August 2, 1997
Harry wasn't sure why his bed was shaking but it was pulling him from the best dream. Hermione had featured heavily, with little to no clothes, in the quidditch locker room at Hogwarts. He opened his eyes to realize that his bed was shaking because he wasn't alone. Ginny was straddling him, her top half bare, while she rode him.
He wasn't sure how she had managed to get his boxers off of him; she had probably filched his wand and vanished them. His cock was buried inside her and she was riding him like a prized stallion. Her breasts were bouncing and even though they weren't overly large, they were quite enticing. When she realized that he was asleep, she smiled down at him before cupping her own breasts and giving her nipples a pinch.
"I see I woke you up, lover. I would normally tell you how sorry I am but I'm really not." Harry knew that he had told her to keep her distance, told her that they were over after the stunt she had pulled in her bedroom with Hermione present. However, it was hard to tell her that when she was bouncing on his cock and he was just a few seconds from exploding. He hated it but he blamed his body. It reacted no matter who was stimulating him.
Just seconds later, Harry came, his seed spurting inside the redhead riding him like a bull. She moaned her release, tightening down on him and almost forcing him to harden again. Once she finally came to a stop, she gave him a lascivious smile as she levered herself off of him. He glared at her, quick to sit up and throw the sheet over his softened cock.
"I told you that we were done, Ginny. You don't get to come in here and do that to me when we aren't together." She just smiled at him before she reached down to pat his cheek.
"I know we aren't together. However, we both know that we will be once the war is over." Harry finally let his anger surface.
"How do you know that, Ginny? I could fucking die and Voldemort could win. Then, since you have impeccable breeding and just need re-education, you'll be sold to the highest bidder when it comes time to divvy up the spoils." She bent down and kissed him, smiling at him like he was quite daft.
"I suppose that could happen but it won't. I have complete faith in you, Harry. We all do, otherwise we wouldn't follow you." Harry snorted, diverted from the fact that they were talking about her fucking him.
"Nobody follows me because I don't know anything. I'm just everyone's bitch, there to do what needs done with as little information as possible." Ginny smiled at him before she threw her nightgown on.
"Don't forget, it's Bill's wedding so you better save me at least one dance." He didn't even get a chance to reply before she slipped out of Ron's room and out of sight.
Harry laid there and contemplated what had just happened. He had been very firm with her when he told her that they were done and they weren't going to be getting back together after the war. Hermione had told him that Ginny clearly thought that they were getting back together and he could see now that she was right. He wasn't sure what else he could do to get it through her head that he wasn't okay with what she had done to Hermione. It hadn't been just a sexy moment she had been caught up in; it had been meant to hurt her, to show Hermione that Harry would easily dismiss her for Ginny giving him pleasure. His mind wandered to the conversation he had with Hermione the next day, despite the fact that they were both ridiculously embarrassed.
*Flashback*
Hermione was sitting in the shade underneath her favorite tree in the orchard. The others were all splashing in the pond, Hermione clearly having given up playing in the water to spend time on the bank by herself. Harry could hardly keep his eyes off her swimsuit. It was a black strapless bikini that showed off every lovely curve of her body. Where Ginny was more athletic, less-than-generous curves and breasts on the smaller side of normal, Hermione was the opposite. She was tiny, only five feet two inches tall. Her waist dipped inward perfectly and her hips were voluptuous and begged to just be held from behind while someone pounded into her. Her breasts weren't enormous but were more than a handful and seeing them displayed as they were, he wanted to bury his face in her cleavage and nestle down between her breasts for the winter. In a nutshell, it was hard to keep his eyes, let alone his hands, off of her.
Harry rose out of the water and threw a towel around his shoulders, still unsure how he had grown so much since his birthday. His shoulders were almost twice as wide and his chest was rounder. His arms were much more muscular, just as his thighs were. He had shot up a few inches, bringing him to a six foot, three inches, and he had sworn that even his cock was bigger. He hadn't actually measured it but it felt bigger in his hand that morning when he had wanked in the shower.
Hermione gave him a shy smile as he sat next to her, clearly unsure of what he wanted. She hadn't spoken to him all day, not that he expected any different. Ginny had clearly used him to show Hermione her place and seeing her so shy around him really didn't set well with him. He reached out and took one of her tiny feet in his hands, pulling it into his lap so he could gently start rubbing her instep. She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes, moaning the tiniest bit in pleasure and he smiled to himself so he wouldn't tip Ginny off that he was enjoying himself. He didn't want her to try to hurt Hermione again.
After several minutes of Hermione enjoying his attention to her foot, he pushed it away to pull the other one in his lap. Once he started working his magic on it, she opened her eyes and gave him a shy glance. He knew that this was the start of the dreaded conversation but he knew that it needed to happen. Hermione was his best friend first and foremost; he wouldn't let anything jeopardize that.
"Why are you over here? Isn't Ginny going to get angry with you?" He gave her a soft smile before giving her foot a soft squeeze before continuing on with his massage. He had never considered that feet could be so soft.
