The Power of the Press :: Chapter 4

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Generic Reader #6 sat happily reading the latest chapter. Upon completion GR#6 hit the review button and proudly filled in the box.

"Great Cahpter, rite more!"

Out of nowhere a whip descended and lashed across GR#6's back causing him to scream in pain. Alyx strode out onto the stage wearing a leather bustier, leather boots with six inch stiletto heels and a studded miniskirt. "That isn't a review," she snarled.

Bob watched the scene unfold and he swallowed nervously when Alyx wheeled out the rack and a cart full of gardening tools. Generic Reader #6 screamed in fear and soiled himself.

"While Alyx proceeds to educate our happy volunteer," Bob said, trying not to wince at a particularly loud scream, "I'll explain that we do not own anything associated with Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Potterverse belong to someone else, some British broad, but not that queen."

Alyx laughed maniacally and she started up an electric torch. "Proper spelling! Properly punctuation! Proper commentary! And stop offering to pet my llama! I don't own any llamas any more!"

Bob backed away from Alyx when she brought out the battery jumper cables, or as she called them, nipple clamps. Generic Reader #6 howled in agony and promised to do better in the future.

"Ummm.. let's get started shall we? I suspect Alyx will be a while."

The Power of the Press
Chapter 4

Waivunu, Fiji, Jan 2nd, 1996...

The days that followed the Grangers’ arrival for the Christmas holiday were filled with activity. Gifts were exchanged, though Harry felt that Hermione's presence was the best gift he could have received. Among the gifts he'd bought were two wizarding cameras, one for Remus and one for Hermione, and they carried them everywhere.

Emma had shocked Harry by embracing him tenderly when she first arrived. He was still weak and tired easily, but the potions were quickly rebuilding his strength.

As it was summer in Fiji, Harry and Hermione spent most of their time on the beach. One of the adults was always nearby, and Hermione kept a careful eye on Harry, making sure he didn't overexert himself.

On the eighth day of the Granger's visit, Hermione saw Harry use magic for the first time since her arrival. With his illness, he'd been instructed to go slow with his magic. They were both reading, enjoying the warm breeze off the ocean, when Harry suddenly closed his book and sent it back to the house with a quick flick of his hand.

"Should you be doing that?" Hermione asked with an arched eyebrow.

He stood and moved away from his chair, then he flexed his muscles. "I'm better, Hermione, really. Madam Salote gave me the go-ahead on using magic four days ago. She says my core is the largest she's ever seen and it's still increasing."

She resisted the urge to grab her camera and take his picture. He wore a tight surfer's suit that left little to the imagination.

Harry smiled and turned to look out over the bay. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was streaked with vibrant reds and yellows.

Hermione closed her book and followed Harry's example, sending it back to the house. The task complete, she stood and moved to stand at his side.

"It's amazing," he murmured.

She looked at him curiously. "What is?"

"The sunset. I've never really taken the time to watch one. I never knew they could be so beautiful."

He turned to her and meeting his eyes, she sucked in a breath. His eyes had somehow gotten darker, almost a forest green instead of their usual emerald green. He leaned closer, sliding his arms around her and she leaned against him. They had hugged before, but not like this. Her breath quickened and he tilted his head before lowering his lips to hers.

She tightened her grip on him, sliding her hands up his bare back into his hair. He lightly ran his tongue against her lips and she opened her mouth. He bent her backwards, cradling her in his arms, and her thoughts seemed to stop. She could feel their magic entwine.

It was an intoxicating experience for both of them.

Needing to breathe properly, Harry broke the kiss and straightened, pulling her up with him. "That sunset is the second most beautiful thing on this beach," he whispered to her. They had kissed before, on the cheek and chaste kisses on the lips, but never, anything like this. Hermione's heart raced; this was the kind of kiss she had read about and hoped one day to experience for herself. It curled her toes and left her wanting more.

"If you kiss like that as a beginner, Mr. Potter, you may just end up killing me," she murmured.

It took him a moment to realize she was complimenting him. When he did, he couldn't help but grin. "I never could have done that with anyone else. If I was any good, it was because I was inspired by you."

She blushed and he took her hand as they slowly walked up to the house.

On the deck, five adults watched the young couple approaching with varying expressions. Sirius looked proud and Emma was all but crowing over the silly smile on Hermione's face.

Remus was chortling. He had gotten several good photographs of that first bona fide kiss.

Dan looked torn. He wasn't sure if he should be happy for his daughter or if he should beat Harry to a pulp. One close look at Hermione's expression convinced him that being happy for her would be the best thing.

Cindy watched the pair with interest. She had known Emma since college and had known Hermione all her life. She approved of Harry, although she thought he still had lingering issues from the Dursleys and Dumbledore to deal with.

The two teens paused when they spotted the adults watching them intently, most grinning.

"We shouldn't have done that in front of them," Hermione mumbled, her face flaming in embarrassment.

"No," Harry declared firmly. "I refuse to hide my feelings for you any longer. They'll get used to it."

She shot him a grateful look, then she lifted her chin and walked past the snickering adults, refusing to rise to the bait.

Later that evening Hermione sat on her bed, wearing only a cut-off t-shirt and an old pair of Harry's boxers for pajamas. They had opted to wait until tonight to try out the advice Sirius and McGonagall had given them concerning the journals.

She pricked her finger and squeezed a drop of blood into the center of the pentagram on the cover. The silvery emblem flashed into life and glowed softly. Clasping the book in both hands, she entered her standard Occlumency trance.

The universe spun wildly about its axis. There was a distinct sulfurous odor and a whistling sound before all movement seemed to stop. She blinked and looked around in confusion.

She was in a large circle of light. She could see hundreds of other circles in the distance and an intense blackness that seemed to suck all the light into it. She walked over to the edge of the circle and made to touch the edge.

"Hermione! No!"

She whirled and spotted Harry only a few feet away. He was holding one hand as if he had somehow injured it.

"Why not?"

"It's cold enough to burn you," he replied as he held out a hand to show her. One finger looked blistered.

She winced and tried to cast a healing spell on his finger, but nothing happened.

He grimaced. "Yeah, magic doesn't seem to work here." He looked out past the circle of light. "Wherever 'here' is," he muttered.

She looked around. Some of the circles of light in the distance seemed to have figures in them, moving about.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" she asked. This was magic unlike any she'd ever seen, but Harry had more experience than she did with strange magic.

"I do, but I think you might think I'm nuts."

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't do that!" she protested. "Now, tell me what you're thinking."

"Think about what McGonagall told you about the journals. She said they were once very common for married couples who were separated for months at a time. Writing to you is great," he said, as he reached out and touched her cheek. His voice dropped an octave and she shivered at his touch. "But we saw that writing alone can't help when the distances are too great.

He paused and waved in the direction of the islands of light in the distance. "What if each mated pair had the ability to draw us into a place? Call it bookspace, if you want. Those islands of light are the bookspace for other journals. Each pair has their own private area in which owners of the journals can interact, almost as if they're together."

He stepped closer and touched her cheek again. His touch and warm and inviting along her skin. "I think that this place is almost as good as being together. I can touch you, hold you. I could even love you here."

She frowned at the last comment and the thrill it caused to run through her. She took a half step back. "It's an interesting hypothesis, Harry, but I don't think I'm ready for that last step yet."

He nodded. "Neither am I, but think of the possibilities. If I could only have held you on Halloween, I might never have gotten sick."

