Thank you all for the fantastic feedback. Again I'm not a finance or law man I'm just writing a story so thank you for not trying to rip me a new one for not making that more realistic. Next Chapter will be up by Friday for sure got to work on my greekvpersian essay first. For any that read the first deaths knight this is where it starts to deviate a lot. I wanted to change their dynamic a bit and figured this is the best place to do it. They already got their ring might aswell talk about them. right? again, i work off attention and caffeine and attention only takes time to give. Please enjoy as much as I did.
The young pair left the bank hand and hand together both instantly in a better mood as the atmosphere of the Allie started to affect them both. Both Harry and Hermione didn't ask the other where they wanted to go, because they both could hear each other's stomach growl as they left the bank. They were heading straight to the Leaky Cauldron. Not being slowed down by the crowd around them as they were both really good at moving through them.
Finally they got to the leaky Cauldron which at the moment was extremely busy as it was reaching lunch time, the time in the bank took longer than expected. They both walked up to the barkeeper Tom, who was moving around giving people their drinks and food. Harry was the one who spoke up to get his attention. "Got any private rooms in the back Tom?" Harry called out to the man who finally paid the two young ones attention.
"Where are your Parents kids? I don't like dealing with minors." Tom said to the Pair, Hermione wasn't surprised by his tone but Harry was as he only had a few dealings with Tom and all of them were pleasant.
"They are dead Tom, But don't worry if it's money you are worried about I will be able to pay." Harry said to the older man.
Tom didn't show any emotion or surprise by the bluntness of Harry. He only sighed most likely cursing himself. "Can you give me ten minutes? A party has finished eating and should be wrapping up their discussion. If you wait by the bar I'll be able to show you in when they leave."
That was acceptable to both teens so they waited there as Tom kept on doing his job. Moving up and down the bar as food floated out of the kitchen and onto tables. His early lunch rush turned to be a steady flow of witches and wizards as apparently the leaky cauldron is a good place to eat.
But about five minutes later a small platinum blond witch came running out of one of the private rooms crying. Beside Harry, Hermione tensed up almost as if she was about to jump up and run to the girl. She actually did jump up as the girl went straight past them, and out into the alley.
"Was that Daphne Greengrass?" Harry asked Hermione as he thought he recognized the younger witch.
"Yes." Hermione said curtly. "It really is July first. I didn't check when i woke up and since then kind of been moving quickly." Hermione said, looking at where the other girl left.
"Some backstory I never knew because I was too distracted?" Harry asked, looking between the door Daphne left at and Hermione.
Hermione failed to even smirk at his comment. "Yes, if I'm right, Malfoys will be leaving soon." Hermione said looking at the door Daphne came out of.
Malfoy senior strode out of the door they were looking at. His cane in hand, a small smirk on his face as if he'd just won something but didn't want to show it off. Malfoy Junior came after him a grin from ear to ear as he hid it less. Harry admitted that he was dense but he could still put one and one together and knew that something bad just happened in the room. Finally the last man walked out slumped shoulders and a sad look in his eyes as he followed the two blond prats out.
Right before they left the cauldron Malfoy senior stopped and turned towards the other man. Luckily close enough for Harry and Hermione to hear them. "You're better at this then the others give you credit for, Lord Greengrass. Ill be in touch with you, with a revised contract and we can have another… meeting then." Lucious said to the man, his hand extended to shake Lord Greengrass's hand.
From what Harry could see Lord Greengrass didn't agree but his hand slowly came up and was grasped by Lucius Malfoy. The shake was short as Lucius and Draco both quickly left after the pleasantries.
Lord Greengrass didn't leave as he came to the bar where what looked like a bottle of fire whisky was already waiting for him, and two glasses appeared. Tom stopped his other duties and stood there pouring the glass full for Daphne's father and just a small portion for himself. "You'll figure something out Ethan." Tom said to the man as he downed his small portion. Leaving the man there to drink his own full cup of whisky.
Tom then moved over to the pair and waved at them to follow him. They did and they were led to the room where Daphne and the rest came from.
There wasn't any small talk or directions. Tom motioned for the two to go in the room that was just a table with slightly more comfortable chairs then the purely wooden ones out there.
"Do you have a specialty, Tom?" Harry asked the older wizard as Hermione and himself entered the small but private room.
"Yeah, today is chicken breast over some pasta topped with cheese." Tom said to the pair.
"I'll have that with some water please." Harry said as he pulled out one of the chairs for Hermione to sit in.
"I'll have the same as well." Hermione said as she sat down on the offered chair, smirking.
Tom looked over the two analyzing them, finally deciding that they were both too young to know what to do alone, so he only grunted and left. The door closed behind him.
