Disclaimer: JKR owns all things Harry Potter…I just swim in her pool : )
AN: I thank all my readers, who make me feel special. Please help me out with
the reviews. It really makes my day.
I'm sorry for the delay in posting, but my IP and I got into it over some dubious charges on my bill and they cut off my service temporarily. I t took me a few torturous phone sessions with that horrible hold music on repeat, a few blood pressure sky rocketing conversations with people I could barely understand and a few nasty phone calls from my lawyer- it's been a terrible few months, in short. Without much further ado….
Hermione was miffed to say the least. She could not fathom how much the idea of sharing her Harry with any other girl especially one Daphne Greengrass, vexed her to no end. ARGH! Why can't we just have a NORMAL life? Well, as normal as being magical people could be, that is…
Harry broke the silence by continuing, "'Mione, I wanted to tell you about all of this, but I kept hoping that Chief Director Ragnok would find a way to nullify the contracts before I had to fulfill them. I have yet to receive word from him in regard to the matter, but I couldn't fathom allowing anything more to develop between us without informing you of this possibility. My magic is tied to the contracts, so I am either forced to go along with them or forfeit my power or even die, so I had to tell you. Please don't hate me!"
Hermione reached over and hugged him tightly to her, "Oh Harry, I could never hate you. I just don't relish the thought of having to share you, but if that is what it will take to be with you then I will accept it. Just don't expect me to give up on trying to find a way for you to get out of these silly contracts, because if there is a way, I will find it."
With that issue resolved, the two children simply sat together in a comfortable silence. Before long, Emma Granger made her way upstairs and upon seeing the two, she thought to herself, Looks as if I was correct, my little Hermione is in love with the boy, and from the look of it, he must feel the same. They may be young, but I have no doubt that that boy is going to be my future son-in-law! They're so cute together!
Emma cleared her throat and announced, "I see you've settled him in quite nicely, dear. By the way, the pizza is here, so if you would make your way to the den, we'll put on a film and eat whilst we watch. How do you fancy the Star Wars Trilogy?"
Harry blushed furiously at being caught in such an intimate pose by Emma, but Hermione simply stood and led him to follow her down the stairs. She led him to the loveseat, and handed him one of the soft drinks that Nigel produced while bending toward the coffee table and grabbing a slice of her favorite, sausage onions and green peppers. As they watched, Hermione noticed how enthralled Harry was with the story. The intensity in which he viewed the film made her feel happy. She had never seen him look so relaxed, it was rather endearing.
By the end of the films, Harry had passed out, Hermione snuggling into his side. Dan was not exactly thrilled to see such intimacy between his daughter and this young man, but he knew better than to make a scene over it. When Emma went to nudge them awake, Harry leapt up into a defensive position, ready to attack before he regained his bearings and relaxed, grinning sheepishly at his embarrassing behavior.
What in the world could have possibly happened in this young man's life that has him so ready for peril? Emma was shocked at Harry's reflexive reaction, but when she saw him relax and grin like a fool she simply smiled and spoke, "I believe it is time to head upstairs for the evening. We have a busy day of shopping ahead of us and all. Do you think you can carry Hermione or do you need to wake her? She looks so peaceful."
Harry smiled tenderly as he answered, "I'll take her up and tuck her into bed, Emma. Thank you for letting me stay with you. Hermione means so much to me and I am happy to be able to spend this holiday with her. I know we may be young, but I just wanted you to know that I love her with all of my heart. As long as I breathe she will be safe from harm. Things in the magical world are going to become dangerous again in a few years, but I assure you she will be safe."
Emma smiled and responded, "I know you will, Harry. I think I knew it when I thought you were just some figment of her imagination, but something about you tells me that one would not be deemed very intelligent if he or she tried to bring my daughter to harm. Just keep her safe and show her love. Even Dan has noticed how much more alive she seems now that you are back. Goodnight Harry."
Harry carried Hermione to her room and used his wand to pull back the covers so he could gently lower her to the bed. He pulled the covers over her slender frame before bending down to kiss her on the forehead. He whispered softly as he caressed her cheek, "Sleep well, 'Mione."
