ESSENTIALLY CREATIVE

Did Dumbledore leave Harry with the Dursleys even though he knew he would be condemning him to "ten dark and difficult years"? Really? Then it's clear that I don't own Harry Potter.

This chapter is dedicated to my primary beta reader PercyPendragon3, for writing the first ever OP Harry Potter fic I read that resonated with me. He now has a Discord server as well.

Thanks to InGlorious and PercyPendragon3 for correcting my numerous mistakes.

As usual, you can also contact me on Discord at;

Shiro's Gaming Omniverse: discord.gg/wd3tUYWVCd

Of Fiction and Fuckups: discord.gg/68gAdfsTE4

Percy Pendragon's Realm: discord.gg/fN6yqB5gcD

Story time!

Chapter 2

Today was the day; September 1, 1991. Thirteen months after coming to this world, I was standing in King's Cross Station, ready to cross the platform and board the express. My adventure was about to begin.

I had not been idle during the past year. I had upgraded a lot of my old skills. Superhuman Physique and Martial Arts Proficiency had both hit the A rank after a year of training. I was now a certified bullet dodger, which was great for me. Energy Manipulation also got upgraded to the S rank with LP. Wandless magic for the win. Shapeshifting and Presence Concealment also received an upgrade to A rank. Behold, Harry of the One Thousand Faces. That's all I'll say about that. Mind Defense also got upgraded to S rank. There was no way I would be walking into a mind controller's lair without this skill at the highest grade possible.

Some new Skills had also been created. The first five were Body Defense, Possession Defense, Stress Defense, Soul Defense and Information Defense. Body defense for poisons and potions, Possession for the Noseless Undead, Stress for dealing with white-bearded manipulators, Soul for dementors and related bullshit, and Information to protect my secrets. I really hope The Company won't sue me for copyright infringement. All these skills got upgraded to S rank, which cost a million LP on top of the A rank cost for each skill.

I also created the Runes skill. Why? If you want your privacy protected, you have to do it yourself. That feeling of satisfaction I got when Number Four was finally warded properly was just divine. No white bearded goat bleepers allowed here. This skill also got upgraded to A rank. I could now make warding schemes strong enough to make the Egyptian Pharaohs' eyes bleed in envy. Of course, there were a few explosions in my Home dimension, but it was all FOR SCIENCE! MUAHAHAHAAA!

The last new major skill I created was Energy Perception, which I also upgraded to S rank. I could now perceive magic through any of my five senses, as well as that vague 'sixth sense' all these fanfics keep talking about. The fact that the skill helped with my Runes and Wandless magic experiments was just a bonus.

I also created the Pheromones, Charming Presence and Porn Physics skills and upgraded them to B rank, then merged them with Harem Protagonist, Sexual Optimization and Fluid Adjustment. This merged everything into Harem Protagonist, raising the skill's rank to SS. There would be no infighting or jealousy in my harem.

Besides creating and upgrading my skills, I spent the year learning all the mundane knowledge I could. Essence of the Archmage was no joke. Beyond Genius-level intellect and perfect memory allowed me to process within days, the knowledge that would have taken an ordinary person months to process. Add to this the fact that I could control up to seven extra bodies, and you can see where this is going.

By the time my Hogwarts letter arrived, I was very fit for my age, dressed in better clothing, and was hailed as the genius of my school. The neighbors were now starting to ask questions since it was clear to them that the Dursleys couldn't have been speaking the truth about me being a troublemaker. Their doubts were only affirmed when a teacher I had managed to Bind caught Dudley trying to shake down a younger kid for his lunch money. Apparently, the trog didn't have self-preservation instincts.

Unfortunately for me, Hagrid was still the person who delivered my Hogwarts letter. As nice a guy as he is, Hagrid was a bit …slow, I would say. It was clear that Dumbledore wanted to keep me ignorant of the wizarding world by sending someone unqualified to pick me up so my questions wouldn't be answered. At least, I was able to find out that Lily had been in a coma since He-Who-Lacks-A-Nose tried to kill us. I also met Draco Malfoy in the alley like in canon. He was loudly complaining about getting his Hogwarts robes from the same place as, direct quote, 'all the filthy rabble'. I was going to make his life in Hogwarts miserable if he crossed me.

