Disclaimer: See chapter one.
A/N: I finally got around to changing my placeholder of 'a billion muggle pounds' (in reference to galleons). Now it's about 30 pounds. Why anyone could buy a wand (a powerful artifact) for just 35 (the standard rate of conversion is 5 pounds to a galleon) pounds is ridiculous to me, especially considering how rare wand wood is supposed to be. Also, when I updated this 200 words mysteriously showed up. Not sure what they say or where they are but it's probably a bit of story I didn't originally include. The document upload was... odd.
Chapter Two: The Alley and the Question
o0O0o
-Harry's Memory of the trip to Diagon Alley-
Harry flooed to the Leaky Cauldron two days before the beginning of term. With every step he took he could feel the emptiness in his pocket where his wand usually was, its absence keenly felt. The bag full of ashes was all he had left.
Leaving the pub he made his way to Gringotts, aware of the stares and fingers pointing at him. News travelled fast in the Wizarding World, and the Daily Prophet had put the story of his World Cup on the front cover of the next day's issue. When Harry saw the cover he had been pissed, and he was beginning to grow tired of the media's focus on him. He'd hatched a plan though and today was his first phase.
Harry stood in line and before he knew it a goblin teller stood before him on the opposite side of a marble counter.
"Good day, Mr. Potter. How may I help you today?" said the goblin from behind the bars. Harry noticed his nametag read 'Riplance'.
"Riplance, sir, I would like to enter my vault." he spoke from under the hood of his robes.
"Ah. Mister Potter. We've been waiting for you to come alone so we may introduce you to your full vault." the goblin spoke swiftly. Hopping from his seat, the diminutive being beckoned for him to follow.
"Er… Why would I have to come alone for that?" asked a thoroughly confused Harry.
"The lordship ceremony is often very private for families and as you have no living family we erred on the side of caution and decided that it would be best for all parties if you were to take your lordship unaccompanied."
"Gringotts also does not perform rituals until 14, which is when a wizard's magical core is most fluid and adaptable. This ensures the safety of the ritual."
Rails came into view soon afterwards, and Harry's stomach grew queasy. Harry stepped into a cart and gripped the metal sides, wishing desperately that Gringotts had any other transportation. The goblin grinned at him, an ugly, frightening expression. It didn't settle his nerves any.
Picking up speed the cart began to buck before finally plummeting down a very long rail in a cavernous fissure. As Harry peered over the side he saw nothing but mist and the odd railroad. The cart slowed after what must have been a quarter of an hour, coming to a full halt at the bottom of a chasm. Built into the wall was a gargantuan steel door with engravings Harry could never hope to understand flanked by two equally huge marble statues of griffins.
"Follow me, Mr. Potter." the goblin rasped, exiting the cart and swiftly moving to the vault.
Harry did as he was told, following despite his protesting stomach and legs. A sudden movement made him fall backwards, the griffins falling to the ground, claws booming against the granite floor. They turned to inspect Harry and a razor sharp claw extended to him, the goblin shouting with laughter as it did.
Harry James Potter was not amused, nor was he dignified as he scrambled away from the talon.
"Riplance!" he shrieked from the ground, the goblin doubling over with shrieks of mirth.
When the goblin had finally composed himself he turned to Harry and wiped a tear from his eye. "Mr. Potter, prick your finger on the claw and let the griffin lick the blood from your hand. It will deem you either the Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter or it will remove your hand and then kill you."
Not reassured in the slightest, Harry stared at the griffin; the outstretched talon unwavering. Shakily reaching forwards he pressed his finger against the tip, wincing as it punctured the flesh. It bled freely and the griffin's snake-like tongue lapped the crimson from his hand.
The wound closed and the griffins backed away, rearing up on either side of the door as they had done previously, freezing with a loud shriek. Harry looked away from the griffons, the shriek driving his eyes away from them. As he stared down at the ground a small velvet pillow with a ring upon it appeared in front of him.
