A/N: Sorry for the late update. My schedule will be quite messy for some time.
I also wanted to thank everyone for the incredible support and all the lovely words that have been coming my way this past week. It's an extraordinary thing to have your work supported by someone else, and I'm very grateful to be sharing mine with you.
Have a wonderful New Year's Eve : )
Chapter 25: What makes you Beautiful
The waiting room was starting to become a rather frustrating place. Bill was yet to return from his visit to Fleur and it has been an hour since the healer took him away. The Weasleys along with Harry, Hermione and Luna were all starting to become quite restless.
Harry knew this would be a good time to just think about the next couple of weeks. Ever since his return from Australia, the world has been quite literally upside down, and it was time to start making amends. He had his vacation, and he had to return to his responsibilities.
His plan was to visit the Potter vault and find out anything else that he needed to know. Next, he needed to go see Andromeda; it was time to pay little Teddy a visit. Lastly, he and Hermione needed to contact Professor McGonagall and let her know that they wish to return for another year.
The idea of travelling around and doing all these things would usually not bother Harry; it was definitely better than all of his summers with the Dursleys, but there was something, or rather someone making him relent his plans.
The time spent with Hermione ever since that first night at Grimmauld Place has been something of a fairy tale. Of course, they had complications and problems here and there, but they were together, and Hermione never meant more to Harry than right now. The idea of leaving her side was not very pleasant. Truth be told, all he really wanted to do was to take her in his arms and apparate back to the Grand bedroom in Potter Manor.
As he shook his head off his wild thoughts, everyone turned their heads towards the hallways as Bill was finally making his way back, a weak smile on his face. It was good to see him in a better mood. Maybe Fleur would recover from this too...
"How is she?" Blurted out Mrs Weasley before Bill managed to come any closer.
"She's fine… just a little tired. I think she'll be alright." He turned his gaze to the teenagers, "She wants to speak with you guys."
Everyone was equally surprised to hear about Fleur's request.
"All of us?" Ron asked.
Bill nodded as he sat down next to Mr Weasley, "She's down the hallway in Room 6b. I don't know why she wants to speak with all of you first, but she said it's important."
Without any further hesitation, everyone except Mr and Mrs Weasley stood up and started marching down the hallway.
The healers were not very pleased when they saw the huge crowd piling into Fleur's room, but she insisted that it was okay.
Harry's heart seemed to skip a beat when he saw her. She was extremely pale and she looked like she hasn't slept in weeks. She looked defeated, her face was similar to the ones Harry saw on his way to the forbidden forest. The memory made his knees weak.
"Hey guys," Fleur muttered as everyone surrounded her bed.
"How are you doing, sis?" asked George.
She tried her best to compose a weak smile, "Much better now."
After exchanging a comforting look with all of them, her eyes rested on Harry for a moment.
"I wanted to say something to all of you." She added.
Everyone had puzzled expressions, "What is it?" asked Ginny.
"I do not want you to think of zis day as something to be afraid of… what happened to me, iz something that happens to thousands of women around the world.
"All of you are still so young, and you all have so much more to discover and experience, just like me and Bill. I do not want for what happened today to scare you off from having a family." She explained.
She turned her gaze from the boys and settled herself towards Luna, Hermione and Ginny.
"Being pregnant iz one of the most amazing things that I have ever experienced. And I will definitely try for a family again. I don't want you girls to be scared of doing the same."
Hermione was the first to smile back at her, "We won't be scared." Her words were followed by two nods from Ginny and Luna.
Fleur smiled and turned to the boys, "Having children can be much harder of a decision for men that it iz for women. Zis is why you must promise to support and take care of your partner. And no matter what happens, you must stand by them at all times."
The boys all exchanged looks before turning to Fleur and nodding their heads too, "We will." Harry answered.
He risked a glance at Hermione who was beaming at him, her eyes were glistening as she continued to smile.