Harry then closed the lights and shut the door before making his way to his own room. He stripped down to his skivvies and crawled into bed, sleep coming to him quickly as he drifted away to the land of Nod.
-oOooOOooOo-
Ginny Weasely was not speaking to her brother Ron at the moment. The two had a huge row once she had found out how monumentally stupid Ron had been so far this term. Ron had single-handedly alienated her from her future husband! Bloody jealous prat! I swear to Merlin if he has done anything to ruin my chances with Harry…
Her only ray of hope was that the twins had managed to make their way into his good graces. She couldn't wait for the year to be over so she could go to school at Hogwarts and see Harry every day. She had a plan. She would have the twins introduce her to him, and then she would offer to be his friend. Then, once the timing was right, she would make her move and he would be hers!
Ginevra Molly Weasely had been raised on Harry Potter stories, much as most girls were raised on fairy tales. In the stories, he was so brave and handsome, so hoped that the real thing would be the same. She pestered the twins for information and they finally gave into her requests by telling her about the little group they had. She begged the twins to take her running with them each morning and for them to teach her how to execute a kata. They reluctantly agreed, knowing that Ginny could be ruthless if she felt they were threat, so they took to exercising together. Ginny fully planned on joining the group next term, so she figured that starting early would help her be able to fit in better. She was extremely jealous as they described how Daphne Greengrass and Hermione Granger seemed to be permanently attached to his side. Ginny was certain that these two witches were her stiffest competition, so she was determined to do whatever she could to increase the chance that Harry might notice her. Once he noticed her…well, then she would grab on and fend off all comers. Greengrass was a Pureblood too, but according to the twins, Granger was a muggle born, and thus oblivious to the social workings of the Magical Britain. Her mother had owled Harry an invite to visit the Burrow on the insistence of the twins, so Ginny was practically going mad with anticipation waiting for a response to come. Then, much to her surprise, the response came.
Messrs. Fred & George Weasely:
I, Lord Harry James Potter formally accept your gracious invitation to visit the Weasely family home at the Burrow on December 27th. Please make sure your brother Ronald is not present as I cannot guarantee his safety should he insult my friends or my personage during this time. If these terms are agreeable, then owl me a response.
Lord Harry James Potter
Ginny squealed in excitement as she danced about her room, hugging her Harry Potter doll tightly to her. Father Christmas had come through!
-oOooOOooOo-
Across the English Channel, in a large French Chateau, a young girl was ready to throttle someone. Merde! Thaty boy is an idiot! Just because I am Veela, he thinks he can just touch me however he wishes? Mon dieu! I absolutely hate these batards! I am just fourteen! Fleur Delacour was the eldest daughter of Jean Sebastian Delacour, the director of French L'loi magiqueTactique Division. He was a large man with a generous heart toward his friends, but a truly frightening demeanor toward his enemies. Fleur's mother Apolline was also Veela, and was reknowned throughout Europe for her striking beauty as well as her fiery temper. Fleur hoped that she and her sister Gabrielle would be able to grow to be much like her, and find a man like her father, who never failed to express his devotion to his darling wife. No, one day she would meet a boy who would see past her allure and want to see her for who she really was, and when she did, she was going to never let him go!
-oOooOOooOo-
Hermione Granger was lying in bed awake. Her brilliant mind going over everythig that had happened that evening. Harry had kissed her! He wanted to be her boyfriend, but cared for her enough to disclose the disdainful information about his marriage contracts. She was certain of two things at this point: first and foremost, she wanted to be with Harry more than anything and would not give him up for the world, and second she would have to put aside her differences with Daphne Greengrass in order to do so. She did not like the fact that she would be required to possibly share her Harry, but with the alternative being not having him at all…well that prospect was entirely unacceptable. She was going to be Mrs. Harry James Potter come Hell or high water, but she was not going to allow herself to come second in his heart.
She made a mental note to look up hierarchical structures within multi-house lines whenever she got a chance. She surmised that if she could not have him exclusively, then she would damn sure be the most important witch in his life! She drifted to sleep soon after reaching that conclusion.