Harry sat beside her, not pushing the chair even closer but it was close enough that their knees were touching. Harry stared at that, Hermione's knee pressing against his. "I know we should talk about Daphne but can we talk about us first?" He asked, his eyes still looking at their legs.
Hermione sighed loudly, which caused Harry to look over at her seeing her bite her top lip in concentration. After a minute she finally spoke looking over at him. "Well you're the dense one, you tell me what you mean, 'us'." Hemione said.
Harry couldn't help but to chuckle. "I'm not that dense." Harry stated. "Well not anymore." He corrected himself.
Hermione finally giggled at that. "We spent so much time alone when we were hunting for horcrux's. And I know you were dating Ron, but there were moments…" He paused, getting his thoughts together. "And then the tri wizard tournament, and when we were trying to save Sirius back in our third year. There were lots of moments. But then suddenly Ron was your focus." Harry said, dropping his eyes to the table as he thought about all those memories. "And then that explanation through the stone. Did he really drug you?"
"To answer that." Hermione said, leaning against her chair. "I need to tell you more about how I died." She took a deep breath. "Like I said before he tried to convince me to stay in the chamber until the battle was over, and I told him no, you. You needed our help. Like what I told you we got into an argument, he wanted me to drink a 'pepper up potion' to help think." She said with air quotes. "When I told him I already drank one from Snape's stores. He got insistent I drank that vial. Eventually I slapped it out of his hands and then he snapped…" Hermione went silent but Harry didn't say anything, he just placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't know for how long but He was dosing me with love potions. I assumed it's why he came back to us. He feared that if we did beat Voldemort without him, we would have a closer bond. Or he just needed to restock on them." she added like a side note. "After I died I figured out there were never supposed to be Him and me, but You and I." She said looking over at Harry again. "And I'm pretty sure you think that too or Death would have picked someone else."
Harry looked into her eyes smiling. "To be honest I always figured you were amazing and special. What eleven or twelve year old would help a complete stranger find his toad when you had books to read." Harry said laughing at that, to which Hermione lightly slapped at his shoulder. "But then you continued to be amazing. You risked your life for me, for everyone really in second year. And in third when no matter what was happening you were always thinking straight for us. You got us, got Sirius out of being killed. It was sometime in third year I started falling for you." Harry admitted. "But when you started going after Ron I didn't want to lose you so I just stayed by your side being as good of a friend I can be without getting in your way."
"I can see that logic." Hermione said. "Though it's sad to see you didn't fight for me."
"You appear to have made your choice, I know it's almost impossible to change your mind." Harry said.
"So, what is your conclusion?" Hermione asked him.
"That there is an us. But we are very young."
"Yes, how old is a time traveler, if they look eighteen but were sixty five beforehand. Never really thought I had to have an answer for that."
"We're almost adults mentally, but physically." Harry looked at his boney hand and arm.
"There is an us." She holds up her hand that has the ring on it. "We're married and skipped a few steps but i don't mind dating while in Hogwarts, we kind of missed our teen years with the war. I'll wait but I'll have fun with you." Hermione said with a sly smile.
"Don't you mean this war?" Harry asked, confused.
"Do you really think it will be a problem?" Hermione asked confused. "We have knowledge others do not. Once we start acting we will have problems." Hermione stated boldly.
Harry thought for a moment and then just hit his head on the table. "First year the stone was safe all along. Second year we know who and what is the problem. Third year was Sirius, fourth the tournament and that's when things start to get interesting. But I know the ritual to bring Tom back, we could stop that?" Harry asked.
Hermione grinned. "No… We fuck with them." Hermione said with the glint in her eyes of her thinking of something much like the Polyjuice idea back in second.
"I'mma trust you for now, you can tell me later." Harry said in a defeated tone. "I'm going to have to get smarter."
Hermione laughed and in that moment the food popped onto the table Infront of them.
"Thank merlin I was getting hungry." Hermione said as she grabbed her utensils and started to eat, she let out a low groan on the first bite. "Damn I can see why he's busy." She said after swallowing.
Harry just laughed and started to eat as well agreeing with her sentiment.
"I can't believe you asked what we are after putting a ring on me." Hermione said in a sing-song tone.
"I'd blame it on the fact that I just died less than twenty four hours ago but you are funtioning perfectly. So I'll just say, I'm a boy, it's what we do." Harry said after a bite.
They continued to eat in vigor, Harry having to hold back as his current body was very hungry. He forgot how bad he was when he was this young. Hermione was just hungry after missing breakfast.
"So what with Daphne?" Harry asked after they finished up their lunch and had their waters topped off.