Leaning forwards he picked up the ring, noting its crest and careful engravings around its platinum curve. The inside read 'Potter' and the outside engravings spoke, 'Scilicet per Fortitudo'. Two jewels sat set in silver, they formed a ruby and silver crest flanked by two exquisite griffons. Sliding onto his finger Harry felt a rush of magic and a comfortable weight settle on him. The ring stared at him as he stared back, it almost felt alive. The weight emanating from him felt like a responsibility it was subtly asking him to take, but it wasn't oppressive. Lost in his thoughts he hardly noticed when the gates ahead of him groaned open, shaking their collected mineral coating off.
"Congratulations… Lord Potter." the goblin said with joy.
Beyond the door was more gold than Harry had ever seen. The room it lay in was extremely orderly, heaps of galleons stacked in crates. A wall full of small, thin boxes sat to the left and a door lay across from him. The sheer size and density of the room shocked him, he'd never seen anything like it. A glimpse of the tellie in the Dursley's household floated to the forefront of his mind, a gargantuan warehouse for a supermarket.
"What is all of this?" the overwhelmed boy whispered to nobody in particular. Repeating himself loud enough for the goblin to hear, he was told that this was everything the Potters had in storage.
"How much gold do I have? What are all of those boxes on the wall? Do I have any ancient artifacts? What's beyond those doors?"
"It is well known that the Potters are a very wealthy family, and though I do not know the specific amount I'm aware that it is in the millions of galleons. The exact amount can be brought to you at your request. Those boxes are the wands of your ancestors. You have three powerful magical artifacts in this room and it is likely that you will inherit others from other families by your defeat of Voldemort. Beyond those doors are other rooms for specific objects and the one lying directly across the room is files and letters left by your family." Riplance cackled. Some small corner of Harry decided there must be something wrong with the goblin. Something very, very wrong.
Harry's mind filled with information, he simply couldn't believe how insanely rich he was. A galleon was worth the equivalent of about 30 muggle pounds. Partitioning that thought away he inspected the rest of the contents of the vault. Barely thinking he shuffled to the shelf, hand hovering over his ancestor's wands. Three boxes stood out to him, a long, thin grey velvet case, a similarly sized red velvet case, and a slightly thicker box made of what appeared to be bone.
Opening the first case he saw a beautiful red wand. A note on the inside of the box declared it to be a redwood wand with a dragon heartstring, twelve inches long and quite sturdy. Secondly he unlatched the red case, a thin wand of acacia and augurey feather, and finally he opened the bone case.
Inside he found an immensely bizarre creation. His ancestor Hadrian Fenwick Potter had been a wandmaker and this had been his wand. The bone of a dragon and the core of a troll whisker with a handwritten note from Hadrian claimed that the wand was brutal in battle. He led his hand over the wands once more and felt a connection with each. However, the feeling he got from them was that they were not his yet. Each wand felt apprehensive as though he had trials ahead of him that would determine his wand.
Sighing, Harry turned away from the impressive collection. Directly to the right of the wands lay a door he hadn't noticed in his initial inspection of the room. Drawn to it as though by magic, though that very well may have been the case, he entered the small room.
His first impression of it was dull. The room was dim and held only a table, with a shimmering orb of light barely illuminating the walls. They had an odd pattern of squares with spherical knobs protruding from the center of each square.
"Lumos" Harry whispered, no wand in his grasp. Blinded by the sudden light he stumbled, blinking rapidly to banish the spots in his eyes. When he had regained his vision the room seemed much more interesting, each section of the wall's patterning was in reality its own drawer. Stepping to the nearest one of what must have been hundreds he gripped the handle, pulling it from the wall. Inside he saw several cloth bags full of hair.
Then next drawer contained stringy pieces of what appeared to be flesh. Quickly pushing it shut he moved to the center of the room, hoping for some hint as to what the room was. A small nameplate on the desk read "Hadrian Fenwick Potter" in engraved golden letters. With a gasp of realisation Harry pulled the bag of ashes from his pocket, placing them on the desk.