She nodded absently and looked around again. She could see figures moving in the distance, in their own little island of light. "We can do this once every two days and it lasts for an hour," she murmured to herself with a bit of smile.

She turned back to Harry and noticed he was staring at her. She glanced down and suppressed a groan. While her mind was whirling with the potential of bookspace, her body had firmly latched onto other possibilities. Her lack of appropriate attire was only part of the problem. Harry wore even less than she did, dressed only in a pair of boxers.

She felt her nipples tighten and knew her shirt was a less than adequate shield to hide her body's reaction. When she noticed Harry's boxers were showing the effects of more than a casual interest, she shook her head and resisted the urge to lick her lips. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Potter," she said playfully. "The question is, does what happen in here, happen out there?"

Harry leered at her playfully. "I could give you a hickey here and you could see if comes out with you." Seeing her expression, he decided to offer another option. "How about this. The next time we're here, we wear more clothing. I could wear my socks and take them off. If I'm not wearing them when we leave bookspace, we'll know."

She nodded and chewed on her lower lip, trying to ignore the fact that her traitorous body was more interested in a hickey than Harry's socks. "Good idea," she said in a strangled voice. "I'll try to come up with a schedule where we can meet at least once a week, although twice would be better."

Harry nodded in agreement as he looked off at the distant circles. "I wonder what the others are talking about? Are they complaining about how painful being apart is?"

"Painful?"

He turned to her, his expression thoughtful. "Yes. It's like there's a hole in my soul and it aches. Leaving you and Hogwarts behind was the hardest thing I've ever done. Had I known how it would affect me, I probably would have asked Sirius to come up with a different idea."

"You really haven't made many new friends, have you?"

He shook his head. "There are eight wizard families in Waivunu and only three have kids our age. You met that one Japanese couple last year, remember? She's a Muggle marine biologist and he's a wizard. Suzuki is nice, but she wants to be more than friends. She reminds me of Lavender or Parvati. When you talk to her, you get the impression that the lights aren't on upstairs. Her brother, Abe, is all right, but he's more interested in chasing Madam Salote's daughter than he is in being a friend.

"I'm afraid there aren't a lot of opportunities for close friends here. And making friends with Muggles works only until you're forced to do magic," he said, his expression souring. "I really hate having to Obliviate people."

She nodded knowingly. She had been forced into just that scenario at the family Christmas party. An aunt saw her conjure a drink and she had to cast an Obliviate. Her parents were not happy, but agreed it had been necessary. She still couldn't believe how careless she'd been, but her mind was in Fiji, not on her surroundings.

He reached out and took her hand in his. "This makes being here much easier. If what we do in here doesn't affect the real world, we can spend plenty of time talking or holding each other."

She smiled softly. "Just remember, this is our OWL year so we won't be able to do this as often as we like. Next year will be different, I hope."

"Don't remind me! I have to make up for missing a year of Runes. I'm glad I dropped Divination, but coming in late isn't easy," he said darkly. He liked Runes but he had missed a year of it at Hogwarts, which meant he had to do two years worth of work in one.

She nodded, understanding the work he'd have to put in to make up for the lost year. She'd hate to be coming into any subject after missing a year.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, but I don't promise I'll answer. A girl is entitled to a few mysteries about herself," she replied archly.

He grinned. "Are those my boxers you're wearing?"

For the second time in less than a hour, her body fought with her mind over control of her reactions as embarrassment warred with the fact that she had purloined the boxers from his laundry.

"Ummm, yes," she replied meekly.

He flushed. "Erm... right. Just checking," he replied rather lamely. He looked away from her and began to whistle nervously.

Hermione coughed, then asked him a question about his studies, hoping to change the subject. It worked, and they continued speaking quietly about school. The conversation ended when they were interrupted by a pulling sensation. They had time to glance at each other before being pulled out of bookspace and back to their beds.

Harry glanced around his room and smiled to himself. The journals would certainly help ease the distance between them.

Waivunu, Fiji Jan 5th, 1996...

Harry walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of tea. Sirius and Remus sat at the table talking about the latest lead on the Ravenclaw Brooch, while Cindy read from one of her medical journals. The Grangers had returned to England the day before.

He sat at the table and stirred his tea absently for a moment. "Sirius?" he asked.

"Eh? What? Good morning, Harry." Sirius said.

He turned back to Remus and the parchment he was perusing, when something Harry said caught his attention.

"What did you say?" he asked, wondering if his ears were tricking him.

"I said, what does it mean when a girl knicks your boxers for her pajamas?" Harry said softly. His face was flaming, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Remus choked on his tea and nearly fell off his chair.

"Were you wearing them when she took them?" Sirius asked, grinning.

"Sirius!" exclaimed Cindy.

"Padfoot!" yelled Remus.

"No!" shouted Harry. He tilted his head for a moment in thought. "Should I have been?"

"Harry!" exclaimed Cindy.

"Harry!" yelled Remus.

"Yes," answered Sirius. Then, noting the looks from the others, he muttered, "Well it's more fun that way."

Harry looked around in bewilderment. "Maybe I shouldn't have brought this up."

"No, I think you were right to bring it up, I'm just not so sure these two reprobates are qualified to talk to you about it. Would you like me to ask Dan to come over to discuss it with you?" replied Cindy calmly.

Harry looked at her in horror. "Oh, I can see that going over well. 'Hi, Mr. Granger, so you're going to tell me how to score with Hermione?'"

Remus and Sirius howled in laughter.

Harry shot them a disgusted look. "I'm doomed," he muttered, then he stood and walked from the kitchen.

Cindy stared at his retreating back in amazement. How did the conversation move from Hermione sleeping in his boxers to them having sex? She turned to the other two supposed adults and waited for them to calm down.

Remus wiped the tears from his eyes. "I better go talk to him. We really weren't laughing at him."

"Wait, Moony," Cindy said, then she turned and looked at Sirius, who was still chuckling to himself. "It's not funny, Siri. He has a real question that needs to be addressed. Has anyone given him the talk, or shall we wait for the day Hermione announces she's pregnant?"

Both men blanched and she held up her hands to prevent their protests. "Look, I don't think it's gone anywhere near that point yet. But someone needs to make sure he knows what he's doing," she said; then she made a sour face. "And obviously that can't be Dan."

Remus and Sirius stared at her for a moment, then glanced to each other. "Best two out of three?" asked Sirius hopefully.

Remus sighed. "I'll do it, Sirius." He was not about to let Sirius drag him into another game of Rock, Paper, Scissors!

"No, you'd be too serious. You'd only end up scaring him!" Sirius protested.

Remus blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Sirius to say that. "Do you want to do it?"

Sirius nodded reluctantly. "I am his godfather and guardian. I suppose it's my job," he replied firmly.

Remus nodded slowly. "All right, I'll let you have at it then."

"Remus!" protested Cindy.

Sirius turned on her. "Cin, do you have any complaints about my technique?"

She blushed and shook her head. "No, not really, except for that one time you got drunk and spent three hours as Padfoot chasing your tail."

"I'm never going to live that down," Sirius muttered darkly.

"Hey! How come I never heard that one? That's almost as good as the time he tried to hump that poodle in Hogsmeade," quipped Remus.

Sirius stood, looking highly affronted. "Saturday. Harry and I will talk on Saturday. I expect you both to find something else to occupy your time, elsewhere," he said, then he walked from the room.

Cindy looked worried. "Do you think we hurt his feelings?"

