19th September 1998
It's your mother's 19th birthday today. In about half an hour I'll go back to England to pick up our friends and take them to the island. Hopefully you'll grow up with us going there for visits on weekends and such. I find it very beautiful there, very peaceful and relaxing. It feels safe and distant from the troubles that have defined our youths. Just like our home here in Australia, it feels like your mother and I (and of course you) could just stay there and live happily ever after.
You and your mother and grandmother are out right now getting their hair and nails done. I think your mum is stunningly beautiful even at the worst of times, but I think she is secretly coming to like pampering herself just a little. Even better, it gives her time with her mum, time to repair the connection that was interrupted because of all the nonsense in Britain. I hope that a little of your mum's happiness filters down to you, so you know she feels good.
Your Nan and Grandad are in on your mum's surprise with me, and it's brilliant to have them helping. Your Grandad is already on the island, I dropped him this morning, and since there wasn't really anything to do, I expect he's in a hammock sipping a drink, and that makes me grin. When your mum and Nan get done with their girl time, your Nan is going to have your mum read the note I've left for her- it's really a portkey, so your mum will be totally surprised. I'm practically dancing with excitement just thinking about the look on her face. She's going to be shocked and surprised first, then she's going to glare death at me for shocking and surprising her, then she'll relax and be all smiles because everyone cares for her so much. I love your mum so much kiddo, sometimes I can't stand it. Don't tell her this, but sometimes I think there isn't anything I could ever do to be worthy of her love. She's... well, you've heard me say she's brilliant before, but that seems so pale, so meaningless when put next to the reality of her. All I can do is my best, every day, all the time, and hope it's enough.
Oops! It's almost time to show up to collect our friends, so I'll close this out now.
Love you,
Dad.
Harry tore the letter off the pad of paper and folded in in letter form before sticking it in the box with the others. A pinch of powder and green flames later, he stepped out of the floo in the foyer of Potter House.
"Good morning Hhhharry." Cassi popped up beside him.
"Cassi! You did it!" Harry scooped the elf up and spun her around as he laughed. The elf's ear flapped over her eyes, but she laughed as well.
"Thank you!" He said as he put her back down.
"Cassi's pleasure, Mas- Oh fiddlesticks!" Cassi pouted.
Harry laughed again. "Don't force yourself, Cassi, you'll get it. Hopefully we'll be family for a long, long time. You're doing brilliantly, be happy and proud. " Harry grinned at her.
"Cassi will keep trying, Ma...Harry." She smiled cautiously.
"Is everything ready?" He asked.
Cassi nodded vigorously. "The invitations are on the table in the front hall - except for the one you made - and everything else has already been delivered to the island, MHarry. Fritt said the island elves already have all the decorations up, food and drink made and waiting at the arrival point, including the cake."
Harry grinned. "Brilliant! Thanks, Cassi. I'm off to collect people at the Leaky then, I'll talk to you soon."
Cassi didn't say anything else, just bowed as he left.
Harry picked up the addressed envelopes from the table in the front hall and walked out the front door, through the front gardens to get past the wards. He Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, and waved at Tom as he entered.
"Merlin's magic, it's Harry!" Tom smiled his gap-toothed smile from behind the bar.
The familiar whispered mutterings that included his name behind his back rippled through the place, and though it still rankled, he ignored it. Today was Hermione's birthday, and nothing was going to foul his mood. Not even Rita Skeeter showing up and sitting next to him could shake his happiness today. It was still quarter to ten, so he bought a butterbeer from Tom and took a seat at a booth in the back.
Neville was first to show up, trailing Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. Harry waved, and they came to sit down with him.
Before anyone could say anything, Harry grinned at Neville. "Nev, you sly dog! When I said date or dates, I didn't know you were such a playboy."
Hannah and Susan both pinked. Neville went lobster red, but still fired back. "Well, now there's no Harry Hero in the castle, someone has to pick up the slack."
Harry laughed and shook hands with Neville and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good one Nev! Good to see you again." He turned to Susan and Hannah, "And you ladies again as well, I apologize for the sexist comment, it was joking only. How have you been? How are things in the castle? N.E.W.T.s going well?"
"Actually yes and no." Susan said. "Nice to see you again as well Harry, sexist comment excluded of course. Truthfully, there aren't enough professors this year. There's still no potions professor or Defense professor -"
"Though I think we all got plenty of training in that already. I don't think there will be anyone who has difficulty with Defense this year." Hannah interjected.
"But... Even though there aren't enough professors, the lot of us have sort of all banded together and are learning and teaching each other from books, so it's actually not turning out too badly. We don't really have any way of gauging how ready we are for the tests, so we're kind of just full-on all the time. It's exhausting, but that's kind of the point." Sue finished.
Harry sat up straighter. "Well, glad to know Hermione and I are in good company then. We're doing the same thing. Neither of us is quite sure what we want to do with ourselves after we pass, but we're both sure we want to pass."
"Nevermind that anyway, what's going on with you?" Hannah asked. "Nev said you were in a coma or something?"
Harry nodded. "For four months, give or take. Some sewage with a dark mark hit me in the back with a curse. One more instance of me being dead without Hermione. She's saved my arse so many times she probably owns it more than I do."
"Where is she, anyway?" Sue asked.
"She's getting her hair and nails done with her mum. She has no idea she's coming to her birthday party. I left a note for her that is actually a portkey, and charmed it to let me know when she picks it up, so we can all get ready to yell 'surprise!'."
"Oh that's evil!" Hannah giggled. "I love it!"
"Who's evil?" George asked as he approached. Harry stood and shook his hand before George sat with them. "Harry, good to see you up and about, mate. Sorry for not being there." George looked uncharacterisitcally contrite, almost as though he was afraid of him being mad at him. There was also no trace of humour in his words or visage.
"George, it's okay. I was a little miffed when Hermione told me, but I realized you had your own hell to get through, and it's no slight against you. I get it." Harry didn't even want to think about what it would be like to lose a twin.