A burst of inspiration uncommonly seen in him flew through the room, magic permeating his surroundings. Uncaring of the charge in the air he thought for a brief moment and opened the drawer under the desk, looking for evidence to support his thoughts. Inside the desk lay a pair of cylinders, each with a hole running through the center. The cylinders were covered in runes Harry couldn't decipher.
Lifting the stones from the desk he felt a connection to something. It felt vacant and emanated from the hollow core of the stone pieces. Harry nodded absentmindedly to nobody in particular, now he was certain that the room was used for wandmaking. He lifted the bag of ashes and poured its contents out, charred wood and ash falling from the bag. Phoenix feather jutted from the small pile and he was instantly transfixed, the feather seemed to glow.
It burst into flame right as his magic subconsciously yanked on the surrounding cabinets and pulled a long stick of silver ashwood from one and a sharp brown feather from another. The fire hung in the air, ashes of his wand spiraling around it. The ashwood floated right above the flames and the feather underneath them. Harry felt a sharp tug on his magic as the runes coating the cylinders began to glow, floating from his hands and hovering in midair next to the fire and materials.
Harry stood back, unsure of what was happening. His magic wouldn't rein back in. Ever since something had broken several days ago his magic hadn't been the same and it scared him. He watched as the feather entered one cylinder and the stick of wood into the other, the wood exiting the artifact and sparking before returning to the top of it and entering again. The fire dimmed and the ashes swirled into it before coalescing into a single pillar and shooting into the cylinder.
Wiping spots from his eyes Harry saw the wood fall to the desk. Unsure of what he had just seen he reached for what he supposed was a new wand, it certainly looked the part. He had barely moved and inch and the wand leapt to his hand like an eager puppy. Flames shot from its end, unlike the sparks that had flown from his first wand.
He stared in wonder at the new wand. It felt right but it didn't feel the same as his old wand. As much as he missed the holly wand he could feel the power in his new one and was certain it would be as good or better than the old wand. Wishing he had more time to test it out Harry stepped from the room to explore the rest of his vault.
It took the better part of an hour to study the various places within the vault. He found an ancient study with letters from his parents and ancestors where he had cried. There had been a copy of the will that he would read later. There were only two other interesting things he had found, one was a potions lab and the other was what appeared to be a magical computer. Recalling the goblin's words about the powerful artifacts within the vault made him wonder what they were. One, he was certain, must have been the wandmaking stones, and he was sure the contraption that had reminded him of a computer was another. Perhaps the third had been in the potions lab, something that made use of ingredients better,
Before long the goblin called to him, beckoning him to the cart. Word had been received that his minders were here to collect him. There were so many cool things in the vault that Harry didn't want to leave, certainly not by a rickety cart. He did as he was told and 15 minutes later he was on his way out of the bank accompanied by Dumbledore. Mentioning nothing about the ring or the vault he simply followed, happy to be going home with a wand.
o0O0o
Days later, Harry sat in the stands of the Quidditch pitch and had a feeling of foreboding overcome him. The Marauders Map revealed what appeared to be an ambush on Hermione.
The wand Harry had acquired in Gringotts flew into his hand as he ran to Hermione's name on the map. Just inches of parchment were so much further in reality and Harry hated it. Dodging other students, he shot up the stairs to the entrance hall and continued his flight to his best friend.
Clutching the wand and the map he rounded a corner, narrowly avoiding a collision with Filch who proceeded to yell at him. The map showed Hermione flanked by Malfoy's trolls Crabbe and Goyle, and they were clearly dragging her into an empty classroom. Pansy Parkinson stood off to one side and Malfoy was already in the room.
Harry knew he hadn't been able to run all the way from the Quidditch pitches and yet he found himself at the classroom door. Silence emanated from the other side. Harry checked the map again, Malfoy stood right behind Hermione and his friends were on either side of the door, clearly in wait.
The world grew cold and Harry kicked the door open, red spewing from his wand and stunning three of the Slytherins, the only one left standing was Malfoy. Harry's hand shook, wanting badly to kill the inbred twat. Only one thing kept Malfoy alive, his wand pressed against Hermione's neck.
