12 August 1991, Monday – Elf Magic
Harry woke up with a start. He didn't know where he was, for a moment. He was alone in bed, although the bed at his side was still warm. He then heard the water in the toilet. "Have I woken you?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice.
"I don't know. I just felt suddenly alone."
"You're not alone. I'm with you, but I needed the loo. I probably drank too much after dinner."
He smiled, as she climbed back to bed and cuddled at his side, pressing her front on his ribs. "I was afraid it was my period, already," she told him.
Harry tried to remember what he had learned about the female body. "Your bleeding time?"
"It's due in a couple of days, but at our age, it may still be irregular. I should have worn thicker knickers, at least."
Harry wasn't sure what to say. He liked feeling her body pressed onto his, but he was also extremely sleepy. He just hugged her closer, kissed the cheek that lay next to his head and fell back asleep.
–..–
"Rise and shine! It's a new day!" Hermione's voice brought him out of his slumber. Opening his eyes, he found that she was still in bed, but she had already removed the blanket.
"I'm sorry. No sleeping in this morning, as we need to let Dad take us on time," she said. Harry still enjoyed looking at her. She wore her dressing gown over the nightgown, winked at him, saying, "Hurry up," and left the room.
Fifteen minutes later, both children were already showered and dressed for the day, Jean served them breakfast as Dave joined them at the table. They all ate quickly, with Dave glancing at his watch several times. "Don't forget your overcoats," he reminded the children. Both went to their rooms. Harry took his backpack, containing his clothes. Hermione also took a backpack with several books and enough room for some more. Both had some money with them as well.
They all crammed into Dave's car, which was actually quite large, although less comfortable than his wife's. Dave dropped them at the train station. "Stay safe," he told them. Jean came out of the car to hug them both. "Have a good day and enjoy yourselves. You're bound to become adults too soon and regret not having enjoyed your childhood enough," she said.
Hermione dragged Harry to a secluded corner as soon as her parents left. "I've taken Mum's spare make-up kit. Let me treat you now, before boarding, as Monday morning traffic may be quite heavy, and the train is sure to be full."
She quickly covered his scar as before and used some of the makeup to make it blend completely with the rest of his forehead. She checked her handy work critically. "One can still notice it's make-up, but only when looking very attentively. For all practical purposes, you're scar-free."
The train ride was not too comfortable, as the train was overcrowded, forcing them to stand for most of the way. Harry didn't mind it too much, though, as they hugged each other to be able to stand stably in the crowd. Feeling Hermione hug him and hugging her back was very nice. The ride in the underground was even more crowded, and they felt quite relieved, once they came out of it. They still held hands, though.
Due to the catalogue they had previously gotten from the shop, they already knew where to look for the books of interest. There weren't many, though. There was a booklet for teaching apparition, where it was plainly stated that only of-age wizards and witches were allowed to apparate, after taking a licensing exam. Another explained about portkeys, clearly stating that they also needed to be created only by people authorized by the ministry. As they could find no other form of magical transport, they decided to look at some books dealing with other magical beings. Both House-Elves and Goblins could magically move from place to place, as far as they already knew. They could find no book detailing Goblin magic, but there were two thin books about Elf magic. They bought them both.
As they left the store, Harry looked at the sky. It was mostly cloudy, with only a few small openings between the clouds, allowing a few occasional sun rays in. "We may just as well go to that library," he noted.
Hermione agreed immediately.
–..–
It didn't take long to read both books from cover to cover. Harry found them interesting but didn't see how he could use any of that information to do any kind of magic. Hermione had other ideas, though. "We need to think a bit differently if we want to use any of this, but I don't believe it's too difficult. I'm sure we can do it."
Harry hadn't noticed when she started to use that "we" in her sentences, implying they were together, but he really liked that implication. "How do you suggest we proceed?" he asked, not quite sure what she meant.
"We need to meditate a bit about this. I think it's about time for lunch. We may even think about it during lunch."
Moving Magically
The sky had cleared during the morning. After eating their fill, they walked to a nearby garden without even discussing it. They sat on a bench and browsed through the books once again, each pointing to some paragraphs of interest. They seemed to understand each other even without talking.
"I think I already know how to do it," Hermione finally said.
"Do what? Move magically?"
She nodded happily. She then scanned that little garden, noticing that they were alone and quite secluded. She walked to another bench and sat down. Harry knew she was concentrating, seeing that slight frown and the way she was biting her lips. She then disappeared from view, reappearing on the bench at his side. She looked around as if to reassure herself of her location and then grabbed Harry and kissed him plainly on his lips. "I did it! I can now help you do it too!"