"I wasn't lying last night. I'm not getting back with Ginny after the war. I don't like what she did to you last night. It wasn't about us having private time, it was about her making a statement to you. I don't like that. You're my best friend and you're always going to be important to me. I don't need the girl I'm dating sending out messages that my best friend isn't welcome to talk to me. She was staking her claim when there wasn't a claim to stake." Hermione looked down and was quiet for a time. He was sure that she was mulling it over in her mind but he stayed quiet. When she finally raised her eyes, there was a sad smile on her face.
"That's how it may be for you. For her, though, you're still very much going to get back together and she's going to continue to put me in my place. I know she hasn't ever liked that we were friends. I accepted it and accepted that you would eventually replace me with her through the years. Until the day comes when she sees you with another girl, she'll always consider herself the love of your life." Harry contemplated her words for several minutes, finally agreeing that she was probably right. He released her foot and leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. He didn't know exactly how he felt for Hermione so he didn't want to insinuate that he wanted certain things when he didn't.
"We'll always be best friends, Hermione. Any girlfriend of mine will either accept it or move on down the road. Don't let her convince you that you're nothing to me." Her words were almost so soft he couldn't hear them but hear them he did.
"You did that when you let her do it to me." However, she gave him a soft smile and nodded when she raised her eyes.
"Thank you, Harry. You mean the world to me too." Harry was quite sure he wasn't supposed to hear her words so acted as though he hadn't. Instead, he threw an arm around her shoulders and watched as the twins started to call for chicken fights. He glanced over at her and smiled.
"Who do you think is going to win, Fred or George?"
Hermione burst out in happy laughter.
*End of Flashback*
Deciding that it was high time he rose and dressed, there was a wedding today after all, Harry let his thoughts fall to the wayside and went to his feet. He gathered his towel and toiletries, heading for the main bathroom on their floor. He showered off quickly and used his wand to dry his unruly hair. He had his towel wrapped around his waist as he left the bathroom, headed once more to Ron's room so he could ready himself for the wedding. However, as he turned the last corner that headed to Ron's room, he ran into Hermione.
She was beautiful, dressed in muggle dress colored in lavender. He knew that the Ginny and Molly were going to wear witch's robes; he also knew that both Ginny and Molly had complained to Hermione about her choice of dress for more than an hour. Just like they had looked down on her for her bikini, they thought that their robes were better than her dress. However, in this moment, Harry wasn't sure why.
The dress wasn't inappropriate in any way; it reached to her mid-thigh and even though the material was floaty, it wasn't sheer. Her shoulders were bare but for the straps but her cleavage was minimal. It hugged all her curves but was in no way racy. He gave her a smile while she blushed and dropped her eyes.
"You look gorgeous, Hermione. I love your dress." She snorted softly before finally raising her eyes. He could see the pink in her cheeks and realized belatedly that it was because he was naked except for the towel around his waist.
"Thank you, Harry. At least someone likes it. Ron just told me he thought it showed a little too much skin." Harry hated when Ron did that to her. It was the same over the bikini. Ron didn't care that it was Hermione's custom to wear these things; they were normal for her and her parents encouraged her to wear them. To hear them called scandalous by everyone, including someone who was her best friend, had to hurt her. Therefore, he smiled and stroked a finger down her cheek.
"They don't understand muggle fashion or customs. The wizarding world is only a hundred years behind the times. While they don't appreciate your clothing, I do. It's a wonderful dress and nowhere near showing too much skin." She gave him a grateful smile and hugged him close, despite his lack of clothing. Her skin was warm against his but it pulled away all too quickly. She was slightly blushing when she met his eyes again.
"Thank you, Harry. They get all bent out of shape if I tell them that their outlooks are outdated but they don't seem to understand that's exactly what they do to me when I wear something that is normal for muggles. I know they look down on me, that the whole family thinks I dress like a slag, but I refuse to revert back to the Victorian era just because they aren't open-minded." This was the Hermione that he loved; the one that would tell you to fuck off nicely while she did as she pleased. He grinned down at her before leaning down and kissing her cheek.
"You don't look like a slag, you look lovely. If they say otherwise, send them my way. Don't ever start wearing their shite clothes, Hermione, I probably wouldn't survive seeing you convert to their ways." She gave him a grin now and hugged him again quickly. After she pulled away, she blushed again.
"Thank you, Harry. You better get dressed. Molly and Ginny are waiting for you in the kitchen. I think they have your polyjuice ready for you." Harry groaned but let her go, heading back to his room so he could get ready.
It didn't take him long to dress since he knew that the others were waiting for him to appear. After making sure that the clothing fit his new large size, he headed down the stairs to find that nobody was waiting for him in the kitchen other than Ginny and Molly. Both gave him a smile and Molly stepped forward to pat his cheek. He still wasn't sure what to think of her spelling Hermione and potioning her; was it worth telling her and ending the protection she had against pregnancy from Death Eaters? It all sat wrong with him and he wanted to tell her but he worried about what would happen if she refused to take the potion. The last thing he wanted was for her to bear the child of a Death Eater and then suffer the consequences involved in doing such a thing.
He ate a quick breakfast under the watchful eyes of the redheads before excusing himself outside to help the others. He had taken his polyjuice beforehand, becoming one of the many Weasley cousins. He was heavier than Harry and quite a bit shorter but he didn't care. He knew that Hermione would know who he was and if nobody else wanted to dance with him, that would suit him fine.