"Thanks Harry, but truth is, neither Ron nor Ginny mentioned anything at all. Ron only let it slip two days ago in passing, like he'd forgotten cheese at the shop or something. I won't repeat what he said about it when I pressed him."
"Ouch." Neville said.
"I would be saddened by that, and might be later, but not today. Too much happiness going on today." Harry smiled at George, but his eyes held disappointment as well. "Bringing anyone with you?"
"Angelina. She should be here soon."
"Brilliant!" Harry smiled for real. "You look good together."
George smiled humbly, and Harry recognized the look immediately. Good! Wonderful. He hoped they stayed happy together. Angelina was a great woman, and Harry knew she liked George a lot already just from Quidditch.
"Where are we going, exactly?" Sue asked.
Harry blushed and scraped his fingertips through his hair. "Actually, that's... kind of embarrassing to say, so I'll just let you see when we get there."
"Harry. Mate." Neville raised his eyebrows at Harry. "You should keep the naughty things for when you two are alone. Having guests would make things awkward for everyone."
Susan, Hannah, and George all burst out laughing, followed shortly by Harry, after his blush had time to manifest.
"You genuine wanker." Harry grinned at Neville.
"Neville Longbottom, you've made Harrykins blush. I'm bloody impressed!' George shook Neville's hand.
"Thanks, George. It's amazing what a little death-defying battle will do for your self-confidence." Neville grinned.
Angelina and Luna arrived together then, and Angelina sat next to George. Luna stepped up to Harry and pulled him to his feet for a hug.
"Thanks, Luna. I missed you too. How are you?" Harry smiled as he hugged his friend.
"I'm quite well, thank you Harry. I'm glad you are as well. You were dreadfully thin two weeks ago. The tan agrees with you too."
"Thanks." Harry smiled. "I love it in Australia. It's so warm and bright all the time. Hermione and I go jogging every morning just to enjoy it."
"It sounds nice." Luna smiled. She leaned closer and whispered so only Harry could hear. "Can I still be a Maid of Honour if I'm not a virgin? It's been worrying me all week."
Harry held back the chuckle that bubbled up. "Yes absolutely. You'll be fine, Luna, it's just a title. I guarantee no-one will check." He whispered back.
Luna smiled brightly and sat down next to Hannah. Just as Harry returned to his seat, Bill and Fleur approached the table as well. Harry stood again and shook Bill's hand.
"Thank you both for coming." He smiled. Fleur kissed his cheek in greeting, and Harry returned it. "Brilliant, you're all here, we can go." He pulled a length of rope from his pocket and gave one end to Bill, and the other to Susan, who was on the far side of the group. "Everyone grab hold."
Harry waited until everyone was holding the rope, then activated the portkey. After a few seconds of spinning, their feet touched down softly and securely on white sands. Harry stowed the rope back in his pocket with a grin. Banners floated between the trees that said 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMIONE', and the arrival area was flanked by tables covered in white linen tablecloths and laden with snacks and drinks of all kinds, including fresh fruits and pastries. A smaller table held gifts as well, off to the side.
"Where are we?" Angelina asked as she took in the scenery.
"A tropical island in the Bahamas." Harry answered. "Please make yourselves at home. There are lounges and towels and such on the beach, facilities and such are inside the house, or you can use one of the huts along the beach. Enjoy, relax, and have fun. I'll let everyone know when Hermione is inbound so we can all yell surprise and annoy the magic out of her."
"Brilliant." Bill smiled. "Have you figured out yet that you love her?."
Harry grinned. "It took too long, but yeah. I absolutely do. More than anything."
"Awww. That's great! Congratulations, Harry." Hannah smiled. "I'm glad you finally realized it."
"Only took what, six years?" Susan chuckled.
"I'm... extraordinarily dense, I guess." Harry smiled sheepishly. "Umm.. if you see another man wandering around, that's Hermione's dad, just so you know. She'll show up with her mum, right there inside that circle on the sand. When I yell that she's coming, Apparate back here so we can yell surprise. Please."
"Easy enough." Neville nodded. "Is there a spot to change?"
Harry pointed to the shacks in the treeline along the beach. "Just use one of the huts there, they're actually mid-sized houses on the inside. There should be surfboards and other fun stuff inside them as well. Help yourselves! I'm going surfing straight away, we have probably an hour or more to wait."
"What's surfing?" George asked.
"Get your beach kit on, and I'll show you. You're gonna love it." Harry grinned.
Her mum held her hand while the hairdressers snipped away with the scissors. "I have to admit dear, last week at this time I was extremely dubious about the whole situation. I know you want your education, nothing will stop you from getting it, I know that. My worries for you were the other half of your life, and you've completely outstripped any hopes I had for you. Harry is absolutely wonderful and I'm just over the moon you're both so happy with each other."
"Thanks mum." Hermione squeezed her hand before she let go. "He is the absolute best, and he shows me how much he loves me constantly. Sometimes I can't stand how much I love him back, I feel like I'm going to explode with it."
"Good." Her mum said firmly. "I hope you never stop feeling that way."
Well, she had been going to ask how to deal with the feeling, but... truth be told, she was rather enjoying it. She imagined going back to being without it, and she found it raised the hairs on the back of her neck in panic. Damn Harry Potter for making her love him so much it hurt! He'd hijacked the entire rest of her life, and she was looking forward to it with a smile and constant tingles.
Hermione sighed. "Me too honestly. I hope I make him feel the same."
"You do, dear. You do."
"How can you tell?"
"I've seen him watching you sleep. Sometimes he cries with a smile on his face, like he can't keep it all inside. Just like you."
"Mum, stop, you're going to make me cry now."
"You're both going to make me cry, and I'm fine with it." Janine said, looking at both of them in the mirror. "Sounds like one fantastic man."
Hermione smiled back at her as she blinked back the tears. "You have no idea. Best in the world. One of a kind, and I nearly missed him with my stupid fear. It took him nearly dying for me to pull my head out."
