Chapter 2: Confessions and Promises

Two days have passed since Harry woke up. Most families and students returned home for an extended summer holiday. Even some of the staff decided to leave the castle.

"Four months holiday! Can you imagine?" Harry heard a passing student call out in excitement.

The trio spent the majority of the last couple days trying to fix the castle back to its original form. Harry decided to use The Elder Wand's power to repair the damage. After that, I will put it back where it belongs, he told himself.

Fixing Hogwarts could be very satisfying; seeing shards of glass come together to form windows was very pleasing to the eye, same went for walls, tables, chairs, and cupboards. By the end of the week, Hogwarts was mostly back to normal.

Professor McGonagall thanked the trio for the help and allowed them to stay in the castle for another couple days as the school would soon be closed for the holiday.

"I would like you all to understand that for you immense services to the school as well as to the wizarding world, you are all invited to return to Hogwarts, should you wish to complete your seventh year. It would be unfair to not grant you such choice." The headmistress told them. "Of course, your actions have already opened every possible career path for you to pursue, but I know how much Miss Granger would love to have her NEWTs." She added.

They thanked McGonagall for the opportunity the day before departing for The Burrow.

"You're both welcome to stay, mum will love the company," Ron told Harry and Hermione.

Harry sensed it was more of an instruction than invite, so he decided to visit for a few days. Hermione agreed too, although Harry knew how much she wanted to tend to her parents in Australia.

Time at The Burrow ran quickly as always; There were plenty of chores to tend to and dinners have always been very family orientated. Bill and Fleur visited as often as they could and even Charlie came down from Romania a couple times.

Ginny seemed to be eyeing Harry more and more during his stay; she tried to spend as much time with Harry as possible whenever they had it. She would invite him to her room, go out to the garden and practise Quidditch, or just walk around the burrow and talk. Harry enjoyed her company; there were plenty of things to talk about (mostly quidditch) and she had a lot of Ron's infamous humour.

Harry couldn't help but notice that it wasn't the same between Hermione and Ron; whenever he saw them it was incredibly neutral. Harry realised that they hardly got into any conversations, he figured it was to avoid arguments.

It was coming to midnight when it was just the three of them by the fireplace and the atmosphere was awfully dull. Hermione was reading a book (obviously) and Ron was playing chess with Harry.

"Queen to E6" ordered Ron as his Queen moved along the tile and headbutted his knight. "Checkmate" Ron added with a grin.

"Almost had you" Harry answered through gritted teeth.

"Keep telling yourself that" Ron yawned "Alright, I'm gonna call it a night. I'll see you two in the morning."

"Bye" came Harry's and Hermione's voice.

Harry waited for Ron's footsteps to reach his room before speaking.

"So, what book are you reading?" asked Harry, as he folded the chessboard.

"It's actually a play," said Hermione.

"Okay, what play are you reading?"

"It's about a young boy who wants to prove himself; his father is a very famous wizard, and the boy lived his entire childhood being expected to be equally as talented. So, he decides to go on his own adventure…"

"Sounds interesting," Harry answered

"Not as good as a book, though"

They sat in silence for a while, Harry wanted to make a conversation, but instead, he just watched her read. He always enjoyed Hermione read, it was the way she did it; you could easily tell what was happening in the book just by looking at her. If the book tells a story, Hermione always makes herself comfortable, knowing that she will be sitting for a while. In this case, she was curled up on the sofa and resting the book against the armrest, a story for sure. If the chapter was exciting, she always chewed on her bottom lip. If it was dull, she would play with her hair. In this case, she just bit her lip.

"Exciting…" Harry laughed.

Hermione looked up at him, slightly surprised. "How do you know?"

"Did no one ever tell you that I'm very skilled at legilimency?" He grinned

Hermione smirked, "Yeah, Snape mentioned something." Her eyes widened as she said it. She covered her mouth and placed the book down. "I'm sorry, Harry"

Harry waved at her, "It's okay… He's gone, that doesn't mean we can't remember him."

Hermione stood up from the couch and walked over to the fire. She sat next to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder.

"How are you and Ron doing?" Harry asked.

