with dark hair and glasses.

"Are there more," another man asked.

"I don't know. These are the only two that attacked us. Help me get him up and to the house," his aunt said to Hermione.

"Is it safe to move him," Hermione asked.

"They aren't deep, but it peeled the skin back. It needs to be cleaned before we can heal it."

"Did these two use their wands," a woman with blonde hair and deep blue eyes asked coming up to them as the men looked at the creatures, before taking some mirrors out of their pockets.

"You can walk with us, Auror, but Harry needs to get into the house."

"Of course, Madame."

The woman asked them questions as he was walked to the house. Mrs. Baker joined them, letting them know the lamb was back in the stables. By the time he was placed in his bed and his shirt vanished, he was feeling lightheaded and wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around him.

Hermione crouched down on the side of the bed. "You need to take this," she told him, holding up a potion vial."

After she got him to take it, the pain lessened, and the world seemed all crooked. "How do you feel," she asked.

He winced as something stung his back. "Looking forward to seeing you in that bikini," he said.

She flushed. "It isn't that nice," she said.

He gave her a big smile. "It's more than ni…ssssss," he let out as he drew in a sharp breath at a sharp pain.

"We can go swimming once you heal up," she said.

"Do I get to kiss you? I really like kissing you, especially when you put your arms around my neck in your bikini and..." His vision went blurry, and he arched his back before collapsing. "That hurt. I really like Hermione."

"Like really like. Like, you know, like like. Not sure I love her yet, but definitely more than like. Can you love someone after only meeting once? I should have taken her to our compartment that first year."

"I think that made him loopier than normal," Mrs. Baker said.

"That potion helps with the pain and healing, but it also can cause inhibitions to drop. Pretty sure he is only saying what he means," his Aunt Bel replied.

"I like when you flush like that," Harry said a little dreamily as his vision focused again.

Hermione darkened even further. "I like you too."

His smirk brought out something in her eyes that drew him to her. "I think I just realized you like watching me without a shirt."

"How long is this going to last," she asked his aunt, now bright red.

"I like it when you don't wear a shirt in your bikini and we kiss," he said, his voice starting to slur.

"It should knock him out soon," Aunt Bel said, sounding like she was holding in a laugh.

He chuckled. "I like your bikini. I can touch your bare skin. Smooth. Your... skin... smooth..." he said as his eyes closed. "I like really like Hermione..." The world went black.

-oOo-

Later that day...

When Harry woke, it felt like late in the day. He woke to a sore back. He heard the sound of a page being turned. Groaning he moved to sit up. The book slammed closed.

"Harry, don't move. I was told to keep you still," he heard Hermione.

Opening his eyes, she was quickly looking at him. "Where am I," he asked, not clearly remembering anything after they had stunned the second snallygaster.

"In your bed. Don't move. The plaster is supposed to stay over your wounds for another two hours," she told him.

He licked his lips, his mouth feeling a little dry.

"Do you need some water," she asked.

"Please," he said.

"I'll be right back."

When she came back, his aunt was with her. "How you feeling, kiddo?"

He tried to glare at her. "I'm not small anymore."

She shook her head. "You're still younger than me. How are you?"

Hermione held a straw up to his mouth. He could do this, but he wasn't about to upset Hermione, who already looked like she wasn't going to let him get away with anything. "Tell me you are all right," Hermione said.

Looking at her intense eyes, he tried to smirk before looking at her more seriously. "My shoulder still stings, and things seem a little fuzzy after we knocked out the second snallygaster," he told her.

"So, you don't remember what you said," his aunt asked.

He had a vague feeling it was something really embarrassing by the way she said it. "You gave me the tiger grass potion, didn't you," he asked.

"Yeah," his aunt said.

"How much did I gush about finally getting a Firebolt?"

Hermione looked shocked. "Firebolt? Harry, you don't remember anything you said?"