"It sounds like you're happy now though, so all for the best. Bring him by and show him off next time." She grinned.
"If she doesn't, I will." Her mum winked at her. "I love him like a son Hermione, but he does have lovely hindquarters. Reminds me of your father when he was still fit."
"MUM!" Hermione half-shouted.
"Well he does, and I'm happy for you, dear. Surely you've noticed the neighbors watching you jog in the morning."
"What? No!"
"Missus Carsdale has opera glasses, dear. You can see most of them at the window as you pass.'
"Now you really need to bring him along." Janine giggled.
Hermione fumed. "This is why we don't do more things together, mother." The nerve! Her own mother! checking out her Harry's behind! Yes, of course she did the exact same thing, but that was different, it belonged to her! He was hers and she was his, that's how it was! And the bloody neighbours! Even Janine wanted an eyeful! Well tough bloody luck! Harry was never leaving the bedroom again!
Hermione settled back into the chair in a huff, glaring at the world, until she saw her mother's mouth trying not to curl upward at the corners. She could feel her face heat up as she realized her mother was teasing. Her own mum was taking the piss out of her about Harry.
"I can't believe I fell for that." Hermione sighed. Probably because Harry did have a great arse, and she did enjoy watching him. Mum had probably seen her doing so, too.
"I've waited a long time to tease you about boys, darling. You were away at school, and nothing was very jovial then, was it?"
Hermione sighed again. That was too true to be comfortable.
"Remind me never to make either of you mad." Janine said.
"That goes double for me. That was the slickest take I've ever witnessed. " Theresa nodded.
"I missed you too mum." Hermione admitted after a long silence. "But I'll bury anyone looking at my man."
"I'll help you carve the tombstone, dear." Her mum smiled at her.
Thankfully, her mother only chose to tease her mercilessly once, and by the time their manicures were finished, Hermione's mood had gone back to being effervescent. When she and her mum stepped back to the front counter to pay, Janine, Theresa, and Wanda (the manicurist) all came to see them off.
"Thank you all, and sorry about my overly-humourous mother." Hermione apologized.
"Thank you all, and sorry about my daughter's overly-hidden sense of humour." Her mum apologized.
All three of them smiled, and she smiled at her mum as well, who smiled back at her. She had really missed her. She'd almost forgotten how brilliant she was at teasing.
"Nonsense, you're both brilliant." Theresa said.
"Please come back soon, we'll miss you both." Janine said.
"The two of you make me want to call my mum and go do something fun." Wanda said.
Hermione paid the bill and smiled at them as they left, then took her mothers hand as they walked back to the car.
"It was pretty good. Had me fuming for a minute there." She admitted.
"Thank you for letting me get away with it too. I missed you dearly, Hermione."
Hermione stopped before they got to the car and hugged her mother. "I missed you too mum. There were times I thought I'd never see you again."
"Stop, honey. You'll make me cry again." Her mum hugged her back tightly, then kissed her head as she let go. "Let's go see what kind of trouble our husbands have gotten into while we've been away."
She giggled. "Our husbands. I like that. Makes me warm all over thinking he's my husband."
"We only have a month and a bit to completely arrange your wedding, you know. Something we should start getting sorted." They got into the car, fastened their seatbelts, and drove away.
"I don't want a big fairytale do, mum." Hermione said. "Just a few close friends and family, and a few of the professors from school. It won't be that difficult. We won't need a florist for flowers or to hire seating or anything like that, Harry and I can do that ourselves in an hour or so."
"You still have to decide on a venue, send invitations, find someone to officiate, shop for a dress, get the dress fitted, have a hen night with your girls - "
"That probably won't happen - the hen night I mean. I only have one real female friend, and she would think catching actual hens and maybe decorating them with radishes was a great hen night. I wouldn't trust any others."
"I'm sorry, Hermione, that makes me quite sad... And extremely interested to meet this girl."
"Her name's Luna, mum. She's my Maid of Honour - or at least I hope she will be, I've not heard her answer yet."
"That's a lovely name."
"She's a lovely girl. Honest, sweet, and brilliant. She was the only girl who came to visit us in the hospital. Ginny came by once, saw Harry wasn't of any use to her anymore, and left and never came back. I used to think she was a friend too."
"Jenny is Ronald's sister?"
"Yeah, that's her. I'll be happy to never see either of them again."
"That's sad. You find out who your friends are when the excrement impacts the pneumatic rotary."
"Neville and Luna, definitely. They both dropped in at least once a week when they could. Bill and Fleur dropped in three or four times, and I know how hard it was for them to get away, they work for the goblins. Honestly I'm fine without a hen night, mum. I would really rather just marry my Harry as quickly as possible and spend all my time with him. I imagine I'll make more female friends later, now that we're not on the run from evil wizards. "
Her mum pulled the car into their driveway - hers and Harry's, and turned off the car.
"I know you will, sweetheart, you're a wonderful woman. Always beware of false friends and those who want to use you, of course, but I have no doubt you already know that." She squeezed Hermione's shoulder before getting out.
"Moreso now mum, thanks." She smiled at her mum before unlocking and opening the door. "Harry! I'm home!"
No answer.
A spike of worry thrust itself into her guts, somewhere below the baby. She ran upstairs and checked the bedroom to see if he was napping, but he wasn't. She ran back downstairs and checked the back garden, but he wasn't there either.
"He left a note." Her mum said, holding up a piece of parchment. She handed it to Hermione, but kept hold of the top corner of the page.
For some reason, she felt like she needed to read it out loud, so she did.
"My darling, my Hermione,
I'm not really running late.
I've just gone somewhere summery,
Somewhere we can't Apparate.
You're coming here to be with me,
Soon as you say Activate."
There was a tugging sensation, then they were spinning. Their feet touched down on warm white sand, and the sight of a large manor house surrounded by palm trees barely had time to register before she was nearly deafened by a thunderous
"SURPRISE!"
