A/N: Next chapter is going to be a big one, I think. Mainly because it'll be the twentieth chapter, but partly because it's going to feature Harry and Lilah on their "date-not-date". I also plan to include a response from Snakebinder Academy regarding Lilah's old friend Dawn. It's not particularly germane to the bigger picture, but it's old friendships that give Lilah a bit more depth.
I'm doing my best to make Lilah feel like a plausible character in the HP universe, and not merely something shoehorned into the story. I wish I could use a time turner to go back 30 years and talk to JKR and tell her to include Lilah as a character because she is a super sweet girl and one that "gets" Harry better than any of his other friends, even to a higher degree than Hermione. She is altruistic, but she's still flawed (even though I might not be doing the best job of exposing her flaws). She's not the best flyer, so she's not exactly Quidditch team material, and while she's clearly bright - she's roughly as intelligent as Hermione is, but she's a little less likely to figure out a logical puzzle, but she's also more outgoing than Hermione is and can 'read' people better, so there is a bit of a tradeoff.
I promise I'm not trying to insinuate that Harry 'wants' either Lilah or Hermione as possible romantic partners. He's eleven, so his relationships with both are purely platonic, and he may still end up with Ginny for all I know. I do think that he's more 'compatible' with Lilah should they pursue something beyond simple friendship, but for the purposes of this story, there are no pairings beyond friendship. This is the start of a different Golden Trio, where it's Harry, Lilah, and Hermione, rather than Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Lilah brings a very different dynamic than Ron does (and while I do feel a little guilty relegating Ron to "secondary friend" status like Neville, Seamus, and Dean) - she has many of the traits Ron possesses such as loyalty and perseverance, but she's also way smarter than Ron is (no disrespect intended) and she's the level-headed "voice of reason" that Ron definitely is not, and arguably, Harry and Hermione are not either.
I would also use that Time Turner to convince JKR to allow someone who isn't technically British/Irish to be a main cast member, and I would encourage a ten/eleven-year-old Margot Robbie (who was every bit the unknown the rest of the Golden Trio were at that point) to try out for Lilah. No, she's not a natural blonde (she might be a dishwater blonde, not the Goldilocks Lilah is) but I think she'd totally kill it as Lilah. For those who have their doubts, she is a massive, massive Potterhead. There are quite a few photos of her on her (I think) 13th birthday reading a Harry Potter book with Harry Potter-esque glasses. She didn't want to be Hermione - no, she wanted to be Harry!
She's an artist with tremendous range, and I think if given the opportunity she could have perfectly nailed the "girl next door" character that Lilah is, even though she's more renowned for 'edgier' roles. Oh, and she married a Slytherin extra - which is a very cool factoid in and of itself! That being said, read on - this is again mainly Harry & Hermione, but those who like the Harry & Lilah arc, I promise the next chapter will be worth the read. I'm going to try to work something special in there as well - no spoilers here, sorry.
Lastly, I do not own the rights to the Harry Potter Universe. The plot is original, that's it. I also do not own the rights to Van Morrison's 'Brown Eyed Girl'. I am making exactly zero galleons, sickles, or knuts from this piece.
Harry and Hermione followed the instructions Professor McGonagall provided and found themselves at the edge of Hogsmeade Village faster than anyone could say "Alohamora."
The two friends saw a building with three rather crooked-looking chimneys down the road; they surmised that this was the Three Broomsticks. Their hunch proved correct when a bubbly red-haired hostess with a pixie cut greeted the kids enthusiastically.
"Hello, young friends! Welcome to the Three Broomsticks!" she said. She then stood, arms akimbo, looking them over. She smiled again. "You're a cute couple, but you also look like you're underclassmen. Do you have permission slips from a Hogwarts faculty member?"
Harry and Hermione produced their permission notes from Professor McGonagall, and then handed them to the hostess to review. She waved her wand at the notes to check for forgeries, and then nodded her approval. "Thank you so much, you two! If you'll follow me, please, I'll take you to your table." She led them to a small round table by a wall. "A server will be with you to take your order shortly. Ta!"