Hermione let out a sigh leaning back in her chair and tilting her head till she was leaning against Harry's small shoulder. "You may have not noticed with how dense you can be. But Daphne and myself are… or would be? Maybe, was. Either way, we were close in school. She's the one I went to when Ronald was being a jackass." Hermione said her eyes remained closed.
"Language." Harry said quietly but not saying anything else feeling like Hermione has more to say.
"Bite me." Hermione shot back, smiling at how much she had rubbed off on Harry.
"Later when I have the energy." He replied.
After a minute of silence Harry realized that Hermione didn't know how to continue. "So I take it, you know what that meeting was about?"
"Yeah." She was quiet but Harry didn't prod. "It was a marriage contract meeting for Daphne. When it was explained to me, it was more of a concubine contract than anything. Nothing like what we have. Malfoy had the upper hand with her father as their Family needed the money, and Malfoys needed an heir for the Black family. But Lord Greengrass through his experience was able to make sure that Daphne wouldn't be able to be… Called for use till both she and Draco were seventeen years old."
She stopped gathering her thoughts.
"It was signed the day before we all boarded the Express. But the contract wasn't as good as Daphne's father thought it would be. During school and social events outside of it, Daphne was bullied, harassed. Down in the snake pit, she was labeled a whore, and lots of guys were trying to befriend Draco to get a piece of the action. But luckily enough Draco couldn't do anything until they were old enough."
"But everything changed during the third year." Harry said quietly, able to put some pieces together.
"Yeah. Even though Sirius was never proven not guilty for a couple of years he was still head of his house. Draco lost his claim on the black family vaults and the title of next and coming head of black."
"But then Sirius died a few years after so the worry came back?" Harry asked.
"The worry did come back, but more of the unknown factors. After Sirius died Lucius Malfoy tried to get the title back for his son but she was never able to find out as Lucius got the appeal sealed off. But her father never said anything more to her." Hermione stood up and looked around the room.
Mainly because Harry was thinking over a lot of what was said. "If this has to do with the Black family… Do you want me to help your friend?" Harry asked.
He had to wait for Hermione; she didn't respond right away, probably thinking of ways to help her friend. "I do Harry, but I can't ask you to do that. It might mess up what we know too much."
"But you forget. We're together." He said holding up his hand that holds the ring. "If you really want something. I'll try to get it for you." Harry said to her smiling. "We have a second chance, if we can change things and act like teens, why not mess with the blood purist?" Harry asked.
To Harry's delight Hermione's face started to turn into a feral grin. "What do you have in mind?" She asked moving back to Harry and sitting on his lap. Not suggestively but just so they were close.
"I'm not too sure yet, but if Malfoy is trying to do something with the Black name then we can mess with them, that's my family they are trying to use. I'm not going to sit back and simply let them." Harry said.
"We did get this second chance, even though it would be easier if we didn't change much from the first time." Hermione thought for a moment. "Lets save the Greengrass's." She said simply with a smile.
"You know that also means that you can be even smarter than last time. You had a talent for transfiguration Harry. Not to mention your talent for defense against the dark arts. You can let them shine." Hermione said after they sat there in silence.
"Fine…But you'll have to help me out on my other subjects. Does this mean you'll take it easier with school work right?" Harry shot back.
Hermione snorted and kissed his forehead. "Not a chance, we are going to be the best students in a century."
Harry let out a heavy sigh in jest. "Should have seen that coming. Should we move to Ravenclaw or stay in Gryffindor?" He asked her figuring they should be asking these types of questions too.
"We will figure that out closer to Hogwarts, we have just under two months that can wait." Hermione said to him as she stood up. "Come we got shopping to do." She said, smiling broadly.
"Ooo yes we do." Harry said, smiling as he stood up too. Hermione opened up the door and stepped out letting Harry follow.
. When they left Harry went up to Tom who was far less busy when they first came in. "Did you two enjoy the meal?"
"Yes we did, thank you. How much do I owe you?" Harry asked.
"Four Galleons and we can call it good." Tom said, smiling down at the young wizard. Harry gave him five and turned to leave with Hermione. But before they could leave Tom started to talk again. "Make sure to come again when you two are on a date. I'll make you a better meal Harry."
"Alright I appreciate that. We will definitely come again." Harry said as he looped his arm through Hermione's arm and they started their way back towards the alley. "Lets get me out of these clothes." Harry said happily.
Hermione couldn't help but to giggle at that. But as they left a shiver went down her spin as she tossed a look back at the bar where Tom was standing. "When did you say your name?" Hermione asked Harry as they walked out of the cauldron.