Disclaimer: All character and the world in this story belongs to JK Rowling. I own nothing.
A/N: It's been weeks since I last posted a chapter so here is the next one. It's a bit difficult to push the story in the right direction without losing any points or the feel of the story. I hope you like it.
Please Review.
Chapter Twenty: The Hearing
Susan was shocked when her aunt told her that Harry was under intensive observation and treatment in St. Mungo's. She was even more shocked that her aunt knew this for six days now and hadn't yet told her about it. Her aunt neither knew any details about it nor had she met him but she had known that he was involved in some kind of artefact accident and he was unconscious since then. She wanted to go and see him that moment but her aunt had decided that they would go together that evening. So, she was waiting for her aunt to return from the moment she had stepped in the floo. She did not even let her aunt relax for a minute on her return, she was impatient and she wanted to go to the wizarding hospital without wasting anymore time.
As they were walking down the corridor to the ward, she recognized her DADA professor from last year. But he raised his left hand to stop them in their stride.
"I have spoken with Dumbledore, Alastor. We have permission." Amelia told Moody in a calm manner. Moody entered the room and closed the door, he returned a few seconds later and opened the door to allow them inside the waiting room.
Inside the waiting room were Ron, Snuffles and an unexpected face. Ron rose from his place to greet Susan and her aunt, Susan exchanged pleasantries very quickly before walking inside the patient's room. She was half expecting the scene she met but it was still painful but she had to put up a brave and happy face.
Inside the room was the bed on which Harry was sleeping, Hermione sat in the chair on his right, her right hand holding his, their intertwined fingers near to her face, she was gently caressing it. She had a book in her left hand which she was reading in a gentle voice as if reading to Harry. Hermione was so immersed in reading the book that she did not notice Susan opening the door and entering. Susan felt a pang of jealousy, she would have liked it very much to switch places with Hermione. She had a thought which she would never confess to anyone, she wanted the breakup to be permanent. She wanted her chance with him which was snatched away from her so badly. She did not hate Hermione for it, she had the right to fight for what she wanted and Susan would never resent her for that. She just stood there for a few seconds, watching the scene but she was caught when Hermione turned to look at the door. Hermione gave Susan a genuine smile and Susan returned the smile with her own but it did not resemble her natural one.
"Hey." Hermione greeted while closing the book and placing it on the side table.
"Hey, you two." Susan moved to sit on the chair across the bed from Hermione. "How is he?"
"Stable." Hermione did not elaborate. "He looks peaceful, doesn't he?"
"Yeah." That was the only response Susan gave, her eyes were also fixed on Harry's face. "What happened?"
"An accident, an artefact blasted in his hand." Hermione changed the details of the event slightly. Susan noticed that Hermione looked weary and her eyes were evidence enough of the sleepless nights she had spent.
"How long have you been here?" When no answer came from Hermione, Susan told Hermione, "you should take some rest, Hermione. Probably you should go home and sleep."
"I am alright, Susan." Hermione answered flatly.
"No, you are not and it will not help you." Susan was unable to think a way to get her to take some rest. "I would stay here so you can take some rest. I will inform you the moment he wakes up."
"I am not leaving, Susan and thanks for your offer." There was steel in her voice that left no room for discussion.
Susan did not want to push her so she changed the topic. "Did you two receive the prefect badges?"
Susan did not miss the pause that came between her question and Hermione's answer. "The letters arrived a week ago and there was a badge."
"Congrats, Hermione." Susan gave her a smile before she asked, "You and Harry would be the perfect prefect couple of the year."
She realized, from Hermione's reaction that something was missing and she was proven right in that assumption. "Harry is not the prefect Susan, it's Ron."
"Why would McGonagall make him the prefect instead of Harry?" Susan asked, a bit astonished at the news.
"Only McGonagall can answer that question." Hermione sighed before continuing, "I am going to ask her that question when I will see her next."
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
In the waiting room, there was a different scene playing out. Ron was in the non-verbal and silent crossfire of Sirius Black vs Amelia Bones. Uncomfortable and awkward did not even begin to describe the situation, it was getting on his nerves so he did the only thing that came to his mind, he left the room and went in search of the canteen. He had a few sickles saved up for treating himself and his mother gave him a bit extra pocket money for being made a prefect.
Once Ron was out of the room, Amelia pulled out her wand and locked both the doors and silenced them. "Sirius, turn back. I need to say something."
Sirius did not and so Amelia continued with her words. "I did not know anything about it, Sirius. I am…. I just wanted to…. Look, I understand, Sirius."
She was about to say 'sorry' but she stopped herself, she did not need to apologize to him, she hadn't done anything wrong. She did what she believed to be best for her niece and herself, she can't feel guilty about it.
"No, you don't, you don't understand it and it's better that way." Sirius answered as he turned back to his human form. "It doesn't matter to me anyway."
Amelia was getting a bit emotional but she tried to keep the emotions out of her way. "Ok, I don't understand but what do you expect from me after all these years? Did you think that I would fall on my knees and apologize? You don't get to judge me for what I did."
Even though she tried her best but her voice had grown louder, she took a deep breath to calm herself. Sirius leaned forward so that his elbows rested on his knees, his fingers moving through his hair. "I didn't expect anything from you Madam Bones and I am not judging you, I never did."
A silent understanding passed between the two that they won't speak of this again, they won't speak about the years that had passed between them.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
It had been an hour since Susan left when Ron entered the room and stood next to Hermione. "You need to go home, Hermione."