Of course, my first official trip to Diagon wouldn't be complete without getting a wand. Ollivander's shop was exactly as described in canon. The old man was also really creepy, especially when he gave me the phoenix feather wand while giving some speech comparing me to the noseless zombie and how he did, and I quote "Terrible, yes, but great things". After leaving the wand shop, I met up with Hagrid, who had bought me a birthday present; a female snowy owl I named Hedwig. Why would I keep her canon name? Simple. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

What Dumbledore and his minions would never know was that I returned to Diagon Alley a week later and went straight to the bank to claim my inheritance. Unfortunately, I didn't own Hogwarts or anything as outrageous. Fortunately, I could claim inheritance to the Potter and Peverell family lines, as well as a few minor noble houses of very little importance. And since I was the end of my line, I could claim my Inheritance immediately. The first thing I did when I had full access to my inheritance was to lock the old bastard out of my family's accounts. Apparently, he had been emptying my trust fund every year on the day before my birthday for the past ten years. He had been pocketing most of it and using some to pay off the Dursleys and a few others. Of course, I had the goblins reclaim that money with interest. No one steals from me and gets away with it.

The next thing I did was to have the goblin in charge of my money invest in various businesses in the mundane and magical worlds. Use your money to make more money. Of course, the goblin got a ten percent cut of the investment's profits. That would keep him motivated. I also had the goblins start restoring some of my family's old houses. I would not be returning to Privet Hell after this year in Hogwarts.

I used my last month before school to tie up some loose ends and give the Dursleys their final orders. After I left for school, Petunia would turn on the stove in the kitchen and close the windows, then kill her husband and son with a kitchen knife. After that, she would join them in death by lighting a match and blowing up the house. Cruel? Yes. Did I care? No. After all, they tortured me for nine years. This was just payback.

Now, I was standing in King's Cross Station about to cross the barrier into Platform 9 when I heard that voice. "Packed with muggles.", "What's the platform number? Nine and three-quarters?" and so on. I now remember this.

I always thought OG Harry's first meeting with Molly in canon was real sus. How on Earth would a woman who had been sending kids to school for more than seven years not know what the platform number is? Even worse, why would an adult witch fully aware of the Statute of Secrecy be shouting about muggles in a train station filled with them? In what world is that normal?

Well, I snuck past her and through the barrier with my B ranked Presence Concealment. I would be staying as far away from that drama as possible. I didn't have a heavy load to carry since I had sent Hedwig ahead of me and my trunk was stored in my Home dimension. I found an empty compartment in the middle car of the train and placed my trunk in the luggage rack above the seat. I then sat down to wait while reading a book on the application of various runic languages in area wards.

About thirty minutes later, I was pulled back to reality by the sound of my compartment doors opening. I lifted my head from my book as my eyes met a pair of chocolate-brown eyes set in a rather doll-like face framed by bushy brown hair. I have to say, Emma Watson looked quite cute as an 11-year-old. A quick Appraisal confirmed my suspicions.

[Appraisal

Name: Hermione Jane Granger

Age: 11Y, 11M, 13D.

Status: Nervous, Insecure, Hopeful

Thoughts about you: She hopes you'll not be as rude as some people she's met.]

Don't worry, Hermione, I'll make sure to take really good care of you. You'll be mine soon enough.

She gave a nervous smile, then composed herself while looking around the compartment. "Oh, sorry for bothering you. I think I should go."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "It's no bother. You can sit here if you want."

"Thank you." She walked into the compartment, dragging her trunk behind her.

"Let me help you with that". I waved my hand as her trunk levitated to the luggage rack above my seat. "Harry Potter, at your service." I extended my hand for a handshake.

She stood completely still as her jaw dropped in shock. I guess Hermione.exe has stopped working. Finally, after about thirty seconds, she shook her head and then I received a rain of questions.

"Wow! How did you do that? What spell did you use? I thought you could only do magic with your wand. Have you practiced a lot?-"

I cut her off. "One at a time, miss…"

"Oh, sorry." Her blush grew deeper. "Hermione Granger." She now noticed my extended hand and grasped it in a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

I brought her hand up and kissed the back of her hand while Binding her. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I'm Harry Potter." I let go of her hand.

Her eyes widened as the name finally sunk in. "Are you really? I've read all about you. You're mentioned in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizards of the 20th Century."

