Chapter 3
No Title

Author's Note: This chapter is not titled for a reason. There was originally a title for it. It can be seen in the bottom Author's Note.

Thursday, June 29th, 1995

If there was one thing Harry was not looking forward to out of everything that would take place that summer, it was the record-breaking heatwave that was expected to hover over most of England for the entire summer. Harry had hoped that it wouldn't happen this time, but like clockwork, the temperatures rose quite high on Thursday morning.

Ginny was rather worried about how her garden behind Potter Manor would be affected by the sweltering heat. However, Melina promised her that she was prepared for this. With a bit of special elf magic, the atmosphere around the garden remained a perfect temperature, though none of the humans could feel it.

"I suppose Melina couldn't use her elf magic to cool down the air a bit around the Manor, could she?" Harry said, moodily, as he waded in the swimming pool behind the Manor.

He was rather grumpy. It was nearing the late afternoon, and the temperature hadn't cooled down at all. If anything, it had gotten hotter even though the sun was an hour or two from setting. He already knew that his and Ginny's traditional joined baths during the summers would already be out of the question. He was quite moody about this as well. It was something he always looked forward to.

Ginny was currently sitting at one of the tables shaded by a large umbrella.

"Probably not," she replied to him. "I suppose it is lucky we own a pool then."

"Sure," Harry said, "But if I spend too much time in here all summer, I fear I will have permanent wrinkles long before I should."

"Oh, how horrible!" Ginny teased.

"It is actually," Harry said; he turned and looked at Ginny, "Aren't you going to join me?"

"In a bit," Ginny said, "I'm brainstorming wedding ideas."

"I'm listening," Harry said, deciding that wedding plans might distract him from the summer swelter.

"Well, I'm not telling you just yet," Ginny said. "Call it payback for keeping details about our honeymoon from me."

"You told me you were fine with that being a secret," Harry said.

"I am," Ginny said. "I am also fine with planning the wedding on my own."

"I'm not exactly sure that works since I am the groom," Harry said.

Ginny shrugged. "Be there to meet me at the end of the aisle in handsome dress robes, looking so dashingly sexy that I'll want to rip those clothes off of you at the end of the night and I'll call it even."

Harry smiled. "I suppose I could agree to that."

Sirius emerged through the back door of Potter Manor, looking rather grumpy himself. Harry noticed he was drenched with sweat. Sirius had been home for about an hour now, and after greeting his wife and children – those related by blood and those who weren't – he had retreated to the Potions laboratory.

"You two could have warned me about this heatwave, you know," Sirius said, "The lab was already stifling due to the potion, on top of the summer heat. Cooling charms didn't help much."

"We were rather hoping the heatwave would pass England by this time around," Harry said.

Sirius harrumphed."Well,it is safe to say it didn't pass by. The good news is the potion to reveal your Animagi is finished. Hop out of the pool for a bit so we can get this over with. I'm rather anxious to see if I am right, or if this was all just a waste of time."

Harry stepped out of the pool, wrapped a towel around him to dry himself off, and walked over to Sirius. Sirius took a small vial from his robes and handed it to him. Harry walked away from the patio and pool, into the open field behind the Manor. He gulped down the contents of the vial, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was an illusion of a large herd of animals congregated in the field. He waited for nearly a minute, and during that time he wondered if the stag would canter out of the herd once again.

Finally an animal emerged from the herd, but it was not a stag. It was a large cat Harry had seen several times in books and at the zoo: a black panther. It had a sleek, black coat that seemed to shine in the sunlight. There were two distinct differences to a normal panther. The cat's eyes were not golden-yellow, but green like his own. Also, a light-golden patch of fur sat above the cat's eyes, representing Harry's lightning-bolt shaped scar.

The panther stared at Harry for a moment, as if challenging him, before it howled, a loud sound that was somewhere between a growl and a cat's meow. The herd of animals behind it vanished into thin air. Then the panther vanished a few moments later and Harry blinked out of the illusion. Harry returned to Sirius and Ginny.

"You were right, Sirius," Harry said, "It did change."