About five minutes later, a blonde ponytailed waitress stopped by Harry and Hermione's table. "Hiya, cuties," she said in a friendly voice. "Would you like to start off with a couple of butterbeers?"
"That would be terrific," replied Harry. "Thank you." The waitress took down Harry and Hermione's order and took it to the bartender.
A few minutes later, the blonde server returned with a couple of glasses of foamy butterbeers for Harry and Hermione. "Here you are, dears. Enjoy!"
"These butterbeers are delicious, Harry," Hermione said. "I don't want to have too much tonight because they are rather sweet…"
Harry smiled. "I understand, Hermione. I think just a couple should do it for myself, as well."
"Thank you for inviting me tonight, Harry," replied Hermione. "Nobody's ever invited me to anything before, really… this means a lot to me." She grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it gently.
"You're my princess tonight," Harry said with a smile. "I just want you to feel, well… wanted."
Hermione flashed a radiant smile of her own. "I do, Harry. It's a wonderful feeling." She squeezed Harry's hand again. "I've never met a boy like you. You're intelligent, you're sweet, and you actually listen to me. You truly, truly care – you're the first person outside my family to treat me the way you do, and I love you for it." She giggled. "In a platonic way, of course."
Harry chuckled. "I love you as a friend too, Hermione. You were there for me yesterday even though you knew it was going to be an uncomfortable experience. Thank you for being there, I promise your being there meant a lot to me."
He leaned over and whispered into Hermione's ear. "I can relate about not having friends. My cousin Dudley made sure of it. I mean, he and his gang would harass me nonstop. For example, they'd duct tape a soccer ball to my hands and play 'smear the queer' in the backyard. They'd chase me, then they'd tackle me, and then they'd tickle me, and call me all sorts of ugly names… it was humiliating."
Hermione looked like she was about to cry again. "It's okay, really, it is," Harry told her reassuringly. "They don't want me back, and Professor McGonagall promised me that I won't be going back. That's good enough for me." He smiled at his friend. "I'm not going to think about the past. I'm just enjoying the moment now – just you and me - and I know we're going to have a lot of fun together going forward. That makes my heart smile."
Hermione's expression immediately brightened. "I'm enjoying the moment, too," she murmured. She leaned over and gave him a smooch on the cheek. "I'm a very, very lucky girl to have you as a friend."
A few minutes later, the blonde server returned to their table. "Would you like for me to top off those butterbeers, dears?" she asked sweetly.
"Yes please," both Harry and Hermione answered. The server took their butterbeer glasses back to the bar to have them refilled, and returned just a minute or so later. "Here you are, lovelies," she said with a bright smile.
"Thank you," Harry and Hermione said to the server.
"My pleasure, dears," replied the server. "Let me know when you're ready to pay the tab."
Hermione smiled at Harry. "I can't wait to have you at our place for Christmas. I know Lilah's a little disappointed, but there's always Easter… and it sounds like you're more likely to spend the summers with the Darlings."
"I don't see why the three of us can't get together some during the summer," Harry replied. "I'm not sure if you're from the greater London area or not, but it looks like the Darlings live in Chiswick."
"Did Lilah tell you?" Hermione asked.
"Erm, not exactly," Harry said. "She showed me the letter her parents sent to her earlier this morning, and I saw the return address on the envelope."
"I see," replied Hermione. She smiled sweetly. "No, that's not too terribly far from my family, actually. I'm sure we could all meet up a couple of times during our summer break."
Harry beamed. "I know you and Lilah are very close friends, too. Maybe you two can exchange numbers so we can talk on the telephone during the holidays. I know that would make her very happy."
Hermione smiled radiantly. "And that would make me very happy, too. I'm sure we can arrange that."
A few minutes later, the server returned to check on Harry and Hermione. "Would you like to be topped off again, dears?"
Harry smiled at the server. "Last time for each of us, please. And if you could please bring the check when you come back."
