Chapter 21: The Potter Manor
After a 20 minute tour of the first floor in Potter Manor, Beemey finally led Harry and Hermione to the living room. There were two large sofas and a wide love seat spread around a small wooden table. There was a big fireplace with a peaceful dancing flame.
"This place is wonderful…" Commented Hermione as they sat down on the sofa.
Beemey walked up to Harry and held out her hand. She was holding two small envelopes.
"Master James and Mistress Lady left these for young Master Harry." Informed the elf, "They told Beemey to give the letters to Master Harry when he comes."
Harry took the letters from the elf, "Thank you, Beemey."
The elf gave a sad smile and disappeared.
Harry glanced over at Hermione who was finding a rather big interest in her sleeves. He nudged her on the arm, "Everything alright?"
"I think you should read these alone." She informed.
Harry looked back down at the envelopes in his hand, "I don't mind you reading them… I trust you more than anyone, Hermione."
She smiled, "So, I can read them with you?"
He nodded, "If you want to…"
She nodded and shifted closer to him, taking hold of his arm.
Harry decided to read his father's letter first; something told him it wouldn't be as emotional. He unsealed the envelope and took out a small piece of paper with rather messy writing. His father didn't connect his letters just like Harry. The thought made him smile.
Dear Harry,
I really wish you won't find yourself reading this letter, but there's never a way to be sure, which is why Lily decided it would be best to leave you these.
If you are reading this, then it means that I am probably dead. I want you to know that I miss you dearly and I hope that wherever you are and whatever you're doing, you are happy. Lily and I are leaving you the Potter mansion. It has been in the Potter family for centuries ever since the great Hardwin Potter built it himself. Every Potter has left something new in this Manor. Lily and I have tried to make it as welcoming and modern as possible, but you can only do so much with an ancient manor. I hope it can be a home for you and your family. I have also left you my cloak of invisibility. It is currently held under the eye of Dumbledore, but I'm sure that when the time comes, he'll give it to you.
Love,
James, the greatest Marauder.
p.s Lily hates that title.
Harry looked over to Hermione who also finished the letter. There were tears in her eyes, as she smiled at him.
"My dad…" he muttered.
Hermione took hold of his hand, "He loved you, Harry… and he left you this place. That's all that matters."
He smiled at her and reached for the next envelope.
"Harry… I don't know if I'm ready for another one." Hermione gasped, wiping at her eyes.
Harry squeezed her hand, "We'll never truly be ready, Hermione." He opened the envelope and slipped out another piece of paper. He was met with the same neat handwriting which he saw in the bank.
Dear Harry,
Since you are reading this letter, I can only assume that you have collected the keys to the manor from Gringotts. Welcome to the Potter Mansion. Your father will probably not mention it, but we spent a very long time trying to perfect this place to make it as welcoming and homely as possible. Truth be told, I was highly inspired by the Gryffindor Common room, hence the maroon wallpapers. We were not able to stay at the Manor as we had to go into hiding. Ever since we found out that Voldemort is after us, we've been on the run. We have left a house elf to take care of the manor while we are gone. You have probably already met Beemey, she is a very lovely elf and I'm sure you'll both take a lot of liking to each other. We have freed her a long time ago which is why she is wearing normal clothes. I really don't know how wizards can treat house elves so poorly. I will certainly not stand for it in my house.
It saddens me greatly that I won't be able to see you all grown up which you probably are by now. Even as I write this letter, I still desperately hope to receive news from Dumbledore informing that the war is over. I don't want to end this letter on negative thoughts, so I'll tell you one more thing.
Whatever happens, Harry. I want you to know that we love you very much. Your father and I tell you that every single day, and we always will.
Love,
Lily, wife of the greatest Marauder. (He forced me to write that, I swear.)
p.s I'm still waiting for you to say 'mama', could you please hurry up already?
Harry laughed as he finished the letter. Hermione was in tears again, but she was also chuckling.
"Looks like my mum shared your opinion on house elves" Harry snickered. The more he thought about it, the more Hermione resembled his mother. They both had extremely neat handwriting, both muggle-born, both extremely talented and bright, and of course, both very beautiful.
"I love her," Hermione answered, laughing.
Harry and Hermione spent the next hour roaming the large mansion. Eventually, Harry decided to search through the garden, while Hermione wandered off to the enormous library.
She was flicking through an interesting book when beemey apparated right in front of her.
"Miss Hermione." The elf bowed.
"You don't need to bow to me, Beemey, you're a free elf and I treat you as equal." Hermione smiled.