"Breathe, Hermione. Calm down." I used the Binding to calm her down as I kept speaking. "In order, yes. I'm really Harry Potter, and don't believe everything you read." She looked like she was about to go off on one of her rants. "Hold it. I'm not done." She calmed down a bit. "Look. According to the books, I defeated Voldemort as a baby. According to the books, the only people who could testify about that night are me, who can't be expected to remember it, my mum, who Voldemort put in a coma, and Voldemort himself, who's also dead. So where did this information come from, since I clearly wasn't interviewed?"

Hermione visibly shrunk into herself. "I'm sorry. I guess I was a bit rude." She looked distressed. I'm sure she was probably thinking she'd driven away another friend. All according to keikaku.

"Hey. It's alright. Just remember that this is a different place from the normal world." I subtly raised her loyalty to me through the Binding. "And make sure to check your facts. Especially in the Wizarding world. You have to keep in mind that libel laws and misinformation laws are practically nonexistent here." I took her hand and gently guided her unresisting form into the seat next to me. The binding seemed to be working as she didn't complain. "The truth is, up until my tenth birthday, I didn't even know the Wizarding world existed. I was raised by my aunt and uncle. They didn't like me very much." Hermione was now paying attention. "You know, up until my tenth birthday, I was told that my parents were drunks and heroin addicts who died in a car crash." I used the sympathy points I gained from this speech to once again raise her loyalty and affection for me.

"Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry. I guess I was insensitive. It's just…" She seemed to struggle with something for a while, then exhaled and steeled herself as she made up her mind. "I've always been the odd one back in primary school. I was the know-it-all, the teacher's pet. I never really had friends in primary school. I thought I could finally get the chance to make some friends here, but the first person I've met and I've blown it. Now you probably hate me…" A few tears streaked down her cheeks.

Hmm… I guess her level of trust caused her to spill everything to me. Now to capitalize. I slowly drew her into a hug, stroking her wild chestnut-brown hair as she leaned into my chest, still raising her loyalty and affection even further as I consoled her. "It's alright, Hermione. I don't hate you. It would take a lot more than that to drive me away."

She lifted her head from my chest and looked straight up into my eyes. "Really? You don't… you don't hate me?" Her voice was small, and timid, like the next words I said would determine her future.

I gave her the most reassuring smile I could. "No, Hermione. I don't hate you." I brought one hand up and brushed a stray tear off her cheek with the pad of my thumb. "Although I'll admit you were a bit too forward, from the conversation we've had, I'm sure we could be good friends."

She kept looking at me for a few seconds, then suddenly threw herself into the hug while murmuring "Thank you", over and over again. This, my friends, is how you use an Essence to turn a girl from a Tsundere to a Yandere. As you can see, it was super effective. Finally, after five minutes, she calmed down enough to disengage from the hug, although she still sat next to me, her head resting against my shoulder as I continued reading. We fell into easy conversation, talking about our families and primary school days as the train started off toward Hogwarts.

Of course, Hermione was not the only one to walk into my compartment. About an hour into the trip, I was listening to Hermione talk animatedly about her family's vacation to France last year, when the door opened, revealing a tall, freckled redhead with well-worn Hogwarts robes, a smudge on his nose and a rat, of all things, in his pocket.

"Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Now, considering the fact that Hogwarts used to have a much larger population, and that some of the compartments were overfilled, there's no way I was reading this as anything else but bullshit, still, I indulged him anyway. "Sure. Come in."

He placed his trunk in the luggage compartment and took a seat on one of the side benches. "Hi. I'm Ron Weasley." He introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Ron. I'm Hermione Granger." Hermione waved at him.

"Harry Potter." I nodded at him. Let's see how this goes.

Ron smiled widely. "Really? Do you have the… you know," looking at my forehead.

It's time to roast this guy. "No, I don't. Scars heal. And why would I want a permanent reminder on my face that my dad was killed by a terrorist? The same terrorist, might I add, who put my mum in a coma for 10 years." My voice got a bit high at the end of that rant.

"Oh. Sorry." He looked sheepish as the compartment descended into awkward silence.

