Author's note:
I was so damn busy with school the last two weeks. That's what kept me from finishing this chapter a few days earlier.
But hey, I've got good news: The winter holidays start for me in a week, and as everybody knows the last week before the holidays is quite unexciting, so I'll have more time to write in the near future. It's time to gain some progress, I don't want to write about summer 95 for the rest of the story!
This chapter is a chronological collection of a few scenes that I imagine took place during summer 95, and they all have a really good justification to be included, but you'll see.
Also, this is by far the longest chapter so far, but the horitontal breaks make it easy to stop reading if you don't want to rush through the entire chapter in one go.
Now, have fun with chapter 12!
Summer continued splendidly for Harry and Hermione.
Besides his nightly visions that became more and more occasional the better he got in occlumency, Harry had the best summer of his life.
It reminded him a lot of his life at Hogwarts, learning during the day and relaxing in the evening, just that his first lesson started at ten a.m. and not eight a.m. - something he enjoyed thoroughly.
Harry wasn't necessarily a prodigy when it came to spell work, but his tenacious attitude and his drive to accomplish the things he deemed necessary to master were the two key ingredients to his rapid success in lessons. Well, actually there were three.
He was sure that he wouldn't be half as good without his best friend inspiring him again and again to push himself further, no matter the subject.
The smiles of pure pride she shot him whenever he did something amazing were reason enough for him to master whatever was thrown at him. But there also was a sense of competition during their lessons.
Hermione's ambitious nature rubbed off on him, and whenever they had to compete against each other, no matter how casual the task, neither Harry nor Hermione wanted the other one to be victorious in the end. It made their relationship even more exciting.
But not only their dynamic became more exciting, SHE became more and more exciting for him with every day that passed.
No matter what she wore or how much she covered of herself after that fateful football match, she remained as alluring to him as she had been in sports clothes.
Sometimes he was just fawning over the small things like when she bit her lower lip in thought or the way her hand would occasionally play with a strand of her hair, but whenever they had their PE lessons with Mad-Eye Moody, he didn't only have to improve his physical stamina but also his ability to not stare at his best friend's glorious body – though no matter how hard he tried, sometimes he just couldn't help it.
But despite his hidden desire for the brunette and her unawareness of it, their friendship deepened even more.
The only time of the day where they weren't spending their time together was when they were sleeping or after their activities in the evening and shortly before their first lesson.
Hermione learned more about her best friend as a person in those few weeks than she had in the last years of their time at Hogwarts and Harry didn't feel remotely different.
They got to know all the facades of the other: From Harry's occasional anger to Hermione's bossiness, those weeks taught them how to deal with the monsters that were caged for the majority of time inside themselves, and it gave them a new level of understanding, a new level of trust: Because they knew there was one person that was willing to face the ugly in order to make the beautiful reappear…
The dark lord apparated outside of Salisbury.
He travelled in the cover of dark, a clear black sky his trusty companion as even the moon decided to hide himself from the necromancer.
His steps were silent on the grassy ground below him and the wind seemed to whisper in his presence, calmly warning anybody around Lord Voldemort that there was danger looming not far away.
For weeks now he had searched the ancient relict of Stonehenge for any information about the Tomb of the Seven that without a doubt had to be hidden beneath the relict's ground.
No kind of detection spell worked for the dark wizard, the only thing that assured him that he was at the right place was the aura of darkness he felt around this place, a pleasant and familiar pulse in his veins.
"I, heir of Salazar Slytherin and mightiest of necromancers am willing to realize your vision. I, and I alone desire to rule the world, for you have proven that true power cannot be shared. Reveal thyself." Voldemort whispered in parsel tongue again and again as the many arches of stone came closer. Nothing happened.
The dark lord assumed that the entrance to the tomb would only reveal itself when directly addressed in a language more or less reserved for dark wizards.
Like so many times before he touched the ancient and rough stones that were at least three millenniums old and tried to feel some sort of connection to the past of this place. For magic, especially dark magic, leaves it's traces.
This architecture had been the witness of the first dark wizards that Britain had ever seen, seven alchemists that strived for more than the power of the living.
Voldemort knew the tale that was the foundation for the most important rule of necromancy: To never share power.
The seven alchemists, mostly referred to as the Seven, dreamed of creating a connection from the mortal world to the world of the dead that was mainly known as Elegia.
Desiring to control those who couldn't feel pain nor love to rule over mortal lives, they raised the structure that was nowadays known as Stonehenge, in the midst of it's circle a legendary archway that allowed to wander between the two worlds. But everything came with a price.
Every human that passed the boundaries of one realm had to kill one of his kind in order to be granted passage to Elegia. And so they slaughtered those who they didn't deem worthy to live and pushed them into the archway as the light left their eyes, the newly freed soul the price for the voyage.
Skilled as the Seven were, they manipulated the dead to fight for their cause and it looked like it was only a matter of time before they conquered the entire planet, with an army that couldn't be killed at their service.
But within a day, the Seven lost everything. Their lives, their power.. And the world forgot about them just as quickly as they had ascended.
Only legends about them survived, legends that existed nowhere but within the circles of those familiar with the dark arts, people that were capable of understanding the script of necromantic runes. And for many, this legend remained a story, purely created to warn any aspiring necromancer of sharing his power with others. For that was the Seven's doom.
It is not known how and why the Seven so suddenly snapped and killed each other, but their drive to do so was not such a mystery: Distrust.
The stronger they grew, the more they feared that one of them might betray the other six in order to rule alone, a fear that lives within everybody with real power.
And although their bodies were destroyed during the act that later was called "Barathrum", three things should define their heritage forever: The law of the one dark lord, the arch of the two worlds and the tomb of the seven.
As the law of the one dark lord became reality ever since, despite the assumption that the seven alchemists never existed, the archway disappeared, making Stonehenge only a shadow of it's former state and making it impossible to prove the correctness of the legend. The tomb of the seven however, was of interest for few.
Some had tried to find the hall where the Seven had perpetuated themselves for the rest of time, but no one was successful.
"The darkness gave birth to me and the shadows raised me. I am destined to finish your quest, and so you shall serve me as I intend you to serve." Voldemort hissed in parsel tongue, knowing exactly that the sole reason why the unspeakable only discovered the tomb recently was his resurrection.