"What did you see?" Ginny asked, anxiously.

"A black panther," Harry said.

"A fine animal," Sirius said, with a smile, "Extremely fast and quite powerful. If you ever have to fight in your Animagus form, you'll be quite a tough opponent."

"So I will probably be a panther too?" Ginny asked.

"Pretty likely since you are connected by the Bond," Sirius said, "If not, you will likely be another member of the cat family."

"Like Ron and Hermione," Harry said.

"Exactly," Sirius said, "The four of you will be able to work together since it is likely all of you will be of the cat family. Same or similar ways of transformation."

"You're not disappointed, are you?" Harry asked, "That I will be a member of the cat family instead of – say – a dog like you, or a stag like Dad."

"Not disappointed at all," Sirius said, "As I said, it is a fine animal. Now, if you had turned out to be a rat or a snake, it might be a different story."

Harry grinned and shook his head. "Thank goodness for small mercies."

"Aye," Sirius said, "Besides, your panther versus Padfoot – that would be an excellent race! I can't wait, kid! Now, if you excuse me, I am going to go change and take a dip in the pool."

Sirius turned and headed back into the house. Harry turned to Ginny, who caught his glance, and winked, then removed her shirt and shorts, revealing her bikini. She raced over to the pool and jumped in. Harry grinned and followed her in.

"You know, love," Ginny said, "For a cat, you sure do love the water."

"Even a cat would take a dip in the pool to get out of this heat," Harry said.

Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed her arms through the water, sending a wave of cool water rushing over Harry.

"This means war, woman," Harry said, with a laugh.

He then retaliated, sending a wave of water back toward her, thus beginning a long splash war that cooled the Bond-mates off considerably.

Friday, June 30th, 1995

Ron stood in front of the small mirror that hung on the wall near his bed in his small attic bedroom, taking in his appearance. His hands were sweaty from nerves, and he was careful not to wipe them on his clothes. He had dressed in his best outfit, a hand-me-down button-downed shirt and dress pants, both of which had once belonged to his brother Charlie. Even though the clothes were hand-me-downs he still thought he looked rather good. But to him, it didn't matter how he looked. As long as Hermione thought he looked good, that was all he needed to know.

A smile lit up his face at the thought of Hermione. However, it was a nervous smile. As much as he told himself not to be nervous, it didn't work. Really, he knew he had nothing to be nervous about. He had been on several outings with Hermione that could have been called dates. He had met Hermione's parents before. But he also knew this was not the same.

He was about to go on his first official date with Hermione since becoming her boyfriend. Sure, there had been those Hogsmeade visits, and the Yule Ball, but other than the final hours of the Yule Ball, he and Hermione hadn't been a couple during any of that. And Richard and Helen Granger knew him as Hermione's friend, but not officially as her boyfriend. He had been careful at King's Cross not to seem too affectionate in front of her parents just yet.

And then there were his own parents. He had prepared for his date all week, had written a couple of letters to Hermione and received a couple as well, but it hadn't been until their agreement of when he should meet her had he realized he hadn't told his parents about his plans. This realization had taken place the day before. It was after Hermione's last letter, that he had finally talked to his mother about his approaching date with Hermione.

The whole thing had been quite embarrassing. His mother had told him that she had guessed he and Hermione had become closer, quite possibly a couple, though she wasn't one-hundred percent sure until he had told her. She was quite fine with it, even to the point of referring to Hermione as a "second daughter" at one point, which embarrassed Ron greatly. She told him that if he wanted to go on a date with Hermione, then that was just fine with her. But she also told him to be extra careful, due to the threat of Death Eater activity still out there. Really, Ron was quite impressed that his mother allowed him to go on this date. He realized she must really like Hermione.

But the biggest embarrassment came a couple hours after that discussion with his mother.