"Not really. If I know Sirius, right now he's plotting revenge."

"Oh," Cindy replied worriedly. Magical pranks were devilishly difficult for her to avoid.

Waivunu, Fiji Jan 7th, 1996...

It was late afternoon and Harry looked up to see Sirius enter his room. He closed his text book on advanced dueling strategies and looked at him expectantly.

"Could you join me in the living room? I think it's time we had a talk," Sirius said.

Suddenly worried, he nodded and followed Sirius out of his room. In the living room he found that Sirius had a bottle of fire whiskey and two glasses waiting for them. He looked at the glasses, his eyes narrowing, then he glanced around. Next to Sirius' chair was an empty bottle of firewhiskey. If it was the one he knew they had, it had been about a third full.

"Have you been drinking, Sirius?"

"I might have had a drink or two. Sometimes you need a little fortification when you're about to start this kind of conversation," the man replied airily.

Harry wondered where Remus and Cindy had gotten to. And why had they left him alone with a tipsy Sirius?

"What's going on?"

Sirius sat and reached for the bottle. He poured two stiff drinks and handed one to Harry.

"Sirius, I don't..."

"Just humor me and drink, all right?"

Harry sighed and accepted the glass. "Fine, but if I get in trouble for this, it's your fault," he muttered.

Sirius shot him an innocent grin. "Your question the other day led us to think that perhaps one of us should talk to you about women..."

Harry gulped and shook his head. This wasn't happening. "No. No, you don't. It's not necessary Sirius, really. They taught us all that in school," he said weakly.

Sirius peered at him intently. "They taught you what?"

Harry flushed and mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"Well, you know, how to make babies."

"So you know the basics then?"

He nodded and looked away.

"There is a difference between watching a Quidditch match and being one of the players. Now the question I put to you is, are you a spectator or a player?"

Harry looked confused. "Ummm, I want to be a player? Merlin, I miss Quidditch."

Sirius waved his comment away. "We'll see if we can get a pickup game going later. Right now, focus. I'm going to tell you how to be a player."

"But I know how to play Quidditch."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Focus! We're talking about sex, not Quidditch. And I don't want to hear any comments about broom length or stiffness. Trust me, when we're done, Hermione will thank me for this."

Harry blinked at him and turned a deep red. His mouth snapped shut; there was no way he'd take that bait!

Sirius drank down his shot of firewhiskey and looked pointedly at Harry's untouched glass.

Harry lifted up the glass to his lips and swallowed the foul tasting concoction as quickly has he could. The steam poured from his ears in a loud whistle and he could feel the fire building in his belly.

Sirius nodded in satisfaction and refilled their glasses.

"Keeping with the Quidditch analogy, the difference between a mediocre player and a good one is technique and a willingness to work with your partner. No matter how good your broom might be, a better flier can always outperform one with a larger broom if they know what they're doing."

Harry, who was feeling the effects of his first glass of firewhiskey on an empty stomach, nodded knowingly and emptied his glass again.

"But Hermione hates to ride brooms," he protested. "Wait, we're talking about sex. Oh, I get it. Brooms! Heh."

Sirius grinned and downed his drink, then poured another round for them both. It hadn't occurred to him that he, too, was drinking on an empty stomach or that he was already six shots down to Harry's two. "Now, let's just drop the whole Quidditch analogy. The whole point being that when the time is right, it is your duty to make sure that your partner enjoys your efforts as mush as posssibibble..."

Harry nodded knowingly, then downed his shot. Firewhiskey really wasn't all that bad! "Right!" he pronounced loudly. "Wait, what do you mean?"

Sirius waved his wand. Behind Harry, a lamp exploded. Frowning, he waved it again and a suddenly an image of a woman, naked, appeared standing in the living room. Harry stared at the image and then he shook his head. It looked a lot like Cindy.

Sirius poured another round and downed his, then slammed the glass on the table. Standing, he walked over to the woman. "Now, pay attenshen. I'm going to point out the female erroneous zones."

Harry absently picked up his glass and downed another shot of the fiery liquid. The image of Cindy standing naked winked at him, or maybe it was his imagination. He wondered if he should be taking notes and glanced around for a quill.

Sirius smiled happily and turned to the image. Using his wand as a pointer, he proceeded to point out various areas like the cauldron, the happy button and the left and right potion stirrers. He also explained important issues like orgasms, silencing charms, contraceptive potions and how to make the bed vibrate. He initiated Harry into the mystery of bra clasps and showed him the charm that he had invented strictly for the purpose of undoing one. Then he bragged about how he used the charm to undo the clasps of nearly one hundred women at a Ministry Ball just after he graduated.

Entranced, Harry watched in awe and tried to pour another round of drinks, spilling more than he got in the glasses.

Sirius waved his wand, returning the spilled whiskey to the bottle, and grinned happily at Harry. He was a little upset that he couldn't arrange for a live demonstration for his ward. Fiji had no dryad population that could be pressed into service the way England did.

Several hours later, Remus and Cindy returned from a day trip to England. Remus stopped and stared at the pair, then wrinkled his nose at the overwhelming stench of firewhiskey in the living room.

Harry appeared to be passed out on the couch, while Sirius had turned into Padfoot and was busily indulging in a practice few human males were limber enough to be capable of.

"SIRIUS!" shouted Cindy as she walked into the living room to see what was going on. Somehow the image of her had been dressed, thankfully, during the talk. However, what she was wearing looked like something out of the Arabian Nights, right down to the silken scarves that bound her hands and ankles.

"SIRIUS!" shouted Remus.

Padfoot looked up at them and whined; then he went back to business.

Harry lifted his head and blinked at Remus.

"Moony!" he mumbled. "He's mad. He's insane. I promise I'll never touch a girl in my life! I swear. Let me join a monastery. I'll become a Shaolin monk like we saw on the telly. I am not going to become an animagus just to do that!" He pointed at Sirius, his eyes wide.

The two adults turned to the slurring youth. "Harry, are you drunk?" asked Cindy incredulously.

He blinked and seemed to think about the question. "I'm not sure. I think I had too many whiskeys to tell." He waved his hands. "He had pictures, diagrams, talked about broom riding and doggie style and doggie style on brooms and doggie style in the Slytherin common room and polishing your wand and and and..."

He trailed off into a snore.

"He's pissed!" Remus exclaimed softly. "I can't recall James ever getting that pissed."

Cindy rounded on Sirius, furious, but like Harry, he too had drifted off.

Remus' jaw was clamped shut, but it was obvious he was trying to hold in his laughter.

Cindy waved at the image of herself. "Would you?" she asked.

He nodded and waved his wand, banishing the image.

He levitated Harry off of the couch. "I'll put him to bed. I don't think it's fair to be angry with him. Sirius, however, is another story. Once Harry's in bed, I'll brew up a hangover remedy and give you Sirius' dose."

She looked undecided for a moment. "I'm only a guest here. I really can't make him sleep on the couch, can I? It's his house, after all."

"Actually, it's Harry's house and I don't have a problem with him sleeping on the couch for a few days to learn a lesson. If you were a witch, he'd be hexed six ways from Sunday by now and he'd still have to sleep on the couch."

She nodded and looked down at the sleeping dog. "Maybe a flea bath," she murmured. "Or a trip to the vet and we'll tell him he's getting neutered."

Remus chuckled and floated Harry towards his bedroom.