He helped Arthur and the twins put out the flowers and spread the menu sheets under the reception tent that Ginny had made. It still irked him that Hermione had been given all the manual labor while Ginny had been given the assignments that were far easier. He knew that his friend would never complain but he hated the inequality of it. While the Weasleys preached about equality between blood statuses, they still had their own prejudices that Harry had a hard time ignoring.
It was a few hours after he appeared that the guests started to arrive. He watched Hermione start to show them to their seats while Ron sat at the punch bowl and laugh about who knew what with one of his many cousins. It seemed funny to Harry that Ron had such a large family but he had never met any of them. He wondered if they were secretly embarrassed to know him too. It was clear that was how they felt about Hermione, otherwise they wouldn't try to change how she dressed.
The wedding seemed to fly past. The guests arrived and Harry helped show them to their seats as he had been assigned as one of the many cousins. He wasn't sure what exactly Hermione was up to but he saw her pass by a few times, looking harried each time. When it was finally time for the ceremony, Harry was already tired of taking sips from the flash in his hot robes, making sure he was the overweight Weasley cousin named Barney.
He took his seat next to Ron and noticed that Hermione was sat with some redheads that he didn't recognize. Ginny was on his other side and he felt terrible for his best friend. She should be there at their side, no matter who he was supposed to be. He turned to Ron.
"Why is Hermione over there with those Weasleys that I've never met?" he asked. Ron shrugged his shoulders, almost as if he hadn't noticed. When he did, he made a sound that made it clear he wasn't sure why.
"Not sure," he replied. "Maybe it's because she's not close to the family. Family comes first in these situations, you know." Harry just glared at him before standing.
"Hermione is family. If you can play me off as family, it shouldn't be a problem for you to do it to a friend you've had since you were eleven." Harry snarled at him. Ron turned a slight shade of pink before he realized that Harry was leaving.
He took his leave and found his way to Hermione's side. He plopped down next to her and she reached out and took his hand, giving him a small smile. He couldn't help but to smile back at her, knowing that it was genuine.
"Why'd you move over here, Harry?" she asked. He smiled at her and took her hand in his.
"It isn't right that the Weasleys put you over here. You're family, 'Mi," he told her. She gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen and squeezed his hand.
Ron and Ginny were both glaring at him but there wasn't time for them to come confront him since the ceremony started right after he moved. He watched the first wizarding wedding ceremony he had ever seen and had to admit that it was beautiful. Doves exploded from behind where Bill and Fleur had recanted their vows, though he blamed that on the twins. They were well-known for creating havoc but they were often overlooked when it came to creating something beautiful.
After the wedding broke up, the reception started soon after. Harry found that the seats were labeled and he was seated between Ginny and Ron. He was instantly irritated; it as as though the Weasley family was throwing Ginny in his face and frankly, he was over it. He knew that they supported her dream to marry him but he was just done it. Honestly, it was making him want to disappear from the Burrow and never return.
He ate the meal of salmon and let the hired help clear it away. He realized that Hermione was sitting next to Viktor Krum and they were laughing softly. He had to be Fleur's guest since the groom had clearly never met him. Harry had to fight back the urge to curse the man but managed to refrain in the end. He really wasn't sure where this righteous jealousy was coming from. He approached the pair with a smile, wondering if Hermione would introduce him as his true self or as his Weasley cousin persona. He was very pleased when she gave him a wide smile and held her hand out for him to join them.
"Viktor, you remember Harry Potter? He's under polyjuice potion since the other guests couldn't be trusted but I thought it would be safe to tell you," she told him. While he was thrilled she had told him who he really was, he wanted Viktor to know that he was there with her, he was scared to realize that if said even a single word to someone that didn't know his identity, he would be open to attack from numerous people. Therefore, he gripped her elbow hard and pulled her just a little way away so they could have a private word.
"Why did you tell him who I really was?" She gave him a confused but questioning look.
"I thought that you would like to have one person know who you were. I'm sorry. I would just hate to be somewhere but nobody realize that it was me," she confessed. Harry raked a hand through his hair and finally nodded.
"You're right, it does suck. It's horrid. However, I know it's necessary to survive," Harry told her. She looked horrified.
"I would never tell someone that would expose you. Viktor really respects you, he has from the start of the Tournament when you kept insisting that you hadn't entered yourself, he would never tell your secret, I swear it, Harry." He reached out to put his arm around her shoulders. It was clear she was distressed and that was never what he wanted.
"I know you wouldn't, 'Mi. I trust you with my life." She gave him the most brilliant smile and it lifted his heart. She rushed forward and hugged him hard around the waist, burying her face in his chest. His hand found its way into her hair and he held her against him. Even though it wasn't his real body, it still felt natural. When she finally pulled away from him, she gave him a smile.
"Thank you for trusting me, Harry." He brushed her hair away from her face as he smiled down at her.
"You've never given me a reason to doubt you," he told her.
The dance erupted around them, Ron sweeping Luna of all people into dance while Ginny started dancing with Charlie. Harry turned to offer Hermione a dance when he realized that Viktor had beaten him to the punch. However, as jealous as he was, he could live with the Bulgarian spending time with Hermione. Viktor thought Hermione was as amazing as he did. Bill and Fleur were dancing together while Fred and George were dancing with two of her many veela cousins. He wasn't sure how he got around the allure of the veela but it was embarrassing to watch the Weasley boys fall at their feet.
