ACCIDENT
Chapter Four: Throw&Catch

Toward the bottom of the street, Harry was complaining about his feet again, and Hermione dragged him to the side.
"You're driving me mad!"
"Sorry, but they don't half pinch."

"Harry James. We're going for coffee."

He rolled his eyes and hobbled as she dragged him by the arm to a small coffee shop located parallel to them across the street.

After ordering, they were sat opposite to each other at the table by the window.

At one table, a couple were kissing over ice cream. At another, they were holding hands. At the one directly next to them, some slushy romantic had bought his girl a gift. She opened the box and squealed.

Box…

"Oh! Hermione," he said, reaching into his pocket. "I forgot… Your present."

He placed it down so it was on the table in front of him. She suddenly snapped it up and held it beneath the table out of view.
"Ah yes, I forgot about this. Well, this is, for lack of a better explanation, a box to store things. Only about thirty exist. I was lucky to find it."

"Really? Insane... What kind of things would fit in that, though?!…"

"Well not things, exactly… Emotions, feelings… Anything you want to block out or forget."

"Like a pensieve…"

"No, that's just for memories. This stores anything… It's… really powerful. Commonly associated with…" She whispered the next bit "the dark arts, actually."
A look of horror caught Harry's face.

"What?! Why did you get me that?"
"Shh! Calm down, what I meant was in the wrong hands…"

"Aaaah. No need to go on… So I can just… Stick my emotions in there, willy-nilly?"

"Basically. It works like a pensieve: concentrate hard on what you want to store, and use your wand to get it there. I got you a box which can hold one strong emotion at a time, bigger ones are necessary for… stronger feelings."

"Well, it's certainly a keeper of a trinket. It must have cost you…"

Harry had never had such an expensive present bought. But now he knew how he'd repay her. He'd got some extra money out at Gringott's when she was not looking.

"Well," She blushed. "Never mind about that. It just reminded me of you and how you get sometimes, you're a great person you know Harry, and don't lie, I know some things get you down sometimes which you don't like to tell us. It's what gains you that reputation of the 'strong, silent type' which all the girls are going mad over."

He laughed. "That doesn't sound right."

"Believe me," she said sternly. "The girls are mad over you, you're just too blind and modest to believe so. But I'm glad you like the box."

"Yeah, Hermione, I do. Thank-you!"

She touched his hand and smiled. For a brief moment they both felt like every other person in there.

Their coffees arrived, and she immediately started sipping her latté.

"I'm glad we met up today, I've really missed you!"
They exchanged smiles and polished off their coffees over banter and laughs.

Somewhere else, a man was sat with a servant. Some may have called him a slave.

He was sat in front of him, but he had his head bowed. Sat on his knee was an immense container, with strings of liquid dangling over the sides like tentacles, glooping all around but never breaking. The liquid was clear, but like oil, reflecting many colours; reminiscent of a rainbow.

The man in the chair slumped a little, his brittle form silhouetted in a ghastly manner on the wall.

Then, somewhere far away, a boy in the company of Hermione Granger felt an odd twinge in a certain scar on his forehead.

"Harry?"

"Err, yeah… what?"

"Are you ok?" Their coffees were empty and they were in the process of collecting their bags when Harry had dropped his and his eyes became glazed.

"Yeah.. I just… My scar was being daft that's all."

"That's funny," She replied… "Do you think you should worry about it?"
"Possibly… But I can't really do anything 'till Hogwarts starts next week."
She looked unconvinced. "I suppose you're right."

He shook his head, and smiled, to lighten the mood.

"Hermione! Come on, I want to show you something."

He grabbed her by the hand and exited the coffee shop fast.

They ran up the hill, Harry leading the way, dodging between witches and wizards purveying random curiosities on the street, and angry looking folk having been knocked off course by two racing teenagers.

He came to a stop outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. He stood Hermione in front of the shop with her back facing it.
"Harry, what're you-"

"Wait here." His face was flushed as he let go of the grip he had just above her elbows. "Turn around, and I'll hex you into next week."

Her eyebrows darted up. "Fine…" So she waited there, gazing across the street at the other shops. They were outside a Quidditch shop… She remembered how they were stood here earlier, looking at the broom she wanted so badly. She gasped… He was getting her the broom!!!
Her smile widened for the moment. A few minutes later, she felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned around, still grinning.

He handed her a book. "So you want to be a…" it said at the top (obviously a part of some kind of range of books) "…Quidditch Player?"

Her smile faltered but she tried not to show it.
"What's wrong… were you expecting something bigger?"