Hermione didn't answer straight away. Harry could tell she was thinking of something to say.

"Okay, I guess. He still misses Fred, he was saying something about going to work with Goerge in the joke shop for a while. I think it's a good idea, at least for now; it will get him off the thoughts."

Harry looked at her for a while, hoping she would realise that it's not the kind of answer he wanted. He would not give up yet…

"So how are you and Ron doing?" Harry asked again.

This time, he knew it worked. Hermione raised her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. She tried to remain expressionless, but sadness won.

"Not very good." She answered, fidgeting with her sleeves.

"I realised you don't talk very much. Do you at least… you know?"

Hermione looked rather affronted for a while, but Harry wanted her to know that she should be comfortable with him.

"If you're not going to talk with Ron, at least talk with me." Said, Harry.

"We haven't really been acting like a relationship." She told him. "You know, we haven't actually kissed since the chamber of secrets?"

"You kissed in the chamber of secrets?" Harry asked, grinning.

"Yeah, did I never tell you?" She asked, surprised.

"I would've remembered that my best friends snogged in the chamber of secrets" He laughed.

"It wasn't a snog. We just kissed, that's it."

"Nothing since then?"

"No…," she told him, resting on his shoulder again. "What about you and Ginny?" she looked up at him. "Now it's my turn to ask uncomfortable questions"

Harry didn't know what to say at first, he thought of being vague like Hermione was the first time, but decided to be honest in the end.

"We haven't kissed since last year." He confessed.

"Really?"

"Pretty much. To be honest, I don't think we're actually together. At least, it doesn't really feel like it." He told her.

"I understand"

"I think she's waiting for me to ask her about it."

"When will you do that?" Hermione asked, looking up at him again in interest.

"I don't know if I ever will."

Hermione raised her head from his shoulder to look into his eyes again. "You're not planning to get together?"

Harry thought about it for a very long time. He knew that Ginny waited for him while he was away, but he couldn't help but feel different in her presence ever since he saw her again in the room of requirement.

"I just… don't know, Hermione." He answered. "I think I might leave for Grimmauld Place tomorrow. I want to clean up the place with Kreacher and settle in for a while. I have enough gold on me to stay happy for the rest of my life. I'm going to wait for you to come back from Australia, and then we can go to Gringotts."

"That sounds… well planned." She added.

Harry laughed "Thanks. That means a lot, coming from you."

Hermione smiled. "I could help you settle in…" she suggested

It was Harry's turn to raise his glance from the fire. "You're more than welcome, Hermione." He smiled back.

"But on one condition…" she told him

"What will that be?"

"You come with me to Australia."

Harry stared at her for a while, his eyes reflecting the fireplace. "You want me, to come with you?"

"I don't really want to go alone, considering I'll be there for a while, I'd like some company." She bit her lip "I asked Ron too, but he doesnt want to come. So, maybe you want to..."

"I'd love to." He smiled.

She hugged him "Thank you, Harry. I'll make it up to you when we're there."

"I'll hold you to that. But first, you're helping me with Grimmauld Place."

"Well, in that case. We both better get to bed; sound like a busy day tomorrow." Said Hermione, as she stood up and made her way to the stairs. Before she left, she looked back at Harry.

"Goodnight Harry" she smiled.

"Goodnight, Hermione.


The next morning, Harry woke up extra early to make sure he packed everything for the journey. He got downstairs, hoping to be the first one but to his surprise, he was beaten to it by Hermione who seemed to also be looking forward to leaving.

"You're up early," said Harry

"I couldn't sleep much" she answered, sipping her tea.

Harry crossed over to the kettle to make himself a cuppa when he was stopped by Hermione.

"I've already made you one" she smiled, pushing the second cup of tea towards him.

Harry smiled back and sat next to her, "thanks" he muttered.

They sat there for a while, drinking.

"I'm just going to tell Mrs Weasly about us leaving and then we can go…" Harry informed.

"Don't you want to announce it during breakfast?" she asked.

Harry was surprised at her words, "Why so?"

Hermione tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Well, you're leaving to live on your own… it's quite a big thing for a seventeen-year-old. Even for Harry Potter," She grinned.