From the Journal of Harry Potter (Transmitted Entry), Jan 9th 1996, Waivunu Fiji...

Dear Hermione,

I'm going to kill Sirius Black. Twice. Then I'll raise him from the dead to kill him again!

Oh, all right. I suppose with that beginning you'll want to know what I'm talking about and why I would want to kill him.

I asked the wrong question in front of Cindy, Remus and Sirius. I asked what it meant when a girl knicked your boxers to wear as pajamas.

Yes, I'll admit it. I'm frightfully stupid when it comes to this relationship stuff. I swear half the time when I'm talking to you I sound like a total jerk. Anyway, that question led to a decision (made by the adults, of course!) that I should get The Talk. And this wasn't the basic, here are the fundamentals, type talk. No, this was the 'here's what you need to do to keep your witch happy and purring' talk!

Unfortunately for me, Sirius felt it necessary to drink about a third of a bottle of firewhiskey. Then he invited me to the beginning of his talk by opening a new bottle and pouring me a drink! Mind you, I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast that day, and he was already half potted.

Considering his condition and my own rapidly deteriorating one, he didn't do too bad a job. The funny thing is, he could have summed the whole talk into a simple, "take care of your partner and she'll take care of you." But no, it had to include diagrams, moving pictures, sound effects and a life size simulacrum of Cindy Adams, sans clothing. Sirius stood for that one and used his wand as a pointer.

I felt like a tourist in Wonderland. I was sure the Mad Hatter would show up any moment. The firewhiskey didn't help, either. I'm just glad Remus and Cindy showed up after Sirius and I did our rendition of the French can-can and sang Barnacle Bill the Sailor.

And then, to make matters worse, I got the talk, part two, the next morning after the hangover cure took effect. Interesting things, hangovers. I was certain my eyeballs had grown hair.

That morning, Cindy tormented Sirius, while Remus tried to undo the damage that he had caused to me. It finally took him pulling out that photo of us kissing, with you in your bathing suit, to convince me I didn't want to be a celibate monk.

So, here I am, so embarrassed I don't want to show my face outside of my room for at least forty years. I think I am going to do the totally unthinkable thing for a guy. I'm going to admit right now that, while I want to learn, I know absolutely nothing about sex and pleasing women. Assuming that our relationship goes that far, and I think someday it will, will you please remember this entry and take mercy on this dumb male and show him how to please you?

I know it's early still to be thinking along these lines, but the simple fact is, every time I ask what happens after Voldemort, I end up thinking 'I don't know, but it better include Hermione!'

I know it's barely been a week since you left, but I do miss you. I'm looking forward to our meeting in bookspace in three days. For now, I'll sign off.

Love,
Harry

From the Journal of Hermione Jane Granger (Transmitted Entry), Jan 10th 1996, Hogwarts...

Dear Harry,

Thank you for that entry. I have to admit I was feeling a little lonely and then you write with something that is both touching and funny at the same time.

Now, before you get all huffy on me, Harry Potter, I am not laughing at you. But it was a funny tale. I never expected you to work up the nerve to talk to Sirius and Remus about my sleepwear. Does it bother you or were you just asking if there was a meaning in it that you weren't aware of?

As to the rest of the tale, you aren't the only one that has entertained thoughts along those lines. And I also think that if things continue we will get to that point. It's just that I'm not ready for it yet and I don't think you are either. I promise you that if we get to that point, I'll make no assumptions and I'll do my best to help you if you also help me. It's not like I'm going to be an expert in the procedure.

Having said that, I'm now blushing madly and hesitant to say that I do think we can advance things a little more. My mind keeps going back to that kiss on the beach and I find myself becoming a greedy witch. I want to do that more often with you.

Now for a slight topic change. You've surprised me on a number of occasions with your comments. You seem to know what I need to hear and are willing to say it when I need it. You might think you sound stupid, but I don't think you are.

I know it's not a guy thing, but you have a heart of a real romantic. Last year forced you to grow up in unexpected ways and one of those ways is your ability to say something so romantic and sweet that it makes me feel all warm and wanted inside. It's something I hope you never change.

Finally, on a serious note:

Last night, while making prefect rounds, someone took a shot at me. I didn't see who, but I'm sure it was someone in Slytherin. Despite Malfoy losing most of his power and prestige, there is a large group of pure blood bigots in that house and Madam Umbridge has been egging them on. I didn't see or hear the spell that was cast, but I saw my body shield flare.

I know you can't really help, but I'm frightened and unsure if there's anything I can do about it. The ring protected me, and that's another major kiss you've earned. Between the ring and that body shield you taught me, most of the curses thrown in this school are ineffective against me.

What do you think I should do, Harry? Should I go to McGonagall? I might risk her finding out about the ring. I thought about going to Professor Lawton. I mean, she is our new Head of House and our Transfiguration professor, but unlike McGonagall, she doesn't seem to care much for her position as Head. Going to her might be a waste of time.

I'll see you in bookspace tomorrow and you can tell me your thoughts.

Love,
Hermione.

From the Journal of Harry Potter (Private Entry), Jan 15th 1996, Waivunu Fiji...

I don't like this. I feel like I should be doing more. Someone took a shot at Hermione the other day, and we're basically sitting around doing nothing about it!

She wasn't hurt. It hit her body shield and was absorbed, but that's besides the point. She's describing a school where the Slytherins are running amok because of that foul Ministry liaison hag. It's unclear how much McGonagall knows, but I think she's mostly in the dark. I just can't see her knowing and doing nothing about it. Dumbledore, on the other hand... Well, that's another story.

Hermione has arranged her schedule so that she'll never patrol alone again and she told the Head of her house that she'll turn in her badge before she does another solo patrol. In the meantime, Remus is arranging for her to receive an emergency portkey. It will work if she's hurt, or if she consciously invokes it, sending her to Sirius' London home. Dobby knows how to contact us if that happens.

Isn't it my job to make sure she's safe? Shouldn't I be doing more?

Apparently, the answer to that is a resounding no. No one, not even my own girlfriend, wants me to do anything that might risk exposing our secret to the people back in Britain. I understand it, but I don't have to like it.

I saw Hermione only a few days ago in bookspace. Apparently, my entry to her about the sex talk made her decide to take things up a notch. When I left bookspace, I spent another hour in the shower, trying to calm down. I don't know who came up with the idea of cold showers, but I can tell you that they don't work well.

I think she'd be mortified if she knew how aroused she makes me. I refuse to push her at all, but I'm really looking forward to the day when we can do more.

Newcastleton, Scotland, Jan 30th 1996...

The trip north went against all of her instincts, but she was driven by a vague, insistent voice in her head.

After killing the avatar of Voldemort, she bedded down for the winter in the drafty Gaunt manor. Her hibernation had been an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience, and her dreams had been interrupted by the voice insisting she seek the Great One to the north. The Great One would protect and defend her.

As it turned out, Remus' theory concerning Horcruxes had been right, but not for the reasons he expected. When Nagini ate Voldemort, she had absorbed his soul fragment into the Horcrux she held within her body.

It was stronger than a normal Horcrux, and it was insistent. She resisted the commands of the soul fragment for months before beginning her journey northward to the school for human wizards and the one creature capable of aiding her.

Traveling was a hit or miss affair for her. She had tried to catch rides aboard Muggle vehicles when she could. It worked well for awhile, until the day the car she'd sneaked into drove 90 ninety miles south, adding months to her journey. Since then, she had moved under her own power, doing her best to avoid detection by the Muggles.