The silence was broken by Ron's exclamation of "Oh, scabbers", as he grabbed his pet rat, which had fallen from his pocket. "Oh. Sorry about that. He tends to get away from time to time." Of course, anyone who's read the Harry Potter series knows exactly who this rat is. Just you wait, Peter. Your ass is grass and I'm going to be the lawnmower.

Hermione didn't look too pleased by this. "Why would you have a rat for a pet?"

Ron went on to talk about how his family wasn't well-off but had so many children, meaning that everything he owned, including his wand and his pet, was handed down to him by one of his brothers. I mean I know not everyone's equally lucky, but why would you have so many children if you can't even take care of them? How does that make any sense?

Besides that, the conversation was going great. Ron talked about his hobbies (chess and quidditch), his family (all seven of his older brothers, plus his younger sister who was "mental") and Hogwarts houses (Slytherins are evil, Ravenclaws are nerds, Hufflepuffs are duffers, Gryffindor's where it's at).

"Oh, really?" Roasting time again. "Alastor Moody. Sirius Black. Amelia Bones."

Ron looked confused. "What about 'em?"

"Sirius Black was in Gryffindor, but he's in jail for betraying my parents. Alastair Moody was a Slytherin, but he's caught more Death Eaters than any other Auror. Amelia Bones is the head of the DMLE. You're saying that she's a duffer because she was in Hufflepuff? Ridiculous."

He didn't seem to take the hint. "But Slytherins are evil. You-Know-Who was a Slytherin. Everybody knows that." Oh, my God. How could Hermione, the brightest witch of our generation, have fallen for such an idiot in canon? I seriously suspect potions were involved. Oh, well. It wouldn't be happening this time.

"So, a whole house is evil because one bad guy came from there? And how sure are you that he even attended Hogwarts? Because I'll bet that Voldemort" – cue the flinch – "wasn't even his real name. No sane person would call their kid 'flight from death'. So you can't assume that he attended Hogwarts. After all, there are other schools he could have attended."

Ron was left opening and closing his mouth repeatedly like a fish out of water. That's one idiot roasted. Let's wait for the next one.

I didn't have to wait long as a blonde pretty boy barged into the compartment with a pair of overly muscular bodyguards behind him. I knew exactly where this was going.

"They're saying up and down the train that Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts." He looked at me with a curious expression.

I smiled. "Yes. What of it?"

"You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"The name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He was cut off by Ron's giggles. His face grew red. "Think my name's funny, don't you, Weasley? I hope your poor family didn't have to stop eating for a month just to send you to Hogwarts." He smiled smugly at him.

"Why, you…" Ron's face was now as red as his hair. He was about to stand up and charge Malfoy when the two troglodytes behind him stepped forward threateningly.

"Ah-ah, Weasel, wouldn't want to be expelled on the first day and waste your parents' money, would you?" Ron could only seethe in anger.

Hermione, junior SJW that she was, just had to intervene. "That's not very nice."

Malfoy rounded on her. "And who might you be?" He sneered at her.

"Hermione Granger."

"Hmm… probably a mudblood then. Nobody cares about what you think." He turned back toward me. "As I was saying, you will find, Potter, that some wizards are better than others. I can help you tell the right sort and avoid the wrong sort of people." He spoke with a condescending smile.

Time for another roasting. "Are you then saying, Malfoy, that I am not intelligent enough to tell the right sort on my own?"

"Well… uh…"

"Let me make it simple for you, then. You barge into my compartment, talk down to me and insult my friend, then have the audacity to question my intelligence? From where I'm sitting, it looks like you are the wrong sort. Thanks, but no thanks."

Malfoy looked enraged. "You'll get yours, Potter. You'd better be a bit more polite or you'll go the same way as your dead father and mudblood mo- urk!"

I wandlessly tossed him and his goons out of my compartment and into the opposite wall of the corridor. No one talks about my family like shit and gets away with it. Huh. I guess I got more from OG Harry than I thought. The compartment door then swung shut.

I'm happy to say that the rest of the ride proceeded with no more interruptions. Ron still tried to strike up conversation, but I ignored him in favour of Hermione, who was snuggled into my side, reading a copy of Hogwarts, A History. The Binding was definitely doing its job as there was no way canon Hermione would be so clingy this soon after having met me. I took the opportunity to whisper a few Absolute Orders into her ear, making her completely loyal to me. She would never betray me or give away my secrets, even if it was "for my own good", as Dumbledore would no doubt say. My happiness and well-being would be her greatest priority. I also made her immune to mind control from any other source. No one manipulates my girls except me. Is it hypocritical of me? Yes. Do I care? No.

