CHAPTER 5

The next morning Hermione heard the phone ringing and answered it. It was the desk with their wake up call. They dressed, had breakfast and then met the limo for a quick ride to the airport. When they boarded the plane they were seated in first class. Hermione sat down and looked over at Harry.

"Potter how did we end up in first class?" she asked him.

Harry smiled at her "Somebody important must love you a lot."

Hermione frowned "Are you using money your parents left you to fund this stuff? I know for a fact that our date with limo, the flowers, the dinner and the room probable cost well over 700 hundred pounds. Then first class tickets for this leg…"

Harry interrupted "Actually I had the rest of the trip to include our return upgraded."

Hermione sat up straight in her chair and whispered loudly "Harry James Potter why did you waste all that money? We were perfectly fine sitting in coach. Harry please don't waste your inheritance on this trip." Hermione fumed as she crossed her arms "I will find a way to pay it all back to you."

Harry was smiling at her as she said this "What if I refuse to take your money?"

Hermione looked at him and then sat back and sighed "Harry, your parents and Sirius left that money for you to enjoy and waste on yourself. You should buy things that make you happy."

Harry placed his chin in his palm and looked at her with a smile "I was told that you can't buy happiness or love and if I tried to buy you to get my happiness and love I am pretty sure you would skin me alive."

Hermione looked at him "This is all one big joke to you isn't it? I don't want others to think I am with you for the money or for any other reason than I love you. The other thing is that your parent's left you an inheritance, money that you should use to enhance your family name and prestige."

Harry was still smiling at her "Hermione are you still going to ask me to marry you someday?"

Hermione looked at him and then chuckled "If you insist on that, then I most likely will."

Harry leaned closer "I have a little secret to share with my fiancé. My true identity is actually Lord Harry James Potter-Black. My parents left me everything and Sirius left me everything. I have a total of eight properties located in Switzerland, France, London, Scotland, an apartment in Hogsmeade, New York City, a beach house in the Caribbean, and a castle that is under a fidelus that no one can find. Last year, when I receive a sum total of my cash accounts I had 240 million Galleons. When I checked three days ago I had a grand total of 301 million Galleons. Between the interest and gifts everyone keeps throwing at me I couldn't spend that much in two lifetimes.

Hermione's mouth flopped open as Harry continued "Three days ago I opened an account for my favorite girl and placed two million galleons in it for her. So if she wants to pay me back for all that I did she can but I will just deposit it back into her account anyway."

Hermione was able to say something "Harry are you crazy? You gave me 110 million pounds. I can't take that. It's too much!"

Harry just smiled at her "Mione what else do I have to spend it on? I want you to do whatever you want to do to make you happy. Even if we break up today I would still want that for you because without you I would be dead."

Harry put a little smirk on his face and then looked into her eyes "If you really feel guilty about it you could always grant me favors." He said with a wink.

Hermione gave a little grin "What kind of favors Mr. Potter?"

Harry smiled "The kind of favors that any gentleman would desire from a very beautiful woman Miss Granger." Harry winked at her again "I found a place in Perth that rents the old style wooden sailing ships for the weekend. I am very intrigued to see if I might find some young, desirable woman to play my damsel in distress on a weekend excursion."

Hermione looked at him "Potter you don't play fair at all. You know I have a weakness for those types of ships."

Harry kissed her lips "Is that a no then. Should I cancel the reservation?"

Hermione sat up "You already made a reservation?"

Harry smiled "Well I made a reservation with my name on it and the other name has to be filled in."

Hermione looked at him "What kind of favors are we talking about?"

Harry leaned over and whispered in her ear. Hermione's face turned red but there was a hint of excitement too. "Potter you are a dastardly, evil and wicked man….I accept if only for my academic curiosity…about the ship." Hermione said with a breathy voice.

Hermione woke up before Harry and when she checked the time they still had about an hour before they were too land in Sydney. She turned to look at Harry's face and immediately a smile came to her lips. I am sitting right beside Harry Potter on a plane to Australia. He is my boyfriend, future lover, and I am so in love with him. She thought to herself.

Hermione leaned her head back against the seat and thought about the last three days and all that she had felt over those days. Lust, oh god the things Harry did to her and how he made her feel. Love, she knew she loved him and that she always had. She never believed he would feel the same way about her. She remembered their first date and all of the excitement of teasing him all during dinner and what he had done when they returned to the room.

Hermione turned to look at his sleeping face and then gave a big smile as she looked at his facial features. He looked so peaceful and happy; he deserved that and so much more. Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by the lady on the other side of the aisle "Don't let him get away miss because he thinks the moon is hung around you." The lady said.

Hermione smiled back at her "No less than I think the sun is hung on him. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for him."

The lady laughed "How long have you been friends?" she asked.

Hermione played with Harry's hair "We have been best friends for over six years. We have been through a lot together."

The lady just watched Hermione fawn over Harry "Has he ever given you cause for concern."

Hermione frowned "Only when he goes flying. I have spent more time with this one in the hospital than I care to think about. At our school he had his own hospital bed."

The lady chuckled "Who was with you when you were ill or sick?"

Hermione smiled and answered "Him, he visited me the most and he took notes for me because he never takes notes for himself."

The lady asked "When is the wedding?"

Hermione chuckled "If I have my way ten minutes after he asks me."

