ok guys here i am, alive and well but so busy and tired, i'm sorry for the lack of updates, life is simply out of hand although it's good to have so many changes, i promise i'll try my best to have more updates in the next weeks :)

Enjoy...

Chapter Six – Under the Carpet

"We'll let them know a few minutes before the portkeys are activated and then we'll leave as I asked of my coach for Grimmauld.' Harry muttered as he moved down the corridor with Hermione by his side and the Potters' ghosts behind them as guardians who are watching the alive couple's steps.

He had just returned from his little chat with Oliver Wood his coach in the national team requesting the portkey that would lead to number twelve of Grimmauld. Thankfully, Wood was way too happy with the world cup and proud to be the savor's co-player and old co-student that he didn't mind Harry's "miscalculation", as Wood had called the accidental marriage Harry had told him about. Harry only wished things would be that easy with the rest of the world.

The accidentally married couple of friends was soon entering the buzzing from noise room where everyone was having their breakfast before the portkeys could be given to the groups. Ron was nowhere to be seen during meal time and that said something. Harry and Hermione spotted the table where their seats would be waiting, among the Weasleys.

People welcomed them with cheerful words, some pats on the back and handshakes as the euphoria of the Cup's victory lingered on. Both harry and Hermione could feel the creepiness of the people's eyes both for the secret they held for a while longer and the two very dead War Heroes they had trailing behind them unseen by anyone else.

Molly Weasley welcomed them first with kisses on the cheeks and beckoning for them to sit down and have breakfast.

'My dear ones, we sent Ron for you but he never returned, we guess he slept somewhere in some corner after his headache.' Molly said, showing her disproval of her son's habits. Hermione however didn't miss Lily's stare at Molly while talking and greeting the young people, she decided however to let it go for now.

Hermione herself started staring however at Ginny the moment the ginger girl started smiling at Harry with that ridiculous brown eyes at him as if he was a demigod or something. Married to her best friend or not, she was tired of Ginny acting like that around him, she had talked to the youngest Weasley in the past about her relationship and feelings for Harry but after a point, Ginny would only get jealous and start accusing Hermione of the same things Ron accused her of. She watched Ginny staring at Harry, his surroundings as if she was waiting for the moment to go near him, talk to him or touch him yet she remained back, staring with a disturbing intensity. Only now, Hermione realized the girl would have a reason for accusations as she and Harry were about to announce their marriage… She gulped down the knot in her throat and decided to stop staring for now…

'We found Ron and you'll probably see him again in England.' Harry said and the Weasleys looked at him in wonder.

'He's that sleepy?' George asked with a small smile, even after all those years from the war, he still looked odd at his own with Fred taken from the battle of Hogwarts.

'Well, lets be clear here since it'll be all crazy about it anyway.' Harry muttered before he could glance at Hermione and take her acceptance by her little nod. 'Last night Hermione and I got drunk, went to Vegas and got married.' Harry said and left the table of people around him along a couple of tables around theirs in silence.

'According to Wizarding Law we're bound to stay married for a total of seventy seven days and the moment we return to England, which will be the soonest, we'll contact the ministry for the legal issues of the whole deal and the intention of annulling the marriage the day we're allowed to.' Harry added and Hermione had remained silent although she felt the heat of embarrassment on her cheeks. She could also feel the glaring eyes of Molly and Ginny on her exclusively. The thought of needing to talk to her own parents remained inside her head from the moment she knew she should let the Wizarding World know.

'I can't believe this…' Ginny whispered first, glaring between Harry and Hermione while Molly was left speechless to do the same.

'Congratulations….' George said with a knowing, mischievous smile that let everyone wondering while Arthur muttered something about such legal issues taking some time but "not being a big deal legally once annulled".

Harry didn't let anyone else add something as he stood up and waited for Hermione to do the same as at that moment the Ministry employees were entering the room to give the portkeys to the groups appointed to return to England.

'I guess the next days will be full for us so for the time being, excuse us if we're not to see you frequently. We'll try our best to visit the Burrow the soonest after the storm has calmed.' Harry added with a voice hard enough not to allow to anyone the smallest interference. Hermione felt grateful as the glares of Molly and Ginny on her were less than obvious and at that moment she was glad Harry had taken care of the talking to them. The presence of Lily and James close to them also felt good and safe but she was glad to stand up from her seat and move along Harry to the guy who approached them exclusively and gave them a pencil.

'Mr. and Mrs. Potter, the portkey leading to Grimmauld Place number twelve will be activated in three minutes. I am obliged to remind you that your presence in the Minister's office is requested for the appointed day he has set for you.' The young woman with the Asian features and the name Maria on the label informed both, she seemed stoic before the presence of two "famous" people that had just gotten married and Harry would have sweared he remembered the girl as an older Slytherin student in his first years but he couldn't be sure.

'Thank you, have a nice day.' Hermione said as she took the pen and looked at Harry, Lily and James. She didn't dare look at the dumbfounded people on the table they had just left behind them. 'That went well, I suppose.' She finally concluded and Harry gave a small bitter chuckle and a nod.