Harry found himself dancing with Aunt Muriel, his nightmare if you really considered it. While he wasn't against dancing with the elderly aunt, he was against dancing with a woman that had nothing nice to say about anyone he knew. She was ranting and raving about his current Weasley friends, telling him how the children that he called friends were unmotivated and had no pureblood pride. He let it pass, figuring that if she had a right to complain about anyone, it was her family. It was when she started in on Hermione, complaining about her less than pure blood and her skinny ankles, that Harry lost his temper.
"Actually, Miss Granger is my best friend. I won't have you insulting her while she isn't here to defend herself. She's a formidable witch and would probably put you in the ground if she knew what you were saying about her," he claimed. Aunt Muriel looked at him in shock, clearly believing that he was a Weasley cousin. Harry sneered at her.
"I'm not really Barney Weasley. I'm Harry Potter and Hermione Granger is my best friend. You won't talk badly about her without suffering the consequences," he informed her. It was clear that she was more interested in how he got where he was.
"If you're not Barney, how are you here?" she asked. Harry grinned at her.
"I'm friends with Ronald. Molly disguised me as Barney so I could still attend and nobody would report me." Muriel gave him a look of respect so he remembered to reiterate his standing.
"Nobody talks badly about Hermione without answering to me, I don't care how old you are," he declared. Aunt Miuriel gave him a disbelieving look but nodded, respecting his words.
"Go find your girl then, boy. Go dance with her." Harry gave her a smile before turning to do just that. However, he turned to see that Ron had beat him to it and he was holding Hermione close to him and pushing her around the dancefloor. Obviously, it was not as skilled as he would have liked but Ron had beat him to the punch line. Hermione was smiling at him and laughing softly, looking like she was having the time of her life. Harry supposed that he deserved it; she thought that he and Ginny had something going on, why would she worry about him when she was determined to have a good time before going to war? She deserved better than Harry and his ambiguous situation with Ginny, if only the redhead would leave him alone he could make some sense of exactly how he felt for his best female friend.
Rather than dance with anyone, after all, he hadn't promised anyone a dance, he stepped back into the shadows to watch Hermione and practice trying to hide his jealousy since he was going to face Hermione soon and show her that it didn't mean anything to him. Soon came faster than he thought it would since Ron left Hermione on the dance floor to dance with Lavender Brown. She looked heartbroken as she made her way back to the sidelines, Harry taking the place by her side. He was heartbroken at the look on her face as she stared after Ron while he danced quite happily with Lavender.
"Do you think that Ron fancies Lavender again?" Hermione whispered to him. He wasn't quite sure how to answer since it did indeed look like the red head was quite smitten with the buxom blonde. However, as much as it hurt, he didn't want to break Hermione's heart.
"I don't know, Hermione. Ron doesn't tell me that kind of stuff," he lied to her. He knew that Ron fancied Hermione, he had for years. He just never pursued her in the right way. She gave him a disbelieving look before following the redhead with her eyes again.
"Sometimes I swear he fancies me but then moments like this happen and I'm sure he doesn't. I'm not sure what I'm doing, Harry," she confessed. He reached out and smoothed her curls with his large hand, pulling her attention from Ron for a few moments before it reverted back. He watched Viktor approach and smile at his best friend. Hermione bowed slightly and graciously agreed to dance with him again; honestly, it was more than Harry could bring himself to do.
Even though Hermione had been watching Ron with longing, she was still having fun with Viktor. They were laughing together as he dipped her quite low to the crazy music that the twins had obviously chosen. Harry was feeling quite sorry for himself when he saw the patronus form just a few feet in front of him. It was a lynx and glowing brightly, showing just how strong the wizard was who cast it. When it spoke, Kingsley's voice resonated through him.
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
Harry felt dread stab through his stomach at his words, instantly knowing that himself, Hermione, and Ron were going to have to leave right now. There was no putting their horcrux hunt off any longer. The insanity that was now occurring around him would be the perfect time to escape since he knew that Molly would never let that happen otherwise.
However, now this meant that he needed to find Ron and Hermione before something bad happened to them. However, it was complete chaos now that the silvery lynx had faded. There were pops all around him, telling him that not only were guests apparating out of the wedding, Death Eaters were apparating in. Harry hoped that his polyjuice held long enough for him to find his two best friends and get the fuck out of there.
Ron found him quickly, nearly running him over in his hurry to get to his side. The redhead was nearly hysterical, not sure what to do next. Harry told him that they needed to find Hermione and then get the fuck out of there. Ron started looking through the crowd to find their friend, though Harry wasn't too sure that he would find her. She was well-known in their world and while it would kill him, the second the Death Eaters saw her, they would be thrilled to take her back to their master. It would surely be a way to get Harry to surrender himself and he knew without a doubt that if old Moldyshorts had Hermione, he would.
It was almost ten minutes later when Harry finally spotted her, hidden behind a table with three young children. She was shooting off spells and protecting them as best she could. They were all clinging to her and crying while she fought off the Death Eaters that were sending spells their way. Ron gripped his arm tightly.