"I don't think so. I am alright." Hermione replied flatly.
"No, you are not and I am not going to listen to your excuses." Ron replied forcefully. He looked genuinely worried about her and he wasn't going to step back.
"He needs me, Ron. I am not leaving his side." Hermione turned back to Harry. "You should go home if you want to."
"Hermione, he would need you more when he wakes up. You would be exhausted when he wakes up if you keep stretching yourself thin." Ron was getting infuriate with how Hermione was acting. "Look Hermione, I will stay here till tomorrow morning, go home, eat, sleep and return first thing in the morning. He is my bestmate, you know."
Hermione was speechless, she was finding it difficult to find a suitable reply. Ron continued when he got no reply, "Leave now, I will stay here."
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
She was walking towards the floo-network thinking about the past days, Snuffles was on her heels. She remembered that it was Harry's birthday when the accident took place and in everything that happened before and after the accident, she had completely forgotten to wish him on his birthday, they all had. She had planned a small birthday party for him that evening, Sirius and the twins were very helpful in that and yet they were here. She berated herself for forgetting to wish Harry on his birthday, 'how could she forget to wish her best friend, her boyfriend on his birthday'. She was so busy in her thoughts that she didn't see what was in front of her and she collided with someone. That someone turned out to be Neville Longbottom.
"Hey Hermione!" Neville offered her his hand to stand up, she accepted the help with a smile.
"Hey Neville. What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" Hermione asked him worryingly. She did not notice the old woman standing a couple of feet away from Neville, she had a stuffed vulture on her hat.
Neville was hesitating in answering the question but he didn't have to answer as his grandmother did that for him. "Everything is fine young lady, we were here to see his parents."
Neville's head fell down, he was looking at his feet. Hermione had a confused look on her face, so she asked the old woman what she meant. "I am sorry but what happened to them?"
"My son was an auror, he and his wife both were, they were tortured by Death Eaters. They are now in the Janus Thickey ward, permanent damage to their brains."
Neville looked ashamed, he moved his head to look anywhere but towards Hermione. His grandmother wasn't finished yet, "You should be proud of them, Neville and it is very rude not to introduce us."
"Oh Neville!" Hermione brought him in a tight hug which Neville did not return. Hermione pulled back a moment later, her actions had surprised both the Longbottoms. Neville's face was scarlet with embarrassment.
Neville was trying to introduce Hermione to his grandmother but he was stuttering and stammering so Hermione helped him. "I'm Hermione Granger, ma'am. We are in the same year."
"Ah, 'the brightest witch in the year', I have heard quite a lot about you, young lady. Augusta Longbottom." Neville's grandmother shook Hermione's offered hand with a somewhat dubious smile. "I was told that you are a muggleborn."
Hermione's expression soured a bit, she thought that Madam Longbottom might hold it against her but her worries were diminished with the next words. "I am not concerned with your blood status Ms. Granger, I am just surprised a bit, that's all. Haven't seen a muggleborn outperform others in quite some time."
Hermione looked a bit embarrassed but she thanked her for the complement nonetheless. Madam Longbottom continued with her words, "excuse us but we need to return, I hope we will see you on the platform."
Augusta turned to leave but Neville did not. "What are you doing here, Hermione?"
However small a smile was on Hermione's face vanished as the situation was reminded. "It's Harry."
"What happened to him?" Neville asked and he turned to see his grandmother watching the two from a few feet away.
"He was in an accident, we brought him here last week, he is still unconscious." Neville could see the tears that were threatening to spill so he assured her that everything will be alright and turned to talk to his grandmother. He turned back to talk to Hermione a few moments later, "where is he?"
Hermione gave him the direction to Harry's ward and Neville and his grandmother bid her goodbye to walk in that direction.
Hermione did not wait any longer to return to Grimmauld Place.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
It was morning of the eighth day of August and Hermione was in her usual seat on the right-hand side of Harry's bed, holding his hand in hers. She was reading a book when she felt a gentle squeeze in her hand, her head snapped in the direction of Harry's face. And to her relief, his eyes were open, not completely but enough to tell that he was awake. Harry tried to open his mouth and say something but he wasn't audible. Hermione moved herself so that her face was inches away from Harry's. "Hey, 'Mione."
She sat on the edge of his bed, she moved her hands to cup his face and brought her forehead to rest on his. "Hey, you!"
"Water!" his voice was barely audible, it was rough from not being used for days. Hermione brought him in a more comfortable position and adjusted his pillows before she handed him the glass of water from the side table and left the room for a moment.
The waiting room had only one occupant, Ron, Padfoot was back at Grimmauld Place today. "Ron, can you get the heeler? He is awake."
Ron was reading a Quidditch magazine and it took a moment for her words to sink in. "What?"
"Please get the heeler, Ron. Harry is awake." Ron could see the relief on her face and her voice was happier today. He ran out of the room without any reply.
"Who else is out there?" Harry asked when Hermione sat on the edge of the bed. Water had softened his voice somewhat but it was still barely audible. He tried to sit up straight but Hermione's firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Don't try to get up." Hermione said in her gentle voice, she could not even manage to scold him. Harry understood that she was going through a rush of emotions, he lifted his hand to gently caress her face with the back of his hand. That was it for Hermione, she flung herself on him and brought him in a protective, possessive embrace that she never wanted to break but that moment came very soon.
"You will definitely choke him, Granger." Ron said from the door. He received a death glare for his cheek from the brightest witch of her age, he just raised his hands in a apologising gesture. "Too soon?"