Looking into her eyes, there was a vague recollection of saying things only in his private thoughts... that Chinese brew was known to relieve pain, quicken healing and release all your inhibitions, often times telling people your deepest thoughts.

"I didn't talk about a Firebolt, did I?"

His Aunt chuckled. "Maybe Hermione will be kind enough to tell you."

He felt his face flush. What did I say?

"I think he needs to rest for now," Hermione said. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "I like like you too."

He felt there was a joke there he was missing. "I like you too."

"Right, no moving and no snogging for now. You should be well enough to do that tomorrow," Aunt Bel said.

His face felt warm at his aunt's teasing. Hermione didn't flush. Even with the pain in his back, he felt like kissing her.

"Is Maribelle dead," he asked.

"Afraid so. You two saved Tiffany though. With the commission from the latest project, I was going to find two more ewes. If you are alright, I was going to salvage what was left and sell it to some apothecaries. Should give us enough funds for a third ewe," she said in a business-like tone.

Harry knew his aunt was torn up over her, but things happened at times. She had been rather sickly on and off when she was pregnant with Tiffany and after. They had four ewes, six lambs and two rams. A small flock, but enough for their needs. With business picking up, they would need the new sheep.

"I understand. How is Prim and Cork," he asked. The elves loved the sheep as much as they did.

"They are sad, but they'll get over it. They were more worried about you," she said.

"Prim is making a broth for you," Hermione told him.

He smiled as much as he could. "Can I go with you when you get the new ewes," he asked.

"If I can find what we need before you go back to school," she told him.

"What did they do with the snallygasters," he asked.

"The Aurors are returning them to a private collector in France. They escaped from a breeding preserve two days ago and must have landed here to rest," she said. "It was a good thing we only stunned them."

He sighed. "I still remember her being a lamb."

Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"Maribelle was the first one Harry helped to birth," his aunt said.

"I was eight," he told her.

She gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"Sometimes things happen," he told her.

She took his hand under the covers and kissed his forehead.

"You look tired. Why don't you rest a little more," his aunt told him. "We can take off that plaster about six and then get some food into you."

"I'll try, Aunt Bel. Are you staying?" he asked the beautiful brunette.

"As long as you want me to," she said.

He smiled at her. "I would like that." Soon after he fell into a silent brooding. Maribelle had been the first birth he had helped with. Her mother, Anabelle, had died last winter at the age of twenty-six. Anabelle had been old, even by Aegean sheep standards.

"Are you going to be alright," Hermione asked after a while.

"Yeah," he said sadly. "I'm going to find a way to ward the fields by next summer."

His voice was firm and determined.

"I will help you," she said.

"What about your other studies," he asked her.

"I can do an arithmantic treatise on wards if I get that scholarship."

He looked at her, trying to figure something out. "Hermione, if I didn't talk about a Firebolt, or my new Thunderwave, what did I talk about?"

She smirked before pecking him on the lips. "Don't you worry. I'll tell you someday."

He yawned. "Was it really embarrassing?"

"No," she told him. "Just remember I like like you too."

"Sure," he responded, still feeling like he was missing an inside joke.

A/N: To explain the Bones to answer some reviews. There is no marriage contracts. This is Harry/Hermione, and I really don't want to drive any wedges between them like that. Nothing that is supposed to be extremely ominous. Susan is supposed to be disappointed Harry chose Hermione and Amelia disappointed because she approved of Harry and his lineage.

Hermione and Susan have been study partners and I would think that she might ask Hermione about Harry since they are in the same house and Prefects together. Thus, Hermione knew how Susan felt, but Hermione didn't express interest about Harry to Susan, probably thinking she didn't have a chance with Harry

The letter is not supposed to be bad, not for Harry anyways. I really don't want him involved in the politics of the Ministry, but I am sure it will be a disappointment and cause some ripples that he does not want to be part of.

If I cause people to panic because of it, that was not my intent. Not in this story anyways. I just meant to leave a little mystery.

As for Ron, we will see him soon and Sirius will be addressed closer to the end of the story.