'It could have gone better, if some people were brave enough to see the obvious,' Lily commented while she kept staring at the Weasleys unseen herself from the world. Hermione fetl as if Lily wasn't that pleased about the staring and glaring that had taken place and as a Gryffindor of her own right, she wasn't too subtle about her feelings.

Harry looked at his mother with a sense of pride for her. He was glad other people also saw what he had been seeing ever since the end of the war. He was glad he shouldn't feel guilty over seeing the truth of his almost foster family.

'Well, we'll have more things than this to think about once back in England.' James said and everyone nodded as the question about who is using the stone was adamant.

Hermione felt her stomach dropping as she saw Ginny standing up and moving towards them while looking at Harry with eyes unread. The Brunette was only glad that the portkey activated itself and she and Harry apparated far away from the almost confrontation.

The portkey trip lasted –as expected- two hours of swirling in colors and places until both Hermione and Harry reached London and Grimmauld in an aftermath of nausea and confusion.

'I hate this part,' Harry grimaced as he stumbled the few steps to number twelve as the portkey deactivated itself in Hermione's hand.

The familiar steps of Grimmauld Place number 12 showed themselves before the young couple of friends and spouses and when the entire house was done revealing itself to them, Harry moved up the stairs of the entrance with Hermione following behind him and opened the door of the house.

The Grimmauld Hermione had helped decorate or actually renovate had nothing to do with the gloomy house the Order of the Phoenix had used back in the war as headquarters. Gryffindor colors mixed with mahogany furniture, rich fabrics and beautiful decorative objects gave a cozy feeling but nothing too classical or overwhelming as Harry was the minimalistic type.

They had to call the ministry department of misused objects to remove Mrs. Black furious portrait, have the name Potter thrown here and there for some special privilege to have the license for internal illumination of the house through the walls so the house could always give an impression of lightness and happiness. Something desperately needed as many times the hours of the night were full of nightmare and the sleepless hours that followed had to be spent in light as to keep the sanity of it all. The house was renovated by Hermione in the way that would help a war hero that was also the victim to get over the horrors of the war.

'Padfoot told us to let you know that he really likes the way the house looks now.' James said casually behind them and for the couple of friends brought themselves back from the relief they had felt the moment they entered the house they both considered theirs, their shelter. James' words made both sigh and smile at the same time. Of course Sirius would like the house, he liked Hermione so much, trusted her with his escape from Hogwarts.

'We better let you two get some rest,' Lily said, looking pointedly at her husband who smiled sheepishly again and nodded before he could vanish for the night. Lily smiled at the exhausted by the trip and the hour change, people before her. 'Take it easy, guys,' she only said as she too, vanished from their sight for the rest of the night.

'Since it's afternoon, we could have some dinner and wait for the time difference to get on us. Tomorrow I'll have to show up for the fiesta in the afternoon but first, we'll go to the ministry.' Harry said and Hermione simply nodded, she was drained, and the return to England it all made the errors of the past day more real, the ministry, the public, Harry's team, her parents, the rest of their circles of friends and colleagues. She wondered what kind of chaos would break before her bookstore from reporters and prying eyes when she'll have to reopen on Wednesday. She sighed and started moving for the kitchen of Grimmauld when Harry took her hand and she stopped to look at him.

'It'll be alright,' Harry suggested and took both her hands in his. He hated seeing her like this, it unnerved him to know she's so sad and troubled because of what they did, something he so much enjoyed at the time of doing it, both the marriage and what followed.

'It's just a big mess and we need to figure it all out.' Hermione whispered and Harry sighed and nodded as he pulled her slightly closer to him.

'I know…' he whispered this time and let her hand to cup her cheek. 'We've been through worse… we'll pull through, by the time we'll have to officially split up, the people will have forgotten about us.' He tried to show her it was no big deal, it was all about the legal issues, she asked him not to touch what it all meant for the both of them and he'd respect her wish for now, they indeed had a lot in their heads, and a threat that brought back his parents to consider but for now, he could comfort her in the only way he knew how as a man: the wrong one.

It was all a deal, she had to see it like this, like he saw it, because she asked him to see it like this herself, still it hurt to know he just wanted to be done with it, with them. What was wrong with her? What did she want? What did she want from him? Wasn't he –like always- trying to follow her lead? Wasn't it what she wanted? Did she expect some love confession of undying faith and care? Didn't she had those things already? A war proved it. And from the other hand, she had to let everyone know because they would learn anyway. She had to tell her parents, her friends, solve the issue with the Potters' ghosts, protect her property and Harry's, keep her shop running and somehow spend the rest seventy six days in peace with what she had done.

'A big mess, indeed. I think I'll skip dinner and go to bed, two hours of the portkey travel exhausted me.' She finally concluded and moved away from Harry, leaving his hands to fall to his sides in defeat.

'Goodnight, Hermione,' he could only say as he watched her moving up the stairs to the room she had chosen from the time they had decided to fix the house.

'Night, Harry,' she only answered and he could hear in her tone all the exhaustion, sadness and worry reflected in his own heart…

ok our babies are jumping around and not in the point, i think it's in their nature to hide everything under the carpet, what you think guys? we're close to see the encounter of them against everyone in the wizarding world

thank you for reading, please review