DISCLAIMER! I OWN NOTHING! DISCLAIMER!
Harry stood back to admire their handiwork. Nobody looking at these tents would guess they belonged to wizards. But the trouble was, once Bill, Charlie and Percy arrived, they would have a party of eleven. Seamus and Dean had somehow slipped away about ten minutes after starting on the tents. So that left just, Mr Weasley, Fred, George, Neville and Harry attempting to build them. There was no way all of these people could fit into two tents. Not without some unpleasant personal space issues. Harry quizzically stared at Mr Weasley who dropped to his knee's and entered the first tent.
"We'll be a bit cramped" he called back, "But I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look"
Harry bent down, ducked under the tent flap, and felt his jaw drop. He walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, three-roomed flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. It was decorated with lots of crocheted mats and mismatched chairs, it looked above all homey.
"I borrow it from Perkins down at the office" Mr Weasley continued scratching his bold patch and peering in at the four bunks beds and one single that stood in the bedroom. Harry guessed, that the girls would be staying in the other tent, all to themselves. He picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside it. "We'll need water..."
"There's a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us" said Ron, who had followed Harry inside the tent, and seemed completely unimpressed by its extraordinary inner proportions. "Its on the other side of the field"
"Well. why don't you, Neville and Ginny go and get us some water, then"-Mr Weasley handed over the kettle and a couple of saucepans-"Fred, George and I will go get some wood for a fire"
"But we've got an oven!" Ron cut his father off mid-sentence.
"We're doing this the Muggle way Ronald!" Mr Weasley shouted, still not completely over the fight.
"What about Harry and Hermione?" Ginny squeaked when she mentioned Harry's name.
"Harry your still bleeding a little go get yourself cleaned up, there's a muggle first aid kit in the other tent" Arthur added excitedly, clearly too happy about doing things the 'muggle' way. "Hermione can you help him?"
Harry didn't dare look at her, he just crawled out of the tent and climbed into the girls tent a few feet away. It was similarly decorated, except a little smaller and without the smell of wet dust everywhere. He waited patiently to hear the others set about on their jobs before searching for the first aid kit, which was in a cupboard in the kitchen.
He yanked off his white t-shirt, stained with dirt and blood and let it drop to the floor. He sighed and started to dab at his eyebrow with a wet cloth, trying to clean it. He assumed she had tagged along with Ginny, not baring to be in the same room as him; he thought bitterly. That was until a sharp intake of breath caused Harry to freeze in place. His mind silenced as the only thought running around his brain took over 'HERMIONE'.
She hated him. She hated him. She would gladly hex him into oblivion and smile doing it. How could Mr Weasley even suggest her 'helping' that slime ball. The very thought of it sent a sickly feeling up her spine. UH! He just left, just barged out of the tent, without even a sideways glance at her. Fred and George were the first to clamber out after Harry, setting to work on finding fire wood. Mr Weasley soon followed, with Ginny, Ron and Neville. How she wished she could go with them. But that would only highlight her and Harry's icy proximity.
No. She would have to suck it up and follow Harry. Hermione had worked so hard to seem 'normal', this summer, that she wasn't going to ruin it now. No matter how much she loathed the boy. She closed her eyes, just kept them shut, standing in the middle of the tent, with a steadying hand on one of the mismatched armchairs. Hermione sucked in a long deep breath, drawing in courage as she did so.
She crept slowly to the exit, shook her head and crawled out. Hermione didn't stop to see Ron, Neville and Ginny walking away in the distance or the odd look she received from the twins as they tried to persuade their father to use the oven. She simply glided forward, not stopping for fear of losing her nerve. Like a ghost she entered the other tent. Not making a sound, although she could hear her heart hammering loudly as it pulsed electric blood around her body. The interior of the tent was similar to the last, although it had a much more feminine touch to its decoration. Clearly the less used of the two tents.
Hermione gasped sharply. He was standing there. Harry. His shirtless back to her. She'd never known. She'd never thought. That night, in the forest. Harry was scarred, thick long claw marks stretched down his wide back. She had always thought magic could cure anything, but guessed it didn't work against already cursed creatures. Just another scar to add to the collection she thought grimly.
It took her a few seconds to realize the changes in him, she had refused to see before. He was taller, had grown into a broader frame, he looked very much the young man. Not a boy.
"Hermione" he acknowledged her presence gruffly, un-freezing and continuing to dab around the cut on his eyebrow. Hermione didn't know what possessed her to, but she swept across the room spun Harry around and snatched the wet cloth from his hand. They were now standing directly in front of each other, she could almost feel the heat radiating off of him.
"Sit down" Hermione ordered with quiet authority. Pointing to one of the chairs in the small living room. Harry gave her a confused glance and then seated himself on the other side of the room, next to the small fireplace.
Hermione followed, her arms felt like ice shards had been rammed through them. She was so nervous, for some undescernable reason. Crossing the small distance between herself and Harry might as well have been like walking on hot coals, for how good she felt. Hermione reached his chair, his eyes locked on hers like burning emerald flames. She knelt delicately on the floor in front of him and grabbed his chin between her fore-finger and thumb. He looked surprised, it almost made her laugh.