"Mate, those are the tiniest of my cousins. We can't leave them with nobody to protect them," Ron informed him as though it wasn't already obvious that Hermione would never leave them. After a few seconds of silence, Harry saw Professor McGonagall rush by and he reached out and snatched her by the arm. He met her eyes and hoped that he was conveying just how serious he was. As an afterthought, he hoped that she knew who he really was since he looked like Barney Weasley.
"Professor, we have to leave. It's vital to the war effort. I need you to go protect those children that Hermione is defending. Please. We'll never survive this mission without her." She met his eyes and gave him a solemn nod. Regardless of where she was headed before, she turned towards Hermione and when she met her and saw the relieved look on the young girls face, she held her wand high as she headed her way. Hermione looked devastated at first before finally steeling herself after hearing whatever McGonagall had to say. After an extremely short conversation, she strode towards Harry and Ron confidently as McGonagall started to shoot off spells to protect Ron's youngest cousins. Harry hugged her close as soon as she was close enough; he couldn't hold her tight enough to make him feel like she was safe.
"We have to go. It's time. You know that we won't get a better chance." Even though she looked quite heartbroken, Hermione gave him a resolute nod. She reached out and took his wrist, while taking Ron's at the same time.
Without warning, she disapparated and disappeared from the Burrow for he didn't know how long.
-O-
Hermione was terrified. She had been defending a group of children no older than five before they had left Bill and Fleur's wedding. Now, she had just disapparated with Ron and Harry, hoping that they could find the horcruxes that Voldemort had left behind. When they reappeared, her hand was still tightly gripped around both Harry and Ron's wrists. They had landed on Tottenham Court, at least that's what it appeared to be to Hermione. Ron was currently having a melt down about being disapparated into muggle London. Hermione thought he should be thankful that Hermione had saved his fucking life.
She instantly started walking, not taking a chance to stop and talk. Harry reached out and took her hand, making sure that they stayed connected. After Ron skipped and stuttered for several steps, he followed suit. After they had walked a block, Harry decided to intervene.
"Are we on Tottenham Court?" Harry asked. Hermione gave him a guilty look before nodding.
"I wanted to go somewhere that Death Eaters wouldn't think to go and this was the first place to pop in my head," Hermione told him. He reached out and kissed her head.
"You did wonderful, baby. Let's keep going, if they find us it isn't worth it," he told her. Hermione couldn't help but agree. It didn't matter that he had called her baby or that she hadn't ever heard him do so before. What mattered right now was that they lived.
They veered off into a tea shoppe a couple blocks down. She knew that they stood out, her in her fancy muggle dress and Harry and Ron in their wizarding robes. Just once in their lives, she wished they had agreed to dress as a muggle as she had. At least then they wouldn't have been totally out of the normal. They took their seats and ordered, Hermione quietly ordering for them all since it was clear that Ron would make a fool of himself and Harry had slipped under his invisibility cloak before they entered.
The girl delivered their order and Hermione was happy to for once be able to enjoy a latte since the wizarding world had never heard of them. Ron stared at his cappuccino and Harry had slipped his espresso into his cloak so it was no longer visible. Hermione took a few sips of her latte and he watched her visibly calm just a little. It was when he broke the calm that she tensed again.
"Where should we go now? Everywhere is compromised," He asked her. Her spine was straight and even though he hated asking her the hard questions, they needed to be asked. He simply needed her help in deciding. However, he never got an answer. Just as she started to take another sip of her drink, a spell shot out of nowhere and almost hit her in the face. Ron instantly went to ground, making sure that he survived. Hermione threw herself to the side and barely missed the spell, just catching the sight of it out of her peripheral vision. Harry felt an instant flash of fury ignite within him and threw the invisibility cloak off of him to partly cover Hermione. It wasn't planned, though he certainly wasn't going to complain.
His wand appeared in his hand and he started shooting off spells as quickly as he could to defend his friends. He told himself that it was for his friends but he knew deep within his heart that it was for Hermione. She gathered herself quickly and sat up, her wand at the ready, shooting spell after spell in the direction of the original spell fire. Harry had to admit he admired her bravery and that she had a set of balls on her that were bigger than any man's. She never hesitated to do what needed to be done.
Just as Hermione's stunning spell hit who appeared to be Rowle, knocking him behind the counter of the tea shoppe, Harry's slicing curse hit Dolohov, cleanly slicing his throat open to pour his life blood out down the front of him. As soon as Hermione had managed to send a binding spell at Rowle, they advanced to see just how bad the situation was. There were numerous muggles in the shoppe that were clearly terrified and would need to be obliviated. Harry sighed as he followed Hermione to where Rowle was downed. She bent over his form and felt for a pulse.
"He's still alive. More than we can say for Dolohov." Harry gripped her side roughly, pulling her to him, not even feeling bad that he was probably bruising her tender skin.
"He was going to kill you. He almost killed you in the Department of Mysteries. I don't feel bad for killing him at all. It was kill or be killed and I'm not going down without a fight." Ron was on her other side, nodding. His words were genuine when he spoke and some of the building animosity for his friend slipped away.