"Potter," he spat, "What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Bloody predictable, too. Why don't you put that wand down."
Harry placed the wand on the desk nearby. Cold gripped the world, making his vision sharper and movements more precise. His hands rose in front of him.
"Good. Wouldn't want to attack me when I've got your bitch trapped. One spell against me and she'd be dead. I know what you did to my father. He was never found after the World Cup and you were making faces at us the entire match. Well," Malfoy laughed hysterically, "I'm going to do the same to your pet mudblood. I'm going to kill her and you're going to regret hurting my father."
Red shot from his hands, stunning a wide-eyed Draco Malfoy and Hermione. Loathing boiled inside him, wanting badly to mutilate Malfoy and his lackeys but limiting himself to a few jinxes. The next few days would be hard for the Slytherins, acne and tripping every step wouldn't be fun.
"Enervate" he cast, reviving Hermione.
"Are you okay? What were they going to do?" he shakily asked, adrenaline leaving his body. All of his body had tremors running through it.
"I think I'm fine. Nobody used any spells against me. Malfoy's morons grabbed me and dragged me into this room but they simply stood guard and Malfoy…" her face paled, "Malfoy said he wanted revenge for his father. He was raving about something being your fault and his father being dead. Somehow he knew you'd show up and he wanted to make you watch me die." she finished with tears flowing down her face.
Malfoy's wand snapped followed by three more cracks, each accompanied by a spray of sparks. Frigid, roiling magic permeated the air, desks shaking and moving. The Slytherins began to groan but didn't awaken.
Harry's eyes were glowing, they looked like Killing Curses embedded in marble. Green magic coated Harry's hands before dissipating, it looked downright terrifying and Hermione was glad it wasn't aimed at her. His wand jumped to his hand.
"If I had less control all four of them would be dead." Harry's voice was clear and icy.
Leading Hermione from the room, Harry's magic died down. They walked to the Headmaster's office immediately. Students took one look at the irate boy-who-lived and wisely decided to make way for them, parting to either side.
Thoughts bounced around inside Harry's mind. If Malfoy had simply killed her instead of waiting for Harry (which was odd, how had he known Harry was coming?), Hermione wouldn't be there with him. His heart ached at the thought of anyone hurting her.
The Gargoyle jumped aside as Harry approached. Dumbledore stepped from the room, surprised to see Harry, and immediately pivoted.
"What an interesting happenstance, Lord Potter. I had just decided to ask Minerva to fetch you. Follow me." Albus said flatly.
The 'Lord' had not gone unnoticed. The now three people entered the office, various instrument tooting and Dumbledore conjured two seats for the students.
"Harry, it has come to my attention that you claimed your lordship a week ago."
"Yes sir, I did. When I went to Gringotts a goblin escorted me to my family vault and the griffons deemed me worthy. A ring appeared at my feet and I put it on oblivious to what it did." Harry responded uncaring.
"Young man, do you know the responsibility that comes with a lordship? You are required to appear for Wizengamot meetings and other responsibilities as the Potter head of house." Dumbledore said in his most disappointed grandfather voice.
"I did not know at the time, nor would I know considering I was raised by magic hating muggles. Professor, perhaps we should talk about this later. Malfoy attacked Hermione and that is why we were on our way here." Said Harry icily.
"Very well. When did this happen, and what did Mr. Malfoy have planned?"
"Malfoy told me he was going to get revenge on Harry for something, and that he wanted him to watch me die. For some reason he believed that Harry had caused his father's death." Hermione's voice was hard.
"I stunned all of them and snapped their wands." Harry spoke, the memory causing his magic to flare.
Dumbledore's eyes widened in shock. "I did not suspect he would have done such a thing. Though I am surprised you would snap their wands I think it is a worthy punishment, but Malfoy will likely kick up a fuss about it. I have been informed by his mother, the new head of the Malfoy house, that his father was killed during the pandemonium at the World Cup."
"If she tries anything I will take my seat on the Wizengamot and oppose it."