Harry was too confused by the kiss to pay attention. "You kissed my lips," he said, as if not believing this had really happened.
"Yes, I did. Isn't it exciting that we can now move that way?"
"Why did you kiss me that way? Doesn't it imply love?"
"Of course it does. Would I decide to stick with you for the rest of our lives if I didn't love you?"
Harry was thinking hard. He really liked this kiss, as innocent as it was. He suddenly understood what he felt towards Hermione. It was not just friendship anymore. "I think I love you too," he said.
Hermione didn't need more than that. She pounced on Harry, kissing his lips with unrestrained passion. Harry felt wonderful. This was what he expected a kiss to feel, based on all he'd read and heard before. He hugged Hermione tighter, feeling like they were merging on a deeper level, and continued kissing, just as passionately.
They had to stop, eventually. Both had red faces and wide smiles. They kept hugging, only not as tightly. Hermione rested her brow on Harry's. "I think we're a couple now."
"We sure are." He felt his heart overflow with happiness, knowing that Hermione was now his partner for life, as she had previously said. They would make it official when they got older, he was sure, but he felt they were connected stronger than he could ever imagine. More than anything else, he was glad that Hermione would stay his friend forever.
It took them a while to calm down. Hermione resumed talking about what that kiss interrupted. She instructed Harry very precisely. With her explaining everything, it all seemed simple enough. The whole concept of Elf magic became as clear as a crystal. He took a quick tour of all the benches in that garden without ever walking. It really was fantastic.
"Let's try to move some farther. Think of the room we slept in. Let's go there now."
Hermione disappeared as soon as she finished talking. Harry followed her a fraction of a second later. A passer-by that happened to look into that garden was sure that he had a slight hallucination, as he saw two children disappearing into thin air. "I probably had too much to drink last night," he thought.
Both children appeared in the Granger guest room. Hermione seemed too excited to maintain her calm appearance. "We did it! We did it! Oh, I love you!" She hugged Harry tightly and kissed him all over his face, making Harry laugh. She then grabbed his head and kissed his lips even more passionately than before. It was becoming hotter very quickly, but Hermione still managed to stay in control.
"I don't think we should continue now. My parents are due back soon, and it wouldn't be wise to let them find us like this."
Harry had to agree, although his whole being asked to go on and reach a deeper level of… whatever that was. He let go of her quite reluctantly.
"Let's return to that garden, before somebody may come there and see us appearing," he suggested.
A flick of an eye later, they were back in that garden.
"Now we need to visit your hotel room," she said.
"Why?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, yet didn't really seem annoyed. "If I intend to sleep at your side tonight, I need to come to your bed, as the bed in my room is not wide enough for two, and you're not supposed to still sleep in the guest room. I need to know the exact place to come to. I can't just appear in my nightgown at the hotel's door, can I?"
"Of course not. Let's go. I should have left my backpack there anyway."
It was late afternoon when they arrived at the hotel. Selma was at the reception desk. "I thought you would be back last night," she told Harry. "Is this your friend?"
"Yes, this is Hermione. We're going to be at the same boarding school. Hermione, this is Selma."
The girls scanned each other as if considering the competition. "Pleased to meet you," Hermione spoke first. "Harry has told me that you were of great help to him when he needed it."
Selma smiled, relaxing slightly. "Nice to meet you too. It's good that he'll have somebody he knows there. It can be difficult to adjust to a new place with no friends around."
Harry could still sense some tension. "I only want to show Hermione where I live and put my backpack there before we go out again."
Selma waved them forward, seeming a bit pensive.
Hermione scanned Harry's hotel room. "It's quite nice in here. It's a room for two, so it seems." She smiled widely. "We shall be two, for the night."
Harry was a bit worried. "I think Selma…"
"…suspects? I know. You may still spend some time with her. I'll come a bit after ten. Just lock the door before I arrive, will you?"
"And you don't mind?" he wondered.
"She's not coming to Hogwarts, is she? It will all be over by September. You seem to enjoy her company and she surely enjoys yours. I don't expect you to return to this hotel next summer, that's sure. I'll probably have my parents invite you to spend the summer with us."
Harry just laughed happily. He left his backpack in the room, making sure to take enough money with him. Selma looked at the door long after the two children left, holding hands, and wondered about their relationship.