"Hermione, you're our best friend. Both of us would do anything to keep you safe." Harry was reminded then that even though Ron gave Hermione a hard time about her clothes and let his family treat her badly sometimes, he still loved her. She was still his best friend and never treated her as though she were less than he was. In fact, Ron admitted quite often that Hermione was a far better witch than he was wizard; he just didn't think about how his words and actions could hurt their friend.
Harry was proud of Hermione when she didn't break down in tears; while she could be emotional, she was also highly logical and he knew that he could count on her to do what was needed to be done. Right now, that was cleaning up the mess they had made of this cute little tea shoppe. She flicked her wand at the windows, lowering the blinds, while Harry flicked his at the sign on the door proclaiming the shoppe open. When it read "closed", Hermione turned to both him and Ron and sighed.
"What are we going to do with them?" Harry started to wander a little as he thought, finding that pacing helped him think. He could feel the eyes of all the muggles in the room on him and he knew that they were going to have to obliviate them. He turned to Hermione.
"You made sure to lock all the doors, right?" She gave him a nod.
"I think we should pull a Crouch and transfigure Dolohov into something and get rid of him that way. As for Rowle, I'm not sure. I can't kill a man that isn't standing above me with a wand." Hermione walked closer to the bound man and saw that he was now awake, meaning that they had been standing there discussing this for far too long. She pointed her wand at his face.
"I'm going to obliviate him and we can just sit him in a booth like he was eating here. You two fix the damage and I'll get started on the muggles." Harry and Ron started to repair the damage to the tea shoppe after turning Dolohov into an empty coffee cup that they threw in the trash, the eyes of the muggles large and disbelieving as they worked. A little boy walked up to Hermione and tugged on the skirt of her dress, just enough to catch her attention.
"Is magic real?" Hermione gave him a small smile and crouched down before him. She could see that his mother was scared that he had approached her but appeared to want to hear her answer too. Since they were just going to obliviate them anyways, she answered honestly.
"Yes, magic is real, but only for witches and wizards. You have to be born with it." The boy grinned at her now, no longer shy.
"Can you pull a rabbit out of a hat too?" Hermione raised her wand.
"I can do something even better," she told him. She gave it a wave and an enormous lolly appeared. She handed it to him and ushered him back over to his mother. The mother gave her a scared look.
"Are more of those men going to attack us?" she asked. Hermione tried to give her the answer that would scare her the least while still being believable. She was terrible at lying.
"No, they came after us. You don't have to worry anymore," she lied. The woman nodded and was happy to just sit there and watch.
Hermione was quick to clear the last hour of Rowle's memory. Harry and Ron were quick to lift him into a seat and prop him against the wall while the dazed look on his face wore off. Hermione then began to move through the muggles, using her wand but making sure that she cast silently. The woman who had questioned her was the only one to speak.
"What are you doing to us? They're all drooling." Hermione bent before the woman and her son to smile softly.
"I don't want them to hurt you so I have to erase this from your memory. That's all I'm doing, I promise," she answered honestly. The woman started to tremble and the little boy climbed into her lap.
"Will it hurt?" she asked, fear evident in her voice. Hermione shook her head.
"Not at all, you won't even realize I've started or finished."
Hermione lifted her wand and cast on the little boy first, clearing away any memory of seeing them attacked and what they had decided on doing after the fact. When she was done with him, his eyes were glazed over and the woman was just watching her. She turned her wand to the woman without giving her a chance to speak further. They really didn't have the time to spare and this had taken too long already.
Once she had finished wiping the memories of the dozen muggles in the shoppe, Harry and Ron had cleared away the mess and tried to make it look as it had when they had entered. They stood back and looked for a just a minute to make sure that they weren't missing anything. After Hermione couldn't see anything they had missed, she opened the blinds and flipped the sign on the door back to "open".
Hermione pulled both boys out of the tea shoppe by the hand, still aware that they looked horribly out of place. She dragged them down the street until they were three blocks away and she pulled them into an alley so they could hide behind an enormous dumpster. She pulled her beaded bag out from under her dress, she had stuck it to the outside of her thigh that morning with a sticking charm, and gestured to the boys that they needed to take off their outer robes. Harry especially looked thrilled as he handed his over. She wasn't sure how her next words were going to be taken so she braced herself.
"I think we should go to Grimmauld Place. There really isn't anywhere else and I heard Moody telling Kingsley that he had added another protection to it to keep Snape out. It isn't perfect but I think it's our best shot until we can come up with something else." Harry raked a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. She knew that it was the last place in the world he wanted to go; he hadn't been there since Sirius had been killed. However, it was clear that he thought she was right.
"Alright, you're right. I'll lead," Hermione reached out to grab his arm but he made sure to take her hand. Ron reached out and grasped his arm above the elbow, letting Harry take control. Hermione had no worries; where she was the most well-read in their Trio and could cast more spells than anyone, Harry was easily the most powerful. It just bled from him like he never tired. She knew it wasn't true but it still amazed her that her best friend could cast so much magic without tiring like a normal magical person.
Harry popped them away, landing the directly on the front step of Grimmauld Place.
-O-
Harry hated being here already; to him, Grimmauld Place would forever be Sirius' last prison. It didn't feel right that they were there when the last time he had been there, Sirius had been walking through the house singing "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs" and had been the closest to happy he had been in years. It was like a knife to the heart but he knew that Hermione was right. They really didn't have any other options.