The legend spoke of a son of darkness that feasted on the shadows, and it was that him who would be able to open the tomb of the seven. Voldemort didn't have a doubt the legend was referring to him – and yet he had no idea where the entrance to the antique chamber could be located…
It was ten a.m. on a Saturday in the middle of July and yet my clenched fists wouldn't stop feeling like an ice cube was attached to them.
I was already standing outside the house, waiting for my best friend to pick me up and taking me to her house for the very first time.
The prospect of getting to know her home wasn't frightening me, but the prospect of meeting her parents was.
"What if they don't like me?" I thought for the thousandth time or so since I woke up a few hours ago and I nervously wiped the sweat of my hands on my jeans.
"What if they think I'm unworthy of her friendship? I'd even understand that. After all, nothing I could do would be enough to pay her back for all her efforts.. I take so much from her and she asks so little of me." My insecurities about the inevitable conversation crept up my mind and unsettled me.
"Be a lion, be a lion. Lions don't retreat, they fight with pride until they're defeated. Don't be a coward." Another voice inside my head countered and I took a calming breath to compose myself again.
"Just be polite and don't check out their daughter in front of their eyes and you'll be fine." I told myself and gulped mildly at the last reminder.
I didn't even want to imagine how bad things might turn out if the latter case happened, so I quickly banned the thought into a corner far, far away from my current concerns. I could worry about that later.
"Hey, Harry." The voice of my best friend ripped me out of my thoughts and it didn't take long until I felt her arms tightly wrapped around my shoulders and her lips on my cheek. Yeah, she did that on a regular basis now, which was a blessing and a curse at the same time.
"Hey, 'Mione.." I mumbled into her hair as I took in her scent of vanilla, a smell I strongly associated with good moments like this. Sadly it didn't last too long.
"You've got your wand?" Hermione asked when she had untangled herself from me and I nodded lightly. There wasn't a day where I left the house without it, especially now that I knew the basics of self-defence.
"Let's go then! The bus is already coming in five minutes or so." The brunette then stalked away and I followed her, soon catching up with her fast pace.
"I've told you a dozen times that it would be far easier for me to just floo there." I reminded her and she only scowled lightly.
"And I've told you a dozen times that I don't want you to look like an average worker in the nineteenth century when you meet my parents for the first time." Hermione countered and my insecurities were surging again.
"So you think that they'll like me less when I arrive with a bit of soot on my face?" I asked and earned myself a signature Granger eye-roll.
"No, I simply think it will help your nerves a bit to meet my parents at the front door and not outside of a fireplace.", She explained calmly, "Though you seem to forget my speech about my parents being very nice and relaxed people to be around. You'll like them and they'll like you."
"But how do you know that? They don't know a thing about me!"
"Harry, do you honestly think that I've never told my parents a thing about my first and only real friend at Hogwarts?" She giggled lightly and swatted my arm and I felt silly for not considering her tendency to talk about the important things and people in her life.
"And.. do they know about, y'know.."
"Your miserable childhood? Yes, they know.", Hermione confirmed before nervously biting her lower lip, "Are you mad because I did?"
"No, I'm not. It's just.. I'm nervous about all of this." I admitted under my breath as we arrived at the bus station and avoided to look my best friend in the eye.
"I understand that. But remember, I'd never suggest something where I know that it would end badly. Especially when things concern you, Harry." Hermione gently reminded me and I gave her a small smile in return.
"You're right. You'd never put me in such a situation, not intentionally at least." I cheekily glanced at her and she chuckled in response.
"You seem to forget you agreed to meet my parents when I suggested it." Her eyes sparkled challengingly, her pretty pinks lips curled upwards and I suddenly felt the hormonal urge to smash my lips against hers. Fortunately I could muster the strength to withstand the temptation.
"Yeah.. point taken." I blushed sheepishly, finding it a bit childish to complain about something that I myself agreed on to do.
The bus soon arrived and when we chose two seats in the back of it, I sank into my thoughts again.
I was still nervous about the next few hours, but it didn't feel like panic any more, something I was very glad for.
My nervousness probably came from the fact that I barely knew any muggle adults that recognized me as a human being, and this experience made me cautious ever since.
"Relax, Harry." My best friend noticed the tension in my muscles and snaked her arms around my torso as she rested her head on my shoulder, her tawny tresses sending jolts of warmth through my body and I closed my eyes, relishing in the way how comfortable I felt with her body touching mine.
Hermione had become so much more.. affectionate ever since the beginning of the long summer break.
The amount of hugs increased, her obstruction to just rest her head on my shoulder like now significantly decreased and even a peck on the cheek didn't surprise me any more.. Although I thoroughly enjoyed it every time – and almost felt bad for wanting even more from her.
But all crazy fantasies left my mind when she so caringly embraced me, gave her best to make me feel better, me, the person that seemed to reach another low every second day and was so impossibly hard to keep happy for more than a few days. And not once did that stop her.
"Thank you..", I whispered with a smile as I let the side of my head rest against the top of hers, "For never giving me up and caring for me the way you do."
Hermione didn't answer, but she hadn't to: The expression of pure happiness on her face and the way she nuzzled her head further into my neck was all it needed for me to know how I made her feel with my words…
"Remember: My parents really want to get to know you. You have nothing to worry about." My best friend briefly squeezed my hand reassuringly before ringing the bell.
I knew that she just could have used her key to enter, but I was sure she didn't want me to feel like a stranded stranger inside the entrance hall of her parent's house when I met them for the first time, and I appreciated the small gesture.
Shortly afterwards the door opened and two adults in their late thirties appeared in the door frame.
The man was around six feet tall, had dark blond hair and eyes that were a perfect copy of Hermione's hazel brown, whereas the woman was around my height and looked so much like my best friend that I could have sworn she was an older version of her.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Harry." Hermione's mother smiled warmly at me as I shook her hand, "I'm Jane."
"It's nice too meet you to, Jane. I'm Harry, but I see you already know that." I said with a sheepish expression on my face before I shook hands with Hermione's dad.
"I see you've got manners. That's good, 'cause I haven't.", He chuckled and gave me an amused look when he saw that he had achieved to starkly surprise me before he gave me a pat on the shoulder, "The name is Daniel."
"You'll get used to his jokes." Jane told me and briefly smirked at her husband before she focused on her daughter.
"Welcome home, honey." She gave Hermione a broad smile before embracing my best friend in a way I immediately recognized as the Granger hug.