She realised that she had been expecting far too much and suddenly gasped.
"No! No! Of course not, I-"

He grinned…
"Sure you weren't expecting something a bit more… Wooden and twiggy?"

A man emerged from behind Harry, holding a broom with a huge pink bow around the handle.

"Surprise!"

"Wh-"
"I had to repay you somehow… I saw how much you loved this broom… The spark in your eye! It reminded me of how I felt when I got my Firebolt."

"Oh, gosh Harry. I don't know what to say…" She breathed as the man handed it to her. "You shouldn't have at all…"
"Shush, a thank-you will suffice."

"Thank-you." She adjusted her glasses, and grinned from ear to ear. "Come on, we'll get a train back to mine from London, now the Knight Bus has gone." She blatantly could not hide her excitement and grabbed his hand again, linking fingers, dragging him away from Diagon Alley.

"It's ok, just try again."
He threw the ball to the other end of her vast garden. She chased it, but it fell to the floor and bounced before she could get it.

"I will NEVER get this, Harry!" She cried, dismounting her broom and stalking over in his direction.
"You will, just-" She put her broom down on the grass and made to walk past him into the house. "Whoaaa!" He stuck his arm out to grab her by the waist and pulled her round to face him. "Get back on that broom, Granger."

"No, Harry," Stubborn as always. "I can't do it!"
"Shh!" He went to collect the broom, and handed it to her obstinately. "You were inches away from the ball that time. Go on."

Reluctantly, she mounted her broom again.

Her garden was about thirty metres in length, a very large plot of ground, as the houses on her estate were backed by fields, and they bought a portion of it to extend the garden. The house in itself was quite mediocre.

They didn't have to worry about being seen as she was flying low to the ground and there were great conifers lining both sides of the turf.

He threw the football. She sped off to the other side, hot on its tail this time.

He noticed her skirt flutter a tiny bit, and her hair. Flying really suited the girl who he was used to seeing poking out from behind a tome bigger than her.

She caught it.

He whooped as she sped back, a grin on her face. She threw the ball on the ground and rolled off her broom, giggling. "YESSS! I did it!" She kicked her legs in excitement for a minute, and rolled on her front to see Harry sitting cross legged grinning down at her.

Propping herself up on her elbows and resting her chin on her hands, she smiled and said "I never thought I'd get it!"

"I know, but what did I tell you? You're a natural Hermione Granger. You're a born chaser."

"No, Harry, I'm a born muggle."

He laughed. "Never mind that. You're awesome. You look like you belong on that broom."
"I felt like it too. It was a… huge rush."

"Yep."
Sighing contently, Hermione rolled on her back once again.

"Thankyou Harry. I've never really worked up the courage to do stuff like that before."
He was still looking down on her, her face upside down to his.

"It was fun," he replied. "Don't worry about it. Just wait till I unleash you on the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts…"
He laid down too, so he was also gazing up to the sky, head next to hers but facing the opposite direction.
"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"You're the best friend I ever had…" There was a silence. "Uh… That sounded silly. But what I mean is I never thought I could care so strongly about anyone. I know there's Ron, but fairly… I've never been alone with you for so long. Things feel entirely different."

"… I know what you mean." Hermione said, her heart fluttering.

He sat up, and so did she. "It's just… Hermione…" He smiled. That smile which melted everyone who saw it.

Hermione smiled too. He leant forward, and her stomach flip-flopped. Her head moved forward and her eyes closed. She opened her mouth slightly, and Harry's hand made his way to her shoulder. She felt an annoying tug at her jumper, and her eyes snapped open. He was closely inspecting her shoulder and pulling a large bobble off her jumper. She immediately blushed and leapt up, leaving Harry sat on the floor bewildered.

"Sorry, it's been bugging me all day." He said, and scratched his head.

"I… Erm…"

"What's wrong?" laughed Harry.

She put her embarrassment out of her mind and prayed to God he hadn't noticed her preparing for a kiss.

"Nothing. I'm going to prepare us some sandwiches and apple juice… I'll bring out our textbooks and we can have an early gander." She shot him a look. "For once on your part."

He smiled and waited for the picnic.

When it arrived, they smiled and had fun and Hermione put all thoughts like that out of her mind.

They were best friends enjoying each others company for the last time before their sixth year at Hogwarts, and that's how it felt. And that's how it should always be. Nothing more. Forever more. That's what Hermione kept telling herself.

Somewhere far away, someone could feel no cowardice.

A/N Hope you enjoyed the chapter folks, next should be up soon.. I won't set myself a time limit because I never meet them. Next chapter they should be returning to school. Finally, I hear you sigh.

R&R! THNX.