The heeler walked in a few seconds later to examine Harry. "Would you two please step out of the room?"
Hermione did not want to and she made her feelings known, "Can I stay?"
"I am sorry but it is standard procedure, it won't be long, I promise." The heeler replied. Hermione was biting her lower, she didn't want to let him out of her sight even for a fraction of a second. She knew that she had to, so she bent down to kiss his forehead before heading out of the room.
"How do you feel, Mr. Potter?" The heeler asked while her wand was drawing indiscernible patterns in front of Harry, a few of them resulted in different light on his body.
"Tired." He replied, his voice very small.
"How were your dreams?" The heeler continued with the questioning.
"Not very pleasant. They lasted too long, after that it was all black." Harry answered truthfully.
"Dreamless sleep potion has that effect." The heeler answered before proclaiming that the examination was over, she opened the door for the other two teenagers to enter. Hermione didn't waste any time and sat on the edge of the bed, she was sitting as close as possible without sitting on his lap.
"You are fine Mr. Potter, you will be back on your feet in a week." The heeler said before writing something on the notepad. "I will send the potions with a medi-witch."
"Hey, mate." Ron said when the heeler had left the room. Harry was unsure how to react but he realized that whatever tension they had was suspended for the time being. "Hey, Ron. How are you?"
Ron chuckled before answering, "better than you, I guess."
When he received another death glare from Hermione, he said before stepping out of the room and closing the door. "Not my fault, he asked for it."
Harry received a look of disapproval as he laughed lightly on the interaction. The look though morphed to that of concern and affection. Hermione asked just for peace of her own mind, "How are you feeling now?"
"I would say fine but I don't feel that answer would satisfy you." He chuckled dryly but the look Hermione gave him wasn't a good one. "Sorry. I feel exhausted."
"Mm Hmm." That was the only reply Hermione gave before her fingers found their way in his hair, she slowly and gently scratched his scalp which made him feel so relaxed that he moaned. Hermione couldn't stop giggling at his reaction and Harry liked it that way. Within a minute since she began her ministrations, Harry was asleep. He slowly adjusted himself in his sleep so that his arms were around Hermione's waist while the side of his face rested on her abdomen. A shiver went through her as his nose nuzzled against her stomach, a thin layer of fabric was the only thing between their skins, she could feel his breath on her skin.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
"What are we going to do?" Harry asked from his bed. He was back at Grimmauld Place but he wasn't completely healed, he was still very weak. He was discharged from St. Mungo's this morning on Dumbledore's request, needless to say the healer attending to Harry wasn't very happy about the situation and had given a long list of Dos and Don'ts to Hermione, a mandatory weeklong bedrest was prescribed. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had seen to his discharge and Harry had arrived in the ancient Black residence via floo.
"No idea, Dumbledore requested Fudge to shift the date of the trial but the Ministry isn't budging." Sirius answered from the opposite side of the room. The Hearing was the next morning and Harry wasn't strong enough to attend it in person. "Dumbledore said that he would be able to advocate your side."
"But don't you think Fudge would make a big deal out of his absence?" Ron was the one to raise the question. He was sitting on the chair near the desk.
"Ministry can issue an arrest warrant if the accused if absent." Mr. Weasley answered from his chair across from Sirius. "Dumbledore might be able to convince them to postpone the hearing while he presents your case."
"He won't agree to that." Sirius answered emotionlessly. "We need to find a way."
"We can ask Madam Bones." Tonks interjected, when she received a glare from Sirius, she explained her proposition. "She would be on the panel, she is DMLE Director after all."
"She would be easily overwritten by Minister or the Senior Undersecretary." Sirius dispelled the idea.
"Call me crazy but I have an idea, why can't we send someone else." Ron was the one to interrupt the discussion. When everyone was looking at him expectantly, he continued. "If Crouch can play Mad-Eye for a year, why can't I do the same for Harry. I have first-hand experience of four years."
Hermione was the one to pull the plug on the idea. "You can't claim that you don't know it, Ron but Polyjuice takes a month to brew and for your kind information, the trial is tomorrow."
"Hey! Don't shout at me. If you have a better idea, I am all ears." Ron replied angrily.
"You don't need to brew Polyjuice, Mad-Eye can get enough from Knockturn Alley for a few galleons. Besides, thanks to Ron I have a better plan." Sirius pitched in the discussion. He gave a mischievous look to Tonks and everyone could see the colour of her hair change to a sickly green.
"No! No Sirius, it's not happening!" Tonks was shaking her head violently. "Have you gone beyond the turn?"
"Dear Dora, won't you help your little cousin who is in bad health?" Sirius asked with a sweet voice. "And where is your sense of adventure?"
"Sirius, if she got caught, she would be kicked from the force and they both will face criminal charges for fraud." Arthur replied, his eyebrows were about to jump off his forehead.
"What are you guys talking about?" Harry had yet to catch up on what was happening. "How is she my cousin?"
"Your family lecture would come later, Harry. However, what we are talking about is…." Sirius looked at Tonks expectantly. She just sighed before turning to face Harry. "This."
She transformed in Harry, well almost, she did not have the spectacles. It was a good thing that Harry and Tonks's height were almost equal, although now her robe was a bit tight around the shoulders. Harry's eyes were about to pop out when he heard Hermione gasp.
"She can't do that, Sirius. Are you insane?" Hermione was the one to declare her opposition to the idea.
"If everyone is done criticising my idea, please give a better one." When there was no answer or input, he continued. "As I expected. I am going to tell this idea to Dumbledore and I hope he accepts otherwise all we could do is hope."