Beemey was clearly overwhelmed by Hermione's words, "Miss Hermione reminds Beemey of her favourite Mistress Lily. She was such a wonderful and kind witch." The elf croaked, rubbing her eyes.
"I miss her too, Beemey," Hermione answered, patting the elf on the head.
Beemey smiled and pulled out a small envelope from her shorts, "Beemey had noticed a strong bond between Miss Hermione and Master Harry… does Miss Hermione love Master Harry?"
Hermione lowered herself on one knee in order to face the elf properly, "I do. He's my boyfriend." She answered. It was the best feeling in the world; being able to just casually call Harry Potter her boyfriend. It was bizarre and wonderful at the same time.
The elf erupted in joyful cries as she jumped up and down, "Oh Beemey is so pleased to hear! That means you are my new Mistress! Beemey is so happy!"
Hermione didn't want Harry to hear them, so she silenced Beemey by hugging her, "I'm happy too, Beemey." She answered and smiled.
The elf held out her hand and pointed the envelope to Hermione, "Mistress Lily told Beemey to give this letter to the one whom Master Harry loves."
Hermione's jaw dropped, "No, Beemey I don't know if I should read this—"
"Mistress Lily ordered Beemey to not listen to excuses. She said that if Beemey feels the love bond, she must give the letter."
Hermione knew she couldn't argue with the elf, so she took the letter in her shaky hands, afraid to open it. Eventually, curiosity took over her nerves as she unsealed the envelope and began to read the page inside.
I am leaving this message with Beemey. I instructed her to grant this letter to the one who loves Harry Potter. I don't know who you are, but I know that your love is true, otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this.
I hope this letter will never meet you, as I would love to say these words to you in person…
Please take care of my son. Potter men can be very stubborn, I have had first-hand experience in that. But their love is genuine and strong. If my son loves you, he will never leave your side. You will be the only thing to keep him together, and the one person he will always look up to. Potter men can be sensitive when it comes to emotions, and thick when it comes to showing them. But if you allow them to reveal feelings, you will see how romantic and true they can be.
Your mother in law,
Lily Potter.
Hermione tried to keep her breathing steady as she folded the letter and placed it in her pocket. Lily Potter's words were too overwhelming and she feared she might panic. After taking long and steady breaths she turned to Beemey.
"Thank you for the letter, Beemey."
The elf smiled, "Anything for you, Mistress." Before disappearing with a pop.
Hermione closed her eyes, "I will take care of your son, Lily." She whispered.
Harry was wandering through the large garden, admiring the view. The mansion really did feel welcoming. As he paced through the cobblestone paths, he couldn't help but wonder at his father's words.
I hope it can be a home for you and your family. It made Harry think about actually staying here. But the manor was definitely too big for his liking; being the only person to live in such a huge place would be quite depressing. Unless…
"Harry…" came Hermione's voice.
He searched for her amongst the garden until his eyes spotted her just at the entrance, "What is it?"
She started pacing towards him, a desperate look on her face.
"Are you okay—"
Before he could get another word out, Hermione threw herself into his arms. He couldn't hide his surprise, but it was quickly hidden by a wide smile.
"Did you miss me already?" he chuckled.
Hermione pulled away to face him, "I love you."
"I love you too, Hermione." He answered still smiling.
"And I will never, ever leave you." She added.
"I won't leave you either…" he answered, "Hermione… is everything okay?"
She smiled and hugged him again, "I just wanted you to know."
He smiled into her shoulder, "Well, if I ever had any doubts… they're definitely gone now."
She pulled away all too early and took hold of his arm, "Do you want to walk me around your huge garden?"
Harry nodded before leading her down the cobblestone path.
They walked in silence for a good couple minutes when Hermione realised something was wrong with Harry; he looked worried.
"Harry… everything alright?"
He took a deep breath before starting, "I'm just wondering about my mum's letter."
Me too, She thought, "What about it?"
"Look at this place." Harry pointed around, "It's literally in the middle of nowhere… why did my parents need to go into hiding if they were perfectly hidden here."
Hermione shook her head, "I'm not sure Harry…"
"I mean… sure, I couldn't have lived here before, because of the blood bond which I had with Aunt Petunia… but why did my parents have to leave this place… it looks well protected. All they needed was just some protection wards."
Hermione really did not have any answers… all she had were theories which she didn't want to share without being absolutely sure.
"Harry, I really don't know the answers… but I think we both know who might have them." She answered.
Harry took a long look at her before answering, "Looks like another visit to Gringotts…"
Hermione shook her head, "We don't need to go there now."
Harry smiled, "I'm not that desperate for answers. It's not going to change anything… if not make things worse."