"I haven't been away from home for more than an hour, mum!" She giggled but hugged her mother back in a similar manner and I thought to myself if that was the way children normally were greeted by their parents when they came home.
"Welcome back, princess." Daniel grinned when he hugged his daughter and I literally felt Hermione scowling because of his statement.
"Dad! Can't you stop the nicknames for once?" I heard her silently mumbling before she stepped back from her father and faced me with a pretty blush on her pretty face. Oh no, wrong time..
"I think it's time to go in?" She asked and I had the feeling she felt more uncomfortable right now than I felt anyhow nervous.
"Yes, you can show him the house, if you want. We'll have lunch somewhere between twelve and one, so don't worry, there will be enough time to talk a bit." Jane again offered me a kind smile and I realized how unfamiliar it felt for me to be treated this.. warmly by adults, especially muggle adults.
"I can help you cook, if you want me to." I politely offered but Daniel shook his head with determination.
"Harry, you're our guest. We'd be very bad hosts if we allowed such a thing.", He told me as he gestured me to follow him into the entrance hall, "Now, I think you're in for quite a tour."
Like on cue, Hermione dragged me inside and began showing me all the rooms of her home and I marvelled at the warmth the entire place seemed to radiate: The rooms were big, neither too tidy nor too messy and it just felt so.. organic?
"I bet your parents paid a lot of money for this house." I mused when we were on the first floor and had a look at a room that solely contained an endless amount of bookshelves, a room that served my best friend as an archive for all her literature.
"Yup, but that's one of the advantages of being a dentist: You get paid properly." Hermione responded and I chuckled.
"I see you really are a spoiled princess." I remarked and the brunette spun around with an amused grin on her face.
"Hey!", She giggled, "I seem to recall that I've told you quite a few times that I'm aware of how lucky I am to have such a life."
"I was just teasing, 'Mione." My hand gently rubbed her back through the thin fabric of her shirt and I had to stop myself from draping her small waist with my hand. It was so tempting..
"I know.. Though I hope you don't think badly of me."
"Why should I? Because you have a bit of happiness in your life? Hermione, everybody who would do that is just jealous." I told her as she lead me to the next room.
"Welcome to the realm of Hermione Granger." She smiled as she opened the door and revealed her room, a sight for my humble eyes to behold.
I just loved her room: A sofa in front of the window straight across the room, a spacey desk to the right with another window behind it, a stereo speaker to each side of her desk, just a few shelves filled with books I assumed were her all-time favourites, a big white wardrobe to the left with an equally large bed to the right of her dresser. The room felt bright and had a certain cosiness, something that could give you strength and build you up again.
"Isn't that bed a little too big for you alone?" I teased her and immediately regretted it, pictures of passionate nights with my best friend on HER bed flashing through my mind.
"Oh no, wrong moment, VERY bad timing..", I thought to myself as I saw Hermione blushing and for a second my heart stopped, "Oh fuck, how did she interpret this?"
"Well, that might be true, but sometimes I toss a lot at night, so it's nice when I don't immediately fall out of the bed." She responded with a shy smile and I inwardly exhaled deeply.
"Somehow I think it fits your character to, uh.. move a lot in bed." I made sure to not accidentally spill out my darkest secret and almost sighed when she crossed her arms in front of her chest. She didn't get my message the wrong way.
"And why is that?" The brunette inquired and I gladly gave her my response.
"You can be quite energetic if you haven't noticed." I grinned lightly and she snorted.
"If that's a justification for you.", She came closer to me and I could smell the aroma of vanilla around me, "And by the way, I'd rather have a big bed than a small bed."
"Hey! That was quite mean." Now I crossed my arms in front of my chest, pretending to feel insulted, and Hermione laughed because of my silliness.
"Stop behaving like a little child, I wanna show you something." She said and gestured towards her stereo system.
"My parents bought it for my twelfth birthday and it's one of my most precious possessions." My best friend explained as she opened a drawer of her desk to reveal quite some cassette.
"Don't take it the wrong way when I say that I'm jealous." I murmured as I remembered the countless birthdays where nobody even thought about my existence, not to speak of the birthdays I spent inside a cupboard, on the brink of starvation to boot.
"Don't let the downs get to you, Harry." The brunette gave me a compassionate look before she inserted the cassette and nudged me into her desk chair, "I'm here for you now, nobody's gonna hurt you as long as I'm around."
I recognized the song she had chosen immediately, "True Faith" being one of my favourites and also quite a motivational one as well.
"I know, 'Mione. You are my rock, no matter what. And you always will be." I told her with a sincere smile before I closed my eyes and tried to relax, listening to the way she softly hummed to the music and not before long I lost myself in the moment…
"I hope you don't have something against a bit of French cuisine, Harry." Daniel told me when I and Hermione had sat down at the dining table in the living room and I shook my head when I saw the dish he placed in front of us.
"No, not the slightest." I smiled at him politely before he sat down next to his wife on the other side of the table.
"That's quiche, a typical French and very hearty pie." Hermione whispered into my ear and I chuckled mildly.
"Thanks for the info but I already knew that." I told her as Jane all gave us a piece of the pie, a gesture that surprised me and suddenly I felt like I had accidentally asked her to do so.
"You didn't have to do that, really.." I sheepishly admitted and scratched the back of my back.
"I see that Hermione was quite accurate in her letters when she wrote about you and your personality." She remarked and shot her daughter a meaningful glance that made the brunette blush furiously.
"Mum!", My best looked like she didn't want to be in this room any longer, "Was that really necessary?"
"Wait, you write about ME in YOUR letters to your parents?!" I asked when the words of Jane's statement sank in and Hermione gave me a shy and so very adorable smile.
"Well.. I spend most of my time at school with you, so you'll have to be mentioned somewhere from time to time.." She admitted and her dad snickered.
"From time to time? You mean at least fifty percent of.." Daniel grinned at his daughter but Jane came to Hermione's rescue.
"Anyway, the food is getting cold. Tuck in, everybody." She interrupted her husband and the four of us began eating.
"How has been your summer so far?" Daniel asked me after one or two minutes and I decided to just be frank.
"Well, apart from the fact that there is a dark lord after me and that I had been more or less imprisoned for a week in Surrey, I think it's quite good.", I said and glanced at Hermione before adding, "Especially since Hermione and I can spend some time together."
I was surprised when neither of the two parents didn't even show a hint of shock and I glimpsed, utterly perplexed.