Harry thought about it for a while; He never found himself thinking about it too much, but living alone did sound like a big step forward. Of course, he'll have Kreacher to help around the house, but he will be the only one in the whole house. For the first time in his life, if he didn't make a sound, silence would continue. It felt strange.

"I guess… but does that mean I have to announce it? I mean, I'm sure Mrs Weasley will tell everyone. Besides, I'll come back soon anyway." He answered.

This was not the only reason for his secrecy. Harry thought for a long time whether he should tell Ginny about leaving, but never actually got around to discussing it with her.

Hermione nodded in understanding.

"I think I would rather avoid all the questions and requests," Harry added.

"Maybe you're right…" she bit her lip.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked.

She seemed to have snapped out of her mood completely as she shook herself and then smiled at him. "I'm fine, just thinking."

"Well, obviously; You're Hermione" he chuckled.

She smirked.

Harry knew she was hiding something, he was about to ask about it again but he heard footsteps at the stairs… In came Mrs Weasley.

"Harry, Hermione… I didn't expect you both to be up so early. Something wrong?" she asked, as she made her way to the table.

"No, everything is fine. It's just that, I decided to leave for Grimmauld Place today, and Hermione wants to help me settle in."

Mrs Weasley rested her hands on her hips, she always did that when she was uncertain, or angry.

"Leaving so soon? You only just got here…" she told them.

The truth of the matter was that it's been a whole week since they arrived, but for Mrs Weasley, even a year wouldn't seem long enough. Not when it came to guests, at least.

"I know… I would just like to start moving forward. One step at a time." He told her.

"So, when are you planning to leave?" she asked, tapping on the table.

"We wanted to leave as soon as we told you."

"You're not taking Ron?" she asked.

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.

"Ron said he wants to go to the workshop with Geroge, today," Hermione answered.

Mrs Weasley's mouth opened then closed again. "Well… okay, I guess that's alright then." She told them and went over to the stove.

"Thank you, Mrs Weasley." Said Harry, as he stood up and made his way upstairs to get his things.


Harry was never a fan of apparition; his only preferred way of transport was usually brooms. Anything faster than that seemed to either make him feel sick or get him in trouble.

Apparating by yourself is very simple, but apparating two people requires double the energy and double the focus. It also takes longer, and Harry's stomach can only take so much.

They arrived at Grimmauld Place and Harry could feel his insides swivel in his belly; It's been a while since he last apparated. Most wizards apparate up to five times a week, according to Hermione. Harry figured it must be true if Hermione said it.

"Feels weird to be back," he told her.

"Yeah, last time was… unfortunate." She looked down.

Harry raised her chin, "Hey, it wasn't your fault for what happened, Hermione." He smiled at her. "Besides, we made it. There's nothing to worry about now."

She nodded and grinned, "thanks, Harry."

There was still something odd about her. Harry decided to ask her once they could settle in and talk.

The moment they opened the door, the dust raised from the floor and formed into Dumbledore.

"Severus Snape?" it asked.

"We didn't kill you" Harry answered, casually.

The dust formation toppled back to the floor.

"We really need to find a way to break that spell, I can't imagine it will make a good impression on the guests." Harry laughed.

He looked down to see that Hermione was gripping tightly to his arm, she looked almost scared.

"You think we should check?" he asked.

She nodded.

Harry took out his wand and pointed it ahead "Homenum Revelio"

Nothing happened.

"Looks like we're alone," he told her, putting his wand back in his pocket.

Hermione's grip didn't stop until they arrived in the kitchen. She looked around then deemed the place to be empty.

Harry nodded at her then said "Kreacher?"

The elf popped out of thin air and bowed to Harry.

"Kreacher is at your service, master Harry." His locket almost touching the floor.

"Hi, Kreacher. I was thinking about moving here. Would you like to help me settle in?" Harry asked.

"Kreacher will clean the house and cook. Anything for master Harry and his… friend." The elf disappeared and light footsteps could be heard upstairs.

Harry started to empty his possessions on the kitchen table. Hermione approached him and started doing the same.

