Like Parents, Like Teens
Part 7
A/N: Ok, thanks to all my reviewers:
dancerrdw, OCfanMelissa, writerchicky1425, Emmelz, hmmart, FUNxNxTHExSUN, RonniekinzLuvr, Zazzie, Weasel Princess, QuillInkAndParchment, Druccilla, Morning Rose(I'm glad you all liked it!), crabbycat14 (Don't worry, there'll be R/T in this chapter), asherbasher, degrassichick (Ha ha. I'm glad you both thought it was funny. I figured I might as well sneak it in!), SasukeBlade (There'll be more G/H further along), girlknight (Heh heh! Too true. Wow! Great idea…I'm gonna use it, if you don't mind!),
Disclaimer: Obviously. I. Don't. Own. Harry. Potter. Or. Anything. From. The. Harry. Potter. Universe. Slow enough?
A rustling noise was coming from the end of the bed. Harry cracked open his eyes, but didn't see anything. Grabbing his glasses and watch (groaning internally at the time) he crawled quietly to the end of the bed and…
"Dobby!" He whispered. The house-elf glanced up at Harry and dropped the gifts he had been presenting to the end of the bed.
"Harry Potter, sir! You should not be up! But oh, Harry Potter, it is always such a joy to see you!" He squeaked gleefully.
"Shhh." Harry glanced around the dormitory, but none of the other boys had awoken. "Are you delivering the Christmas gifts?" The elf nodded. "Is there one from Parvati Patil?" he asked, somewhat dreading what would be in the package.
"You mean Mrs. Harry Potter, sir? The Anniversary-Christmas gift?"
"You know about the assignments?"
"Of course Harry Potter!" Dobby puffed out his chest. "Dobby makes it his business to know! And yes, Harry Potter, Dobby has that gift right here!" As he spoke he put a package in front of Harry.
"Thanks Dobby," Harry smiled.
"Anything for you, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby grinned back, then, with a loud crack, vanished.
"Wha was at?" Ron questioned groggily through the bed curtains.
"Nothing, just Dobby," Harry assured his friend, then held up a rather lumpy gift from the real Mrs. Weasley.
"Presents!" Ron, now at least able to form coherent words, began to ransack his presents. As he opened a box of chocolate frogs from Hagrid, he continued to converse with Harry. "So, what did Dobby want?"
"He was just delivering these," Harry gestured at the growing pile of unwrapped gifts. Seamus and Neville were now opening presents as well.
"Merry Christmas everyone!" Neville cried from his bed.
"Yeah, you too," the other boys acknowledged. As Dean crawled sleepily to the end of his bed, Harry glanced at Ron.
The youngest Weasley son was staring down at a long, skinny, tubular package in his lap. Judging by the mounds of wrapping paper surrounding him, the rest of the packages were open.
"It's from 'Mione," Ron whispered apprehensively. Harry saw that his only unwrapped gift was the one from Parvati.
"Shall we?" he asked and both of them slowly began to undo the ribbons and paper. As he pulled off the paper Harry saw…a bottle of cologne. He snorted at the same moment Ron yelled,
"Awesome!" Ron was holding a large, glossy poster of the Chudley Cannons, autographed by the seeker. His mouth appearing to be hanging by its hinges, Ron flipped the poster over. Upon seeing what was written on the back his mouth snapped shut.
Ron, hope you like your poster. Merry Christmas.
Love,
Hermione
"Love?" Ron choked out as Harry leaned over to see the message. He laughed, then slapped Ron on the back. After glaring at Harry, Ron tried to mentally reassure himself. Of course she meant love as in I love you as a friend. Right? Right. But, for some reason, this just made Ron feel more depressed. She's just a friend. Just your best friend. Just your best friend with those beautiful brown eyes…Snap out of it! Blinking rapidly, he asked Harry what his Anniversary-Christmas gift had been.
"Cologne!" Harry grinned. "Thank god it wasn't anything too horrendous!" Ron laughed half-heartedly to this.
"Oooooo! Look what Seamus got me!" Lavender cried, holding up a heart-shaped locket.
"Gorgeous," Hermione replied, her mind elsewhere. As Parvati and Lavender discussed what the hidden meaning of receiving perfume could be, she was slowly unwrapping her present from Ron. The last scrap of red and green paper revealed a small white box, embellished with gold hearts. Heart thumping faster, the witch slowly raised the lid of the box and…pulled out a scrap of lavender paper. On it read:
This Certificate entitles the recipient to
Two free coffees with the purchase of two pastries at
Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop.
Grinning, Hermione read the card tucked underneath:
Mione, hope you enjoy this.
And have fun with whoever you're taking.
Merry Christmas!
Yours,
Ron
"What did you get Hermione?" Parvati, finally done with her discussion, raised an eyebrow at Hermione. Yours, Ron. Ron is mine. No, he's not! It's a simple closing to a nice card. He's mine. Hermione's thoughts swirled around like a whirlwind inside her mind. Sometimes, I wish I had a penseive. She smiled. "Hermione?" Parvati called impatiently.
"Oh, what?"
"Gift. What is it?" Lavender rolled her eyes.
"Erm, a gift certificate to Madame Puddifoot's." Both of the other girls' faces turned appreciative.
"Ooooo, I love Madame Puddifoot's!"
"You'll have to think about who you're taking carefully!" With that, Lavender and Parvati exited the girl's dormitory.