The shout was followed immediately by laughter. She looked around at the people in front of her, only half-registering faces while her shellshock prevented her mind from functioning properly, then she found him. The one face she wanted - needed - to see, and he grinned at her, suffused with warmth and love, and she finally came back to herself and engaged her brain.
That dirty rotten sneak! He'd Compulsed the parchment so she'd read it out loud and activate the portkey on it! She could feel her jaw clench and her eyes narrow.
"You PRAT!" She shouted at him.
He laughed, and the laughter was shared by everyone else standing near. He enfolded her in his arms, and her anger simply evaporated. It was impossible to be outraged while wrapped in love. He kissed her head, then her neck.
"You look fantastic." He whispered to her. It made a shiver dance down her spine. Then his arms were gone, and Luna was standing in front of her.
"Luna!" She smiled, and hugged her friend.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione." Luna smiled dreamily after her hug.
"Thanks Luna. Thanks for being here too. I know you're probably busy."
"The Frumpanells can wait another day or two. Friends are important."
Fleur replaced Luna for hugs, and gave her kisses on the cheeks as well. "Bonne Fete!" Fleur smiled. "Merci pour la invit - Sank you for inviting us, Je suis so 'appy you are bose en bonne sante!"
"Thank you, I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have Harry alive and well again. Thank you for coming! This is wonderful!"
She hugged Bill and George then as well, then Angelina and Neville and Susan and Hannah.
"Thank you all for coming, this is the best surprise party I've ever had. Where even are we?" She looked around again. It was definitely somewhere tropical, and everyone had been here a while already as well, considering all the women were in bikinis and all the boys in shorts. All of them were blindingly white. Not a thimbleful of tan in the bunch. Like they were all pigmentless shrimp who lived at the bottom of the ocean where the sun never reached - which wasn't far off, they were British. At least Fleur looked like she'd maybe heard of the sun once or twice.
Her dad jogged over then. "Happy Birthday, Sweetie!" He shouted, then wrapped her in a hug.
"Thanks daddy. Have you met my friends?"
"Oh yes, Harry introduced us and we all went surfing for a bit. Do you want cake or presents first?" Her father looked more excited than she was.
Her mother grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him away. "She's nineteen, Malcolm, not ten! Happy Birthday, dear." Her mum guided her dad over to the snacks table.
"Your parents are great. It's easy to see how you got to be so... you." Hannah smiled.
She smiled back, heat rising to her cheeks. "Thanks. I missed them more than I thought I did." She thought about her mother looking at Harry's behind, and tried to stuff down the anger that rose. Definitely burying anyone coming on to her husband.
Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Do you want to relax first or do all the presents and such?"
She ignored the urge to turn and start snogging him. "Can we get all the birthday stuff done so we can go relax and have fun?"
"Oui!" Fleur clapped. "Nous d'abord!" Fleur's wand appeared in her hand and one of the brightly-coloured gifts floated to Hermione.
"I love magic." Her dad said as he stood behind her mother, arms wrapped around her just as Harry had done to her. She smiled at them and snuggled backward a little into Harry, then opened the brightly coloured box Fleur gave her. Inside were four thick rolls of off-white cloth, surrounding a large leather-bound book entitled "Wizarding Traditions Through The Ages". She ran her hand over the cover of the book, enjoying the feel of the old leather and the smell of old parchment. Her fingers brushed against the cloth, and she stopped to feel the cloth again. She thought the rolls of cloth were there to protect the book, but she recognized the feel of the cloth. It was cotton. A particularly silky cotton. She pulled one of the rolls of cloth out of the box, and she could tell immediately it had been shrunk. It was a bolt of Egyptian cotton. From Egypt. She handed the box to Harry and gathered Fleur in her arms, crushing her thanks into her bones.
"Thank you so much! This is brilliant!" She let go of Fleur and crushed Bill next. "I am going to make so many things with this! And have a lovely read doing it!" She kissed both their cheeks and then retreated back to Harry's embrace. She wasn't lying either, she was absolutely going to make at least two maternity dresses out of it. She just wasn't about to tell that to anyone yet.
Fleur and Bill grinned widely and held hands, and Neville floated the next gift to her.
"This one's from me." He smiled.
"Thanks Neville." She grinned back at him, and tore into the package. Inside was a book titled "SAS Physical Training Manual", and three bars of Honeydukes Finest. She unwrapped one of the bars of chocolate immediately and took a bite out of it, then hugged Neville.
"Perfect, thank you Neville!" She grinned as much as possible with a mouthful of chocolate. "Where did you get an SAS training manual!?"
"I asked Gran who were the most fit people in the world, and she said ICW Hit Wizards were, but when I went into Flourish and Blotts and asked the owner, he said it was Muggle SAS, so I ordered it from him."
"It's brilliant, we're going to use it straight away." She beamed.
"Well on that note, open mine next!" Susan grinned, and floated another gift toward her. She flashed a smile at Susan, and of course it was another book.
"ICW Hit Wizard Training Manual!" She laughed. "Thank you Susan, we'll use that straight away too!" She hugged Susan as well.
"Too many books! time for something else." Angelina floated the next present to her.
"Well at least I know it isn't a book." She grinned. It was nice of Angelina to make the effort just because she and George were in a relationship. She was honestly thankful to the woman for caring for George in general. After Fred's death, she was undeniably instrumental in George even being as alright as he was. She knew now exactly how she'd feel if Harry died and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
When she finally got the wrapping off the box and the lid off, there was a smaller box with gold WWW on the top, so that was likely a selection of Wizarding Wheezes. There was also what looked like a bicycle seat and a bit of folded maroon cloth. She pulled the seat out, and on the underside there was a label that read "Sure-Safe Broom Seat".
"Aww, thank you!" She smiled. She didn't like flying, but a lot of that had to do with feeling like she was going to fall off. If she couldn't fall off, it would be great to go cruising with Harry and have picnics and such. It would be one more thing they could share. As long as they didn't go too high.