His presence was intoxicating, she had not been this close to him since that night. It was a bitter reminder of what had been. Hermione began to clean Harry's cut with the wet cloth she had stolen from him, she didn't attempt to be gentle and although she saw it was causing him pain. He never said a word, never pulled away. Just continued to stare, not even blinking. The silence was getting awkward, she could quite clearly hear the Wealsey twins conversation outside and it unnerved her.
"You did a crap job" she said, indicating to botched job he did of cleaning it himself. He simply shrugged casually as his only reply. 'So that was his game?' She thought. 'Fine. I want answers'
"Why did you do it?" she almost choked out, finding great difficulty to talk about that night. The night she had worked so hard to repress. Harry stiffened beneath her fingers, but didn't move away.
"Leave it" he said, his voice deeper then she could remember.
"No I won't leave it!" she shout whispered, very aware that the Weasley's could probably hear any normal conversation. Hermione dug the wet cloth painfully into his cut to prove her words. "It doesn't make sense"
"Just leave it" you could almost say he sounded sincere, but all Hermione could hear was denial. She continued cleaning his cut for a few minutes, until all the dried blood was washed away and she started on his bust lip. It was swollen slightly and looked very tender. His lips.
"We kissed Harry"-Hermione softly caressed his lower lip with the damp cloth-"you can't say it didn't mean anything" tears were starting to form in her eyes and she desperately worked to keep them at bay. "You kissed me. You took me in your arms and kissed me" She stressed those last few words, grasping at the memory of a night long ago.
"Hermione, please" Harry lifted his head slightly out of her grasp, so her hands fell limply on his knee's. Hermione bowed her head, staring down. She could feel his eyes burning into her. She could feel his presence like a live wire in the room. It was the forbidden subject. But she couldn't stop.
"I don't...I just don't understand" she whimpered slightly, all pretense gone. "You saved me from Lupin, we were safe, we kissed and then Pettegrew..."she trailed off in spite. Hermione's hands were now somehow encased in Harry's, tears streaking down her cheeks and landing on him like raindrops.
"Forget it Hermione, forget it and leave it alone" his voice laced with the most delicate amount of pain. Clutching her hands a little tighter, only for a second. But that was all she needed.
"No. Harry! You did this to me!" still looking down, still refusing to meet his gaze. Anger sweeping off of her in waves. "She means nothing to me! She's nothing but an end to a means! A stupid little girl that doesn't know when to call it quits! Oh and my particular favourite, a mudblood stalker!" Hermione seethed, the air around her practically crackling with wand-less magic. All the while her voice held steady, a deadly edge to her quiet tone.
"Hermione its not-" but Harry stopped himself short, biting his tongue. He clenched his fists together and held every emotion inside.
"Its not what? Harry! As soon as Pettegrew turned up you went cold, at first I thought you were just trying to protect me! How wrong I was!" Hermione leant against the kitchen sink, trying to run the tap, only to realize they had no water. She spun around, unbeknownst to her that Harry had already walked the short distance between the two and was directly behind her.
Hermione whispered somberly "It was all a game, just some cheap trick". She locked eyes with him for the first time since entering the tent. Hermione didn't know if emerald could blaze, but she had never seen anything quite so 'alive' before. He looked like he was in physical pain, holding himself back. Refusing to answer her questions.
"No"
"No?"
"Just leave it Hermione, you'll be better off for it" Harry's ice cold voice left nothing for sympathy. If you were just listening to this conversation, you would say he was empty of feeling any sort of remorse. But Hermione wasn't simply listening. His eyes told a different truth.
"You idiot!" She bellowed, not leaving any pretense of a quiet conversation anymore. She didn't care if people could hear her. She didn't care if she sounded like a banshee. "You absolute idiot! How many times Harry!"
"Leave it Hermione" Harry's voice far more stern then before, he backed away from her.
"No. I will not Harry Potter! All this time! You bloody selfless git! You let me believe you hated me you noble prick!"-She started pacing around the kitchen, picked up his shirt and through it full belt at the back of his head. "Haven't I proved myself time and again, I can handle it! Pettegrew can't hurt me"
"He can Hermione, he bloody well can!" Harry yelled, it sounded something a kin to thunder ripping through the air. She stood statue like, she had never seen him react like that before. She had never seen him much more than angry. Now, now he was livid. "I won't argue on this Hermione. Its for the best. Now just leave it"
"Harry" she gasped, trying to grasp at another line of approach, but his outburst had completely shocked her into silence.
"Leave it" He said in a stoney voice and stormed out of the tent. The bright sunshine attacked Harry's eyesight and momentarily blinded him. But that's all that was needed. He stumbled slightly and fell into something hard, which stumbled in turn with a loud splashing noise followed by a yell.
"Watch it Harry!" Ron cried, knocking his friend with the empty bucket.
"My shoes!" Neville yelled looking down glumly at his soaking wet muggle trainers.
"Wow that's a bruise!" Ron admired, it was only then he noticed he wasn't wearing a top. Hermione appeared from the girls tent and everyone stared at her, then at Harry and then back to her. It was his worst nightmare. Harry grabbed the empty bucket from Ron and stormed off from their campsite. He yanked on his shirt and didn't stop to wait for his best mate until they were clearly out of ear shot.