While the Horcrux within her held massive magical potential, most of it was locked up and couldn't be released until it was activated by a Parselmouth. Unfortunately, that meant she needed human help. There was only one source possible of potential Parselmouths in the country: Hogwarts.

It was winter and she was sleepy and sluggish. Traveling in such cold was out of the question, so she'd found a quiet neighborhood, just north of Newcastleton, where she had helped herself to many of the neighborhood pets that roamed the area freely. Now she was comfortable, curled up in a basement of a building, not far from the furnace that worked steadily to heat the domain above her.

She slept fitfully, unhappy with the insistent voice in her head and the noise of the humans above.

A noise alerted her and she moved restlessly. The furnace burned steadily and she could hear the approach of one of those annoying humans. It bothered her that she could clearly hear the sound of food above her and she was stuck down here.

A door opened and someone flicked on a light. She reared up, ready to strike.

The human, a male, was examining the overhead pipes and muttering to himself. He never saw Nagini until she sank her fangs into his shoulder. He screamed and tried to break free, but he didn't have the strength. Her venom went to work almost instantly.

She released him and let the body slide to the floor. He was dead, but he was too big to consume, so she ignored him.

Slithering out the door, she headed for the steps to the rest of the house and the sound of an infant crying. She was hungry and needed to feed.

Bookspace, Feb 14th 1996...

Harry appeared and immediately pulled Hermione into a hug. "Happy Valentine's day," he whispered.

To his shock, she began to sob. He held her, stroking her hair and whispering comforting words until she settled down.

They had run several experiments in bookspace and had determined that what happened in bookspace, as Harry called it, stayed in bookspace. However, navigating the twelve hour time difference to coordinate when they could meet wasn't easy.

He sat on the ground and pulled her into his lap, holding her tightly as she snuggled back against him. For several minutes they were silent. He knew she'd tell him what happened soon, but he wouldn't press her until she had calmed more.

OWL revising was consuming too much time and energy for both of them, so they were relying more on the journals to send short notes, only using bookspace once a week. He had kissed her seriously on several of those occasions and she had responded each time with an amazing amount of passion in return. They both recognized that bookspace was giving them an opportunity that perhaps they should be wary of.

He wiped away her tears and smiled gently at her. "Are you ready to talk about it? Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not your fault. You've been wonderful. It's Lavender."

He blinked at the venomous way she said the girl's name. "What's she done?"

"She's still annoyed because I have a boyfriend, so she started spreading rumors around that Evan doesn't exist. He's nothing more than a figment of my imagination, apparently. A number of the other students have started believing her."

He grinned. "He doesn't exist. Not really. But I can see how this would bother you."

"I don't know how to fight this, Harry. She's got most of the girls in Gryffindor thinking I'm a liar, and the rest don't talk to me at all."

"Neville and Ginny?" he asked worriedly.

"She backed away for a while, but Neville had some hard words with her about believing in their friends, rather than listening to rumors and gossip."

"Neville's a good friend. I wonder if it would be all right for me to send him a letter," he wondered aloud.

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment, then she turned a little in his lap. "You should ask Sirius about it. You don't want to blow your cover."

He nodded with a sigh. "I will. It might be something as easy as having you tell him I said hi and I miss seeing him around. He and I have more in common than most people know."

"What do you mean?"

"You know about his parents, right?"

She shook her head. Neville almost never spoke about his home life. The few times he had, he'd never mentioned his parents.

"Sirius told me that his parents were tortured into insanity by the LeStranges and Barty Crouch Junior. See, there were two wizard babies born that could have qualified for the prophecy: Neville and me."

"Does he know?" she gasped.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. There's no point in telling him, unless something happens to me. Then maybe he can finish what I couldn't."

She leaped off his lap and stood, hands on her hips, glaring at him angrily. "Don't say that, Harry Potter! You're going to beat that monster! You're going to beat him and go on to live a wonderful life!"

He held up his hands in a calming gesture. "I'm just saying it's like insurance. No one thinks they're going to have an accident, but they have insurance in case they do."

Satisfied, she sat cross legged next to him. "I know," she whispered. "But sometimes your fatalism scares me. Have some faith in yourself, Harry. We all do. Remus, Sirius, even Mum and Dad are sure you'll beat him. You're the only one that doubts your abilities."

He nodded and she sighed, knowing he still wasn't convinced. She wasn't sure what could be done to convince him.

"So, what will you do about Lavender?" he asked, trying to maneuver her towards a safer topic. The fact was the search for the Brooch had hit a dead end once again was depressing everyone at the beach house.

She looked down. "I don't know. I don't know what I can do about it. She's spreading a rumor and there doesn't seem to be a way of fighting it."

Harry leaned back on his elbows and looked thoughtful for a moment, then his expression turned mischievous. "Do you trust me?"

"You know I do," she replied reproachfully.

He sat up. "Then let me solve your Lavender problem for you."

"Harry, you can't come to Hogwarts! They'd find out!"

He chuckled. "I'm not going to Hogwarts. Not really. I'm just going to send you a letter. Make sure that you pretend to be too nervous to read it. Let Ginny or Neville read it out loud for you when Lavender is nearby." His eyes danced with mirth.

She tried to glare him into submission. The glare, however, had stopped working on Harry a long time ago, perhaps because he now knew she really didn't mean it.

He leaned over and kissed her nose softly. "Don't worry about it. Just look for an international owl at breakfast in a week or two. In the meantime, it's Valentine's Day and I figure we still have thirty minutes in bookspace. Let's take advantage of it."

He gently pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She wanted to be mad at him for dismissing her problem out of hand, but how could she be mad when he was kissing her so thoroughly?

She wrapped her arms around him and moaned against his lips. He slid one hand up over the back of her shirt and she melted against his touch.

They hadn't kissed like this often, to her disappointment, but she could understand why. Both of them were afraid it would lead to things they weren't quite ready for.

His hand traced fire against the bare skin of her arms and neck and she kissed back as best as she could. Soon, Mr. Potter. If we keep this up and we'll be ready for more soon, she thought.

From the Journal of Hermione Jane Granger (Private Entry), Feb 21st 1996, Hogwarts...

Merciful Merlin, I love that man!

He told me he would do something to get Lavender off my back, but I never expected him to be so, well, Slytherin about it.

Today at lunch a lone international delivery owl winged into the Great Hall heading straight for me, carrying what looked like a large package. Just remembering what happened next makes me want to laugh out loud.

With a trembling hand I removed the package from the owl and Ginny gave the owl a slice of ham from a platter.

I looked at the package and a spear of worry knifed through me. This was from Evan/Harry, but what was he doing? I didn't know and that worried me. I don't know why my insecurities suddenly roared to the surface but they did and was afraid of what he had sent.

"What's the matter, Granger?" called Lavender. "Perhaps it's a package from your fake boyfriend."

"Maybe he's breaking up with her," quipped Parvati.

The Gryffindor gossip twins chortled and several other girls nearby laughed with them.

I unwrapped the heavy package to find two boxes and a sealed letter. Both boxes seemed pretty heavy. I pushed the letter at Ginny.

"Read this," I gasped. In truth, Lavender's comments had hit a bullseye with me. I did believe that someday Harry would give me up for someone prettier.

She looked at me funny and opened the envelope. She pulled out the letter and a photo dropped to the table. Neville caught it. He took one look then he handed it to Ginny, blushing heavily.