His father had come home from his busy job as Interim Minister of Magic an hour before dinner the previous evening. Ron had been in his room day-dreaming about his date with Hermione when his father had knocked on the door and let himself in. What followed was Ron's most embarrassing conversation he had ever had with his father. His father had given him the talk. He had guessed, accurately since his father had confirmed his guesswork, that it had been his mother's idea to have this conversation. After the discussion, both father and son's faces were quite red from such an embarrassing discussion, and had avoided eye contact during dinner. Ron considered it lucky that his twin brothers hadn't figured it out just yet that he had such a conversation with his father.

Ron cleared his throat, removing himself from this reverie, and checked his reflection in the mirror again.

Calm down, Ron, he said to himself silently, It is just Hermione. Don't be so nervous, you're a Gryffindor.

He smiled lightly, grabbed his wand from his bedside table, pocketed it and headed downstairs to the bottom level of the Burrow. He walked into the kitchen, where his mother was sitting by herself.

"Oh, my boy!" she said, when she caught sight of him, "You look so handsome!"

Ron felt his cheeks go warm, probably not for the last time that evening. "Thanks, Mum."

His mother smiled, and stood up from the table, then walked over to the kitchen counter where her purse was.

"I exchanged some Galleons for some Muggle money recently when I visited Diagon Alley," she said, "though I didn't quite know why I had done so at the time. It seems this is the perfect opportunity to use it. So, here you go. And a bit of money for the Knight Bus."

Ron spluttered and was about to say that she didn't have to do that, when he caught the look on her face. He smiled and took the money.

"Thanks, Mum," he said.

His mother smiled. "Just make sure you treat Hermione well, alright. She is a lovely girl. But also remember to be careful out there. It is still a dangerous time with those Death Eaters around."

"I promise, Mum," Ron said, "But I really do need to get going."

"Alright, dear," his mother said, before hugging him tightly, "You are getting so tall, it is a chore to hug you these days!"

Ron blushed again.

"I'll be keeping an eye on the clock, dear," his mother said, "So be sure to get back at a decent time."

"I promise, Mum," Ron repeated.

Before his mother could smother him again, he turned and headed back toward the sitting room. He reached the fireplace, and took some Floo Powder from the bag on the mantel, then threw it into the fireplace. He took another handful of the green powder, and stepped into the green fire.

"Diagon Alley!" he spoke with a clear voice, and felt his feet leave the ground.

Soon he emerged from the Floo, and into the Leaky Cauldron. He ignored the hustle and bustle of the patrons, and walked outside into Muggle London. He looked around to make sure everything was clear, then raised his wand arm. The Knight Bus arrived almost immediately, and when the door opened, he stepped onto the bus.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus," the conductor said, "I'm your conductor this evening, Stan Shunpike. Where bouts you headed?"

"Oxfordshire," Ron said, then gave the address of Hermione's house that she had given him earlier that year.

Ron paid Stan and sat down in a seat, just as the Knight Bus started off at high speed. Normally, a trip from London to Oxfordshire would take nearly two hours, but with the Knight Bus' dangerously high speeds, it only took about ten minutes. Before Ron knew it, the conductor had announced that they had arrived. Ron stood up and walked off the bus. Then as a thought crossed his mind, he turned back to the conductor.

"Er... it is possible I will be needing another ride on the bus," he said, "I'm not sure though."

"We'll be here if you raise your wand arm," Stan said.

"Er... alright, thanks," Ron said.

Stan smiled and the Knight Bus zoomed away. Ron cleared his throat and turned around, facing Hermione's house. It was a two-story house that looked almost identical to those around it. Ron couldn't tell the difference between most of the houses, and he very much hoped he had arrived at the right house. Ron's nerves were on edge, as he slowly made his way up the sidewalk. When he reached the door, he knocked on it three times.

Soon, the door opened, and and a man Ron recognized as Hermione's father stood there in the doorway. He winced slightly; he had rather hoped it was Hermione who had greeted him.

Ron cleared his throat. "Er... hello. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm -"

"Hermione's friend," Richard Granger said, "Yes, come on in."

Ron winced again, as he followed Richard into the house. He wasn't sure how he felt being referred to only as Hermione's "friend" by her father.

"Hermione!" Richard said, "Your friend's here!"