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
Nymphadora Tonks was standing in front of the entrance to Courtroom 10, waiting to be called in. The only issue was that she wasn't the one being expected on the other side of the door, it was Harry Potter. And to her misfortune, she had the ability to impersonate others. She right now hated this special talent. She was in a male dress robe, impersonating Harry Potter to a disciplinary hearing that too in front of the full bench of Wizengamot. She checked her form in the shining silver doorknob of the entrance.
Her clumsiness and the shift in her centre of mass wasn't a great combination, she had toppled a wizard in the pool of Fountain of Magical Brethren. It would have been hilarious from a third-person perspective but it was horrible and embarrassing from the first-person perspective. Mr. Weasley had to drag her away, she was certain that this was going to be on the Prophet tomorrow. For a moment, she was afraid that her hair might change colour. She needed to keep her emotions and thoughts in check.
Harry had told her all the details of the evening when Sirius told them that Dumbledore had reluctantly agreed to the idea. Dumbledore had also conveyed the message that Mrs. Figg would appear as an eyewitness to the incident, Tonks needed to be informed so that she would not get alarmed during the trial. Because when she gets surprised or shocked or any sudden shift in emotions, her hair changes colour to something more appropriate.
The doors to the courtroom opened and she was asked to enter. She walked in her best imitation of Harry and sat in the chair in the centre of the open area, Dumbledore was standing on the right-hand side of the chair. As she entered, a silence fell over the courtroom, every eye was now focussed on her. She could tell who were against Harry and who were moderates by their expressions and she did not feel very positive about the chances. There were around fifty of them and in the centre, Cornelius Fudge sat on an elevated chair. On his right were Dolores Umbridge and Amelia Bones, while on his left side sat Constantine Ogden and Percy Weasley.
"Accused is present for the Disciplinary Hearing of twenty-fourth of July, into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. The interrogation panel for the case: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Constantine Sebastian Ogden, Chief Warlock of Wizengamot; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Court Scribe: Percy Ignatius Weasley." Fudge stopped before eyeing Dumbledore and continuing, "Defence Advocate: Albus Dumbledore."
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Dumbledore interrupted Fudge in middle to tell his full name, with every word being punctuated with a pause. Percy looked at the Minister for his confirmation before writing the name when Minister gave him an impatient nod. All the attention had suddenly shifted from her to Dumbledore.
Fudge pulled out a sheet of parchment from the file in front of him before reading the charges. "Harry Potter knowingly and deliberately produced a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, in the presence of a Muggle, on the twenty-fourth of July. The accused has previously received a written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge. The actions thus committed constitutes an offence under Paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy."
"Are you Harry James Potter of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge asked in an angry tone.
"Yes." Harry/Tonks answered.
Before Fudge could ask another question, which he was surely going to ask, Dumbledore stepped in. "Pardon me, Minister but it is my understanding that before the interrogation begins, Defence is allowed to make a statement."
Fudge had to begrudgingly accept the objection and he gave a curt nod of acceptance to Dumbledore to continue. "On the evening of twenty-fourth of July, Harry Potter produced a Patronus Charm, in presence of his cousin, who is a muggle and is familiar with the wizarding world as Mr. Potter lives with the family. The only question here is about the intent and it is my duty to inform this respected body and its members that Harry Potter did what he had to save, not only himself but his cousin too, from a dementor attack."
Fudge scoffed at the statement but Dumbledore did not pause for that, he continued to stroll in front of the dais, his hands behind his back. "Clause Seven of the Decree states that magic may be used before Muggles in exceptional circumstances, and as those exceptional circumstances include situations which threaten the life of the wizard or witch him or herself, or any witches, wizards or Muggles present at the time of the incident. In the light of this, the defence would like the jury to consider the case. Defence rests."
"A very well thought-out lie and a well written script. I must say Dumbledore, you haven't lost your touch." It was Ogden who leaned forward and commented, his words drew a few smirks. "It is a well-known fact that muggles can't see dementors and to use such an idea is quite clever, no dementor sighting and no eyewitness, clever indeed."
"Oh, he is clever, but the dementors were really there." Harry/Tonks interjected and received glares from many of the members.
"The accused would refrain from speaking unless spoken to." Fudge chided Harry, he wasn't going to go easy on the boy. "Lying in Wizengamot is punishable and so is contempt of the court."
"On behalf of him, I apologize. And thank you, Chief Warlock for your kind words about my intellectual prowess." A few chuckles could be heard from the members. "However, I must clarify that there was indeed a witness present."
"That's rubbish, there is no other witch or wizard living in Little Whinging, Dumbledore." Fudge shouted, all pretence of civility was gone.
"Pardon me, Headmaster…." It was Madam Bones who interrupted the angry shouts. "The location has been monitored previously and there is no record of any witch or wizard living in the area."
"And the defence would assure you that your records are right." Dumbledore answered with a smile.
"See, he is contradicting himself. You don't have a witness if no witch or wizard was there." Fudge said with a menacing smile.
"The defence would like to bring this fact into the attention that witches and wizards are not the only ones who can see a dementor." Dumbledore stated humbly.
"Mr. Dumbledore, excuse me if I am incorrect, but Chief Warlock had already mentioned the fact that muggles can't see dementors. Forgive me Mr. Dumbledore but your thoughts are very foggy." It was the Pink-Toad Umbridge, her sickly-sweet voice was nauseous.