Ginny scanned the letter, her eyes widening, then she glanced at the photo and gasped. Turning to me she asked, "Are you sure you want me to read this?"

"He's isn't breaking up with me, is he?" I replied.

Ginny blinked and looked at me as if I had two heads, then she turned to the letter and read it in a loud voice. As she did, a hush fell over the Great Hall as every girl there strained to hear the words of the fictitious boyfriend who now seemed very real.

"Dearest Hermione,

"I can't begin to describe how much I miss you and I'm sorry I wasn't with you for Valentine's Day. But I've sent you two gifts, which I hope will help tell you how I feel about you. I've also included a photo taken just after Christmas from your last visit. It's my favorite photo of us. I had it enlarged and it's perfect for framing. Mine sits next to my bedside and I look at it often."

Ginny paused at that point and passed the photo to Neville, who glanced at it reluctantly. She nodded to him and he passed it to Seamus, whose eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"I'm sorry your dorm mates are giving you trouble, but frankly their attitude seems very immature and childish, if you ask me. You would think they would be more interested in copying your behavior, rather than mocking it. You're the smartest person I know and you've certainly motivated me in my studies. Maybe they're simply jealous. You're beautiful, intelligent and kind hearted — everything they're not.

"I look forward to seeing you when school lets out. I'm sorry we can't see each other over the Easter holiday, but OWLS are a difficult year for both of us. I'm counting the days to your summer break and I hope you enjoy my gifts. I miss you and my heart aches when I can't be with you.

"All my love,

"Evan."

I wiped away a tear, then opened the larger of the two boxes. Inside was a box of candy from what was supposed to be the best confectioner in New Zealand. Surprisingly, the box was split down the middle; one half labeled sugar free, the other half regular chocolates. It was the perfect gift for the daughter of dentists.

The second box contained a small bracelet with a single book charm dangling from it. The chain was heavy gold and it was clearly a quality piece of jewelry. Ginny gasped on seeing it, and immediately grabbed my arm, putting the bracelet on me.

The photo got as far as Parvati, who dropped it on the table as if she had been burned. "No!" she gasped in a strangled voice. Colin Creevy snatched it up before anyone else could and he sent it back to me with a wave of his wand. I grabbed the photo out of the air and blushed heavily, seeing it clearly for the first time.

Harry had sent me a doctored version of the photo Remus had taken of our first kiss on the beach. It was a wizard photograph and it showed Evan turning to me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me deeply. The kiss was set against a tropical sunset. To make things even worse, I wore my bikini and he wore his surfer shorts. Both outfits left little to the imagination.

Lavender sat motionless, her face flaming. Around the hall dozens of girls were glaring at her. They had been taken in by her lies and didn't like being fooled like that. Evan was very real and he had publicly called her immature and childish.

I've got to get a pensieve to show this to Harry! He not only made my year, but Lavender and Parvati have become the laughing stock of Gryffindor House. No one has ever stood up to them like he did. Lord, I love that man and I can't wait until our next visit to bookspace!

Strangely, Ginny is now suspicious. She's a little awed by what Evan did, but she says it was done in a style that reminded her of Fred and George, or even something Harry might pull. I nearly choked when she mentioned Harry, but I brushed her off, saying Evan is a bit of a prankster on occasion.

I've got to write an entry to Harry since he won't be expecting us to meet for another three days.

Headmistress’s Office, April 10th, 1996...

Minerva sat in her office, scowling. Rumors had been floating around the school for some time, but she had dismissed them. She admitted to herself that she might have been mistaken to do so.

Remus Lupin had stopped by one afternoon a few weeks back, expressing some concern in the safety of the students. He cited one incident against Miss Granger that had apparently frightened her. As a result, the girl had gone to her Head of House and calmly told her that she would not patrol alone any longer.

And then there were the Attitude Adjustment sessions that Dolores Umbridge was holding against students who she felt needed additional instruction in proper wizarding traditions. Several Gryffindors had complained to Minerva about Umbridge back in November, but she had not listened to their complaints.

That all changed today. She had passed Lee Jordan in the hallway and noticed something strange on the back of his hand.

"Mr. Jordan, follow me," she said brusquely. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she was about to find out that she shouldn't have ignored Lee and the Weasley twins when they came to her in November.

Bewildered, Lee followed her into an empty classroom.

"May I see you hands, Mr. Jordan?"

He reluctantly held out both hands and Minerva gently took his right hand and turned it palm down. Carved into the flesh were the words 'I will show proper respect'.

Her lips thinned. "So, you were telling the truth," she murmured.

"Yes, ma'am," Lee replied, somewhat resentfully.

She glanced at her watch. "Lunch is about to begin. After lunch you will come to my office. I am excusing you from your afternoon classes."

"Yes, ma'am."

Lee turned to leave the classroom.

"Lee."

He stopped by the door and turned. "Professor?"

"I am very sorry. I have failed in my duty to protect you and the others. That ends today," she said firmly.

Lee gave her one of his wide smiles and left the room. Minerva skipped lunch; she had a duty to attend to. Her school was under attack and she had done nothing about it for far too long.

She checked her clothing one final time. A house elf had appeared to tell her that all four of her guests had arrived in the castle and were on their way up. Next to her desk was Dumbledore's old pensieve. The memories it once contained had all been removed and stored in crystal containers. Now the pensieve contained new memories, most provided in the last six hours by students.

Her door chimed and she looked up expectantly. "Come in," she called.

The door opened and admitted Rita Skeeter, Alison Harrington, Kingsley Shacklebolt and his junior partner, Nymphadora Tonks. Minerva didn't want the Skeeter woman there, but she was a necessary evil for what she had planned.

Harrington was the chairwoman of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. She looked unhappy at her companions. She had received a request from Minerva to come to the school. What she hadn't expected was that the Headmistress would also summon Aurors and the Press.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Minerva said, standing. She lifted up a wad of parchment several inches thick to show to her visitors. "I have here the sworn statements from over a dozen students, as well as formal complaints from parents demanding that action be taken immediately. In the pensieve we have memories of a member of the staff using a Class 1 Dark Artifact on students, in some cases permanently disfiguring them."

Skeeter's eyes widened. Christmas had just come early!

While Tonks took the statements from Minerva. Kingsley activated the pensieve in presentation mode. His eyes narrowed when several heavily scarred hands appeared. "A blood quill," he muttered.

"Who would do this?" demanded Harrington. To think that this crime had been perpetrated on the students by a member of the staff! She was outraged.

"Oh, Merlin. It was Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge!" exclaimed Tonks, after skimming through the first few statements.

Harrington swore under her breath. Now she understood why everyone had been summoned. Minerva was going to be bucking the Ministry with this one and she needed help from the Board and the press to do it. Rita Skeeter pulled a pad from her enormous handbag and was scribbling furiously, for once using a normal quill. This story didn't need embellishing.

"There's enough here for an arrest, Shack," Tonks said, passing over the documents.

He arched an eyebrow and started thumbing through them. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "Yes, there is enough. Headmistress, would you be so kind as to send a house elf to summon the Senior Undersecretary?"

Minerva nodded and summoned an elf, instructing the creature to find Umbridge and ask her to join her in her office.

"I'm sorry, Alison," Minerva said, "but I can't keep silent any longer. As it happens, I ignored this mess for far too long."

"Ignored it?" repeated Skeeter.