Having finally delivered her message, fleur relaxed on the pillows and sighed, "I want to get out of here now."
Everyone chuckled at her words.
Eventually, most of the Weasleys started to leave the hospital. Percy was the first one to leave, muttering something about the stack of papers on his desk. After that, it was George and Mr Weasley. He kissed his wife and promised to see her at dinner.
Ginny decided to stay in the hospital with Mrs Weasley and Bill, which only left four.
Luna smiled at Hermione, "I heard that you will be coming back to Hogwarts for another year."
"I am." Hermione smiled.
"That's great, we could study together. We might even have lessons together."
"I'm sure we will." Hermione answered, "So how did you end up in Romania with Ron?"
Luna smiled, "I was on a trip there with my dad. We were searching for the Crumple Horned Snorkack." She explained.
Ron chuckled at her words, "And from what I've seen, it hasn't been very successful yet."
"Well, that's because you arrived and started to distract me." She smiled.
Ron blushed at her words.
Harry decided to sidestep the awkward moment, "So, where is your dad now?"
"He's back home, I promised to come back as soon as we hear from Fleur. Which means that I should be on my way back now." She informed. "I guess I'll be seeing you all soon." She waved at them and started to pace down the corridor towards the exit.
There was a brief moment of silence when Ron broke into a jog, "Luna, wait up!" He called.
She stopped and turned around to face him as he caught up with her.
Harry couldn't hear what Ron was saying, but his hands were shaking, and his face was incredibly red.
Eventually, Luna smiled and nodded before making her way out of the hospital.
Ron took a deep breath and made his way back to them.
"What?" he asked defensively after seeing Harry's smirking face.
"You asked her out, didn't you?" Harry asked.
Ron went even redder and crossed his arms, "To dinner, yeah. Why not? She's a good friend, isn't she?"
Harry chuckled, "Yeah, she's great."
Ron turned to Hermione, "So what have you guys been up to while I was gone?" his eyes widened as he asked the question. He threw his hands up, "Actually, nevermind. I don't want to know."
Hermione frowned at him, "honestly, Ronald."
Harry just laughed, "You sure you don't want to know? A lot has happened."
Ron looked extremely unsure but nodded eventually. His curiosity getting the better of him.
"Turns out that I own a Manor," Harry informed.
Ron gasped, "No way! Seriously?"
Hermione shrugged, "It was perfectly predictable. I mean… The Potter name goes back centuries. It only makes sense that they have their own Manor."
Harry didn't like the way in which Hermione said 'they.' She wasn't implying herself which he didn't like. After all, Beemey did call her mistress.
"Well go on… tell me all about it!" Ron demanded, an excited look on his face.
"It has an awesome garden." Harry began.
They decided to stop by the leaky cauldron and have a butterbeer. After a good hour of explaining, Ron finally knew everything about Harry's heritage.
"That's just… blimey." Ron gasped, taking another swig of his butterbeer.
"That's exactly my thoughts ever since I found out." Harry chuckled.
Hermione was happy to see them together again, speaking like old friends. It was good to see that despite the changes, things turned out okay… better, actually. Much better. She smiled at Harry who beamed back at her.
"You want me to give you guys a moment?" Ron asked, smirking.
"We're just happy that you accept us," Harry confessed.
Ron's smile faded as he blushed, "I… I'm still trying to get used to… everything. But I'm trying."
Harry smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder, "That's all that matters, mate."
Ron smiled back at him, "Besides, now that I've pretty much gotten over it… I can't help but admit that you guys look good together."
Hermione blushed, "Okay, no. Stop… I'm not ready to take compliments from you, Ronald."
"It's true though." He laughed, "Why do you think everyone always suspected you two were a couple?"
Harry shook his head in disbelief, "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Ron Weasley?"
Ron laughed, "Hey… it was this trip to Romania… it really helped me, you know?"
Hermione smirked, "Something tells me it wasn't the trip. I think it was a certain someone."