"Ah yes, that's something I really wanted to ask you: This Valmort, or whatever his name is, how does a muggle like me have to imagine a real dark wizard? Something like Sauron from "The Lord of the Rings"?" Daniel asked and pointed his fork at me and my eyes widened, even more surprised to be asked such a question in such a casual way.
"Hold on a minute: You know about Voldemort?" I asked Hermione's parents who both nodded and I mentally rolled my eyes.
"And why does that surprise me when they have Hermione for a daughter?" I asked myself.
"Our Hermione is a very talkative young lady as you no doubt know yourself." Jane told me and I mildly grinned at my best who gave me another of her cute and shy smiles.
"Okay, and what was the question again?" I asked with a sheepish blush when I couldn't remember the original question.
"How does Voldemort look like? Because I'm sure a muggle would have no idea how a real dark wizard would look like." Daniel kindly repeated his question and Jane elbowed him gently.
"Don't speak with a full mouth." She scolded him silently and when I heard Hermione giggling next to me, I decided it was alright to at least grin in amusement as well.
"It's actually fairly easy to describe: He is quite tall, has an unnatural white skin, a bald head, scary red eyes and he's kind of noseless. His nose is like this.." I then pressed my nose flat and Jane made a disgusted noise.
"That's repelling.. and scary.", She admitted with a shudder, "And you poor boy have to live in fear that he could kill you every day."
"Harry has faced him more often than most wizards ever did. And he also survived every encounter with him." Hermione proudly stated and I felt her hand gently squeezing mine under the table. I shot her a look of gratitude in return.
"Hermione told us you were quite powerful for your age. Was that just another rhapsody about you.." Daniel wanted to ask but was interrupted by his daughter.
"I don't rhapsodize about him!" She stated with a shrill voice and felt her nails painfully digging into the skin of my hand. Ouch.
"Are your parents always teasing you like that?" I asked her and subtly tried to get her attention to my aching hand with a feather-light pull towards me and fortunately she noticed the gesture.
"Yes, especially dad has the tendency to make me feel uncomfortable." Hermione growled as she narrowed her eyes on the dentist who raised his hands in defence, a wide smirk plastered on his face.
"Well, uh, back to the question: I think that when it comes to raw magical power, I'm not the strongest at the moment. But the reason why I survived all the lethal fights and battles is because my instincts never let me down. I don't know, it's like somebody turns a level inside of me and I just act. Overthinking things or doubting yourself in such a situation can cost your life." I explained and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"He's selling himself short. Mum, dad, can you remember what I told you about the end of our third year?" She asked her parents who nodded with a hum.
"That wicked time travel story and how this mass murderer turned out to be a harmless bloke? Yeah, I'd never forget that in a thousand years." Daniel said, obviously still mind-blown a year after all the crazy stuff in our third year.
"I think she is referring to Harry casting this special charm to save his self in the past and his godfather." Jane remarked and now I was the one who was amazed.
"These people know as much about me as I know about myself!" I thought and couldn't entirely suppress a chuckle.
"Yes, Harry cast a Patronus charm when he was only thirteen years old. The patronus is a spell so advanced that many adults can't even utilize it. So it's more than a RHAPSODY when I say that Harry is a skilled magician." Hermione concluded and I avoided to look anybody in the eye, still not very comfortable when people talked about my "heroic deeds".
"It's such a pity you're not allowed to use magic out of school.. I'd really like to see a bit of spell work from time to time.", Jane sighed, "Though Hermione told us that the two of you practice each day under the week and learn how to defend yourselves. But how do you do that?"
I turned towards the brunette and grinned at her teasingly.
"You told them about me casting a patronus but didn't tell them about your whereabouts when you leave the house?" I asked and she only gave me her signature scowl in response, something I found very enticing as of late.
"Sometimes I tend to leave things out or just forget them." Hermione stated and everybody but her had to laugh at her last words.
"This conversation isn't too bad.." I thought to myself as I eagerly awaited my best friend's response…
Match day came far too early again. And in general, the next day always seemed to be closer than the last.
Sometimes I wished that I hadn't asked Dumbledore to change our training schedule so that I still could participate in the match on Fridays. And sometimes was now.
It was four in the morning and I had abruptly woken from a very pleasant dream, a dream of Harry and me getting physical. And I blamed my upcoming football match for my sudden interruption of sleep.
Everything had felt so vivid and even now as I stared at the ceiling I still could see him making me lie down in front of him, could see him undressing me in a torturous pace, could feel him worshipping my bare body.
I felt the familiar need for friction between my legs and knew that it was useless to hope that I could return to the realm of dreams without taking care of my problem, so I quickly got up and went to the bathroom next door.
Looking at myself in the mirror and seeing my state of half-nakedness I remembered all the things he had whispered into my ear, and my thighs trembled lightly.
Almost instinctively one hand slowly snaked it's way under my bra and another slid into my knickers as I closed my eyes and imagined it was Harry who pushed two fingers inside of me as he fondled my breast.
I could see his grin when I craned my neck and writhed in pleasure beneath him, noticed how each of my moans spurred him on, his eyes always fixed on mine, the flames of deep emerald green only heightening the experience.
It felt so good. It felt so fucking good. And as it was with all good things, they were over far sooner than one wanted them to be.
When I had returned to my bed wearing a new set of underwear I closed my eyes with a broad smile and sighed happily, the feeling of being sexually satisfied so, so wonderful.
"Brightest witch of your generation or not. You're still a horny teenager." I thought to myself and soon enough sleep claimed me once more…
My alarm clock woke me at eight a.m. and I quickly dressed for my upcoming match in the bathroom, but not without fawning over myself a bit. Again.
On the one side it felt so wrong to marvel at myself in a way that couldn't be described as anything but narcissistic but on the other side I was just so damn PROUD of myself for being able to get to a point where I liked what I saw in the mirror. But that is the teenager life, I guess: You are either the best and the greatest or the worst.
I then went down went down into the kitchen and found a note from my mum on the kitchen counter, saying that there was apple pie and ice cream in the fridge for me and Harry.
"I completely forgot that he'll come here today!" I thought with a wide smile and suddenly I couldn't wait for lunch any longer.
Not only was my best friend coming over to my home so that we both could go to my match, but he would also spend the lunch break here with me before the two of us had our first lesson at Grimmauld Place.
