Two Marvelous…

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the recognizable characters, though I wish I did. They are all property of J.K. Rowling and her business associates, except for the characters I invented.

Chapter 2:

Harry was saved by the doorbell, reminding him that he had called Hermione as soon as he arrived there, wanting her opinion about everything, as usual.

The girls scrambled unceremoniously to the kitchen, to put their clothes on, and Harry stepped to the door, wand at ready.

"Hi, Hermione, I'm so glad you could come," he greeted his friend, kissing her cheek.

Hermione blushed at his touch. "What did you need me here for?" she asked.

"You know I need your advice for practically everything," he said and noted her eyes drifting to the kitchen door.

"Who are these?" she asked, quite alarmed.

Harry grabbed her hand and walked towards the twins. "Hermione, these are Iris and Daphne Evans, my cousins of which I knew nothing until today."

The girls giggled. "He got us wrong. I'm Daphne…"

"… and I'm Iris," they said, extending their hands.

"I'm Hermione Granger, Harry's friend from school," said Hermione, shaking hands with the twins.

"Are your parents dentists?" Iris asked, while Daphne noted "Then you must be a witch, aren't you?"

Hermione herself could hardly refrain from giggling when hearing the twins. "Positive for both," she said.

"None of you looks any different from other people," Iris noted.

"Why should we?" shrugged Hermione. "We are just people having a rare talent. Why should we look any different than composers, singers or painters? They also have rare talents."

"I know," said Daphne. "Our father is a painter…"

"…and a fag," added Iris.

"Are you always talking that way?" asked Hermione in an exasperated tone.

"Only when we are both…"

"…together…"

"…in the same room."

Hermione looked at Harry and they both started laughing madly.

"Hey, what's so funny?" asked Iris, quite confused.

Harry sobered first. "We had some good friends, twins, who used to talk just like that."

"Why in the past tense?"

"One of them died in battle. We were both witnesses…"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" one of the twins said.

"And so am I. Were you close to them?" the other added.

Harry sighed. "I've known them for almost seven years and I've come to love them like brothers…" His eyes became teary.

"How is the remaining twin getting over?" asked Iris, quite concerned.

"Not very well. He doesn't talk much, but I can imagine he is feeling as if a part of himself is missing. They were extremely close to each other." Harry failed to notice the glace the twins exchanged.

"Well, what did you want me here for? It wasn't for company, as you have more than enough, I can see," Hermione said, trying to break the mood.

Daphne eyed her suspiciously and Harry answered. "I didn't expect any company, but I wanted you to see the house along with me, read the letters and advise me how to proceed."

Iris looked at Daphne before talking. "You two go ahead. Check the house and the backyard. We shall make lunch for all of us. Any special requests?"

"Surprise us!" said Hermione, grabbing Harry's hand.

They sat down on the couch. Harry gave Hermione the letters from his Aunt and his new-found uncle, while he opened the third letter. This one was from the bank, detailing the accounts and the sums of money in them and urging him to set an appointment for receiving the full report and getting full possession of the accounts. He also showed this letter to Hermione.

"It looks like you are quite well-off in the muggle world as well," she commented dryly. "What are you going to do about your aunt?"

"I don't really know. I probably need to write some kind of response, but I'm at loss what to write. I'm not even sure how I feel about it…"

"You don't have to answer right now. Let it simmer a few more days, try to find out how you really feel about her and then you will be ready to write it down," Hermione suggested. "Do you intend to visit this uncle of yours?"

"I first have to learn some more about him and his children…"

"You seem to be getting along quite well with these two," noted Hermione.

"Well… They are really nice," he said, blushing deeply. "Let's take a tour in the house," he added, trying to change the subject.

Hermione followed him, keeping her amusement at his reaction well hidden.

The house wasn't big. It contained a nice living room, a modest dining room and the kitchen downstairs, while the upper floor held the master bedroom and three rather small rooms, two of which had been clearly used as his mother's and aunt's rooms while they were living there, and the last seemed to be a seldom used guestroom. They were all clean and ready for use, which looked quite odd, considering the house had been unused for about two decades.

They also visited the backyard, in which they found a small swimming pool at the center of the lawn and some trees surrounding it with a few flower beds in-between. All in all it looked like a very nice house for a small family.

It was a really hot day. Both Harry and Hermione were sweating profusely when they returned inside.

"Oh, here you are!" they heard one of the twins as they entered. They could hardly see her when coming from the sunlit backyard into the dark interior. "I suggest you take a shower and then join us in the dining room. Dress lightly, like we do…"

It took them another moment to see what she was referring to. Iris (or was it Daphne?) was only wearing her thong, nothing else. Hermione looked at her in shock, while Harry felt the heat rising in his body. He turned around as quickly as he could.