The Headmaster's bushy eyebrows rose but he didn't object. "I suppose punishment is in order here. Fifty points from Slytherin for each attacker involved. Draco will have detention every weekend with rotating heads of houses, and the other three will have it for the rest of the semester."
"There was one other thing I noticed about him. He didn't seem completely coherent and he had a quality to him that I've never seen in anyone save for Luna Lovegood and Professor Trelawney. Somehow he knew I would show up. Does he have any Seer blood in him?"
Dumbledore pondered for a moment before replying. "I believe he does. His father's side comes from France and there was a seer named Malfoy known in France long ago. It is possible though highly unlikely that the stress of his father's death caused his seer blood to look for any other threats to his family's future. "
Harry thanked him and took Hermione by the hand, leading her out of the office. The Headmaster called after Harry to inform him that within the next few weeks he would need to discuss lordship with him.
o0O0o
As Harry lay in bed, he thought of the week's growing insanity. Ron had been acting odd around Hermione, it worried him. The way Ron moved seemed imposing, like he was trying to show off and the way he'd been talking… Something was strange. Lots of emphasis had been on Hermione's name recently, as though Ron had been trying to subtly (key word being trying) tell him and Mione something.
It also seemed like Ron was getting more aggressive about Hermione refusing any and all advances he was making. Harry loved Ron like a brother but this was seriously bizarre and he was worried that he'd hurt her. The decision he'd a matter of days ago weighed on him.
'Do I ask out Hermione like I want to, or do I take a chance and let Ron go after her?' Harry thought.
'There's no choice about it. Mione's birthday is in two weeks, if Ron hasn't asked her out by then I'll do it on that day. Maybe the day before."
o0O0o
Herbology flew by in a blur, the following break disappearing as well and lunch vanishing soon after. The world seemed to run as fast as possible up until Arithmancy began and the world slowed. Walking into the small classroom Harry and Hermione were greeted by Professor Septima Vector, a warm hello and a note passed to Harry.
Reading the note he was told to stay after the class, as Professor Vector required proof of his mastery of third-year arithmancy.
"Good afternoon, class, and welcome to Arithmancy. I see only three new faces, how auspicious." she spoke primly, "In order to assure me that you've retained your knowledge of last year, please solve the problem I have written on the board. Finished charms resulting from the solution will be tested in the practical session before we move into the second portion of today's work. You may work with a partner of your own choosing today."
Harry didn't move an inch from his spot, as his partner sat directly next to him; the partner being Hermione. Turning to the board he began to discuss in a quiet voice the solution to the complicated equation. Hermione began to break the problem into smaller pieces as Harry searched for an answer.
They were the third group to finish, testing their solution and reasoning what the resulting spell was meant to do. Waving through the motions, they came to the conclusion that the spell was dependant upon the magic of the wood of the wand and the core in the wand to produce a small creature.
"I wonder if I could create an equation that would tell me what the results of the spell would be depending on the wood and the core." Hermione pondered.
Professor Vector stood at the front of the class, waiting a moment for the class to quiet, and then began to speak. "Now that we've all finished you may attempt the spell." she twittered before returning to her seat.
Hermione went first, producing a tiny winged serpent. It curled around Harry's finger cutely before flying away. Harry pouted, he had liked that… thing. He was slightly nervous about trying the spell but did it anyway. From his wand shot a small griffin to the delight of many students near him. It stared into his eyes before leaping into the air and soaring away, circling the classroom with several creatures of varying statures.
The next fifteen minutes were filled with laughter as the class watched their creatures romp around the room.
The second portion of the class dealt with spellmaking itself, with Vector explaining how their first foray into the art of spellmaking would be difficult. She made them sign a pledge proclaiming that they would not attempt dangerous spell creation without supervision and assigned them fifteen inches on the arithmancy behind spellcraft.
Hermione waited outside the class as Harry stayed behind. A short test and an approving smile later and Harry was on his way to dinner with Hermione.