I quickly made myself a bowl of cornflakes before giving my beloved cat his breakfast as well, went into the living room and turned on the radio before sitting down at the table.
"Call him Mr. Raider, call him Mr. Wrong, call him Mr. Vain!" I immediately recognized the song, Mr. Vain being one of the most iconic songs of the first part of the last decade of the twentieth century.
"Wow, in five years from now you'll live in a new millennium.. How will the world look in the year 2000?" I asked myself as it hit me that I had never thought about the future more than a few months away from the present.
"Will I actually live to see that year? Isn't it probable that You-Know-Who will have won the war by then if the ministry continues to act like a bunch of idiotic primary school kids?"
"No, he'll never win. Harry will kill him and I'm going to help him with that, no matter what." I concluded and suddenly my cereal lost it's taste.
"Why must the truth always be so painful?" I sighed lightly before continuing my meal, listening to the music as a means to distract myself from more of these dark thoughts…
Almost precisely at a quarter past nine my best friend appeared in the fireplace of the living room and I already flung myself at him as he stepped outside, not caring about the bit of soot on his clothes. I was going to get all sweaty in an hour anyway.
"How are you?" I leisurely asked him as I pressed my lips to each of his cheeks, lingering just a tiny bit longer there than necessary.
"I'm fine, though I'm really excited to see you in action." Harry gave me one of his wide smiles and I knew my expression became a bit dreamy when I noticed his slightly damp hair. That combo had so many girls at Hogwarts drooling over him and he didn't even notice.
"Don't expect too much. I might practice right now, but I don't have the possibility to do it regularly throughout the year.", I pointed a finger at him, "A problem that you obviously never have with quidditch."
"Nobody ever stopped you from flying a few rounds around the pitch." Harry reminded me with a small grin and I laughed as I lead him towards the door, grabbing a bag with two bottles of water and my key for the house on the way.
"You know I'm not exactly a fan of flying. And football is much saver as well. Those games of yours almost guarantee that you'll end up in the hospital wing afterwards." I said and Harry chuckled heartily.
"At least my injuries ensure our victory. That's a price I'm willing to take." He told me and I punched his side, not too gently this time.
"Why must boys be so stupid and simple-minded? Imagine you get hurt so badly that you'll never recover from the accident. Does that never cross your mind?" I asked with a concerned voice and my best friend shot me an apologetic look.
"Well.. The truth is, I never think about what might be in such situations. In general, I rarely even think about tomorrow. My life always keeps me busy with dealing things in the present that it's hard to find time to concern myself with consequences. Call it reckless, stupid.. whatever you want." Harry admitted and I shuddered lightly despite the heat of the summer sun on my skin, feeling the weight of his words and the burden they meant to him.
I didn't know what to say, something that made me feel uncomfortable, so I just held my mouth for the next few moments and hoped that the raven-haired wizard beside me would speak up.
"I.. was just talking about quidditch." My response was feeble when I broke the unbearable silence and my best friend sighed.
"I know, 'Mione. I just can't control my emotions the way I wish I could." He told me and instead of immediately retorting, I left him to his thoughts.
Over the summer I had learned to give Harry space to think about whatever bothered him before confronting him, as direct confrontations often lead to outbursts of anger and suddenly he was aggravated by much more than what originally was the victim of his frustration.
Instead I compassionately squeezed his shoulder, reminding him that I was there for him if he felt ready to speak about his worries…
The match was won more by luck than skill.
In the first round our goalkeeper made a blunder and accidentally passed right to the striker of the opposing team and it was one to nil for them.
In the fortieth minute or so we got a free kick and from my training sessions with Harry on the pitch in Surrey I felt comfortable enough to try a direct shot at the goal. And it kind of was successful.
The ball hit the bar, it bounced off, hit the unlucky goalkeeper somewhere on the back and the ball got deflected into the net. That was some undeserved equalizer.
Of course that didn't matter to Harry, whose cheering I could hear all across the pitch and so even I had to smile brightly as my teammates congratulated me to a truly absurd goal.
In the second half didn't happen much until the seventieth minute, where I took a corner and tried to aim for Iris head, knowing she would no doubt nail the ball into the net, but I missed. Still the danger was not averted yet.
For a good minute or so there was complete chaos in the penalty area and the next thing I knew was that the ball somehow had crossed the magical line and we were leading two to one.
The last twenty minutes really weren't the most attractive bits of football as my team just defended rather than trying to extend the lead, but hey, a win is a win. No matter how elegant or undeserved.
After the match I introduced Harry to my teammates and some raised their brows with a grin directed at either me or him when I told them he was my best friend.
We then chatted for quite a bit and Harry seemed to be feeling slightly uncomfortable, although I couldn't quite decipher his reason to feel that way. But he probably just didn't like the way some of my teammates fawned over him, being the handsome young man he was.
"Hermione, can I have a word with you please?" Iris asked me just before Harry and I were going to head back to my home, and I glimpsed twice.
"What could she possibly want to tell me in private?" I thought to myself and nodded.
"Just wait a second, I won't disappear mystically." I told Harry with a light smile when I saw his apprehensive expression and the black-haired girl lead me to a secluded spot near the pitch.
"So, what's so important now?" I asked and Iris grinned evilly.
"You say Harry is just your best friend? I don't believe you." She stated and crossed her arms in front of her chest and I rolled my eyes, a bit disappointed that her words weren't any more exciting.
"But it's the truth, believe me. He and I, we never kissed or did anything that would be unbecoming of platonic best friends." I told her and for some reason her grin only widened.
"That doesn't mean he isn't interested in such activities." Her statement made me blush for several reasons and I struggled to come up with a retort as a tsunami of emotions washed over me in one single second.
"And how do you know that?" I croaked hoarsely and realized that I sounded far too interested to play the "innocence" card now. Game over girl.
"I don't know, is staring at a young woman's bum proof enough for you?" Iris voice faked innocence and I raised a brow, not sure if I had understood her correctly.
"Beg your pardon?!" I asked with panic dominating my tone and the striker giggled.
"Harry looked at your butt, captain.", She clarified with an amused smirk, "To be precise shortly before your lucky free kick. You bent down to align the ball and he had quite a spectacular.."
"WAIT A SECOND, don't you have more important things to do during a match than to look where spectators are looking at?!" I tried to change the topic but unfortunately I didn't succeed.