Hermione squeezed his hand and smiled softly, clearly aware of his dark thoughts. He squeezed her hand back and gave her a slight smile for just a moment. Enough to let her know that he appreciated her gesture and knew that she was sorry to suggest this. Ron had already ventured forward, clearly unafraid of being in a house that the traitor Snape was aware of. Just as Harry was about to call out a warning, a dark figure appeared before them and started to rush them. He didn't even stop to think about what he was doing. He thrust Hermione behind him hard enough to have her hit the wall behind him. His wand appeared and blasted the figure to dust, realizing too late that it was just a scare tactic to someone that was intruding. He saw Ron's eyes were wide and he appeared to just now realize how fucked he would have been if Harry had hit him on accident. He turned to see Hermione leaning against the wall, dust covering her pretty lavender dress. He fought a laugh when he saw a long smear of it across her cheek. He reached out to help her stand straight again, even though it was clear that she wasn't hurt. His fingers found the smear of dust on her face and gently rubbed it away.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to push you that hard. I just wanted you behind me," he told her sheepishly. Her hands started to brush at the skirt of her dress as she smiled at him.
"I know, Harry, you would never hurt me on purpose," she reassured him. He left her there to clean herself off while he glared at Ron.
"You realize that Snape knows about this place. This isn't a game anymore. We have to be careful," he warned him. Ron gave him a sheepish nod and followed his friend, wand out and vigilant. After they had made it to the end of the corridor to where they could enter the library, he heard Hermione following after them. He realized that they shouldn't have left her there by herself and he stopped to wait on her. When she caught up, she reached down and slipped her heels off so she could walk silently.
They searched the whole house that way, Hermione bringing up the rear while Harry and Ron led. He knew Hermione was probably rolling her eyes at his over-protectiveness but he didn't care. Not only was he bigger, he was more powerful. Even though she was a pistol and quick with a wand, he still wanted to protect her. It was an urge he felt deep inside and had no idea how to explain it to himself, let alone her if she were to ask.
They were on the top floor, the one that held Sirius' bedroom. Harry had glanced in there and made sure that nobody was hiding there but he just couldn't face it. He still struggled realizing that his godfather was gone for good, seeing his things in his room would just make it worse. They were headed back down the stairs when he couldn't feel Hermione behind him anymore. He turned to see that she was standing in front of a door, staring at the nameplate. They had glanced in there just minutes before, though to be fair, Hermione hadn't. Her eyes met his and Harry could see that she had just stumbled onto something.
"I think we just found R.A.B., Harry," she breathed. He hurried to her side, Ron following. Harry stared at the nameplate on the door and felt his stomach lurch at what he saw.
Regulus Arcturus Black
Harry didn't bother to waste time with considering what it meant for Sirius' brother, that he had rebelled and tried to kill his master. He burst through the door to find that the room was far more orderly than Sirius' was. The books were in their places on the shelf and his bed was made perfectly. He shot a look at both Ron and Hermione.
"Search the room. The horcrux might be here," he bit out.
The three of them started frantically searching, hoping to find the horcrux that Dumbledore had died for. After ten minutes of going through absolutely everything in the room, Harry sat back on his heels, disappointed. He stood and helped Hermione off the floor.
"It's not here. It's late now so I think we should search the whole house tomorrow. For now, we need to get some rest." He knew that he had made the right decision when Hermione sighed and nodded, offering no complaint. His hand found her lower back as he guided her out of the bedroom. Ron followed, closing the door. Out in the corridor, Hermione stopped.
"Where are we going to sleep?" she asked. He blew a breath out as he considered it.
"I think we should all stay together until we know for sure that the house is safe," he told them. Ron and Hermione both nodded. Hermione turned to look back at the pair of them.
"I think we should sleep in the library. If something happens, we'll be close enough to the exit and we won't get trapped upstairs. We can drag some mattresses and sleep on the floor in front of the fire," she suggested. Harry put his hands on her shoulders and massaged them lightly.
"We'll conjure some. They'll last long enough for us to sleep. Save us some effort," he reasoned. Hermione led the way down the stairs and to the library.
Harry knew that they had no food and that they would have to go shopping at some point. He hoped that muggle London would be safe enough for them to go out, they really had no other choices. He followed her into the library and watched as she conjured not only mattresses but pillows and blankets as well. She sat on the mattress furthest away from the fire that Ron conjured to begin digging through her beaded bag. He watched her whole arm disappear, only for her to pull out comfortable clothes for all of them. He grinned at her as he saw his favorite sleep pants get thrown his way. He bent to kiss her on the top of the head.
"You're amazing, you are," he praised her. She stood and turned to leave, presumably so she could change into her own clothes. Harry raised an eyebrow at her.
"Don't go too far, I still don't trust this house," he warned her. She gave him a nod while she rolled her eyes.
When she left, he and Ron were quick to change into their sleep clothes. Their dress robes were thrown in a heap on the floor when Hermione returned. Harry tried his hardest to keep his eyes to himself but it was so hard. She was wearing the smallest shorts he had ever seen and they highlighted just how amazing her arse was. Her camisole was tight and she clearly wasn't wearing a bra. Her breasts were fucking perfect and it was just cold enough that her nipples were starting to harden. He hoped that his erection was hidden in the folds of his pajama pants. Ron, however, wasn't as quiet about his opinion as Harry was.