Wednesday that week was Harry's first class in Ancient Runes as taught by Bethesda Babbling. Though she didn't live up to her last name, instead preferring a concise, quick manner of speaking, she certainly knew her subject. In their class they reviewed the third year runes, inscribing a wooden plank with shielding runes and attempting to break them. Hermione's was the best in the class though Harry's was in the top 5 as well.
The next two weeks flew by in a flash and on Sunday the 18th Harry shook himself from sleep early. He donned a pair of fancy robes he had ordered by owl. For Hermione's birthday he had something special planned. The two weeks of classes with her had brought them closer. Fred and George had told him the secret to the Hogwarts kitchens and he was headed there this morning before breakfast.
After tickling and turning a pear in a picture he entered the chaotic room filled with brass and steel. Elves were all over the place and it took a moment for Harry to shake himself from the confusion and discord surrounding him. "Dobby!" he announced, a wide-eyed Dobby appearing in front of him less than a second later.
"The Great Harry Potter be needing Dobby, sir?" the diminutive being enthusiastically asked.
"Yes, Dobby. Tomorrow is my best friend's birthday and since tomorrow we have classes I want today to be amazing for her. Could you place some chocolate and flowers on her bedside table before she wakes up? I also need somewhere for a romantic dinner." he questioned nervously. Today Harry planned on asking Hermione to be his girlfriend.
"Yes sir, Harry Potter sir. Dobby knows a place." the short elf responded, elf-apparating to the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. "This is the Come-and-Gos room, Harry Potter. You think of what you is needing and walk 3 times in front of the mad wizards and it gives you what you needs."
Harry paced back and forth, wishing for a romantic dinner place. A door appeared and the inside was perfect, it appeared to lead onto a balcony far above the ground. A table was set for two with menus.
"Thanks, Dobby. I owe you one." he said before leaving to return to the common room.
Very few people were in the common room. He was surprised to see two bleary-eyed redheads drinking coffee across from one another. He pulled up a chair and sat next to the two, pouring himself a cup and glancing at the papers in front of them.
Harry didn't see much on the papers except several numbers before they were flipped over with apologetic looks from the twins.
"Sorry, mate-"
"but those papers are really highly-"
"confidential plans-"
"we've cooked up-"
"and mum can't find out about it."
Now he was intrigued. "I swear I won't tell your mom. If it's something I can help with I'll try my best." he promised.
"Well, Harrikins, you're lucky you've caught us before the coffee kicked in." Fred began, "Because if you hadn't, we wouldn't tell you. But we're feeling generous so we might as well" George finished.
"We're making a joke shop and these are our plans. Startup costs, real estate, and possible products." the twins said at the same time before showing Harry the sheets they'd filled.
Despite his limited knowledge of business and managing Harry could tell the twins were gifted. This went beyond the things they'd talked about, it was a full 5-year business plan. "Wow, this is impressive." Harry exclaimed.
"Thank you-"
"Harry."
"Can you guys keep a secret?" he asked warily.
"Sure, whatever-"
"you need."
"When I went to Gringotts before school started I claimed my lordship of the House of Potter. I've got more than enough gold to give you a large startup fund."
Sharing a significant glance, they turned to Harry.
"Blimey, mate."
"We'd never ask for a full startup fund."
"But since you offered, we might take you up."
"With some conditions, of course."
"You'd have a large share in the company."
"You'd be able to help run the business."
"Product design and testing would be open to you."
"And much, much more."
Harry shook his head, the twins were definitely something. "Alright, guys."
Ron came downstairs soon afterwards, all traces of the plans hidden.
"Hey, mate," he started, "How'd you end up talking to my brothers?"
"I went for an early stroll and they were out here, so I decided to have a chat." he responded.
The four chatted amicably if a little less warmly than usual, ever since Harry had switched out of his electives Ron had been acting a little colder towards him. Harry understood, even if he wished Ron wouldn't mind so much.
Hermione came down shortly after the Weasleys had left for breakfast, a bundle of roses and chocolate clutched in her hands. She made a beeline for the couch Harry had moved to and sat next to him, looking extremely confused.