"Uh, uh, this is not the topic. I just wanted to be helpful and tell you what I saw." Iris stated and I sighed in defeat.
"Fine.. you've more or less proven me wrong. Though I think you just made things very complicated." I mumbled and my teammate patted my back reassuringly.
"No matter how kind or nice he might be, he's still a teenager. Just as you and me. We're all curious from time to time." She concluded as she accompanied me back to my best friend of whom I now knew that he wasn't as dense as I previously assumed…
That evening I realized just how right I had been about my statement about my and Harry's mutual attraction for one another. And the worst thing about it was that I couldn't do anything but to ignore and carry on like nothing changed at all.
"Pumpkin, what's bothering you?" My mother asked me with a gentle voice when we had dinner and I sighed as I stared down at my bowl of curry.
"Puberty's bothering me.." I mumbled in response and heard my father chuckling.
"It's not easy growing up, I know.", He confirmed before taking a sip of his beer, "One day you're a kid and the next day you wake up in an entirely different world, that's how it felt for me."
"Especially learning how to deal with boys can be quite a challenge for a young woman." Mum added knowingly and I rolled my eyes. Of course she had a clue.
"How do you know that it's about Harry? Honestly, sometimes it's scary how you always know about my thoughts." I exclaimed and both my parents chuckled in amusement.
"The only time you wear that look on your face is when things concern Harry." She stated and it made sense to me. I was very predictable at times.
"Alright, fine. I just realized that I'm in a very complicated situation with him right now." I explained as I poked around in my dinner, a part of my mind still in the world of my never-ceasing thoughts.
"Sounds to me like nothing has changed." My dad remarked and I shot him a scolding glance.
"That's not funny, Daniel.", Mum sided with me and I thanked the gods that at least my mother didn't feel the need to make bad jokes every ten seconds, "What did you want to tell us, honey?"
"I realized today that he likes me.. physically." I admitted and despite the knowledge that my parents wouldn't feel uncomfortable with that info, I still felt a bit nervous.
"Well, he'd be pretty stupid if he didn't like the prettiest princess this world has to offer." My father declared and even I had to smile mildly at his exclamation.
"He's probably the most relaxed dad on this earth if he doesn't explode when he realized that some boy likes his daughter that way.." I mentally noted and looked into his brown eyes, the conviction so apparent.
"So.. what are you going to about it?" My mum asked me and I let my shoulders sag with a deep sigh.
"Nothing. I won't risk my beautiful friendship with him until I'm absolutely sure that we can become even more. And not only that, I won't trade my friendship with him for a few months of half-hearty romance either. Especially when all I feel for him is physical attraction besides the "normal" platonic love. Only a fool would interpret that as something more.", I explained and my parents nodded in agreement, "Although it's quite nice to know that I have his attention."
"Then make sure that you keep his attention.", My mother advised with a small smile, "Boys are very forgetful. You have to remind him from time to time how you look like, isn't that right Daniel?"
"Mh?", My dad asked when he got caught being more interested in his food than in the conversation, "Yes, of course, dear."
"Oh, and they never stop eating, but that's something for another day.", My mother giggled when dad responded with the one sentence that always ensured his survival, "But anyway.. You have to keep him interested if you want to see where life is taking you. How you do that is up to you."
"So in other words I should risk my friendship with no guarantee of success. Hm, that's not the way I like it.." I told my mum with a pensive look, "But who spoke about attacking that goal head on? A little bit of subtlety never hurt anybody."
"No matter what you do, we have your back." Dad said reassuringly and raised his bottle of beer like he was toasting to me, a gesture that made me giggle lightly.
"Why are you this supportive of this, well, matter? I always thought dads hate it to see their daughter getting interested in boys." I asked him a question that definitely needed an illuminating answer and my father shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, first of all we're not talking about some random teenager here, but about the one that spent the most time of his and your last four years with you. Secondly, I fortunately met and talked with your best friend quite a few times ever since his first visit here. Harry is a fine young man, he has my trust and it's so obvious how much he cares for you, boyfriend or not.", Dad told me before taking a sip from his beer, "And thirdly, if you two should decide to become more, then I don't want to stand in Harry's way the way your mother's father stood in my way."
I glimpsed for a few seconds and tried to decide if my ears had failed me or not.
"Wait.. you never told me about my grandfather trying to keep you away from mum." I said when I realized that I had not been mistaken and my father smiled mildly.
"You never asked.", He responded and turned towards mum, "Remember me going to war for you two?"
"WHAT?!", I exclaimed in utter confusion, "So that's why you were in the Falkland War in 1982?"
Of course I heard the story a million times, how my father had been sent to Argentina, leaving my mum and a very young version of myself here in London in the process. But now I felt like the story became even more dramatic than it already was.
"Correct, sweetheart." My mother confirmed and I leant back in my chair for a moment to process all the information.
My mother's father John was born in 1918 and fought in the Second World War for Britain, fought during the naval invasion in 1944 in France and survived all the horrors until May 1945. But like so many other man, the war had left him scarred, mentally and physically.
Quite a few years after the war he married my grandmother Jolene, a woman born in 1933, and eventually my mother was born in 1956.
I knew from my mum's tales about her dad that she never had a bad childhood, despite John being very overprotective over his daughter and a very bitter fellow for strangers as well. But that's probable to be the war's fault.
"So, let me get this straight: My grandfather John allowed you to be together with mum if you should go to war?" I asked with disbelief and exhaled deeply when dad nodded.
"Not quite exactly, but yeah.. You know that I met your mother around Christmas 1978 and it didn't take long for us to become a couple. Jane invited me over to her parent's house for Christmas and well.. let's just say I didn't stay there for long. Your grandfather was adamant that I wasn't suited for your mother and only when she was pregnant with you, did he TOLERATE me. Which kind of was one of the reasons why we decided to have you so early in our relationship." Dad explained and I gasped.
"So you decided to have a child with the woman that had a dad who already couldn't stand you? This could have gone so into the wrong direction." I stated and my mother grinned.
"He who fights may lose. He who doesn't fight has already lost." She stated and I had to agree with her on that.
"But wait a second, why did you still go to war if my grandfather already accepted you as mum's boyfriend?" I asked when I realized that there were still some loose ends and my father sighed.
"I wanted Jane to become my legal wife, so I had to ask for her father's blessing. It's not that there was no way around it, I just.. felt it would further separate the family if I didn't have John's blessing. And I think you're smart enough to figure out what his condition was.."