She put the seat back in the box and pulled out the maroon cloth, and it turned out to be a Gryffindor Quidditch jersey. She turned it around to show everyone, and nearly started crying. On the back in gold was the name Potter, over the number 7. It wasn't just a Quidditch jersey, it was Harry's Quidditch jersey.
"Wow, where did you find that?" Harry asked.
Angelina grinned. "Most of them ended up in the far corner of the courtyard after the Quidditch locker room got blown up. Yours somehow made it all the way to the edge of the forest."
She hugged the stuffing out of Angelina. "Thank you so much, that's wonderful and thoughtful of you. I'm going to wear that to bed forever."
"I always thought the two of you looked great together, I'm so glad you're finally there and both happy. Congratulations." Angelina whispered while they hugged.
She had to smile even as she felt more heat in her cheeks. She shouldn't by this point really, but it was embarrassing how blind she'd - they'd both - been. "You and George too. Good luck." She whispered back. Angelina had a warm smile and her hazel eyes immediately sought out George.
"Me next!" Hannah smiled brightly, and another gift floated in front of her. Harry had arranged all her opened gifts on the table and was cleaning up the wrapping paper, so she shot him a thank you glance. The sparkle in his eyes told her the message was received.
Hannah had given her another book. Sometimes it was a blessing being predictable. She did love books, even now. They weren't her only friends anymore, they weren't even the only source of information anymore, but they did hold a special place in her heart.
"Wizarding Traditions Across the Globe!" She grinned hugely. "I'm beginning to think some little bird told everyone what I'm looking forward to researching! Thank you so much, Hannah. I can't wait for a few minutes to myself now." She hugged Hannah while she grinned back at her.
Hannah glanced over at Harry and then winked at her. "Hopefully you don't get too much time alone."
She laughed, if only to cover the additional embarrassment. At least Hannah was somewhat subtle, unlike Lavender and Parvati. They probably would have asked her if she wanted to take that much time away from her favourite broomstick. While accurate, it was also crude.
Luna gave her her present next, and from the wrapping, it was also a book. It was a book-shaped object, wrapped in multiple different colours and textures of paper, and decorated with ribbons and bows. Luna put it in her hands and hugged her softly and sweetly,
"Happy Birthday, Hermione. I hope you like it." She said, and stood back with her hands clasped in front of her.
"Thanks Luna." She said with a smile. She unwrapped the thing carefully to preserve the wrapping, and found a large album inside, with a thick leather spine and silver cover. The cover of it was a picture frame, and the picture on the cover was of herself and Harry, on the Hogwarts Express, sitting on a seat and sharing chocolate frogs. She touched the picture, brushed her fingertips over it. She didn't remember anyone with a camera. It had to have been taken first year, judging by their faces and her hair.
"Luna, this is... how?"
Luna smiled even wider at her. "Pensieve." She said. "Keep looking."
She opened the cover and flipped through several pages. All the pictures were of just Harry and her, spanning their entire time at school from the first train ride to the battle and after, including both of them in the hospital.
"Luna..." Her vision went blurry as her eyes filled with water. "This is beautiful..." She handed the book to Harry and embraced Luna again. "Thank you so much."
"It's my pleasure, Hermione. I'm so happy you're happy finally."
"More than I ever imagined." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I'm happy for that, because I think it's only my gift left." Harry said.
He came to stand next to her and took her hands in his.
"Mine is just a small gift," He said as he looked into her eyes, his emerald irises alive with joy. "I hope you'll wear it for a long, long time though." He pulled a small black box from his pocket and dropped to one knee as he opened it. "Hermione, will you marry me?"
She knew it was a performance for their friends, they were already married after all, but she could also see that he didn't care. He meant it. He was asking again, all over again, just for her sake. Her chest clenched and squeezed water from her eyes all over again, and her answer was still the same.
"Yes, Harry. Of course yes." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him thoroughly. When she let him go, he slipped the gold, diamond and emerald ring on her ring finger.
Their friends cheered and crowded around to clap them both on the back. The girls hugged her again, and she heard Neville say "You made that look too easy, mate."
"Well it certainly took long enough." She grinned at Neville, and hugged Harry again.
"Sorry I made you wait, Hermione." Harry smiled and kissed her again. The now-familiar tickle of his beard and softness of his lips started her engine humming and urged her toward more, but she let him go with a brief pang of disappointment. There would be time for that later. Lots of it. And a massage. Just thinking about it put a smile on her face - or would have if she hadn't already been smiling radiantly.
"You can make it up to me later." She said pointedly.
"Happily." He said with a smile, but his eyes promised a long night. She swallowed and tried not to think about it.
Neville lay in a lounge in the shade on the beach and found it difficult to believe how much he could relax in just an hour. Harry had said he and Hermione were married already, but seeing him propose and the look on her face when he did - it was obvious he had asked all over again, and it put a smile in Neville's chest. He tried to imagine what they were both feeling, but he couldn't come close. He liked Hannah a lot, but not really more than he liked Susan or Luna. Come to think of it, he liked Luna quite a bit more, but she had made it clear she had no designs on marriage or even a relationship anytime soon. That was just as well too, if he was honest with himself. A part of him wanted to rise to the challenge and prove that he could be the one for her, but a quieter, wiser part of him told that part to calm down, it wasn't a competition no matter how much he hated the thought of her with someone else. They had spent an unforgettable month together, and given each other everything. He knew he couldn't keep up with her, and he didn't want to hold her back or make her grow to resent him. He'd seen Ron do that to Harry and Hermione, and it was not pretty. He definitely didn't want anything in common with Ron. Hermione had never explicitly said anything, but from what she had said around the subject, apparently Ron was no longer welcome near the happy couple at all. He supposed he shouldn't really be surprised by it though. If Harry and Hermione had finally woken up and seen each other, they might have applied that clear vision to Ron as well. He hadn't understood why they tolerated him for so long in the first place. Ron was a sulky, jealous, temperamental manbaby with an inferiority complex. He was glad the redheaded git wasn't coming back to school this year.