"In his great wisdom, Chief Warlock missed a minute point. Not only witches and wizards but squibs too can see dementors." Dumbledore was good at keeping a crowd spellbound with his words and he was doing that here too. "As there are no available records of squib registration, it might have missed Ministry's notice. Under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused has the right to present witnesses and I would like to call the witness of defence."
"You may proceed." Amelia Bones was quite curious about it, she did not wait for anyone else's decision. A few moments later, an old woman in a purple robe walked in, it was clear that the robe had seen better days and hadn't seen sun in quite some time. Dumbledore flicked his wand and a stone chair appeared on Harry/Tonks's left.
"Please state your name." Amelia was now conducting the questioning while Fudge looked like he was slapped across the face. Umbridge and Ogden had such a look as if something disgusting was placed just under their noses.
"Arabella Doreen Figg."
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
"Cleared of all charges!"
Nymphadora was retelling the hearing to the audience that had gathered in Harry's new room. It seemed that Tonks had mastered the art of storytelling as she hadn't missed a detail yet and no one had asked a question, her talent at transforming into the person she was telling about was an asset. She had told how Dumbledore outfoxed the Ministry in constituting an investigating committee to look into the matter of dementor presence in Little Whinging. Ron fell out of chair laughing when she made Fudge's face when he had to clear Harry of all charges.
"I kid you not, I was so worried that I might morph while this was going on." Tonks was in good spirits and so was everyone else, they all were relieved that it was finally over and that too on a positive note. "Oh, and before I forget…."
Tonks walked up to the head of the bed, morphed and pecked Harry on the lips. Hermione gasped at the scene before she pushed Tonks away, everyone else was stunned, Harry even more so. "Get away! What are you doing?"
Hermione was clearly angry at Tonks actions but Tonks did not look ashamed, not even one bit. She was still in her morphed form; the form was of a very familiar person.
Susan Bones
"That was from the morning, before the trial. Young Madam Bones was there to support Harry Potter." Tonks said with a mischievous smile, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively. It was Fred-George's turn to fall on the floor laughing, Harry and Hermione's faces were hilarious in that moment. Sirius was also in fits of laughter but Ron looked somewhat mortified.
"Never do that again Tonks, never." Hermione said in a very threatening voice.
"I apologize, Hermione. Couldn't miss the opportunity, could I?" Tonks's this nature was what made Hermione soft in her anger towards her. "She was waiting outside the courtroom when I arrived and she was surprised that Hermione wasn't there to support me, I mean him."
Tonks walked back to the desk where she was sitting while retelling the courtroom drama. "And that was the good luck kiss for our little Mr. Potter. She even wanted to spend the afternoon with you, had to tell that I wasn't feeling well."
"Looks like, Hermione needs to start telling people that they are back to snogging each other." One of the twins commented and that was enough to make the couple blush crimson. The other twin wasn't far behind, "although I think Harry wouldn't want that to be known."
Harry looked mortified and started to tell Hermione that that wasn't the case but he was fumbling with his words. Hermione had to kiss him to stop his efforts. "I know."
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
Potter Cleared
By Regina Cogburn
During the hearing that took place yesterday morning in front of the full bench of Wizengamot, Harry Potter was cleared of all charges of Underage Magic and violation of Statute of Secrecy. No party was available for comment after the hearing. The Ministry had release a brief press note that the charges have been dropped and Harry Potter's suspension from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been lifted with immediate effect.
The proceedings look unbiased from the outside but is it possible that those who voted in favour of Harry Potter's innocence weren't giving a preferential treatment due to his past. But we will never know the exact details behind the decision of those individuals present there.
"They aren't going to drop this soon, are they?" Ron said from where he was sitting on the dining table. It was his father who answered it for him, "Fudge isn't happy about it, he is quite angry at those who voted for Harry."
"He can't remove someone from Wizengamot, can he?" It was Bill who commented. Arthur turned to look at his oldest son, "no, he can't but he can fire those who hold an office. But he can't do that right now, he would face very strong backlash if he does that."
"Yeah, Purebloods are always fearful of losing their privileges." Sirius jumped into the discussion. He looked at Arthur before continuing, "Weasleys are a rare exception to this case."
"Thank you for that, Mr. Black." Arthur replied jovially. "So, when are we planning the trip to Diagon Alley?"
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
It took a week's rest and 8 vials of different potions a day for Harry to return to full health. The only problem now was that the course of potions, that included dreamless sleep potion, was over and Harry was worried that if he did not use the dreamless sleep potion, he would again experience the nightmares and hallucinations. Hermione had told him and so had the heeler that it wasn't going to happen but Harry had a bad rapport with nightmares and he wasn't certain that it was going to change very soon.
It was emotionally very taxing for Harry when he told Hermione about the hallucinations he experienced while he was unconscious. Even Hermione was in tears, they just sat in Harry's bed, wrapped around each other, drawing comfort from the contact.
"Hermione?" Harry asked in a small voice.
"Yes, Harry?" Hermione voice was as gentle and caring as ever.
"Will you promise me something?" Harry asked while leaning away from Hermione so he could see her face.
Hermione had a rough idea about what he would ask, "what is it?"
"Never take a curse for me." Harry said firmly, he didn't want to leave any room for discussion.
"Only if you promise the same." Hermione wasn't going to let him be the noble idiot.
"You know I can't promise that." Harry was starting to get irritated with her stubbornness.
"So, how can you expect it from me?" Hermione won't step back, she had decided.