"Harry, I woke up this morning with these on my bedside this morning. No guys can get into the dorm and I'm not sure why they were put there. Nobody's ever gotten me flowers before." she said in a puzzled tone.
"Maybe they asked asked girl to bring it up there for them?" he responded innocently.
"Perhaps." She pursed her lips.
They walked to breakfast together, chatting about possible suspects for the roses and chocolate. As they ate breakfast Ron gave Harry looks, as though he wanted to tell him something but couldn't. As soon as they'd finished Ron dragged Harry to a bathroom.
"Harry," he whispered furiously, "I heard you and Hermione talking about roses and chocolate. First you leave the classes and now you're trying to get Hermione to like you? Bloody hell, mate! What are you playing at?!"
Harry did his best impression of being confused. "Ron," he spoke slowly, "I left the classes because they aren't helping me. And as for the flowers and chocolate, I didn't put them there." it was only technically true, but Ron didn't know that.
Ron seemed placated but still cold. They returned to the hallway where Hermione was waiting for them. For the rest of the day they were together, and Ron didn't let them out of his sight. Hermione was more than a little disturbed by Ron's actions.
When evening finally came, Ron left the other two in the dust as he ran for dinner. Harry and Hermione had a good laugh at their friend's expense. As they wandered towards the Great Hall, Harry began to take a different route.
"Harry? Where are you going?" Hermione asked.
"You'll see. Trust me." he responded simply, giving no hints.
They walked side by side to the 7th floor and when they reached the portrait Harry began the motions. Hermione looked bemused, she had no idea what he was doing. To her sudden amazement a door appeared from the rocks.
"There we go. Come on." Harry requested, taking her hand and leading her through the door.
Hermione gasped, she'd never seen anything like it. When her eyes fell upon the candlelit table everything fell into place.
"Harry, is this what I think it is?" she questioned anxiously.
"If you think this is a nice dinner between two friends and nothing more, I sincerely hope you're wrong." Harry grinned.
Hermione frowned before realising what he'd meant. "You were the one who gave me the flowers and chocolate!"
Harry's smile broadened. He led her to the table and pulled her seat out for her, only releasing her hand as she sat. Sitting across from her he picked his menu and selected his meal, saying it out loud with a knowing glance at Hermione.
Her cheeks were rosy and she wore a grin almost the size of Harry's. They ate and talked and when they finished the table vanished. Standing, the chair beneath Harry vanished while the chair Hermione sat on turned to a loveseat.
Hermione rose and stepped towards Harry, clutching his midsection in a tight embrace.
"Hermione, you've been my best friend for four years. You're beautiful and smart. You're naturally nice and likable. Would you do me the honor of being me girlfriend?" he whispered softly into her ear.
Hermione's cheeks flushed and her eyes filled with tears. Harry's smile turned to a frown but melted when Hermione's lips touched his. The kiss lasted several seconds, and when she pulled away he wished for more. His arms left her neck and Hermione felt a weight there.
Looking down, she saw a beautiful heart-shaped necklace of silver and rosy gold adorning her neck. It was a stunning, curved heart but one side was jagged like Harry's scar. It was perfect.
"Was that a yes?" he mumbled hopefully.
She grinned tearfully and said, "Of course. What else could I say?"
His smile trailed off. "Well, when I saw you were crying I worried-" he was cut off by another kiss.
"Harry, those were from happiness. When I told you I liked someone weeks ago after you told me Ron liked me, I had been referring to you. I was sad when you hadn't realized it."
"I had thought maybe you did like me," Harry offered, "but I thought I would have recognized it."
They sat on the couch and gazed at the stars above, covered in blankets and leaning on each other. When curfew neared they walked back to the common room hand-in-hand.
A/N: I've done it! Over 5,000 words. It only took me an extra day. This hasn't been edited or proofread so sorry for any mistakes, I was desperate to get a chapter out today. Now… Time for homework. It's nearly midnight so I'm screwed for tomorrow.