A soft crack sounded to his right, and when he looked, there was a house elf there dressed in white shorts and collared shirt with a palm tree logo on the left breast in green.
"The Master and Mistress would like a word, if that is alright with you, Lord Longbottom. I have been instructed to bring you directly to them if you are willing."
Wow. He would have to ask Harry how the house elves got so eloquent. That was just...
"Er, yeah, I'll go. Thank you." Neville sat up and took the elf's offered hand. A second later, he was standing in a study next to Luna, facing Harry and Hermione.
"Thank you, Critt." Harry smiled at the elf. The elf blushed and disappeared.
"Your elves are remarkably well-spoken." Luna said.
"I suspect it's my mother's doing, but I won't know for sure until we're able to go through the journals in the library vault at Gringott's." Harry said. "Apparently she shared the same view of house elf 'ownership'" Harry made air quotes around the word, "that Hermione and I do."
"Well let me know what you find out, will you? I'd like to help improve their lives also, and I could start at home."
Hermione grinned at him. "We will, Nev. Thank you. And you of course Luna, if you want."
Luna just smiled and waited patiently for something. She was so unique. Pretty and unique, and he was sad he wasn't the one for her. Sad, but he also hoped she found happiness. Merlin help whoever hurt her.
"Well... I guess there's no real segue for this, so..." Hermione leaned against Harry and he held her hips gently. She pulled out her wand and waved it over her front. She shimmered for a second, then her breasts grew and her stomach looked as though she'd swallowed a kettle.
Luna squealed in delight and hugged Hermione, then knelt and put her cheek against Hermione's bulging stomach.
It looked like... Could it be though? Hadn't they just gotten together after Harry woke up like a week or two ago? How could...? A terrible realization happened somewhere in the back of his mind, and he beat it down while waiting for them to speak.
Luna nuzzled Hermione's stomach for a moment, then spoke to it. "Hello, baby! She cooed, "I'm your Auntie Luna. How are you feeling today?"
"We don't want anyone else to know just yet, since we just 'got engaged' today, so I'll be wearing glamours for a while, maybe for the whole thing." Hermione explained.
A different house elf arrived and set tea on the desk, served four cups, then disappeared.
"What we wanted to ask you both that we couldn't put in the letter is... we wanted to know if you would both... if you would be the baby's godparents?" Harry asked, a hopeful note in his voice.
"Yes!" Luna said immediately, beaming.
He had to smile. He thought he knew Luna. They had shared an awful lot of themselves with each other, but here, now, confronted with a burgeoning life... she seemed to almost glow. He had to stamp down images of his arms wrapped around Luna's waist and caressing her swollen stomach like Harry was doing to Hermione. A warmth in his chest surprised him, his own deep want for that to be true. As for Harry and Hermione's child... how could he ever not want to be part of that family?
"Absolutely." He said.
Hermione hugged Luna, and the two of them held each other and radiated happiness.
"Brilliant." Harry said, and offered his hand and smile. He looked more like an adult in that moment than Neville had ever seen before. It was just a glimpse, but the future it showed him was Harry as a powerful, deeply understanding man. A good man, who worked for the improvement of every life he touched. Neville knew he would be there as well. A friend - a genuine friend - like that didn't come along every day.
"Congratulations, both of you." Neville said, returning Harry's handshake and grin. "I'm thrilled you're both happy... but there's a fly in the potion."
"Oh?" Harry's eyebrows rose.
"Would you tell us the story? The timing is wrong and has you in a coma. I would not want to think anything negative of you Hermione, let alone line theft. It simply isn't who you are. You would never do a thing like that, so I'm assuming there's a story."
Harry and Hermione shared a look, then grinned back at him.
"Genius and brave as anything, Nev. I'm glad to call you a mate." Harry said.
Luna looked at Neville as if seeing him for the first time. It was only for a second, but he thought he saw something new in her eyes as she did.
Harry pulled his wand out and conjured two sofas, facing each other over a low coffee table, and moved the tea to the coffee table.
"It's your tale, love." Harry said, "Why don't you tell it?"
"It's yours too." She said back.
"I love the look in your eyes when you do it though." He smiled.
She kissed him. "You mean you're lazy and don't want to." She stuck her tongue out at him.
Hermione waited for Harry to get seated on the right sofa, then sat down next to him and leaned on him with her legs curled under her.
"It's not much of a tale, really." Hermione said. "I... I suppose it was line theft. And rape. I raped Harry while he was trapped in a nightmare."
"Don't be like that, sweetheart. This isn't a courtroom. The why is important." Harry wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders and squeezed.
"Alright. It still hurts, you know." She looked up at him and then back at Luna and Neville. "I was in the hospital, researching. It was just a normal night, maybe a month after Harry had deliberately stepped in front of the curse meant for me."
"It was meant for you?" Neville asked, at the same time Luna exclaimed,
"You stepped in front of it?!"
"Even if I'd never told her before then, I loved her. Of course I stepped in front of it." Harry smiled. "And yes, that piece of shit Selwyn prefaced the curse with 'Say goodbye to your mudblood.' Stupid arsehole. If I hadn't been an utter bonehead, I'd have had my wand out and destroyed him before he ever finished the sentence."
"But Harry didn't have his wand out, I did. He did a damn stupid thing and stepped in front of me before I could react." Hermione said. "So that's how he got to be in the coma in the first place. One night about a month later - a few nights after I told Ron to fuck off and never come back - Harry died. I was looking at him, watching him, wishing for him to wake up, and he just stopped breathing and died."
"I'm glad I know this has a happy ending already, because you're scaring the life out of me." Neville said. He felt Luna's hand slip into his and their fingers interlace.
"Me too." Hermione continued, "The lights all went red, a team of healers showed up after a few seconds, and I couldn't do anything. I sat on the floor crying my eyes out and begging them to save him. He was dead for three minutes while they worked on him, and they managed to get him breathing again and stable again, though still in the coma."