Eventually, the train reached the station and I joined all the other First Years down a slippery, rocky walkway to a series of boats on the edge of the lake. Hermione and I got onto a boat with two other girls; a refined-looking blonde and a brunette who was smiling widely and talking animatedly while the blonde seemed exasperated. I was pretty sure I knew who these two were.

After joining them on the boat, I introduced myself and Hermione. The blonde introduced herself as Daphne Greengrass and the brunette as Tracey Davis. It looked like this world adhered to most of the fandom tropes. Of course, I used our introductory handshake as the perfect opportunity to Bind both of them. Waste not, want not.

Our first look at Hogwarts Castle from the lake was spectacular. Taking in the view through Energy Perception made it even better. The place positively sang with magic. The wards formed a huge superstructure of webs, barriers and threads of various colours. It was a truly enlightening experience and I found myself transfixed as I analysed the magic. I could practically feel my Runes skill developing as arrays and applications I never even conceived were practically laid bare before me.

I was shaken out of my reverie by Hermione as the boat docked in a cave. We followed the other students and got off our boat as Hagrid led us into the castle and handed us off to McGonagall in the Entrance Hall.

McGonagall gave her "Your House is your family" speech, and then told us to wait there to be called in while she went ahead into the Great Hall.

The room broke into a cacophony of murmurs as McGonagall left. Hermione unconsciously had an iron grip on my hand as she muttered random facts while hyperventilating. Nervous Hermione looked so cute, I wanted to eat her up right there, but patience is a virtue.

About five minutes later, everyone was shocked into silence as the ghosts of Hogwarts floated through the room, having a conversation about what to do with Peeves, the school's resident poltergeist. One of the ghosts, a fat man in a monk's robe, noticed us and stopped to wish us well before floating out of the room with the other ghosts.

Another five minutes passed before the doors opened into the Great Hall and we all walked in and lined up at one side of the room as McGonagall placed a stool directly below the staff table and placed the Sorting Hat on it.

The Sorting Ceremony started with Hannah Abbott, a shy-looking blonde with pigtails who was sorted into Hufflepuff. Her best friend, Susan Bones, followed her there, with Amanda Brocklehurst being the first Ravenclaw, Lavender Brown as the first Gryffindor, and Millicent Bulstrode as the first Slytherin.

Eventually, the sorting got to G. After about five minutes, Hermione Granger was sorted into Gryffindor. Daphne Greengrass, the blonde I had Bound in the boat, joined her friend, Tracey, in Slytherin, alongside Gregory Goyle, one of Malfoy's troglodyte bodyguards. There were a few more people sorted, none of much importance. Of course, Malfoy followed his trog bodyguards into Slytherin, followed by Theodore Nott. The Patil twins were next, with one of them sorted into Gryffindor and the other in Ravenclaw. Sally-Ann Perks went to Hufflepuff, and finally, it was my turn.

I walked to the stool and sat down, completely ignoring the stares and whispers of the crowd. Finally, the hat was placed on my head as I felt an intrusion attempt on the edge of my mind.

Your mind's defenses are impressive, but I would appreciate it if you let me in so I could sort you.

Hmm. I guess Mind and Info defense were doing their jobs. I nodded slightly as I replied. And how can I trust that certain bearded old fools will not get my secrets from you?

You're not the first to ask me this. I was enchanted by all the Founders to make sure that the private information of students stays private. You can rest assured that no one will be getting your secrets from me. Not even the Headmaster.

Alright then. I lowered my defense and allowed the hat into my mind.

Hmm… You're definitely cunning enough for Slytherin. I see lots of bravery as well, but not to the point of stupidity. You also value knowledge, but not to the exclusion of all else. Very difficult.

I interjected before he could continue. Alright. Process of elimination. Hufflepuff's out. The only person I'm loyal to is myself. Slytherin is also out. As much as I could fit into the house, politics is too tedious and I would end up having to kill half the house in their sleep.