Minerva shot her a careful look then nodded reluctantly. "Yes, ignored it. I didn't want to believe that a member of the Ministry, a close personal representative of the Minister himself, was torturing my students in the name of pure blood racial bigotry."

"This is going to bring down the current government," commented Skeeter. She was unable to hide her glee at the prospect. Unlike Cornelius Fudge, Rufus Scrimgeour wasn't impressed by her and wasn't willing to interview with her.

"I don't care," snapped Minerva. "My students are being tortured using a dark artifact. How are we supposed to teach students to become upstanding members of society if we allow this hag to go unpunished? What message will we be sending?"

The door opened and Dolores Umbridge walked in. "Minerva," she crooned in that sickly sweet voice of hers. "An elf said you needed to see me?"

She paused and looked around, noting the presence of Harrington and Skeeter and the unmistakable uniforms of two on duty aurors.

Shacklebolt walked up to Umbridge and she started to back away in alarm. Tonks pulled her wand and placed her in a body bind that allowed her to move her head freely. "What are you doing?" she screeched.

"Dolores Jane Umbridge, I am placing you under arrest for the use of a Class 1 Dark Artifact on underage wizards and witches. You will be housed in a Ministry holding cell until the Wizengamot is ready to hear your case."

Shacklebolt droned on about her rights as he frisked her, removing two wands, a dagger and a box containing not one, but two illegal blood quills, as well as several small potion vials. Tonks passed him a pair of anti-Apparation manacles.

"No!! They deserved it! They're lying brats and I'm allowed to do what I want! I'm the Senior Undersecretary! I'll have your jobs for this! I swear I will!" she shouted.

Tonks looked up from cataloging the items they had confiscated and swished her wand, silencing the Senior Undersecretary.

"Thank you, Auror," Harrington said in relief.

Tonks nodded and went back to catalog and tagging the items.

Elated and exhausted, Minerva slumped into her chair. Alarmed, Harrington conjured tea for her. "You have nothing to worry about, Minerva. The board will back your actions entirely."

She nodded slowly. The day had been long and the discovery that her students were being mistreated weighed heavily on her. "It's not over yet, Alison. We still need the Ministry to pull their claws out of our school."

"Leave that to me," Rita offered with a feral grin. "This is the kind of thing I live for. Exposing the Minister's grab for power will be a pleasure."

An hour later Minerva broke down and wept in her now empty office. She had cleansed a stain from her school, but not before her charges had paid with their blood.

Daily Prophet Headline, April 11th, 1996...

Senior Undersecretary Dolores Jane Umbridge arrested on charges of torture!

Last night Senior Undersecretary Dolores Jane Umbridge was arrested at Hogwarts for her part in continuing the Ministry's quiet anti-Muggleborn campaign. Umbridge, age 46, was led away in chains after being arrested for using an illegal blood quill on Hogwart's students.

Use of a blood quill, a Class 1 Dark Artifact, has been proscribed for more more than seventy years. Should Madam Umbridge be convicted, each instance of use automatically carries a five year prison sentence in Azkaban.

The long day started when Headmistress Minerva McGonagall noticed the distinctive scarring on the hand of one of her seventh year students. The student, who was not named, had the words "I will show proper respect" carved into the back of his hand.

The words were clearly a result of an illegal blood quill. Upon investigating, Headmistress McGonagall received complaints from fourteen parents and students against Madam Umbridge. When Umbridge was searched, she was found to be carrying two blood quills on her person. A search of her quarters yielded one more blood quill, and a large amount of Lust and Obliviate potions. Additional potions were found in single dose vials on her person, but they have yet to be identified.

Classes have been suspended for the next few days as healers from St. Mungo’s examine each student. One student, Draco Malfoy, has already shown the effects of exposure to these potions, and it is believed that Umbridge was using them on the male students. The Hogwarts Board of Governors is insisting at this point that all students and staff be tested. The search for more victims continues.

Malfoy, whose father is now serving 27 consecutive life terms in Azkaban for bribery, murder and sedition, was turned over to St. Mungo’s Mind Healers for treatment. Several Aurors were required to disarm and subdue the boy before he could be transported to the medical facility.

Perky Weatherbee, a Ministry spokesman, was quoted as saying that, "We fully support Madam Umbridge, who we know to be a witch of the finest caliber. We are confident that should this come to trial, she will be exonerated and these spurious charges will be proven false."

The Minister's agenda. Page 2.
Pure Blood Racism: Is it Ministry policy? Page 3.
Defiling the defilers, a history of the Malfoy family. Page 4.

Quibbler Headline, April 11th, 1996...

Muggle Menace Manufactures Mayhem!

Pretend Muggle Harry Potter has been spotted once again, this time in the United States, where he was nearly apprehended while disrupting the annual American religious ritual were millions deposit form 1040s in large blue receptacles for shipping off planet.

He was chased by a newly discovered species of humans called IRS Revenuers, but he eluded capture in thanks to his patented bat suit. In a definite change of tactic, he opted for flittering away, rather than his signature swooping. It is speculated that the presence of the Revenuers was sufficient to change his tactics; however, one expert suggested that swooping might involve additional expenditures and deductions under the new rules for the holiday.

Potter, now age 15, was then spotted in Italy, where he participated in the annual running of the Pasta. The Quibbler is wondering just who is supposed to be acting as Mr. Potter's guardian these days and why is he running amok in the world. Don't they know how many people are killed each year in Pasta stampedes? We call on the Ministry to take steps to insure Mr. Potter's safety. And if they refuse, we will gladly forward to him any colander that is sent to this office.

From the Journal of Harry Potter (Transmitted Entry), Jun 15th 1996, Waivunu Fiji...

Dear Hermione,

I know your OWL exams have been over for more than a week, but I finished my last exam today and received my scores.

About four hours ago what was left of my brain dribbled out my ears, so I'm going to make this a short entry tonight. I'm magically exhausted. When they said my OWL exams were more practical than theory they weren't kidding. It doesn't help that the last test was my Defense class. I sure hope they find the examiner’s limbs. I'd hate for them to hold that against me.

Ten more days until we're together again for two wonderful months. Bookspace has been a great help, and I haven't felt a single shred of depression, but I miss us sharing meals, or walking the beaches. I miss holding your hand and dancing with you at the Sheraton in Nadi.

Anyway, I'm going to go to sleep now before Sirius discovers Cindy dosed his chocolates with a laxative. Maybe that will teach him not to offer her a depilatory charm when he doesn't know how to cast one. Her hair is almost fully grown back now.

Love,
Harry

From the Journal of Hermione Jane Granger (Transmitted Entry), Jun 16th 1996, England...

Dear Harry,

You know your OWL results already and you haven't told me? Do you want to be in trouble, buster?

I'm waiting.

Love,
Hermione

P.S. Nine more days. And I miss those things too.

From the Journal of Harry Potter (Transmitted Entry), Jun 17th 1996, Waivunu Fiji...

Errr...oops?

I was so tired when I wrote that last entry I thought I did tell you. I'm sorry, sweetie. I've listed them below.

Defense O+
Transfiguration O+
Charms O
Potions/Alchemy E
Runes/Enchanting E
Government P
Estate Management E
History P
Physical Ed. O
Languages E

Eight out of ten possible OWLS.

Personally, I think I did rather well. Those are my unofficial results, which every student gets at the end of the testing. The official transcript comes ten days after the end of testing. I know I didn't do well in Government and History, but it's more of a course load than I was taking at Hogwarts. Something had to give.