"Very well, young man," the server replied sweetly. "I'll return in a jiffy."
She returned with freshly-topped butterbeer glasses, and the check. "Thank you for stopping by the Three Broomsticks this evening, my lovelies," the server said cheerfully. "Have a terrific weekend!"
"You do the same," replied Harry. "We had a great time."
The two friends downed their butterbeers. "Do you need to use the loo before we leave?" Harry asked Hermione. She nodded, and got up from her seat. Harry reached into his pocket and produced a single galleon to pay the tab.
Hermione returned a couple of minutes later. "All done," she said with a giggle. "Do you need to go?"
Harry shrugged. "Sure, why not. And if the server comes back, tell her to keep the change. It would be just a couple of sickles back, anyway."
A few minutes later, Harry and Hermione left the Three Broomsticks and made their way back to Hogwarts. About halfway between Hogsmeade Village and Hogwarts, Harry stopped for a moment.
"Hermione," Harry said rather shyly. "I have something I want to tell you."
"What's that, Harry?" Hermione asked sweetly.
Harry smiled, and started singing Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl in a stirring tenor:
"Hey, where did we go?
Days when the rains came
Down in the hollow
Playin' a new game
Laughin' and a-runnin', hey, hey
Skippin' and a-jumpin'
In the misty morning fog with
Our, our hearts a-thumping and you
My brown-eyed girl
And you, my brown-eyed girl
And whatever happened
To Tuesday and so slow?
Going down the old mine with a
Transistor radio
Standing in the sunlight laughing
Hiding 'hind a rainbow's wall
Slipping and sliding
All along the waterfall with you
My brown-eyed girl
You, my brown-eyed girl
Do you remember when we used to sing?
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da
Just like that
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da, la-tee-da
So hard to find my way
Now that I'm all on my own
I saw you just the other day
My, how you have grown
Cast my memory back there, Lord
Sometimes I'm overcome thinking 'bout it
Making love in the green grass
Behind the stadium with you
My brown-eyed girl
You, my brown-eyed girl
Do you remember when we used to sing?
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da"
Hermione hugged Harry tightly. "That was wonderful, Harry. Thank you." She flashed a very radiant smile. "Did you do that… just for me?"
Harry shrugged. "Well… yeah, I did. I wanted to do something special for you. You're my brown eyed girl, Hermione. You always will be."
"You took me out for butterbeers, Harry. That was special in and of itself, but you learned to sing a special song, just for me. You're a true treasure, Harry Potter. I'm less self-conscious and insecure whenever I'm with you… you really do treat me like a princess." She gave him several quick pecks on his cheek and forehead.
Harry's heart fluttered. "Whoa," he said softly, his cheeks a deep shade of scarlet. The two friends embraced each other warmly for a minute or two.
They reached the castle at about nine o'clock that evening, where Professor McGonagall stood right by the secret entrance that led to Hogsmeade Village.
"Hello, dears," she purred. "I trust you two had a good time tonight?"
"We did, Professor," Hermione said. "We had a great time tonight. Thanks for allowing us to have the evening to ourselves."
"It's my pleasure, young lady," trilled Professor McGonagall. "And you two look very, very nice, by the way."
"Thank you, Professor," said Harry. "Oh, and I'll owl you tomorrow regarding the next outing to Hogsmeade."
"Very good, Mister Potter," replied Professor McGonagall. She smiled warmly. "And I sincerely thank you for being mindful of curfew, and arriving back on campus with time to spare. As long as you both keep up with your studies and stay out of trouble, I may permit another such excursion to Hogsmeade Village for you two later in the term if you'd like."
"That would be terrific, Professor," replied Harry. "Because Hermione and I had a lot of fun tonight."
Hermione giggled. "He's a pretty good singer too, Professor. He sang to me on our way back to Hogwarts."
Professor McGonagall arched her eyebrows. "Did he now, Miss Granger? What did he sing, if I may ask?"
Hermione giggled again. "Brown Eyed Girl. It's a song by a muggle musician named Van Morrison."