"You don't understand, Hermione." Harry was about to snap at her but Hermione knew how to handle Harry's self-sacrificing line of thought. "It's not me Harry who don't understand, it's you, stupid."
She took a deep breath before continuing with her thoughts. "Harry, we already had had this discussion and do I need to remind you that I am going nowhere and that means if I need to stand between you and Voldemort than be it."
Harry was about to protest but Hermione silenced him by placing her hand over his lips, rather forcefully. "Save the words for some other time. Get this inside this thick skull of yours Harry Potter that I am going nowhere, no matter what and there is nothing you can do to make me leave. Do you understand that?"
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
Harry would never have thought that he and Ron would complete their summer homework two weeks before they had to return. But a continuous nagging from Hermione and inability to go out and play quidditch had both of them doing their homework. By the late afternoon of eighteenth, Harry was done with his homework, Ron was towards the end of his too. The only subject Ron had left for later was Divination as it was the odd subject among the three.
Harry had sent a letter to Susan informing her that he, Hermione and Weasleys would be going to Diagon Alley the next day and to ask about the possibility of meeting her there. Hermione had sent a similar letter to Neville, although she had asked him to ask Hannah too. Harry, Hermione and Ron had decided that they would meet in Diagon Alley and celebrate Harry's birthday, Neville's too if he agreed to come. They haven't received a reply from either of them but Harry was hopeful that they would come. They will be in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor at noon where they are supposed to meet.
Harry was sitting on his desk, reading a book about practical dark arts defence techniques when Hermione tiptoed inside his room. She wanted to scare him, just as a joke so she stealthily moved closer to his chair and bent down to bring her lips level to his ears. She waited for a moment before she suddenly gripped his shoulder and shouted
"BOO!"
Hermione wasn't expecting the response she received, it wasn't much of a response but more like a solid reply. Harry had punched her in the face and she was thrown on the floor a few feet back. Harry realized one second too late that it was Hermione, he stood up from his chair and rushed to where Hermione was lying on the floor in a foetal position. He lifted her head and rested it on his shoulder, her hands were covering her face completely.
"I'm Sorry, I'm so sorry, Hermione." Harry tried to move away her hands but she wasn't letting him, he could feel the tears trickle down her hands. "Hermione, move your hands, let me see."
Harry used some force when she did not move her hands voluntarily, he bit his lower lip for stopping himself from flinching, she had a burst lip which was bleeding and it was beginning to swell. "It's alright, Hermione. Please don't cry, it's just a scratch."
"Why did you hit me?" Her voice was shaky and muffled as she had pressed her burst lip with her teeth to stop the bleeding, she started to sob. Harry looked ashamed as he should be, "I was reading about defence and there was this thing about defending against grip from behind then you startled me and I just reacted. I'm so sorry, Hermione, please forgive me."
Harry wasn't sure why she was crying that much, it was a small injury but what he forgot to take into account was that Hermione wasn't accustomed to take a beating and she must be shaken by his action. "We should go down, Mrs. Weasley would fix you up in a minute."
"No, Ron and twins would laugh." That made Harry chuckle, and he received an elbow in the ribs for that. Harry wasn't laughing on her but rather the way she sounded. "Ow! We need to get you patched up Hermione, that lip is going to get swollen."
"No." Hermione shook her head. She looked cute beyond imagination, Harry leaned in and kissed the edge of her mouth, his lips touching the bleeding one of Hermione's. A smirk was present on his face as he pulled away. Harry wasn't going to let her be unattended like that so he did the first thing that came to his mind, he lifted her up in bridal style. Hermione was surprised by his actions and in the fear of falling down, threw her arms around his neck which dysbalanced Harry. This and the weakness Harry still experienced, resulted in Harry stumbling backwards; they both collapsed on Harry's bed, laughing hard on the chain of events.
"At least that made you laugh." Harry said while attempting to regain his composure. "You need to get it healed, Hermione. Let's go!"
Hermione just nodded.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
"Hurry up you two, we are getting late." Mrs. Weasley was shouting which triggered the painting of Walburga Black. It was total chaos. It got even worse when the twins apparated just behind Mrs. Weasley. The pandemonium receded as mad-Eye and Mr. Weasley started to push everyone out of the House. Harry was walking between Hermione and Tonks in his brand-new clothes. Hermione's birthday gift to Harry was a suitcase filled with a collection of muggle clothes that fit him. She had told him that she had picked up everything with the help of Tonks from muggle London, although Sirius had paid for it; he had declined when Hermione offered to pay for it.
The outgoing party had planned that they would take the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron a few blocks away from Grimmauld place. Within minutes, they were standing outside the creaking door of Leaky Cauldron, Mrs. Weasley didn't wait before pushing the horde inside.
"Over here!" Someone shouted from the crowd, it was Bill and as he stood up and everyone turned in his direction, they noticed the beautiful face of Fleur Delacour. They were sitting at one of the small tables in a corner. It took them sometime to navigate through the dense crowd but Mrs. Weasley was accustomed to get her way.
"Hey Fleur!" One of the twins outstretched his hand, the other wasn't far behind, "As beautiful as ever."
"Merci", she shook their outstretched hands before turning to Harry. She pulled him in a tight hug that had Hermione giving her an irritated look and had Harry blushing. "Nice to zee you, 'Arry."
"It's good to see you too, Fleur." Harry said as he pulled away from the hug. "What are you doing here?"
"We can talk outside, it's getting crowded here." Bill said from his towering height before nudging everyone outside towards the entrance to Diagon Alley. "Harry, can I talk to you for a second?"