A moment later, Hermione appeared at the top of the steps that led to the second level. Ron smiled, being careful not to stare at her with her father nearby. He almost couldn't help it. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a blue skirt outfit that showed her curves off rather well, as well as a bit of leg. She was wearing the same heels that she had worn to the Yule Ball.

She smiled brightly, eyeing Ron as she made her way down the stairs. By this time, Hermione's mother had emerged from somewhere in the house, but Ron had only seen her now because his attention had been on Hermione.

"Er – Mum, Dad, I'm sure you remember Ron," Hermione said.

"Of course," Helen Granger said, "How do you do, young man?"

"I'm good," Ron said, "Nice to meet you again, Mrs. Granger."

"Oh, please it is Helen!" Helen said, with a smile. "Any boy who is dating my daughter should refer to me by my first name."

Ron raised his eyebrows and looked at Hermione. Had she already told them they were dating? The look on her face, however, told him she hadn't.

"How did you know, Mum?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, it is obvious!" Helen said, "The way you looked at each other, and said goodbye at King's Cross."

Ron winced again. He had done his best not to make his affections so obvious that day, but it seemed he had failed.

"Well – err – yeah," Hermione said, "We're dating. He's my boyfriend."

Richard raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised. It seemed, unlike his wife, he had no clue about his daughter's relationship with Ron. Ron did not like how Richard was remaining silent.

"Well, I suppose we better go, then," Hermione said. We'll be back by ten-o-clock, I promise."

"Do you need money, dear?" Helen asked.

"I have everything taken care of," Ron said.

Hermione raised her eyebrows as she looked at Ron. Ron only smiled in response.

"Very well," Helen said, "Have fun."

"Be safe," Richard said.

Ron did his best not to splutter. Certain topics from his discussion with his father had come to mind when he heard Richard's words. Though he was quite sure Richard didn't mean it like that.

Thankfully, Hermione seemed to see how nervous Ron was, because she opened the front door behind her, and led Ron out.

"Bye Mum, Dad!" Hermione said, "Love you."

"I love you too," Helen said, "Have fun, darling."

"Love you," Richard said.

Ron caught the man's eyes on him for a moment, before Helen shut the door.

"I'm sorry!" Hermione said, "I was hoping that would be less awkward."

"It's fine, really," Ron said.

Hermione smiled. "So... you have money?"

"Yeah, Mum gave me some Muggle money," Ron said, "I'm paying for everything. Isn't that what I am supposed to do?"

"Yeah," Hermione said, "I just wasn't sure – well, never mind."

"So what do you want to do?" Ron asked, "I know you said something about a – er – cinnamon?"

"Cinema," Hermione corrected, with a giggle, "Movie. There's a new movie that just came to the theater here in town that I really want to see. I figured we could go see the movie, then eat, unless you're hungry now."

"Whatever you want to do is fine with me," Ron said, "I'm paying."

"Alright," Hermione said, "The movie is going to start in half-an-hour, so I hope we can get to the theater in time."

Ron grinned and raised his wand hand. The Knight Bus appeared once again a moment later, and Ron and Hermione hastily boarded it.

"Welcome back," Stan said. "Where to, now?"

Hermione told Stan the name of the theater, and Ron paid for their fee. The bus started once again just as the couple sat down. Ron noticed Hermione looked rather wary of the bus. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Maybe we should have walked or something," Ron said.

"No, we'd never make it in time," Hermione said. "I'm quite fine just like this."

Ron felt heat rise in his cheeks once again as Hermione smiled and cuddled against him. The night was beginning quite well. He just hoped it continued that way.

Richard Granger stared out the window of the sitting room, his eyes blinking rapidly. He had just seen his daughter disappear into thin air with her date. He had seen his daughter disappear into thin air before. Hell, he had even done the very same through Apparition or whatever it was called. But still, he couldn't help but feel slightly off whenever he saw something magical happen to his daughter. Every time it made him feel as if he was slowly losing her.

He turned around and found Helen watching him with her hands on her hips.

"You're terrible, you know," she said.

"Pardon?" Richard asked.