The lady and Hermione were both surprised when Harry stood up and reached into the overhead bin and pulled something out of his bag. He then centered himself in the Aisle and got down on one knee. "Hermione Jean Granger, I was afraid that you would think this was too early but I know how I have felt since three days ago. We know each other very, very well and we know we love each other. I don't want any other woman in my life but you. Will you marry me?"

Hermione looked wide eyed at him and then looked at the rings. The prettiest ring she had ever seen and better than she would have chosen for herself. Hermione was speechless. The lady across the aisle laughed "Young lady I do believe a response is required from you at this point."

Hermione looked into Harry's eyes and then smiled at him "Yes, My captain!"

Harry looked at her and laughed "You are such a naughty girl for making me wait like that."

Harry removed the dazzling one carat diamond with an emerald on each side. Hermione placed her left hand in his and Harry gently placed the ring on her finger. Hermione lay down on the seat so that their faces were inches from each other. "Are you sure about this? Are you sure you don't need more time? I love you and I am ready but we don't have to hurry."

Harry kissed her nose "That ship reservation I made? I have wanted it to be our honeymoon location." Harry gave her a wink "Can you think of anything better for a captain to claim his wench and a bride on the same evening?"

Hermione's eyes lit up when he said that "Oh god can you read my mind or something because last night I had this amazing dream about that. I love you Harry Potter!"

Harry wiped his forehead "That is a relief because the reservation for the ship is made out for Mr. Harry James and Mrs. Hermione Jean Potter."

Hermione grabbed his collar and pulled him into the seat "When did you make that reservation?"

Harry smirked at her "Last week."

Hermione looked down in thought and then looked up into his eyes "How did you know?"

Harry chuckled and then looked very serious "I think deep inside I have always known we would be together or at least when I read the journal it all made sense to me." Harry watched her reactions and then when she began to ask a question he placed his finger on her lips "Mrs. Potter do you trust me?"

Hermione looked at him "With my life and everything I have Harry James."

Harry then sat back and held her hand "Twenty minutes after we land many surprise will begin for you. By tomorrow afternoon you will have all your answers to all the questions you were just going to ask."

Harry looked at her "These are the same facts I learned about two days after the final battle. I visited Gringotts and entered the Potter Family vaults. I found my mother's journal and the next day I began making plans for us. I will give you my mother's journal to read, and then you will know what I know."

Hermione leaned back and looked at him and her emotions were in a whirlwind. Hermione held her finger up before asking a single question "Is anything that is about to happen going to make me not want to marry you?"

Harry smiled and then chuckled "No, if anything it will make you want to even more."

Hermione's thoughts were distracted by the announcement that they were fifteen minutes from landing and that everyone should make preparations for landing.

Hermione moved through the Customs line with Harry right behind her. He had a very smug smile on his face which Hermione looked at every so often. "You know that lopsided grin can be very adorable but as I just realized it can also be very annoying."

Harry chuckled "You just hate not knowing something. Remember everything had to happen for us to be where we are today and for us to be together. I wouldn't risk us for anything or anybody."

They had finally made it through the line and were entering the main lobby when Hermione looked up and saw her parents and she became speechless. When she saw that they both recognized her but were also very happy to see her, she dropped her suit cases and ran for them. The tears flowed down her face and she began to blubber.

"I am so sorry, please forgive me… I am so sorry and don't hate me." Hermione kept repeating.

Hermione's dad picked her up and carried her to a chair and just held her like a little girl. Her mother patted her hair down "Hermione we don't hate you, we love you very much. We even missed you as much as you missed us."

Hermione's dad kissed her head "Princess, I don't hate you at all and based on what we have been told and your actions, we are very proud of you. You wanted to protect us and based upon the pictures we were shown of our old house, you save our lives."

Hermione looked at both of them "How did the spell break and when?"

Hermione's mom Ellen spoke up "The spell didn't break. We were released from it four days ago by a team from the ministry and Kingsley Shacklebolt."

Harry had arrived from his second trip to gather their luggage. Hermione's dad Bill looked up and smiled at him and then he pulled a ten page letter from his pocket "This arrived with Kingsley. You have a very special young man that explained it to us."

Ellen leaned forward and whispered to her "Hermione don't let him get away whatever you do." Hermione reached for the letter and got to the end and read the sincerely and the name below it.

Harry was looking at her with a smile as she stood and looked at him "I am so intrigued, overwhelmed…" Hermione let the letter lower to her side "but that doesn't matter to me at all. I have my parents back and you made it easy on me and you took all my anxiety away that I had built up about finding them…" Hermione let a tear fall "Thank you Harry Potter." Hermione lightly kissed his lips. She leaned back and her eyes seemed very happy "When you feel I need to know something then tell me because as far as I am concerned I have the man of my dreams, my parent's back, money to live any way we want and I have no place else to be except with you."

Harry pulled her into a hug "It is wonderful to know that someone loves you enough to take all your worries away, to help you with your problems, and to show you that they care about you and your happiness. For six years you did this for me and I never told you how much I appreciated it, how much I appreciated you and what you had done for me." Harry looked into her eyes "To be honest I was too stupid and young to realize this but so help me Hermione I know it now and I will be right there beside you to ease your burdens as you have eased mine." Hermione just hugged him as nothing else needed to be said.