"Bloody hell, Hermione, you're fucking hot!" Hermione instantly flamed red and crossed her arms over her breasts. Her voice was low when she spoke.
"Thanks, I think," she replied. Ron just couldn't leave well enough alone.
"You always wear that around blokes? Isn't that pretty revealing?" He questioned her. Her eyes went to the floor as she started for her mattress. Harry made sure that he went to the one between hers and Ron's. He was going to make sure that he didn't fuck with her after being a complete prat. Before she could reply, Harry jumped in the conversation.
"How many blokes do you think Hermione has slept around? Just stop with the judging of her clothes, Ron. She was raised a muggle and this is acceptable for them. Her parents wouldn't chastise her for dressing like this. In fact, a lot of people sleep naked. It's a fucking fact that the wizarding world is a hundred years behind the times. If you don't want to embrace our culture, fine. Stop making her feel like shite about it," he groused. He saw Hermione smile just a tiny bit while Ron turned red and bowed his head. Harry was surprised at his words.
"Sorry, Mione, I wasn't trying to judge you. I just know Mum would kill Ginny if she wore something like that." Harry couldn't help but wonder if Ron had any idea what Ginny wore when she was trying to fuck him.
Hermione laid down after quickly acknowledging his apology and threw the blankets over herself. Harry knew that they should work out a schedule to keep watch but didn't figure that it would matter tonight. He set a few wards around the library door but other than that, he was too exhausted to do anything else. Ron was already under his blankets and half-asleep. Harry had always been so jealous of his ability to fall asleep anywhere.
Several minutes later, Harry turned to see that Hermione was still awake in the firelight. She felt him looking and turned, catching him. She gave him a small smile before she looked over him to see that Ron was already snoring.
"Thanks, Harry," she said. He smiled back and pulled his wand to flick it at Ron, silencing him. Hermione burst out in laughter.
"I take it you do that a lot?" Harry chuckled as he put his wand back under his pillow.
"Every single night. Otherwise the rest of us wouldn't get any sleep." She chuckled softly as she rolled to face him. She snuggled down and got comfortable.
"I'm sorry we're here, Harry, I hope you know that," she implored to him. He nodded.
"I know, 'Mi, it's not your fault. It really was the best suggestion."
They were both silent for a few minutes before Harry looked over to see that Hermione had fallen asleep. There was a soft smile on her face and he wondered what she was dreaming about. He turned to face her as well and closed his eyes, knowing that he needed sleep. Tomorrow was going to be another long day.
After all, they were officially at war.
-O-
Molly bustled around the kitchen, trying to save some of the food from the wedding that hadn't been ruined from the Death Eater attack. She and her family were sequestered in their home, Rookwood was sitting outside to watch over them. It had been made very clear to them that they wouldn't be leaving any time soon. She knew that Ron, Harry, and Hermione were gone so she hoped that they were safe.
Arthur was in the sitting room with all the boys and they were trying to work out just how long they were going to be watched and if they would be able to get messages out while Rookwood was there. Ginny stomped into the kitchen and threw herself into a chair, her makeup and hair still looking like she was at a wedding even though she was wearing a long nightgown. Molly smiled softly at her daughter and walked to her side so she could start taking the pins out of her hair.
"He's with her now, Mum. They're all gone. How are we going to make sure that they stay apart?" Molly knew that her fears were valid. They had worked long and hard at this plan for them to just give up on it now. However, she did her best to allay her daughter's fears.
"She isn't due to go into heat for three months. His lust potion will wear off in a few days but that's a good thing. He'll be confused about her but it's Harry. He won't move too quickly. He broke up with you because he wanted to protect you and you aren't his mate. He'll be even more careful with her. You don't have to worry about him. As long as Ron can make sure she gets her next dose of suppression potion, everything will be fine. You'll get back together after the war and we'll get you a fertility potion. He'll marry you because he'll consider it the right thing to do. We'll have the Potter and Black fortune, honey, mark my words." Ginny was calming down but her words were still snarled.
"That bitch is with him, though. I know she wants him, she's had a crush on him since their third year. I read her pathetic diary, Mum. I wanted to barf," she gritched. Molly started finger-combing her hair.
"Now, dear, to be fair, that would be normal. He is her alpha and she is his omega. The attraction between them is natural. We got lucky when I was called to Hogwarts to help explain what an omega was to her. Poppy got her to agree to the suppression potion during school so she wouldn't be affected, I just took it upon myself to continue dosing her while erasing her memory of what she is. It's all worked out perfectly so far and your brother will make sure that she gets her potion. He isn't the biggest supporter of this plan but he will do as he's been told. Ronnie is a good boy," she reassured her. Ginny sighed and leaned her head back against her mother's chest. Molly just smiled down at her daughter and hugged her.
"Everything will work out, Ginny. We've come too far for it to fail."
Molly shooed her daughter away after that, sending her to bed. The boys would likely be ages yet and there was no sense in them exhausting themselves further waiting on them. She finished cleaning up her kitchen and saving what she could. Once Ginny had the Potter fortune, things would be different.
That was what she told herself.