"I saw how you were looking at that young man, Richard," Helen said. "You don't think he's good enough for her."

"No boy will ever be good enough for her," Richard said.

"Well, he's pretty darned close to it," Helen said, "He is quite the gentleman, and his family is just wonderful. I can already tell Hermione's madly in love with him."

Richard spluttered audibly, and Helen shook her head.

"Contradict me all you want, but it is the truth, dear," Helen said. "She loves him. And I do believe he loves her as well."

"How can you tell?" Richard asked.

"Because he looks at her the same way you look at me," Helen said.

Richard smiled softly. Perhaps his wife was right.

"I'm going to make dinner," Helen said, "Don't let me catch you looking out that window again tonight. And you better not lecture Hermione nor her boyfriend if they are out past ten."

"Yes, dear," Richard said.

Helen shook her head and turned and headed toward the kitchen.

"And I do believe I asked you to fix that air conditioner!" she said, loudly, "I know there is a heatwave going on, but it is rather frigid inside the house."

Richard nodded, though he was pretty sure he had already fixed the infernal machine. He sighed deeply and headed out of the living room in the direction of the air conditioner, still thinking about Hermione and the boy she was apparently deeply in love with.

Less than three hours later, Ron and Hermione were sitting at a table in a small diner a short walking distance from the movie theater. The diner was fairly empty. Other than those who worked there, the only guests were an elderly couple and a family with two young children. Ron and Hermione had both ordered deli sandwiches and crisps for dinner; neither were hungry for more than that after sharing a large tub of popcorn while watching the movie.

Hermione stared at Ron as he started on his sandwich. He hadn't said much since the movie finished. She wasn't really sure if he had liked it. It was an excellent movie in her opinion, surely a contender at some award shows in the future. It was the first time he had ever seen a movie, or really anything involving something like it. Perhaps he was still trying to understand everything.

"How did you like the movie?" Hermione asked.

"It was brilliant!" Ron said, smiling.

"Really?" Hermione said, with a smile, "You just haven't said much, so I wasn't sure if you liked it."

"I suppose I'm just trying to get it through my head," Ron said. "It was based on a true story, yeah?"

"Yeah," Hermione said, "a pretty famous one."

"So," Ron lowered his voice so as not to be overheard by the Muggles around them, "Muggles really have gone into outer space then?"

"Yeah," Hermione said, "For a few decades now."

"But it seems so dangerous!" Ron said. "I mean... those people in that ship nearly died."

"It is dangerous, yes," Hermione said. "But there has also been successful missions to the moon."

"Blimey," Ron said, "The things Muggles can do without magic."

Hermione smiled and nodded, and continued eating her sandwich. Suddenly, she heard a clicking sound coming from the direction of the windows. Curious, she glanced at the window and her eyes widened when she saw patches of frost begin to form on the glass.

"Ron," Hermione whispered urgently.

Ron popped a crisp in his mouth. "Hmm?"

Hermione pointed at the window, and Ron looked toward it. His eyes widened.

"That's not normal," Ron said, "Frost on a stifling warm evening?"

A rush of frigid air crept over them. It was then that Hermione realized what was going on.

"Dementors!" Hermione whispered urgently.

A mix of fright and grim determination crossed Ron's face. He hastily put some money down on the table, and he and Hermione stood up and hurried out of the diner. The frigid air was more evident as they exited the building.

"Fight or flight?" Ron asked.

"I-I don't know," Hermione said, "We're underage, but – if we're right then – the Muggles, Ron!"

"Fight then," Ron said, "Happy thoughts, Hermione. Follow the cold air, you reckon?"

Hermione nodded, and she and Ron both summoned their wands from their holsters. She grasped Ron's free hand firmly with her own, and the couple walked toward the direction of the colder air. This lead them toward on alleyway on the side of the diner. Hermione's eyes widened in fright as she saw a Dementor hovering a few feet away in the alleyway. A realization hit Hermione, but before she could speak up, Ron pointed his wand at the Dementor.

"No, Ron!" Hermione said, just as Ron unleashed his Patronus.