"No way! You literally went into a war in the name of love.", I gasped again, as I yet again tried to imagine a younger version of my dad telling my mother with a toddler Hermione in her arms that he will go so, so far away just to be allowed to marry her, "But how did John manage to get you to the Falklands? It's not like you were in the military."
"Well, he still was. And I was already a dentist at the time, so I could be used as some kind of medic. That's how I departed, not even knowing if I would come back to the girl I wanted to marry and to the little baby that was my daughter at the time.. And now she's sitting here in front of me, almost sixteen proud years of age and not only the brightest witch of her age, but also the most beautiful." My father's eyes were shiny and I felt myself getting a bit emotional as well.
"I'm still kind of mad that you really chose to prove yourself to my father in order to marry me. If you had died in the war, then I would have hunted your spirit in the afterworld, Daniel Granger." My mum's voice was soft despite her hard words and my dad smiled weakly.
"But I came back to you. With your fathers blessing.. Even if he never lived to see his girl getting married." He said and I nodded. Of course I knew that my grandfather had died in 1982.
"It was his last wish on his dying bed that I should marry you when I came home." The second my father finished his tale was the second my mother fiercely kissed him, and I knew that I was forgotten for the foreseeable future, so I silently snuck out of the room, not needing to see my parents snogging the hell out of each other.
"And all I did was asking my dad one single question.." I thought to myself with an amused smile on my face…
It surprised me when Harry announced that he wanted to celebrate his birthday at my house. But then again, how could that be so surprising?
Like everybody else on this earth, he wanted to spend such a special day at a place he liked and not on hell's doorstep. Although it flattered and honoured me that he chose MY home to celebrate HIS fifteenth name day – but that was exactly one of the many proofs that our relationship had deepened over the summer.
It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday and precisely at three in the afternoon my best friend arrived yet again in the fireplace of the living room. And I had to stop myself from gasping when I saw him.
He had been at a hairdresser's.
Although I liked his slightly longer hair he had worn in forth year until today, I felt my knees trembling just the slightest as I looked into his handsome, handsome face.
His hair was short now, especially the sides looked agonizingly sharp and sexy, and in combination with his messy mop of raven-black hair playfully sprawled on top of his head it just looked so damn good.
"Happy birthday, Harry.", I sighed happily when I wrapped my arms around him and felt him returning the embrace, "May all your wishes come true in the future."
"Thank you. So, so much, 'Mione..", He genuinely smiled into the hug, "It means so much to me that you're here with me on this day."
I inhaled his scent and tried to do it the most subtle way possible.
He always smelled fresh: Freshly showered, freshly sweated and in the darkest corners of my mind I craved to smell him freshly fucked. But now was not the time to think about such unknown pleasures.
We broke the embrace and was it just my imagination or did his fingers gently brush my waist as he withdrew his arms from my body, making my body ache to feel him close again.
I watched as my best friend got congratulated by my parents and had to giggle lightly when he was obviously surprised as my mother hugged him in a similar manner.
"Hey, that new haircut really suits you.", My dad gave him a thumbs up after congratulating him, "The girls at Hogwarts better look out, they won't know what hit them."
His brown eyes lingered on mine for the fraction of a second, an expression of amusement reflecting on his pupils before he focused on Harry again, leaving me with a heavy blush on my face.
"How does he know that? It's like he can read my mind! Maybe dad isn't a muggle after all.." I thought to myself and when I next looked at my parents their eyes were fixed on me expectantly.
"Don't you want to give Harry our present, dear?" Mum asked me, the bloody same smile of amusement on her face that dad had given me mere seconds ago, and I glimpsed in order to come back to my senses.
"Yes, of course." I smiled at my best friend apologetically before picking up a carefully wrapped up box from the decorated table and handed it to Harry.
"This is from me and my parents. You'll see soon enough why it was the natural choice to put two presents in one box." I winked at him and his cheeks turned pink, a side effect from all the unknown feelings of affection that certainly coursed through his veins in that very moment.
"Oh young man, you'll better get used to a few presents from now on. For Christmas, Easter, on your birthdays, you name it." My dad pointed his finger at my best friend with a chuckle and I watched with a smile how Harry's facial expression changed multiple times until he held his presents in his hands.
"Wow! A Walkman with headphones and a few cassettes with new music for me! That's.. Oh my, you guys are too generous." He smiled shyly with an intense blush and it couldn't be described as anything but cute before he himself hugged everyone again.
"Just for your information, Hermione bought the Walkman and Jane and I bought the headphones plus cassettes for you. I hope they serve you well." Dad bowed in an exaggerating manner, making me and my mother giggle at his antics.
"I thought that you could use some music when we're at Hogwarts, so you'll have something to make you feel good.. And it's also proven that people work better when they're listening to music." I explained and Harry smirked at me.
"Ah, that's your plan: You wanna make me a top student next year." He was teasing and I knew it, but I couldn't deny that I so badly wanted to see Harry use the potential that slumbered deep within him. He could do it, I knew it. The assignments I looked through this last few weeks were proof enough.
"That was not my primary intention." I cooly responded and my mum lightly elbowed him.
"It would hurt her pride too much if you really became a male copy of herself and received better marks." She whispered and Harry snickered as his shining emeralds were directed at me in a challenging manner, the new haircut making his gaze ten times more intense and mesmerizing.
"Hey! I definitely wouldn't feel that way." I defended myself despite knowing that it was true. It just made me feel uneasy when someone excelled me. No matter how unjustified this feeling sometimes was.
"You're still my best friend, Hermione.", Harry sincerely smiled at me, "And thanks again for your presents. They'll make school time a lot easier."
The four of us then walked to the table and sat down, my best friend of course amazed because of all the cakes, biscuits and tarts we had prepared for him and his guests.
"Now, before you blow out your candles, there's one more thing we have to do.." Dad smiled widely and I couldn't help but smirk as well.
"Oh, he's never gonna anticipate that.." I mentally giggled when my father whistled and a shaggy black dog appeared in the living room that barked happily before transforming in front of our eyes into the man known as Sirius Black.
"You told me you couldn't make it!" My best friend exclaimed as he got up and tightly hugged his godfather with bright grin.
"Harry James Potter. You should know better than to blindly trust a marauder's words.", Sirius chuckled, "Happy birthday, m'boy."