He let out a heavy breath. "Honestly, I can feel my fingers and toes tingling now, thanks for that fright, Hermione." He said. Luna's fingers clasped around his hand reassuringly.
Hermione nodded. "That's some clue what I went through then. Three minutes I was dead inside, absolutely shattered. It took me hours to cry myself out and pull my head together, and I decided right then that I would not let Harry leave this world with nothing to show for his having been here. If I couldn't save him, if I couldn't heal him, then I was going to do the one thing I could do to keep him with me. So yes, I went to Knockturn and bought a fertility potion and raped Harry with the intention of conceiving a child. I just never cared anything about his line or his money or anything but having him with me. Hell, we didn't even find out about his House or money until after he'd woken up."
That made sense. Neville could understand that, and that was what Hermione would do. He calmed down on the inside then, and almost didn't notice Luna slide into his side and lean her head on his shoulder.
"Romilda Vane actually tried that once in fifth year I think. Sent potioned chocolates for Valentine's. Powerful stuff. I was lucky Ron didn't have a well-developed sense of personal property, or she might've succeeded." Harry said quietly. "I was also lucky it happened to be the one person I wanted to marry who ended up succeeding. Without Hermione there by my side constantly, who knows what might have happened. I've said it before and I'll say it again, thank you love. I'd be dead or worse without you."
"That explains a lot, actually." Luna smiled. "And seems much more like a thing Hermione would do. That's the second thing that worried me."
"Second thing?" He asked.
"The letter asked if I would be Hermione's Maid of Honour, and I didn't know if I could still do that if I wasn't a virgin." Luna smiled a little smile just for him, her ice blue eyes warm with the memory.
"Oh. Can you?" He looked from Luna to Harry and Hermione and back.
"Of course. It's just a title, not a requirement." Hermione said. "It just means Luna will stand with me when Harry and I get married, same as you'll stand with Harry."
"Oh, so it's like a female best mate. I get it. Muggle-style weddings are a bit different, I guess."
"Can I see the memory of your magical wedding?" Luna asked, "I have some more work to do in the midlands, but I could take some more time in a couple of weeks."
"Of course! That would be great, Luna!" Hermione grinned. "Let me know when you can come, and we'll spend the morning getting pampered and the rest of the day sharing memories. Harry says Potter House has a lovely old pensieve built into a table."
Luna grinned at Hermione and squeezed his hand. "I'd like that." She said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley, that was delicious." Angelina smiled from her seat next to George.
"You're very welcome, dear, but please call me Molly." She smiled back. "Mum is fine too." She beamed a little extra brightly, and George rolled his eyes.
She laughed and smiled back at Molly. Truthfully, she wouldn't mind it. George was a good man, and they got on brilliantly, but it would be his choice, and she was content to wait for him to make it. For now. The only down side to being a Weasley, far as she could tell, was having to deal with Ronald. Sure, he did the job George asked him to and did it well enough, but he didn't do it proactively. He made George tell him to do something before he'd do it, no matter that it was a daily task and he knew it needed doing. The few times she'd been around to help out at the shop when business was booming he'd been the same, and let her take the brunt of customer interaction and the bulk of the work. She didn't mind though, it helped George and made him smile.
Even at Sunday dinner, he didn't think to thank his own mother for the meal, he just arrived, stuffed his face, and made passive-aggressive comments now and again. It was a constant wonder how two brothers a year and a bit apart could be so completely different after being raised in the same family, the same house, and under the same rules. If she hadn't had to deal with Ronald, she might've felt sorry for him. He clearly didn't understand the world he lived in.
"Thanks for dinner, mum." George stood up from the table and kissed Molly on the cheek.
"Nonsense, dear. You know you're always welcome." Molly said.
"And I'd be a prat if I didn't thank you for your efforts anyway." He hugged her.
Molly looked over at Ronald, but he was staring at something in the living room.
"Wossat?" Ronald asked, without indicating what he was talking about or who he was asking.
When he naturally didn't receive a response, he got up from the table and went to stand at the floo. He picked up the thick, cream-coloured card with gold lettering she recognized as being an invitation to Harry and Hermione's wedding. She and George had both received one as they'd left Hermione's birthday party last weekend.
"What the fuck is this shit?" Ronald demanded.
A stinging hex hit him in the rear almost instantly.
"Ronald! Language!" Molly admonished.
"How long has this been going on?!" He ignored his mother and the stinger. "When did he wake up?"
George frowned at his little brother, and she could tell he was mad. After hearing what Ron had said to George about Harry in the shop she was too, it just wasn't her place to get involved in the family squabble. That wouldn't stop her from enjoying it of course, but she wasn't going to get involved.
"If you had actually given half a crap about the people you claim to be friends with, you might already know the answer, Ron." George said. "You didn't, so you don't."
"Oh get stuffed. How long?" Ron demanded again.
"I don't see that's any of your business, son." Arthur said firmly. "Especially not after what you said about them."
"Wot yer mean what I said about them?" Ron frowned and looked at George.
"I told them, Ron. I told them about our conversation in the shop."
"You wanker!" Ron started turning red at the ears.
"Oh yes, I'm the wanker for not giving a shit that my best mate might be dead for all I know. I'm the wanker for treating Hermione like a house elf and then being surprised and upset that people know about it."
"You had no right to go blabbing to mum and dad, you greasy tattler!"
"Tattler?" George's eyebrows rose. "What are you, five? Do you really not understand what an absolute bin you're making of your life? Not only have you utterly alienated the two best people it's my privilege to know, but they also happen to be the most influential people in the entire country. You're just bloody lucky it's not in their nature to go out of their way to ruin you, little brother. All they want is to be left alone to be happy, so you can be bloody sure anyone who knows anything will never talk to you about it."
"Why, Ron?" Molly asked softly. "Why? You used to be such good friends. You used to be such a good boy, and now you're acting... You're acting like a Malfoy. I don't like it."