Harry waited behind while the others walked out. Bill put an arm around Harry's shoulder and directed him to a corner, He handed him two leather pouches and a small book. "A hundred galleons from your vault, as you asked. A hundred galleons from Padfoot's vault and a 20 page draft book for payments, as he asked. And you are not supposed to pay from your pouch of galleons, Padfoot's instruction and the draft book is also linked to his account so use that."
Harry was about to say something when Bill raised his hand to stop the upcoming protest. "I am just doing what Padfoot asked me to do, you should talk to him if you don't like it."
They walked out of the corridor leading to the magical street of Diagon Alley, it was as busy as ever. Mad-eye, Hermione, Ron, Tonks and Fleur were waiting for them while the others had gone their different way. It was decided earlier that Mad-Eye and Tonks would stay with Harry during his trip to London, Ron and Hermione were going to accompany Harry anyway. The twins were adults and had somehow got the point across that they did not need a chauffeur. Ginny was with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They had planned to regroup at noon, which was two hours away, for Harry's birthday celebration at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. The group was to leave by three in the afternoon, the same way they arrived.
"What are you doing here, Fleur?" Harry asked, still confused. Fleur was walking alongside Bill who was walking in front of Harry and Hermione, Ron was behind Harry, with Tonks to accompany her, Mad-Eye was bringing the rear.
"I got a job at Gringottz." She answered, her accent was somewhat less than the last time they met.
"We know that but he meant was what you are doing here right now." Hermione replied, her face had taken a questioning look.
"Bill said it would be surprize for 'Arry. Bill izz my guide for the next two months 'ere." Fleur asked, she had a beaming smile on her face which made her look even more beautiful.
"You knew about her?" Harry asked to Hermione, he was surprised that Hermione knew about Fleur's job in London. Hermione looked at him in confusion, "didn't I tell you that? She wanted to help so Dumbledore inducted her in the order, that's why she moved to London."
"No, you didn't. Anyway, congrats Fleur and I hope you like it here." Harry wished genuinely.
"Oh, she is liking it enough already." It was Tonks who commented from behind, as Harry turned to look at her, she gave an exaggerated wink. Ron was the only one who looked uncertain about the meaning so he asked Hermione very quietly. Hermione chuckled before giving him the explanation. Fleur and Bill walking quite closely was a big clue.
"We will see you at noon." With that Bill and Fleur entered the Gringotts building, leaving the trio with Mad-Eye and Tonks.
"So, where to first?" Tonks asked excitedly.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
Hannah was being dragged down Diagon Alley by her hand because Susan thought she was going to be late to Harry Potter's belated birthday party. Hannah wanted to go to Diagon Alley a couple of hours ago with Neville but Susan had begged her to go with her. And here she was, fifteen minutes early, standing in front of the ice-cream parlour. Susan looked quite excited and anxious at the same time, very rare combination and yet Hannah could see it. She wasn't sure about the reason, well not exactly, all she could gather was that Susan was in high spirits since Harry' hearing. Hannah just assumed that it was because of its judgement.
On the other hand, Susan's mind was busy playing thousand possible scenarios. When Harry told her before leaving from Hogwarts that he and Hermione had broken up, Susan wouldn't say that she was happy because she wasn't, but there was some hope for her now, hope for her and Harry. She was worried when her mail couldn't reach Harry, she was unable to tell him that everything would be fine, to support him whatever mental turmoil he was going through after Cedric's death. When her aunt had told her about Harry's accident, she was on the verge of a panic attack. The hours between her aunt telling her about the accident and her seeing Harry were the worst. Every moment, she was hoping that he was ok, it was painful in a way. So, when she finally saw him in the hospital, all she felt was relief, relief that he was alive and there were no major external signs of accident, he was in a magical coma. She was feeling jealous that Hermione was there, so close to him, but this feeling was buried under the immense relief.
Susan haven't inquired about where Harry and Hermione's relationship stood, that wasn't important then. She wanted to stay with him, be there when he wakes up, but it would have been difficult for her to see Hermione holding Harry's hand even when he was asleep. There was still a small hope inside her that it was just because the depth of their friendship and that Harry and Hermione were not a couple anymore.
Susan was waiting for her aunt the morning of Harry's trial, she wanted to meet him before the trial, to wish him good luck. Her aunt didn't agree immediately but relented when she pleaded. Her aunt had left her standing in the corridor leading to the entrance to the courtroom to wait for Harry. The happiness she felt when she saw Harry walking down the corridor towards her, his almost steady walk indicating that his health was improving, she ran to him and almost tackled him. He had grown taller and she had to stand on her tiptoes to hug him properly. He looked startled and she could not stop giggling at his expression. In her excitement, she had kissed him, she was then worried that he would push her and that would be the end of her friendship with him but he did no such thing. He didn't kiss her back but he didn't push her away either.
She took it as a clue that he didn't have any problem with that, although she had to tell him that it was just a good luck kiss, for the hearing as Hermione wasn't there to give him one. He had still looked stunned and it was a good thing as he ignored the deep blush that adorned Susan's face. When the hearing was over and he told her that he was cleared of all charges, she wanted to celebrate this with him that afternoon. He had told her that he needed to get back home, he still had to follow a timetable for his potions and he was exhausted from the trial. She didn't push him, she knew he must be drained after the trail, she didn't want to aggrieve his health issues.