The animagus then revealed a small package from one of his pockets before giving it to Harry,
"You'll find that this present will open quite a few new doors for you." He explained as my best friend unboxed his present and I had to roll my eyes when I realized that Sirius had given him an enchanted knife that could unlock locks that were secured with more than just a simple locking spell.
"Sirius Black: Rhetorical mastermind of his generation.." I dryly commented and the rakish man laughed.
"Coming from Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age." He countered and I had to admit that his rebuttal was quite a good one.
"Would you mind illuminating the not so gifted ones amongst us?" My father asked as he obviously had no clue what this knife could do, and neither did Harry, judging by his facial expression.
"It's a knife that can unlock doors locked enchanted with quite advanced locking charms." Sirius explained and Harry's eyes lit up in understanding.
"Don't tell me you're encouraging this fine young man to commit crimes!" My dad chuckled as he pointed a finger at Sirius who just shrugged his shoulders.
"He never seeks trouble. Trouble just seems to always find him, no matter what. The only thing I can do to help him is to make sure he is prepared when he's facing the next near-death experience."
The silence that followed was indicator enough that Sirius words had been the truth, but fortunately the birthday boy spoke up to lighten the mood.
"So I see you've already met Hermione's parents." Harry more stated than asked and the animagus nodded as he sat down beside his godson.
"I arrived here maybe an hour before you. Which I spent answering various questions, but who can blame Mr. and Mrs. Granger? I'm a celebrity, everybody wants to ask me something." He shot Harry one of his signature grins, who just rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, everybody wants the bounty the ministry and the muggle governments offer to the person who manages to catch you. That would make me feel really great." My best friend shook his head with a snort and Sirius laid an arm around his shoulder.
"Ah, I see Hermione's stiffness has rubbed off on you during summer. And here I had hoped that you would make her loosen up." He dramatically sighed and I saw my parents grinning mildly as they watched the interaction closely.
"I'm not "stiff"! And neither is.."
"Alright, alright! Harry, don't you want to blow out your candles and make your wish?" Sirius quickly capitulated with a small grin, having the decency to not exaggerate with stupid comments for once and I was thankful for that: Harry deserved a perfect birthday…
The day passed quickly as everybody conversed happily and especially my dad and Sirius got a long splendidly, their sense of humour one thing they had in common. Which meant that anybody around them suffered twice as much from all the bad jokes and teasing.
Remus came along at some point as well, giving Harry his mother's diary. A gift that my best friend valued as much as I expected him to value it.
Not once did he have the possibility to talk to his parents when they were alive, not once did he have the possibility to get advice and answers from his sires. A diary was now the closest thing he had for that.
I was really curious what Lily Potter might have written about in that book of hers, but I wouldn't be so rude to ask Harry about it. He would either tell me because he feels like it or doesn't mention it. I wouldn't nag him about it.
It was already nine in the evening and dinner was in full swing when the doorbell rang, effectively silencing all the prior conversations.
"You don't expect anybody else, do you Harry?" Dad asked before he got up and went to the door.
I glanced at Remus and Sirius, whose hands were itching closer to their wands in case something bad happened, but once they heard who was standing in front of the door all suspense fell away.
"Ah, if it isn't the ambivalent headmaster of my daughter's school.", My father greeted Dumbledore, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"I have a gift to deliver.", He answered and chuckled, "You don't mind if I join the ongoing birthday celebrations for a bit, right?"
A few moments later dad and the headmaster arrived in the living room.
"I think today is the day to do something of significance for you, Harry. Fifteen years of age have you reached now, experienced extraordinary moments in such young years. Yet you never experienced the very foundation of life, that what truly makes us humans.", Dumbledore explained when he came to a halt next to Harry and revealed a scroll of parchment in his hands, "And I want to change that."
As my best friend quickly scanned the content of the scroll and his facial expressions got more positive by the second, my guesses quickly became assumptions that became facts when Harry's eyes lit up and locked with Sirius.
"He's demanding a fair trial to prove your innocence!" He exclaimed with a happiness so radiant that I felt blinded and when I looked at his godfather I found his eyes filled with moistness.
"Innocence?" Sirius whispered like somebody would tell him everything had been a prank if he said the words too loud, his eyes fixed on the room in front of him and I assumed several pictures were flashing through his mind right now.
"Professor, that's.. a gesture I will forever treasure in my heart." Harry admitted and I saw it etched on his face how hard he suppressed the tears of joy that wanted to spring free any moment.
"Well, that is the purpose of a gift, isn't it?", Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with mirth as he gently took the scroll from his hands again, "I'm sorry, but I think I'll need this if your present is to become reality."
Harry just waved it off and the headmaster put a hand on his shoulder.
"It would be rude to further interrupt your celebrations with your friends. I take my leave now.", He told Harry and pointed at the scroll in his hand, "Some things shouldn't wait until the morrow."
Dumbledore then turned around at the exit of the living room before bading us farewell and reminding me and Harry of the next "Order of the Phoenix" meeting on Monday 8.a.m. .
"Will you live with me at Grimmauld Place if I should be declared innocent?" Sirius asked with shining eyes and Harry nodded eagerly.
"You can bet on that. We're not gonna let anybody ruin that option like in third year." My best friend said with determination and I mentally noted that I would help these two men in every way possible so that they would achieve their goal.
And if somebody had told me at that moment that it would only take two weeks until Harry lived with his godfather, well then I would have declared that person a lunatic…
Author's note:
Ah yes, a lot happened/developed in the last two weeks of my writing process. Harry is fifteen now, he met Hermione's parents, I came up with a crazy story about how Hermione's parents married and the mysterious "Tomb of the Seven" is now a bit less mysterious - although I still haven't covered everything about it as you probably have seen yourself. And no, before you ask, Voldemort won't try to get to Elegia. The archway to get there is lost anyway.
Speaking of Elegia, you might want to search for the term in the internet, it's quite fitting if you ask me.. And also one of New Order's best songs. I wrote the entire Voldemort scene listening to this song again and again, it conveys the emotions perfectly. So I hope the scene turned out well.
Other songs I included in this chapter are "True Faith" and Culture Beat's " ". And I also made a very cheap allusion to Joy Division's album called "Unknown Pleasures". I hope you can forgive me.
That was it for today, please write a review if you have the need to give me some feedback and 'til the next time!
NewOrderFan05