Harry used the bathroom connected to Lilly's bedroom and let Hermione use the one in the master bedroom. He wasn't sure what to put on after showering, as his shirt was still very damp. He stayed in his shorts quite reluctantly, wondering if he shouldn't use some magic to create new clothes for himself.

"Are you ready?" he heard Hermione's voice from the door.

He turned around and was surprised to see Hermione wearing just a thong as well. It was not the first time he saw her in underwear – living several months with her in a cramped tent gave him more than one occasion for that – but he had never seen her without her bra and she had never stood in front of him so… exposed.

Harry looked at her appreciatively. "You're… magnificent!" he finally said.

"You are not bad yourself," she answered, her face as red as a rose. "Shall we join your cousins?"

Harry felt very awkward in the company of these three lovely ladies. He could hardly look at any of them without feeling his body react in ways he considered improper under the circumstances. He could hardly concentrate on his food, although Hermione and the twins chatted freely. Being so preoccupied, he didn't notice the way Hermione was looking at him, nor the way the twins were giggling at the sight.

Daphne looked at her watch. "Oh, we must be going. We have some work to do someplace else. Will you excuse us for not helping you with the dishes?"

"You have been of great help to me," answered Harry. "When may I see you again?"

"This is your house now, your home – if you want it to be. You may invite us whenever you want. Our visit cards are near the phone."

They put on their clothes, waved goodbye and left, still giggling.

"Aren't they funny?" asked Hermione after hearing the car leave.

"They really are, yet they make me feel... weird," answered Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never seen anybody as free with their body as these two are."

"And you really enjoyed looking at them. Didn't you?"

Harry's face turned pink. "Well, of course. I'm still a hormonal teenager, although I must say that I enjoyed looking at you even more."

It was Hermione's turn to go pink.

"This is really the first time I'm like that in company, you should know. I just couldn't let them make a coward out of me."

"Now, now… Nobody can call you a coward after what you went through."

"Maybe not, but do they know? And then… this is a different kind of courage I needed here. No heroism, no self-sacrifice, no speed and agility with my spells. I needed to show myself naked, or almost naked. I could not have done it with anybody else but you." Her face turned redder.

"I thought you and Ron…"

"There's nothing between me and Ron. There probably never was. I had a crush on him during our sixth year and he had the same at another time. That's all it was, that's all it will ever be."

"But he kissed you before the battle. I saw it!"

"So what? It was just the excitement of the battle and the wish to feel alive. He would have kissed anybody, even you, and so would I."

"You really wanted to kiss me?"

"Who else would I kiss? Aren't you the one I stuck to during all our adventures, through all those perils? Didn't I stay at your side when nobody else would?" Hermione got some tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry, please," he said, wiping her tears with his thumbs. His hand brushed her breast involuntarily and they both froze for a moment. "Hermione?" he asked.

"Yes…"

"May I kiss you?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Their lips met reluctantly at first, just brushing tentatively against each other, and then it was as if the flood gates had opened. They were kissing and hugging as if their life depended on it. Their bare chests were brushing against each other, making their kisses even more enthusiastic. Her hands went to his waist band, removing his boxers while he removed the tiny thong. They didn't need any words to understand each other perfectly.

"Hermione?"

The sun was already setting. They were cuddling on the sofa. Her eyes were still closed.

"Hermione?" he tried again.

"Mmmm…" came a sleepy response.

"Aren't your parents expecting you home for dinner?"

She opened her eyes lazily. "Probably. Why?"

"It's getting late, love."

She looked at him with a glazed look. "How have you just called me?"

"I just called you the way I feel. I called you 'love'. Don't you like it?"

"Don't I like it? I adore it!" she said, kissing his lips fleetingly.

It took her another minute to come back to her senses. "So, we need to get dressed… well, after a quick shower and…Oh, my God! We haven't used a contraceptive spell! I must be out of my mind…"

"That's OK, love. You shouldn't bother about it."

"But what if I get pr…"

Harry stopped her ranting with a kiss. "Then we shall marry sooner than planned."

His answer turned her silent for a moment. Harry used the opportunity to press ahead. "Do you think your parents will mind if I join you for dinner?"

"I'll call them and make sure," she said, walking towards the phone on the small table in the corner.

It took them only a few more minutes to tidy up, get dressed and apparate to the Granger residence.

The Grangers treated Harry as an old friend, despite having seen him only a few times and for only a few moments each time. "Any friend of Hermione is welcome in our house," they stated. Dinner proved to be quite pleasant, with insignificant chat around the table. Once it was over, Hermione helped her mother with the dishes (making Harry remember the dishes they had left in his new house) while the men went to the living room and sat in front of the large TV set.