The next morning, she was up and ready for training. She met Harry in the backyard and they went through their normal routine of running and sparring. Harry began teaching her the concepts and theories behind warding as he began casting the wards that would serve to protect the Granger estate against danger. He warded the property against dark magic, fire, unauthorized apparition, monitoring spells, physical attack and thenhe made the property unplottable, and instead of hiding it under a standard Fidelius Charm, he modified the charm so that muggles could both see and find the property, but no wizard would ever find it. He made himself the secret-keeper and then sealed the wards to include a masking ward. This ward would keep the Ministry from being able to detect magic, thus allowing them to practice. The wards were tied into the House of Potter's wards, so in order to break the wards, the attacker would have to be able to break the wards that protected Potter Manor itself, before breaking the new ones at the Granger estate. Since no one even knew where Potter Manor was located, it was a rather safe bet that they would never breach the Grangers' wards either.
Hermione and Harry practiced their offensive and defensive spells while Hermione helped devise some new variations that improved upon old spells. She had theorized that if one could find a method of channeling the ambient mana from the environment and storing it in the wand, then one might be able to better cast those spells silently. This new theory would actually negate wand movement for most applications as the movements simply served as a medium to activate the link between the wand and the earth around it, but by allowing the wand to have a constant connection, the spells would be ready to flow more quickly, thus supplying an advantage to the caster. In battle, the key to victory was simply rate of fire. The one who can put the most firepower into the air in the least amount of time, with the greatest accuracy would win every time.
They showered and ate a quick breakfast before making their way into London. Hermione picked out clothes and accessories for Harry, begging him to model each selection for her. Harry was embarrassed, but he seemed endure the experience with a stiff upper lip. After a wonderful lunch, they headed to the book store and ordered books on every subject Hermione needed, including one rather racy title that contained a how-to guide on physical intimacy. She almost got caught red-handed, but was able to divert her mother and Harry from noticing her selection. She was by no means ready for much more than kissing, but she wanted to be able to have an edge over the other witches, once she was. As they left to return home, Harry smiled his handsome grin at her and helped her iput all of the bags and packages in the boot, before opeing her door and escorting her to her proper seat. Once she was secured, Harry gave her a quick peck on the cheek and shut the door, before coming around and doing the same, minus the peck with Mrs. Granger. He then secured himself and they returned home.
The next few days were filled with intense training in the mornings, snuggle and movie time during the mornings followed by research and exercise. It had snowed again, so they had a huge snowball fight on Christmas Eve. They even built a snowman. Hermione was in sheer bliss.
Christmas mornig was spent opening presents and listening to the wireless. Harry had bought Hermione a few books, which she loved. He was so thoughtful! She bought him a set of quidditch seeker robesin the colors of Puddlemere United, his favorite team!
Dinner was superb, and after such a grand display, the two retired for bed. After showering and changing, Hermione slipped into Harry's room. "Harry?" Hermione asked quietly.
He answered as he emerged from the loo in his night clothes, "Yes 'Mione?"
She nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she took a deep breath, "I wanted to let you know that I have decided to apologize to Daphne. It is not her fault that I met you first, and I rather imagine that if our circumstances were reversed, I would feel insecure about my chances with you in light of your relationship with her if it were like the one you and I share. I am sorry about how I reacted when you told me about the contracts, and I will support you in any way I can. All I ask is that you keep your promise to put me first. I do not believe I could handle being relegated to a secondary role in your life. You are first and foremost my best friend, and I would like to believe you feel the same about me."
Harry came to Hermione and wrapped her in his arms. "'Mione, if I had my way, it would be just you and I, but I cannot ignore my duties to my position. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you, because you are the most important part of my life. Thank you for being so wonderful. I do not deserve you, but I will do everything I can to strive for that goal." With that he kissed her softly, before releasing her.
He smiled and replied, "Now, go to bed, love."
Hermione pecked his cheek before turning to leave. "Good night, Harry."
She floated away on cloud nine, sure of her place in life at her Harry's side, then crawled under her sheets and drifted off to sleep dreaming of chapels and white dresses and a certain green-eyed boy.