Professor McGonagall chuckled. "I vaguely remember that song from about twenty odd years ago." She turned to Harry. "So, Harry, how did you come about that song? It's before your time I think."
Harry's face turned bright red. "I… well… I asked Hermione if there was a special song she had, and she said that Brown Eyed Girl was the song her father used to sing when she was younger."
Hermione beamed. "Harry sings it much better than my father, for sure." She gave him a little side-hug.
"I also owled Professor Burbage to help me learn the song as she's the Professor of Muggle Studies. She lent me a portable cassette player to listen to the song and memorize it," Harry explained.
Professor McGonagall smiled at Harry. "Yes, she would have been the best resource for that sort of thing. I do hope you were discreet about it, as we don't really permit the use of Muggle devices outside of a purely academic environment."
Harry nodded. "Yes, Professor. She told me to use it strictly in the dormitory and common room area, as we really don't want to have it falling in the wrong hands. In fact, I feel kind of guilty sharing this with you because she didn't really want me telling anyone that I was in possession of such a device."
Professor McGonagall chuckled again. "It's quite all right, Harry. If you can trust me with your past, I think you can trust me with something as trivial as a Muggle cassette player. Just be sure to return the device to her exactly as you found it."
"I fully plan on it," Harry replied earnestly. "She was very kind to let me borrow it, and I don't want to ruin it for future students should they have similar requests in the future."
"She's a perfectly reasonable witch, Harry," agreed Professor McGonagall. "I trust her judgement very much. I don't think she would have lent it to just anyone, at least without good reason." She smiled at Harry and Hermione. "You have about forty-five minutes to spend together in the common room, if you'd wish. I don't want to keep you any further. I just wanted to check up on you to see if you had a good time, and to let you know how lovely the both of you look tonight."
"Thank you, Professor. Thank you for making this evening possible." Harry and Hermione said. "We'll see you later."
"Please let me know if you need anything. I'm just an owl away," replied Professor McGonagall. "Please remember that I'm more than just a Transfiguration instructor, or a house head. I'm also a resource that is always willing to lend whatever assistance I can – day or night." She gave Harry and Hermione each a quick hug, and then escorted them to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry and Hermione just sat in the common room for the next forty-five minutes and chatted about anything and everything – about how much fun they had together, about how excited they were at the prospect of spending Christmas together – including phoning Lilah, and the three of them getting together a few times during the summer, just to enjoy being kids.
At about five minutes until ten, it was time to say good night.
"Good night, Hermione," Harry said softly. "I had a terrific time with you this evening. Thank you for being my, well… princess tonight. I can't wait to do it again sometime. It sounds like Professor McGonagall might let us go again in a few months."
"Good night, Harry," Hermione replied. "I had a terrific time with you. It's nice just to relax and be children for a few hours. You make me feel special, Harry, in a way nobody else can. I would love another opportunity to go back to Hogsmeade Village with you in a few months."
The two friends hugged each other warmly, before they returned to their respective rooms for the evening.
Second A/N: I toyed with Hermione giving Harry a quick peck on the lips after their butterbeers, but I don't think that's something she'd do, even as a giddy firstie. She clearly loves Harry, but more like a 'kid brother' than a 'boyfriend'. Besides, if there's going to be a peck on the lips, I think that honor should be reserved for Lilah. She clearly loves Harry too, but neither in a 'kid brother' nor in a 'boyfriend' way, sort of in-between. I will stress that there will not be any actual 'dating' in this fanfic. I'm also aware that the canonical relationship between Harry and Hermione was always platonic, and I do want to respect that relationship, so any smooches from Hermione will always on the forehead or cheek - just friendly little affectionate pecks letting Harry know that she appreciates the way he treats her. And 99% of Lilah's pecks will be the same, but maybe one quick smooch on the lips in the heat of the moment isn't out of the question (can you imagine Daniel Radcliffe and Margot Robbie kissing on screen? I'm not sure how that would go, heh)