"A certain someone who was looking for a crumple horned snorkack and accidentally found a different creature," Harry added, laughing.
Ron was blushing furiously, "ha ha ha, very funny."
"So, where are you going to dinner?" Hermione asked.
"Here," Ron answered.
Hermione's smile faded, "What!"
"Shhh!" Harry urged, taking a look around the bar. A lot of eyes were focused on their table. Getting inside the leaky cauldron was almost impossible due to Harry's current status. Tom the bartender promised to not allow anyone from the prophet enter until they leave. Harry was very grateful for that. It still didn't stop any strangers who walked up to their table every five minutes and asked for an autograph or picture. To Harry's relief, even Ron and Hermione were getting noticed. After jotting down a ton of autographs and shaking hands with everyone, Tom led them to a small table in the corner of the bar.
"What's so bad about the leaky cauldron? We're here right now, aren't we?" Ron whispered.
Hermione sighed, "Ron… you're going to need lessons on how to date."
Harry laughed, "Hey… we could always have a double date."
Both Ron and Hermione turned to him.
"Yes! That's a great plan!" Ron answered.
Hermione smiled, "I guess it would be fun. And I'll be able to keep an eye on you." She said to Ron.
Ron shrugged, "So… where should we eat? I mean… I could always send her a letter and change the location." He suggested.
"I'll take a look at some of the restaurants in London. Then I'll let you know. When is this dinner?" Hermione asked.
"Next week, Friday," Ron informed.
"Should be fine." Hermione nodded and turned to Harry.
"I'm in." He agreed.
Hermione was in the living room, soaking up the moment. She was laying down on the couch, supported by her favourite pillow, Harry Potter. They were both resting in comfortable silence. Hermione's eyes were closed, by she was in deep thought.
Sometimes, she still couldn't believe it. The guy which she dreamed about for so many years, was finally hers. How exactly could one cope with that? How could she just live normally being the luckiest girl in the world? He was so perfect. Caring, loving, funny, and so damn beautiful. It made her world feel too good to be true. A part of her was still waiting to wake up from this wonderful dream, not ready to face the reality. But there he was, stroking her hair, smiling up at her face.
She was trying to form excuses and ways to approach her parents about moving to Harry's Manor. It wasn't the fact that she wanted to be here, it was the fact that she wanted to be with Harry. Sleeping with him has become something of a normality for her and changing that lovely tradition would break her heart at this point. She never really gave much thought to it, but Harry Potter was incredibly easy to live with; He cooked, managed to keep himself and the place clean (Even if he did have a house elf), and most importantly, Hermione could spend hours with him in silence and it wouldn't even be awkward.
Her mind started to drift to many unwanted and scary thoughts; she was picturing Harry returning home from work, kissing her on the forehead and settling down beside her at the fireplace. She couldn't picture herself very well, but Harry was as clear as ever. The image always frightened her, mostly because a part of her was scared that it wasn't something that Harry wanted. She wasn't sure if he wanted that kind of future, or if he even wanted a future with her at all. But she wasn't going to ask him now; their moment was too wonderful to interrupt.
She was pulled from her thoughts by Harry's hand brushing her cheek and sliding strand of hair behind her ear.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered in her ear.
She sighed, "You really don't need to force yourself to say that, Harry." She knew it was a mistake the moment she said the words.
Harry's smile faded completely as he stared at her in surprise, "What are you talking about?"
She sighed again, "Harry… I know very well that I'm not as pretty as Cho or Ginny, and I accept that. You don't have to call me beautiful, I don't feel like it anyway."
Harry grunted in frustration, as he sat up, pushing Hermione up to her knees, "I think I've found the one thing that bothers me about you."
"Which is?" She asked.
"You never give yourself any credit, ever." He answered.
"As if you do." She smirked.
Harry sighed, "I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. You would never doubt your beauty ever again."