Hermione looked on as Ron's large, silver Lion Patronus emerged from his wand and ran toward the Dementor. The lion hit the Dementor, and a loud shriek pierced through the air. However, the shriek had come from behind them.

"There's another one!" Hermione said; she had realized there from the chilly air, that there had to be more than one in order to affect the temperature that much.

She turned around just in time to see a Dementor swooping in on them from the direction of the road.

"Expecto Patronum!" she said, thinking about when she had cuddled up with Ron on the Knight Bus.

The silver otter emerged from her wand and scurried toward the Dementor, which let off another piercing shriek when the Patronus hit it. Both Dementors retreated, but before Hermione could wonder why the creatures were there in Oxfordshire, she heard multiple cracks of Apparation. Around her and Ron, several Aurors appeared in the alleyway. The Aurors surrounded the young pair, two on either side of them, their wands out.

"Ron?" a familiar voice called out, "Hermione? Wands down, everyone!"

Sirius Black pushed between two of the Aurors and walked toward Hermione and Ron.

"Sirius!" Hermione said, "Dementors! Two of them!"

"Dementors, eh?" one of the Aurors said, "Is that your excuse for using underage magic in public?!"

"Silence, Staples," Sirius ordered the Auror; "I'll take care of this. The rest of you! Make sure there weren't any Muggle witnesses. I'm going to take these two home." He turned back to Ron and Hermione and offered them his hands. "We'll go to your house first, Hermione. I remember where it is."

Hermione nodded, and took Sirius' hand, as Ron took the other. She felt the air leave her lungs and her sight went dark. Her sight and breath returned a moment later, and she found she was standing in front of her house. But what she didn't expect to see were more Aurors standing in her front yard.

"What's going on?" Sirius demanded; one of the Aurors walked toward them, "Dawlish, what is this all about?"

"She lives here, yes?" the Auror, Dawlish said.

"This is my house, yeah," Hermione said, panic attempting to claim her.

"Why are you here?" Sirius asked.

"We received word that a witch living here broke the Restriction for Underage Wizardry and came to investigate," Dawlish said, "When we arrived, we found -"

The Auror stopped abruptly and looked at Hermione, with a worried expression. Hermione looked from the Auror to her house. She ran past Dawlish and hurried toward the house.

"Hermione, wait!" Ron said.

Although she heard Ron's footsteps behind her, she did not wait for him. She hurried through the open door, and found more people inside. She walked toward the living room, where there were three men crowded around.

"What's going on?" Hermione demanded, "Where's my Mum and Dad?!"

"Young lady," one of the wizards said, "You shouldn't be here right now."

"Where are my parents?!" Hermione growled, her voice breaking.

"Answer her question," Sirius said behind her.

The man who spoke up looked his associates and nodded. They backed away, and Hermione saw what appeared to be a body laying on the floor of her sitting room. Ron grabbed her and held her against him, hugging her tightly.

"Don't look, Hermione," he whispered. "Look at me. No, Hermione –!"

Hermione couldn't help it. She looked over her shoulder at the sight behind her. What she thought was one body turned out to be two. Her parents lay there, with wide eyes, and slack jaws, their lips a deep blue. It seemed Richard Granger's last living moments were his failed attempts to protect his wife.

Hermione gasped, choking on her tears, and she went limp, fainting in Ron's arms.

– hides under the blankets on his bed – I'm sorry! Don't blame me! It is my muse, I swear!

This chapter was originally going to be called "A Demented Date", but I knew it would give out spoilers, so I didn't give the chapter a title. Nor did I put "Warning: Character Deaths" for the same reason. It would have given away the shocking final scenes to this chapter.

This chapter starts a small storyline. Everything will become clear over the next chapter or two.

So if memory serves me correctly, this is the third time I've killed off Hermione's parents. Damn my muse!

I am attempting to refrain from using (Name of character's PoV) at the start of each scene. Could you understand whose PoV it was in each scene?

The movie Ron and Hermione saw was Apollo 13, which was released in theaters on the exact date in this chapter.

Next chapter: The aftermath of this event, guest starring Howlers and much more!