"No way!" she said, pulling out a small scarf with a golden 'H' on it. "You kept this?"

Harry smiled. It was a scarf Hermione knit for him back in the fourth year. It was pretty small but Harry liked the gesture so he never threw it away.

"Yeah… I really like it. It reminds me of you, whenever I see it, and how you always push yourself to be good at something new."

"Oh, Harry." She muttered as she put her arms around his neck. Harry tucked his hands around her waist and hugged her back.

"That's so nice of you." Her eyes sparkling.

"I don't know why you would expect me to throw it away. It's a gift, I would never throw away a gift."

Hermione was about to say something when Kreacher popped back inside the Kitchen. "Master Harry, there is a room upstairs which Kreacher cannot open. It is the library of Black."

Harry, Ron and Hermione were not able to open the door last time they came here either. It seems to be protected from all charms.

"Isn't there a key to open it? I remember Sirius had one for the door." Hermione told them. "I always wanted to visit that Library, it probably has great books."

"Master Sirius stored the key inside his vault at Gringotts." Kreacher told them. "Master Harry has no key?"

"No… I don't" Harry answered.

"Harry, you do have the key, it's in your Gringotts Vault; remember, Sirius left you everything he had. That means the key will be given to you once you visit Gringotts to claim it. We could pick it up now if you want." Hermione told him.

Harry shook his head, "I'm not in a hurry to get to that library. Your parents are more important. We can wait for it." Harry turned to Kreacher, "Don't worry about the room Kreacher, you can continue with the other ones."

"Kreacher will do as Master Harry wishes," said the elf and disappeared again.

Harry turned back to Hermione to see her blushing, he smiled. "Hey, I am looking forward to going there. It's going to be fun. And I can finally meet your parents."

Hermione smiled back "They'll be happy to finally meet you, too. Once I remove the charms, of course."

They returned to unpacking Harry's bag.


The morning seemed to swim by quickly as they cleaned the house with Kreacher, ate lunch and then Hermione helped Harry choose his room. Harry decided to settle in Sirius' room as it was decorated with Gryffindor banners, it made him feel more at home. Hermione seemed to glance a lot towards the other posters with muggle women in bikinis. She went as far as trying to remove them, but couldn't manage.

"I don't understand your problem with the posters…" Harry shrugged, though he couldn't help but smirk a little.

"I don't think they suit the room very much…" Hermione answered, waving her wand and muttering spells.

Something told Harry it wasn't the case at all.

She was about to cast another spell when Kreacher appeared in the room "Dinner is ready, Master Harry."

"Excellent, we'll be down this minute, Kreacher," Harry told the elf.

Kreacher bowed and apparated downstairs.

Harry turned back towards Hermione, "Oh, Common, Hermione. Don't worry about them"

Hermione turned around and Harry saw her face turn pink. "I guess… they'll just stay." She shrugged and made her way downstairs.

They ate dinner and spoke about the trip to Australia. Hermione seemed to be much happier to speak about it now that she knew Harry was coming.

"Thank you, Kreacher. That was delicious." Said, Hermione, as she finished her juice.

"Kreacher was happy to be of service to Mistress Granger." The elf bowed and disappeared.

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, both red in the face.

"Did he just call me Mistress?" Hermione asked, her face turning scarlet as she asked.

"Maybe he thinks you'll be living here…" Harry shrugged, grinning.

Hermione laughed. She was about to say something when instead, she stood up, her face turning serious.

"I best be going." She told him. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Are you joking?" Harry stood up.

Hermione looked at him in surprise for a while, not knowing what to say.

"I'm the one who should thank you; you helped me settle in!" said Harry.

Hermione smiled, relief seemed to have waved over her face.

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Harry asked.

Hermione stood for a while, biting her lip. "No, I best get back… I don't want Ron to—"

"I understand" Said Harry, scratching the back of his head. "Well, thanks again. Come by whenever you want. I'll be here" He smiled and hugged her.

Hermione hugged him back and made her way down the corridor, she opened the door and looked back to Harry. She smiled, "Buy, Harry."

"See you, Hermione," and she was gone.

You forgot to ask her… you idiot, Harry thought to himself.