"Oh that's it, take their side against your own son! Your own flesh and blood!" Ron screamed. "Fuck you! Fuck you all! I fucking hate you!" He pulled the invitation off the mantle and tried to tear it in two with his bare hands, but it wouldn't rip. He threw it on the floor where it lay open, and Harry and Hermione smiled and gazed lovingly at each other before they smiled and laughed at themselves while looking at the viewer.
Ron drew his wand and pointed it at the picture. "Confringo!" He shouted. The blast from his wand simply bounced off the invitation and blew out the back wall of the Burrow. Wood and sharp slivers sprayed for meters in every direction across the back garden.
"RON! STOP!" Arthur shouted.
George had his wand out and pointed at Ron. "Expelliarmus!" He said. Ron raised his wand to fire another curse at the invitation, but his wand flew out of his hand and into George's.
"Give it back!" Ron demanded.
"Incarcerus." George said, and Ron was wrapped in tight ropes from head to foot. His forward momentum was preserved, and Ron fell flat on his chest. His cheek slapped on the floor before he came to a stop. "Silencio."
Ron started shouting and squirming on the floor, but he couldn't go anywhere and made no noise.
George turned to look at her. "Sorry about that. Looks like we'll have to cut tonight a bit short. I need to go dump idiot here at the shop and then help fix the back wall."
The poor dear did look sorry too. He was such a sweetheart. It was kind of a shame his parents were sitting just there, she wanted to snog his sweetheart face.
"Nonsense." She smiled at him. "Many hands make light work. Let's leave Ron to cool off and go fix the back wall. You can talk about what to do with him after."
"You're sure you don't mind?" George asked her, eyebrows raised.
"Of course not." She smiled at him. 'You can't buy entertainment like this' she added in thought only. She got up and returned the invitation to the mantle before heading to the back wall. She stopped in front of the huge hole in the wall, and took George's hand in hers before they started the repairs.
Ginny followed formation and took the passed quaffle when it was passed, executed her S-curve, then passed it on as she'd been told. She wanted her place on the team, so she learned the stupid, pointless drills, she flew in the stupid, pointless formations, and learned to handle the quaffle they way they wanted it handled. She played the good little chaser, but just wait until she got into a real game. Then she'd show them.
"Pick it up, Appleby!" Gwenog shouted from above. She had no time for girls who couldn't bother to show up in shape. Stupid Appleby was chunky, too fat to be a chaser, and her big stupid fat cow tits weighed her down and got in the way. She was sure Appleby would be kicked before the end of the week.
Practice ended after another series of drills, and Ginny made sure she was seen still ready to keep going. She also helped other hopefuls with their gear and such, just to be seen as a team player. She could put up with pretending to be nice until she got onto the team. She would make sure they knew they needed her on the team, maybe score a few century games, then she could act like she deserved better. They'd respect her more when they knew they needed her more than she needed them. Once her name was synonymous with winning she could write her own ticket and make team owners and captains fight each other over signing her.
Once she finally got back to the dorm, she found an owl waiting for her. She took the message and unrolled it. It was from Ron, she could tell straight away from the horrible writing.
Gin,
Did you get an invitation? Are you going to go? I can't believe they're snubbing me like this. I guess years of friendship just doesn't mean anything to some people. Doesn't matter, I don't need them anyway. How's training camp? Has Gwenog got a boyfriend? Let her know how brilliant I am.
Ron
She crumpled the note and tossed it to the floor as she pulled her wand and Vanished it. How on Merlin's Magical Earth did she ever get born to the same two people as that flobber-brained imbecile? At least have the thought to explain what bloody nonsense you were banging on about, moron!
She huffed at his stupidity and flopped on her bed. She picked up the Harpies' playbook and started flipping through it. It was never explicitly said, but she suspected they would be tested on the plays in the book at the end of camp to see how many girls actually bothered to learn them. No way was she going to get cut from the team for lack of studying. She'd make up her own plays later, and other hopefuls years down the road would have to study them.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" She said as she raised her voice so whoever it was on the other side could hear.
The door opened and Gwenog walked in, then closed the door behind her. She took in the fact that she was reading the playbook, and actually smiled.
"Good. Keep reading." She said. "Good work on the field. Keep it up."
That was HUGE. She was right about having to know the plays, even though nothing was ever said. Not only that, but the captain wanted her on the team. She was practically there already. As long as she didn't fuck up horribly, she could be a Harpy this time next year.
"What's up, Captain?" She asked casually. Gwenog wasn't the kind of woman who showed up in the dorms at all, let alone just to gab.
"Weasley, rumor has it you're a friend of Potter's." Gwenog said.
"Yes..." Where was this going? Did she want to know about their relationship? Was she going to say she couldn't be a Harpy if she was Harry's wife?
"How good a friend? I mean... do you think you could get me an invitation to his wedding?" Gwenog looked at her with pink spreading across her cheeks. Hope gleamed in Gwenog's eyes.
But... Harry hadn't asked her yet...
A horrible sinking feeling bloomed in her chest. Was that what her idiot brother banging on about? Even worse, was she going to have to pretend to be okay with it now in order to secure her place on the team? Wait... was Gwenog a FAN?! She couldn't even ask her what she was talking about, because a real friend of Harry's would already know. She needed to get to a floo. Immediately.
"I'll have to go ask. I'll need access to a floo for that."
Gwenog nodded. "Good. Come with me, you can use my floo. If you can manage it, I'll owe you one." Having Gwenog Jones owe her one was something she'd dreamed of. It was rarer than Crumple-horned Snorkacks and more valuable than diamonds. Still... She wondered if Gwenog would still owe her one after she stopped the wedding. No fucking WAY was Harry marrying anyone but Ginevra Weasley.
"It's none of my business, but why do you want to go?"
Gwenog blushed a deeper pink, and looked at the floor. "It's stupid, but I... I'm a huge fan."
Oh for fuck's sake.
"Alright, the sooner I go, the sooner I'll get back." She got up off the bed, and followed Gwenog across the training grounds to her house.