Hey everyone this is mostly a chapter just to set up for the big changes on the way. I hope you enjoy this new early update and thank you very much to everyone who commented and left kudos you keep me inspired to write! -Dayin
Hermione woke up with a start, her heart pounding in her chest as the remnants of a restless night's sleep clung to her. Slowly, she became aware of her surrounding the small, clean room at the Leaky Cauldron. As she turned her head she took in the sight of a still fast-asleep Harry laying beside her completely sprawled out starfished across the bed leaving only the tiny triangle of bed she had been resting on.
She had gotten used to his odd sleeping habits over their camping trip and had begun to wonder if it was his body's way of reminding himself even in sleep that he was no longer in the cramped wardrobe at the Dursleys.
Her still injured leg ached from the hours of staying in a cramped position causing her to shift and move about.
The movement must have been enough to rouse Harry because when she next glanced back over at him their eyes met, his now wide awake and watching her with concern.
"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry asked, his voice laced with worry. "You were tossing and turning all night."
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. "I just had some nightmares," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "It felt so real like I was back in the midst of their torture rooms and then being taken back to the battle."
Harry reached out and gently took her hand, offering a reassuring squeeze. "It's over now, Mione," he said softly looking as if he were trying to make himself believe it as much as he was trying to comfort her. "The war is finally over. We're safe."
She nodded, but the weight of the past few months clung to her, weighing down her lungs and refusing to let go. The Leaky Cauldron was meant to provide respite, a chance to heal, but even here, the memories and fears lingered. And the day still held much more for them of that she was certain..
Determined to shake off the remnants of her nightmares, she pushed herself up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "We can't stay cooped up in here all day," she said, her voice filled with determination, she would not let this war ruin the rest of her life or Harry's they needed to be truly free of it body and mind. "Let's go out, maybe explore around Diagon Alley or something get some new books."
Harry nodded in agreement, a faint smile playing on his lips, leave it to her to suggest getting books as a way to regain normalcy. "Sounds like a plan. We could use a distraction."
After disguising themselves with similar glamours to the ones they had used the day before, they went downstairs and stepped out into the lobby of the Leaky Cauldron. Tom stood behind the bar counter and they gave him a wave which he returned with a wide grin seeing the two heroes had reemerged.
They quickly made their way to the back wall and Harry entered the code into the stone that Hagrid had shown him all those years ago. The gateway opened to reveal the bustling streets of Diagon Alley, filled with wizards still celebrating and cheering Voledemort's defeat.
As they strolled through the crowded alley, Hermione's senses heightened. The atmosphere buzzed with a mix of excitement and relief. Everywhere she looked, people were celebrating Voldemort's defeat, putting up pictures of him and showcasing memory-created photos of her, capturing the moment she had confronted and overcome him.
Signs and banners with Hermione's face on them hung across and between the buildings and the daily prophet was proudly pasted in almost every store window.
The other familiar sights and sounds of the wizarding world greeted them, but Hermione couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that settled within her at seeing the signs and banners, they seemed so ostentatious and truly it was mostly accidental magic that had finished Voldemort.
Harry looked at her with sympathy knowing a fraction of what she was going through, however, he realised now that at least no one had been around to truly witness his defeat of Voldemort whereas hundreds had seen Hermione's many of which seemed all too ready to volunteer their memories for the photos in the newspaper articles that now adorned the shop windows; something he had not even realised could be done.
He made a snap decision to try and get her away from the blaring reminders of the end of the war and instead led her away to the ice cream parlor to cheer her up.
At first, she was apprehensive about going into any of the establishments with the photos of Voldemort's defeat posted but the pistachio ice cream cone that was placed in her hand quickly took her mind off of it as she happily munched away.
Once they were done they threw away their remaining napkins and headed over to the pet store to look at the adorable animals, something that had always cheered her up greatly.
Even the huge sign outside the store loudly proclaiming "Hermione Granger bought her familiar here" couldn't deter her from going in to look at the sweet owls and kittens that they had in the store.
The kittens all rushed forward upon hearing the bell one little ginger kneazle in particular pushing up to nuzzle on her hand. Remembering her sweet boy crooks back at home with her family she felt a sense of urgency returning. She longed so badly to be back finally now that her job here was done, ideally, she would love to get her NEWTS written along with her high school diploma before leaving to head back to America but truly she didn't think she could wait much longer.
Her only concern was Harry, she didn't want to leave him alone here in the UK and he had become just as much her brother as Jacob back home. Any decision would be ripping her family apart.
Unless.
Unless, maybe just maybe he would want to come with her. It would definitely be worth the ask and if he said no then she could make a plan from there on what she would do. Looking over at him quietly talking to the snakes in the take she knew she owed it to both of them to at least try. Making up her mind to ask later she headed over to the front of the shop near the owls and waited for Harry to finish up his conversation with the large constrictor he had taken interest in.
It wasn't long before he came to join her and they both headed for the front door of the shop, the shop bell tinkling on their way out.
They returned back to the main street of the Alley, Hermione determined not to let the banners get to her this time despite the storm of conflicting emotions they caused to form within her
She knew she had played a crucial role in Voldemort's downfall and did not begrudge others the right to feel the wave of relief his death had also brought to her, but the memories of that victory were marred by the pain and sacrifice it had cost. A sea of people, rejoicing and commemorating her actions, became overwhelming while watching herself murder both Bellatrix and Voldemort on a constant loop.
Dashing quickly into Flourish and Blots and straight past the sign proudly proclaiming themselves as the 'Saviour's favourite book store' with Harry hot on her heels she lost herself into the shelves at the far back of the store away from any prying eyes.