Susan almost jumped from the couch when she read Harry's letter, she was invited to his birthday party and she wasn't going to miss it for the world. She had floo-called Hannah that very moment to inform her about it. She was told by Hannah that Neville had already asked her to go to Diagon Alley with her but Susan had to ask Hannah to be with her, Hannah had agreed easily and so had Neville. Those two had spent quite some time together this summer anyway and majority of that time had come from Susan-Hannah quota. Hannah had many times asked Susan to accompany Neville and her and a couple of times she had but Susan understood that Neville and Hannah would prefer to spend their time together, alone. Although the three of them had spent almost every weekend together, that was something that hadn't changed much.
It was a lonely summer for her compared to the past years. Her aunt was extremely busy this time with the Ministry and Wizengamot, Hannah and Neville were busy, Harry was out of reach, her other housemates were either enjoying their holidays outside England or were busy doing something, Justin was on a month-long trip to continent with his family, Ernie was working with his mother in her art workshop/studio. To utilize her time, Susan had started to learn more healing charms and spells, she had practiced brewing medical potions and she had tried to learn more about other handy spells.
She was brought out of her musings when Hannah suddenly stood up, "hey, you."
Next moment, Hannah had pulled the boy in a tight hug and pecked him on the lips, the boy was turned red in face and unable of speech.
"Get a room, you two." It was Ron, he was walking towards the group from the opposite direction, Harry and Hermione were a couple of steps behind him. There were two people walking behind them, she recognized the DADA professor from last year, it took a moment for her to recognize the other one. She had met the auror once in passing when the auror had come for some signature, she could not remember her name but she remembered that it was something different.
"Hey, Susan." Harry stretched out his hand for her which she shook before giving Hermione a quick hug. Harry moved ahead to give Neville a hug and shook Hannah's hand. It was Hermione who spoke next, "we should all sit inside the parlour, there are more people to come and there aren't enough chairs outside."
"Please give your orders quickly, I'm hungry." Ron said impatiently, that got a chuckle from Neville.
Hermione wasn't impressed, "we will wait for the others, Ron."
"Hey! It's your mistake, if we haven't spent one hour in the bookshop, I wouldn't be this hungry." Ron replied with the same tone.
"You are always hungry, Ron, it's not her mistake." Harry defended Hermione here, he had a big smile on his face.
"You are one to talk, you didn't want to leave either." Ron turned to look at Neville, "I'm telling you, she is rubbing onto him."
"It's good that rubbing is all they are doing." Tonks commented with an exaggerated wink.
"Ew, Tonks, you are incorrigible." Hermione chided her. Tonks was with the teenagers, inside the parlour while Moody stood outside. Ron was the one to introduce the three non-trio teenagers to Tonks and the other way around. Susan told her that she remembered her but not her name, although Tonks remembered exactly who Susan was.
"Susan, can I talk to you for a second?" Harry asked rising from his chair. Susan just nodded before they walked to an empty table in the corner. They sat across each other so they could talk properly. "There is something I wanted to tell you about?"
Susan's heartbeat picked up some speed, she was thinking about may be Harry would like to ask her for a date, maybe he was thinking about her these past few days, maybe he and Hermione were over for good. "What is it, Harry? You know you can talk to me freely, right?"
Harry rested both his elbows on the table before leaning in, Susan leaned in too. "Before the hearing…. You…. I mean, we…."
Harry was not very sure how to approach the subject while Susan was getting anxious with every passing moment. "Hmm."
"Susan, I am going to tell you something and I want you to keep this between us only." Harry said, he had a serious expression. Susan's heart was fluttering, her fingers were crossed, she was hoping that he might take a step closer towards her. "Tonks is a metamorphmagus."
"What?" Susan was shocked, her brain was now jumbled even more. 'What the hell was he talking about', she was thinking and she asked him the same thing.
"Susan, please promise me that it will remain between us." Harry asked her again. She gave him an impatient nod and asked him to continue with whatever he wanted to tell her. "I wasn't fit enough on the day of the hearing so Tonks morphed into me and went to the hearing in my place."
Whatever colour she had had left her face that very moment, she was blushing a moment ago and now she looked as pale as ghost. "She told you what happened?"
Harry just nodded so Susan continued, "everything?"
She again received a nod, "even the kiss?"
When he nodded again, she buried her face in her palms, "I kissed her instead of you?"
"It's ok Susan, you didn't know and I am sure it was just a peck. So, no harm done, right?" Harry asked, even he was now slightly puzzled by Susan's last statement. "By the way, thanks for being there to support me."
Susan just nodded before giving him a smile that might have been heartfelt but it did not seem like it. "You owe me a kiss, Potter."
Harry chuckled at her reaction, "I don't know how Hermione would feel about that."
"Don't worry we would find someplace private." Susan replied with a mischievous smile. They returned to join the group.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
'To Harry!'
Everyone raised their drinks, almost all of Harry's friends were here, well except Padfoot and Moony and the Weasley couple. They had a lot of fun, twins made sure of that and the butt of majority of their jokes and pranks were either Tonks, Fleur or Ron. It was a good thing that they did not mind it much, well except Ron but he had grown accustomed to being at the receiving end of twins' pranks and jokes. They had seen that Bill was quite funny too although he made sure that he did not laugh too hard at Fleur.
All in all, they had enjoyed, most of all Harry. It was refreshing for him to be surrounded with his friends, with people who cared for him, people had and who will stand by him. He was happy to share these light moments with the people he counted as his closest friends.
He would miss this in school.
A/N: How does it sound? Do you like it? Yes? No? Either way, Please Review.