Hermione looked at him for a long moment, and all she saw was his genuine expression, "Well, I can't. So you will have to explain what exactly makes me so bloody beautiful because I can't see it."
Harry smiled and took hold of her hand, lifting her up from the couch, "Fair enough. Follow me."
He led her to the nearest bathroom on the ground floor where a large mirror was placed against the wall. They walked up to it and Harry centred Hermione right in front of the large reflective glass.
There she was, the Hermione which she's been looking at for eighteen long years of her life. Nothing special, an average face, unimpressive breasts, long and skinny legs. Pretty much nothing compared to some of the girls at Hogwarts. And most certainly nothing compared to the girls which Harry has dated.
"That's me." She muttered.
Harry smiled and placed his hands on her neck, "Top to bottom?"
She nodded, "Go ahead."
Harry's eyes turned to the mirror, as he stared back at her.
"Let's start with the hair—
"Bushy and all over the place."
He chuckled, "I can't disagree with that… but have you ever smelled it?" He asked and grabbed a handful of her hair, bringing it to his nose and inhaling deeply. "I don't know what kind of shampoo you use, but promise to never ever change it. The smell of your hair is enough to drive me crazy."
She felt a slight shiver across her back, "Okay, what's next?"
His hands trailed back down to her neck, "Your eyes—
"Average boring brown eyes." She cut in.
"You're wrong again" He answered, spinning her around so she could see his face. He was staring deep into her eyes, "They're chocolate brown, very warm. They give off a pleasant look, and they're the same colour as your eyebrows.
"If you look close enough, you can notice tiny gold dots across the waves of brown. It's like a brown galaxy dotted with gold stars… it's too easy to get lost in them. They give off a look full of caring, and love. I'm always scared of looking at them for too long because I'm worried that they might hypnotise me." He explained and ran his finger across her eyebrow.
"Next up, we have your eyebrows. They're much darker than your hair. I don't know why but I find it incredibly attractive. They're also extremely straight which makes you look kind and inviting. I think only good people are given those kinds of eyebrows because they instantly make you look warm and welcoming."
She was blushing at his words now, everything he said was true, but she never saw herself that way. Never.
His fingers moved to her cheeks, "Then there are your wonderful cheeks. They used to be chubbier back in the day, but they got smaller with age, giving you a much more mature look. I remember seeing you one day, and realising that you've become a woman."
Hermione was in a trance, she couldn't control her heartbeat which was going crazy by now.
"Here we have your cute nose." He informed, tapping the centre of her face, "Your nostrils always tighten up when you're angry, and when it's sunny, I can spot the tiny freckles which spread across the middle. It makes you look devilishly gorgeous."
She couldn't stop her smile now, he was speaking utter magic to her. Why was her heart beating so damn fast?
"Ahh, then there's my favourite part of your face… those lips. I could kiss them all day." He said, placing a soft kiss on them. "They're pale pink, and they turn almost red when you're cold. You love to bite them when you're in deep thought which makes me angry because they don't deserve that kind of treatment. And if they do, only I should be able to bite them." He added and placed another soft kiss on her lips.
She was becoming slightly weak on her knees, as she clutched to his arms.
"Okay, I think I'm starting to believe you."
He laughed, "But I haven't even started to talk about the rest of your body!"
It felt weird to be beautiful, but his words couldn't be argued with. Harry was the one who finally made her see it, the true beauty that she looked at every day. But it didn't matter to her, as long as she was beautiful in his eyes.
"I don't think I can wait that long." She muttered and clashed against his mouth. Her hands were tracing all over him, marking him as hers. She wanted him right now. "You're the most amazing person in the world, you know that?" She asked in between kisses.
"I have to disagree, I'm in second place, right behind you." He answered, deepening the kiss, obviously making sure that she wasn't able to argue back.
Soon enough, she ended up in his arms, as he carried her to their bedroom.
That's all for this chapter. Once again, I wish you all the best for next year, and let's hope we all achieve our new year resolutions : )