But Hermione didn't need to spend anytime thinking about who she was taking. She knew exactly who the lucky gentleman would be.
Trotting down the Boy's Dormitory's staircase, Harry spotted Hermione and Ginny sitting in the common room.
"Harry, hey!" Ginny waved him over. Feeling a strange warm feeling inside that she had called him, and not Dean who was right behind them, Harry set off towards the two girls.
As Hermione looked at the approaching wizards, she registered that the tips of Ron's ears were bright red, and, cursing herself, felt her own face acquire a pink tinge.
"Hello Ron," she greeted him casually.
"Erm, hey 'Mione," Ron replied flashing her a lopsided grin. She felt her heart begin to melt. She cleared her throat.
"Thanks so much for the gift certificate! I love it. Can you believe Ginny got the same one?"
Harry and Ron exchanged a mischievous look.
"Ginny got the same one did she?" Harry grinned. "What a strange coincidence."
"I'm glad you liked it," Ron breathed out a sigh of relief, happy that the brunette in front of him enjoyed her Christmas-Anniversary gift. "And thanks a load for the Chudley Cannons poster!" At the thought of the bright orange poster he grinned jubilantly. Seeing him so happy, Hermione beamed herself.
"So you like it?" She hadn't really been worried, since her first glimpse of the poster in a quidditch merchandise store in Hogsmeade she had known he'd like it.
"Like it! Are you nutters! It's fantastic! And one signed by the seeker…you don't see those everyday!" he replied, somewhat uncomfortably mentally adding It must have cost you a ton.
Seeming to glow, Hermione turned to her other companions, who were laughing at some joke. As Ginny continued to laugh uproariously, Hermione couldn't help but notice how proud Harry looked at having told a joke so hilariously funny. Or maybe it's just that Ginny thinks it was funny…Banishing such thoughts, Hermione suggested that they go to a breakfast.
As the four set off, Ron and Hermione in the lead, Harry and Ginny tagging along, Hermione felt an overwhelming sense of happiness coming over her.
Still gripping the happiness of the morning, Harry decided to pay Lupin a visit. Perhaps Tonks would be there, if she wasn't out running errands for her co-professor, whom made her seem much more like an assistant professor.
Approaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom door, he shifted his bookbag.He knocked on the door. And knocked again. No answer. He opened it slightly.
"Professor Lupin? Ton-I mean Professor Tonks?" he called softly, then stepped into the empty classroom. Frowning slightly he headed towards the door to the co-professors' office. He raised his hand to knock on the door…and stopped. Voices.
"Mmmmm, Remus," he heard Tonks moan. She proceeded to gasp, then let out her breath in a sigh. Blushing a deep crimson, Harry backed quickly away and banged his head into a cabinet. Five books tumbled onto his toes.
"Damn!" he cursed under his breath as the voiced abruptly stopped. Footsteps. Trying wildly to make his feet run away, Harry waited in embarrassed silence. Finally Tonks peeked out the door. Seeing Harry she grinned.
"Wotcher, Harry!" she flung the door open.
"Sorry, if I um, disturbed something," Harry mumbled, hurriedly beginning to clean his glasses, but not before catching sight of a shirtless Remus.
"No, no." Lupin stepped forward. There was a large gash across his stomach. "I was just showing Nymphadora here my newest battle scar. Battle against my wolf half that is," he smiled half-heartedly. "She said she was alright with healing magic. But she's more than that. I feel better than ever!" he grinned at Tonks, who blushed under the praise.
"I'm not that good," she whispered modestly. "Just doing what I could to help a friend." And I got to see Remus shirtless, she added mentally, then blushed even deeper, if that was humanely possible. Noticing that Lupin was looking inquiringly at her, Tonks moved towards Harry. "Need help with anything Harry?" she stumbled over one of the books and fell on her face. Remus moved forward quickly and helped her up.
"Are you all right?" He asked, his face a picture of concern.
"Fine, thanks," she mumbled, mortified.
"Are you sure?" He studied her face intently. She nodded and he removed his hands from her elbows (she noticed this with much regret). Then the young professor/auror turned to Harry.
"Just passing through, and I thought I'd say hi. So hi!" He smiled, then quickly fled the room, leaving the two bewildered professors in his wake.
"Don't you think it's time we checked our room?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"I s'pose," Ron replied. He continued flipping through a Quidditch magazine. Glancing up, his casual blue eyes met her glaring brown ones. Flinching, he pulled himself up out of the comfy chair. Then, sighing regretfully and giving 'Mrs. Weasley' a dirty look he pointed towards the crimson door. "Shall we?"
"We shall," Hermione ignored his sarcasm and started towards the door, pulling a disgruntled Weasley behind her.
Once inside, the two noticed a note. Hermione noted this with satisfaction. She had been checking their room roughly three times a week and this was the first time since the Christmas-Anniversary gift assignment there had been one of the rolled up pieces of paper.
Unrolling it excitedly, Hermione read aloud to a slightly bored Ron:
You next assignment will be an extremely
Important one, so I will need to tell you about it in person.
Come to the great hall at 2:30 tomorrow.
Signed,
Albus Dumbledore
A/N: Longer chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! Please review. I'm gonna dedicate the next chapter to the 50th reviewer. I'm a sporadic dedicator! Only dedicate when I feel like it! R&R!
KW