The large bookstore tucked away in a quiet corner of Diagon Alley was the perfect sanctuary from the swirling chaos of the celebration. While it was full of people they were all more focused on the books they were choosing.
She quickly fell into her old habits walking around the store and picking out a few new fascinating titles, excited to finally have access to the 17 and up section of the store for the first time ever. It held some of the more detailed potions brewing and creature/ biology books and she had been dying to read most of them for years. Grabbing a ton she happily read their contents switching out a few from other sections of the store for their more in-depth counterparts.
When she was finally done and had filled both of their arms with as many books as she could carry they took them to the register at the front of the store.
The shopkeeper let out a hearty chuckle as they both toddled forward hands shaking under the weight of the books. "My, my, getting a bit of reading for the summer months I see, Shall I shrink and lighten them for you once they are all rung up?"
"Yes please," she said with a breath of relief for magic existing, not wanting to imagine the long walk back to the Leaky with the pile of books she had accumulated.
"Perfect that will be 100g ma'am," he said jovially while beginning the shrinking and lightening process.
She nodded and got the gold out counting it before holding it out to the old bookseller. But as the galleons touched the older man's hand, her glamour quickly flickered and then completely failed, leaving her exposed to the eyes of the world.
She looked around in confusion before her eyes settled on the small ruin in the cash register, a ruin used to verify everyone's true age and identity before they could purchase restricted materials. It must have recognised her glamours and collapsed them she thought with a groan.
The shopkeeper's looked at her in confusion trying to figure out what had happened before his eyes eyes widened to saucers in recognition, and a loud gasp escaped his lips before he fell to his knees in front of her. "My Dame, thank you so much for defeating the Dark Lord and saving us" he proclaimed, while raising his hands up towards her.
"It is Dame Granger the hero who defeated Voldemort!" someone nearby to her right shouted.
Suddenly, the previously bustling alley seemed to fall silent as people began to steam into the shop, all eyes turning toward Hermione as they entered. Whispers and murmurs began to spread like wildfire, echoing through the store and out onto the cobblestone streets.
"Is that really her?" A young witch in front of her cried out in question while pointing at her.
"Yes, it is! The one who faced You-Know-Who!" someone quickly replied sounding as if they could barely believe it.
"Our hero of the Wizarding World!" another called out happily.
A mix of awe, gratitude, and curiosity filled the air as people recognized her, their expressions ranging from reverence to excitement. The crowd closed in, eager to catch a glimpse and if they were lucky possibly even get to touch, the courageous young witch who had played a pivotal role in the downfall of Voldemort.
Panic surged through her veins as she felt like a caged rat, her breathing becoming shallow and rapid as she did her best to back up. The wall of the shop hit her back and seemed to close in on her quickly, and the voices merged into a cacophony of overwhelming noise. Her heart pounded in her ears as the weight of her past crashed down upon her.
In a moment she was back in that awful room at Malfoy Manor and the death eaters were surrounding her. She began to cry through her ragged breaths making her even more oxygen-starved than she was before.
Harry quickly stepped forward, shielding her with his body, his voice serious and threatening. " Give her some space now! She needs air! Get away!" He barked the orders in quick succession which surprisingly seemed to somewhat work as the crowd reluctantly began to disperse to at least a few feet away. Harry's arms enveloped her, offering a much-needed anchor amidst the storm of emotions.
This allowed her a few precious moments to catch her breath as she collected her thoughts back into an actual thinking pattern and not just the white-hot terror she had felt moments before.
"I'm sorry, Mione," he murmured, his voice filled with concern. "I didn't expect this to happen, I mean, I am used to people looking at me but nothing to this extent"
Tears continued to welled up in her eyes as she clung to him, her voice choked with vulnerability. "It's not your fault, it's just so overwhelming"
Gently, Harry held her closer, his touch a lifeline of comfort. "I know, Mione, trust me I know"
She knew he truly did understand which helped her to feel a lot better, she raised her eyes and looked around finding many eyes still on the two of them causing her cheeks to flush red in humiliation.
A new surge of panic coursed through her veins at those prying eyes, and she instinctively clutched his arm, her breathing quickening. "Harry, I... I need to get out of here," she managed to say, her voice trembling.
"I feel like I'm gonna be sick," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's too much, Harry."
"You're safe and perfectly fine," he murmured, his voice filled with reassurance. " It doesn't matter a jot what they saw and we'll find a way out of here right quick."
He quickly helped her to her feet doing his best to block her from the crowd's line of sight as they collected the books to the anguished apologies of the bookseller who hadn't meant to terrorize their hero so.
He led them out and grabbed a firm hold on to her before apparating them to a nearby deserted alleyway where they were able to reapply their glamours.
With tear-filled eyes, Hermione looked at Harry, her voice filled with a mixture of determination and vulnerability. "Harry, I don't think I can live my life like this, I want to get away from this and lay low. I am thinking I will go back to my family in America now that it should finally be safe. I would like it if you came with me." she said the tremble in her voice betraying her lack of confidence.
Harry stared at her in shocked silence for a few moments.
"I think we need to find a place where we can heal without constantly being reminded of what happened and my family would love you" she continued on to fill the awkward silence while trying further to convince him.
Harry's gaze softened as he looked down at her"You're are right Mione, as long as you are sure you don't mind me coming I would be happy to go with you."
I hope you liked it please don't forget to let me know what you think and give me your predictions for what is to come in the future! Thanks again for reading!-Dayout