That is true. Which leaves Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

Well, on the one hand, going to Gryffindor will make the sheeple pedestalize me. On the other hand, Hermione is also in Gryffindor. I contemplated for a while. Ah, screw it. Let's go to Gryffindor. Better to make the old goat think he has something on me.

Well, then I have no choice but to place you in " GRYFFINDOR!"

The red and gold table cheered as a pair of red-haired twins danced around while cheering, "We've got Potter!". This was going to be a long seven years, wasn't it?

I walked up to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Hermione, who smiled widely at me. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were sitting across the table from us, watching with wicked smiles as Hermione snuggled into my side. What can I say? Binder was definitely one of the best Essences I could possibly pick.

Lavender Brown introduced herself first. "Hi. I'm Lavender Brown. This is Parvati Patil. I hope we can be good friends." She smiled widely at us.

"Yeah. I hope so as well."

Lavender's smile grew horns. "So… You and Granger seem close. Is she your girlfriend?"

Hermione blushed and buried her face into my shoulder. She looked so cute.

I chuckled at Hermione's antics as I replied. "Well, we met on the Express. And as for her being my girlfriend, it's a no for now. That's future me's problem."

"Awww…" Parvati cooed while Lavender giggled.

Unfortunately, they were prevented from saying whatever they were going to say by Dumbledore rising from his seat.

[Appraisal

Name: Albus Wulfric Dumbledore.

Age: 110Y, 0M, 4D

Status: Contemplative, Happy.

Thoughts about you: He is happy and relieved that you've been sorted into Gryffindor. His plans are finally coming together.] Just you wait, old man. Your time is coming.

"To our new students, welcome to Hogwarts, and to our old students, welcome back. Now, a few announcements before we have our opening feast.

"Let this be a reminder to all students that the Forbidden Forest is still forbidden. Students should as well stay off the right-hand corridor on the third floor if they do not want to die a most painful death."

Truly, this man was insane. You're telling a school full of ornery teenagers not to go somewhere, without any good reason, and you expect them to listen? In fact, why in the hell was there something that could cause 'a most painful death' inside a school full of children in the first place?

Anyway, the old man continued his speech, mentioning Filch's Long List of Banned Items, and introducing Quirrell as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Finally, he clapped his hands twice and a wide variety of food items appeared on the table as the feast began.

Finally, after the meal and a very off-key rendition of the Hogwarts school song, we were escorted by a pompous-looking redhead with a prefect's badge, who introduced himself as Percy Weasley, to the Gryffindor tower, where he spoke the password to a portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress, which swung aside to let us through. The prefect then pointed at the stairs to the boys' and girls' dorms while mentioning that boys couldn't go into the girls' dorm but not vice versa. Where's all that gender equality now?

Anyway, we were escorted up to the First Year dorms by Percy and found our assigned beds. I checked the wards on my trunk and noted that an attempt had been made to breach it, which failed. A rank skill in Runes was not for show. I quickly changed into sleepwear before closing the curtains around my bed and warding it shut completely. I then opened a portal to my main bedroom in my Home dimension and went to sleep. I was now in Hogwarts. Let the games begin.

~xXxXx~

Meanwhile, on a bed similar to Harry's in a room surrounded by the girls in her year, Hermione Granger was happy. Today was the greatest day in her life. When she first boarded the Hogwarts Express, she thought that she would finally get a chance to make some friends. Unfortunately, she was quickly disappointed as she was shooed out of various compartments and called a mudblood by some of the students. She was about to give up all hope when she met Harry Potter, reading alone in his compartment.

Unfortunately, their first interaction hadn't gone well and she thought she had driven him away as well, but he forgave her. And then he hugged her. Her cheeks warmed up just thinking about it. Harry was the only one who didn't berate her or call her a know-it-all. Instead, he patiently explained his issues with her and accepted her apology. Best of all, he didn't get mad when she asked about what he was reading and volunteered to teach her.

Her mind kept going back to the memory of his arms around her, her head buried into his shoulder as he hugged her. She had never felt so safe and warm. Only her parents came close.

Hermione decided that she would not let that feeling go. She would do everything for Harry as long as she could get to feel that again, and maybe in the future, there could be something… more. She felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

Hermione fell asleep, dreaming of a certain green-eyed boy, not realising that she had already fallen for him and that she would just be the first of many.