She squeezed his arm, "Just remember, Harry… it's all behind us now, we're only moving forward from here."
They spent the rest of their afternoon roaming the manor, until finally stopping on the third floor.
"This is where the bedrooms should be," Harry informed as they paced through the hallway, "Beemey!"
The elf appeared right next to them and bowed to Harry, "Master Harry called."
Harry gave the elf a warm smile, "Beemey did you bow to my mum and dad?"
The elf shook her head, "No… Beemey was instructed by Master James and Mistress Lily to not bow."
"Well then you don't have to bow to me either," Harry added.
The elf nodded, "Beemey won't."
"How many bedrooms are in this Manor, Beemey?" Hermione asked.
"There are five, Mistress. The grand bedroom, three smaller bedrooms for children, and one extra bedroom for guests." The elf explained.
Harry's eyes widened as he heard the word 'children'. Hermione's grip tightened on his hand.
Would she like to have children one day? Harry thought to himself. How many would she like to have?
When Harry looked over at Hermione, it appeared she was having similar thoughts.
Beemey led them to each bedroom one by one before stopping them in front of a large double door.
"This is the grand bedroom, the biggest one in the Manor." The elf informed before opening the doors.
The room was spectacular. There was a large king size bed pushed against the centre of the back wall with two small nightstands on each side. It reminded Harry of Hermione's guest room.
There was a large closet to the right side and bathroom to the left. Two big windows were illuminating the room from each side of the bed, setting a beautiful light across the wooden floor.
Hermione made her way to the bed and sat down, "Woah…" she gasped, "Harry come sit here, this bed is amazing."
Harry followed her up to the bed and sat down beside her. The bed was indeed very comfy. Harry knew it would make a problem with waking up in the mornings.
They didn't know when it happened, but Beemey was gone.
"Well… I guess if we ever get into a fight, there are four other bedrooms I can take instead of the couch." Harry laughed.
Hermione was lost for words for a while. Did he just suggest that we would live here… together? Hermione was not about to give up on that.
"Well… that wouldn't be the case if the children occupied them." Hermione answered casually.
It was time for Harry to fall silent. He wondered how far they would play this game… "True, but then there's always the guest room."
Hermione smiled, "So three is as far as you'd bare to go?"
Harry returned the smile, "Hermione, you could barely control me and Ron… what makes you think you could take on four little Potters."
She wanted to squeal at his words. The thought of having Harry's children was about to melt her brain to porridge, but she couldn't give up, not yet.
"Five, darling. You forgot about yourself." She teased.
Harry chuckled, "Oh, you think you're funny, do you?" he shifted himself to face her, his hands slowly trailing towards her thighs.
She smiled, "I have my moments…"
Harry gripped both of her legs and pushed her up towards the centre of the bed, it made her whimper in excitement, which only motivated him further.
"I don't like your cheek, Granger… you think you can tease me?" he muttered, trailing kisses up her stomach.
"Oh, if you think that's teasing, you don't know anything about it, Potter." She whispered, then bit her bottom lip.
Harry gasped at her, "how did you—"
"What… you think I didn't realise how much that pleases you?" she asked, smiling devilishly.
This was the Hermione which he's never seen before. And Merlin, did she turn him on.
"Only I can bite that lip." He grunted, attacking her mouth with his.
Hermione's hands were travelling under Harry's shirt, searching for his skin. She loved the feel of his skin, it was so soft and smooth. She didn't believe someone who's been through war could have such soft skin, yet here he was.
Harry's hands were starting to drive her insane as he massaged her thighs, making her legs pulse with excitement. She felt so relaxed and yet so tense under his touch.
She gripped his back and pushed him aside, rolling on top of him.
"Woah… someone is desperate." Harry laughed.
"I'm not in the mood for games, Potter." She snapped, before raining down on his mouth again.
Hermione was rubbing herself against him, and it was starting to make his trousers feel tight.
"Hello." She moaned into his mouth.
It made him blush, but her eyes were closed, thankfully.
His hands were trailing around her entire body until he finally stopped at her chest. He cupped her breasts in his hands, overwhelmed at the feeling in his palms.
"You're amazing." He sounded in between kisses.
Hermione tensed at his words. If he didn't stop talking soon, she would definitely go insane.
Her hands were in the process of unlocking his belt when a loud knock was heard in the window.
Hermione forced herself away from Harry's mouth and looked up towards the source of the noise.
Harry's eyes followed her gaze and stopped at the scopes owl, poking her beak against the glass window. Pigwideon.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Hermione screamed.
You'll get more good stuff soon ; )