"I've heard you are quite a hero," commented Hermione's father."

"When a madman is after you, it doesn't give you too many choices. It was either me or him," he shrugged.

"Hermione has shown us some fragments of the newspapers printed shortly after your great battle. They seem to disagree with you."

Harry just moved his hands in an "I can't do anything about it" gesture. "I'd rather think of the future, if you don't mind," he added.

"And what do you think of the future?"

Harry smiled. "It must be much better than the last few years. I hope to find a nice job, settle down and raise a family, not having to think about wars, battles and dark lords."

"That sound like a good plan to me."

"Well, I may need your help to make that plan come true," said Harry, somewhat apprehensively.

"What kind of help do you need? We could help you financially, but not very much, you should know. This time in Australia has depleted our savings much more than we thought."

"Oh, I don't need this kind of help. Being considered a war hero has a few perks, and then I have a small inheritance from my grandparents. These will help, at least for a start. I would like a different kind of help, though..." Harry paused for a moment, building up his courage. "Well, sir, would you allow me to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage?"

The father looked surprised. "I don't really think I have a say about that. Hermione is more than capable to choose her own mate, and she doesn't really need my consent. Yet I appreciate your request. I know you have been friends for seven years already, but do you really love her, as a man loves a woman?"

"Yes sir, I do. I thought she liked Ron, so I tried not to think this way about her, but now that she has told me there was nothing between her and Ron, I can hardly keep myself from staying close to her every moment."

The father smiled knowingly. "Does Hermione love you?" he asked.

"Well, I've never really asked her, but I believe she does."

"Have you…" the father started asking, but changed his mind. "Well, Harry, if Hermione accepts your proposal, I'll be honored to call you 'son'. It's up to her right now."

"Thank you, sir. This is all the help I was asking for."

They were soon joined by the ladies. Harry didn't waste a moment. As soon as Hermione was sitting at his side he turned to her. "Will you marry me?" he asked.

Hermione looked surprised, but it only took her a moment to reply. "Gladly," was all she said.

It took a little longer to explain their decisions to her parents, and especially to her mother.

"You have never mentioned any romantic thoughts about Harry," she said.

"I just didn't think about it. He was always there, at my side. I don't even know when our friendship turned to be much more, but it struck us today, when I helped him check out his grandparents' house which he inherited. It was as if we were just waiting for the right moment to discover our feelings, and his cousins gave us the right push," Hermione explained.

"His cousins? I thought he had only one cousin who despised him."

"Well, it turns out he has more. His mother had a half-brother who is not in touch with his aunt, and that brother has a son and two daughters. I believe you know them. These are Professor Evans and his twin daughters."

"Oh, him!" exclaimed her mother. Her father just chuckled.

"Is anything wrong with him?" asked Hermione, somewhat unsure of herself.

"Nothing at all, dear. He is just the most unconventional man I've ever met. He's a charming man, a brilliant scholar and a dedicated father and husband, yet he left it all behind and went to Paris to try his luck as a painter and live with his boyfriend. I can understand why your aunt wouldn't even mention him," she added, turning towards Harry.

"His daughters are really nice, though. Very talented and quite beautiful," said the father, stopping as his wife glanced sternly at him.

"They are nice, but quite weird as well. They told me they were paying for their studies by working as nude models, although their father could easily pay for everything…" her mother added. "What kind of push did they give you?" she asked, returning to the previous line of conversation.

"Oh," Hermione blushed, "they said it was too hot and stayed in their knickers only, urging us to do the same…"

Her mother hid a smile, while her father needed a bit more time to open his mouth in surprise and close it hurriedly.

Harry stifled a yawn. "It's getting late and we had a very intensive day. I think I should leave you now and return home."

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! – you are not going anywhere without me!" Hermione informed him in a tone that could not be mistaken.

"Then – what shall I do? If I stay here much longer I'll fall asleep on the couch," he said.

"Well…" she pretended to think hard, "You can stay here for the night. We have a very nice guest room, although I expect you to spend the night in my bed…"

Her father gasped loudly hearing that.

"…or I can go with you to wherever you want to be and spend the night with you…" she continued just as innocently.

Her mother laughed. "Oh, you two go to bed before I change my mind. Hurry up!"

The young couple didn't need more persuasion. They bid her parents goodnight and hurried on the stairs towards Hermione's bedroom.

"It's about time they realized their true feelings, don't you think so?" said her mother.

"Of course, dear, and Harry is a much better choice than that insufferable redhead," her father added.