I tried to talk to Sirius about possible career choices, but I just couldn't. And not just because of his sex talk. No, he and Cindy have been waging a nonstop prank war for the last few weeks. Right now it's hard to talk to Sirius without laughing. She's shaved off one of his eyebrows and with some help from Moony, painted his finger and toenails with this embarrassing pink nail polish that even magic won't remove. Moony claims he had nothing to do with it, but I'm not sure I believe him.

And if you think that's bad, you should have heard her when she woke up to find he had used a switching spell to move her breasts to her back. Merlin, I can't wait to get out of this madhouse and visit you. At least it will be quiet.

Anyway, I spoke to Remus about career choices. Have you thought about what you'd like to do? Remus thinks I'll have a lot of choices to pick from. He also reminded me that my choices aren't limited to what will put food on the table. He said I could easily play the role of gentleman Auror or something like that. It was his way of saying the Potters left me enough to insure that I would work at what interested me, rather than working just to survive.

Remus mentioned something about curse breaking that sounded interesting. I know my grades suggest an Auror track or even hit wizard, but I don't think I want to spend my days chasing down other people's problems.

Enchanting sounds like it could be fun. I like the idea of making things and then making them magical. Curse breaking sounds like it could be really interesting. You'd not only need to understand curses and ancient runes, but languages and history.

Remus seemed to imply I could graduate and do nothing if I wanted, but I'm sure I'd get bored with that fast. It might be fun to goof off for a month or two, but then I'd want something to do with my time.

Remus picked up a book called the Big Book of Wizard Careers. I'll bring it with me when I come visit. This way we can both look at our options. I think it would be fun if we could find something that we could do together. I mean... .

Damn, I wish we could erase things in these books. Just forget the above paragraph. I'm presuming something I shouldn't.

I'll still see you in bookspace in two days.

Love,
Harry

Bookspace Jun 20th 1996...

Hermione paced nervously. She had read Harry's last entry and was very pleased right up until the end. He had started to say something, then backpedaled quickly and ended his entry. It left her worried and confused.

She had sent him several entries since then, but he hadn't replied to them. And now she was sure he was late to entering bookspace.

A sudden whistling sound signaled his arrival. She lurched to her feet and immediately embraced him. He trembled in her arms and she pulled away.

"What's wrong, Harry? I almost thought you weren't going to come tonight."

He looked down at his feet and refused to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry. I was assuming something in my last entry, something I had no right to assume."

She frowned. "What are you talking about? That last entry sounded like you wanted us to be together after school, maybe even have complimentary careers."

"I do, but I was wrong to think you'd want that, or want to be with me like that."

She reached up and cupped his face, forcing him to look at her. "It wasn't wrong of you to presume that. Do you know who I want to see across from the breakfast table in ten or twenty years time? You, that's who. I never said anything because it implied our relationship would become permanent."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "That's what I keep hoping will happen, but I didn't think you'd want to be with me like that." He looked at her then. "I know we talked a lot about sex and deepening our relationship, but I always thought that, sooner or later, you'd meet some guy closer to home."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him. She was shocked to discover that his fears were identical to her own. She was sure he'd find some witch from Australia or New Zealand, or maybe even one of those exotic island beauties and leave her.

She pulled away a little and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I want us to stay together. You've been my best friend since first year. I never want to lose that. The journals have allowed us to talk about some very private things. I think I've reached the point where I could tell you anything, Harry.

"Before Hogwarts I never had any real friends. We've grown up together and grown closer. I don't want to lose that."

He smiled weakly at her. "I don't want to lose that either. We're awful young to be talking about marriage, though."

She grinned. "Well, we're not talking about getting married this summer. I think Mum and Dad might have a problem with that."

Harry's expression grew pensive. "Right, then. So, this summer is out."

"What are you thinking?" she asked suspiciously.

"How about a graduation slash engagement party to celebrate your graduation?"

She stared at him. "Are you serious?" she asked in a hushed, breathy voice.

He shook his head "Sirius is with Cindy, remember? I don't think he wants to marry you. I could ask him if you want."

"Stop with that pun! Merlin, I'm going to kill someone the next time I hear it. Now, answer the question!"

"Am I serious about marrying you? Yes," he whispered intently. "You are a part of my life and represent something I never thought I would have. I promise you this, I will ask for your hand on your graduation day. And before then, I'll ask permission from your father."

He slid his hand down her arm and pulled her hand into his, then he raised it to his lips and kissed her focus ring. "I gave you this ring awhile back so you'd be able to protect yourself while I wasn't with you. Now I want you to think of it as a promise ring. It's my promise to you that we'll have a life together."

She choked out a laugh and wiped away her happy tears. "All right, but only as long as you remember your ring is my promise to you, too."

He nodded and pulled her back into his embrace. He buried his face in her hair and smiled to himself. If he could spend the rest of his life holding her, he'd die a happy man!

Hermione's House, Oxford, England, Jun 25th, 1996...

He stepped out of the doorway and slammed it shut behind him. He was breathing heavily. His backpack and most of his clothing were covered in lime Jello. He looked down at himself in disgust and turned.

Staring at him were the surprised faces of Hermione, Dan and Emma.

"What happened?" exclaimed Emma and Hermione together.

"This is all your fault," he said, nodding to Emma. "You had to introduce Sirius to someone who refuses to surrender in a prank war. I barely got out with my life. Sirius was shooting feathers and syrup from his wand and she was hurling Jello by the bucketful! I swear Remus must have charmed the buckets to be refilling!"

Dan broke down, laughing so hard he bent over and held his stomach. Hermione waved her hand, cleaning the Jello out of his clothing and hair. Emma looked entirely too smug for her own good.

Harry nodded his thanks to Hermione. "I don't know what anyone has planned, but could I shower first? Running from my room to the portal door involved Jello, some sort of rice pudding concoction and what looked like flying fish. I may be Jello-free, but I still smell."

And that only increased Dan's howls of laughter.

Emma shot her husband a disgusted look, then she turned back to Harry. "Of course you can, dear. You know where your room is. Go shower and meet us in the kitchen in thirty minutes."

Thirty minutes later, he walked back into the Grangers’ kitchen, smelling and feeling much more like himself.

"So, what's on the agenda this week?" asked Dan.

Hermione looked down at her plate. "I'm not sure. I haven't gotten my scores, so I don't know what classes..."

"Hermione," Harry said warningly. "Everyone here knows you passed every class with top marks."

"We heard about your marks as well, Harry. Eight out of ten, and very good grades at that," Emma said.

"Yes, well done," Dan added. "But I bet my princess sweeps the tests."

Hermione blushed and mumbled something about not being that good.

"Hermione, let's use this time to get the homework done. I have my own to do this time as well since I'm on the fast track. After that, I have the textbooks for our classes next month, and we can do like we did last year."

A small bell rang and Harry looked around wondering at it's source.

"That's the bell I installed on the portal door to warn us if someone came through," Dan said.

The door to the kitchen opened and a bright blue, polka-dotted Remus tap danced his way into the room. His pants were blinking an intense orange and he was sporting a tail and horns.

"Don't ask," Remus growled, then he performed a perfect shim sham before apparating away.

Harry blinked and started laughing. "I warned him not to get involved in that prank war."

Once everyone was seated at the table and served tea, conversation turned, once again, to their holiday plans.

"My grades aren't going to be that good," Hermione said. "But Harry's right. Doing our homework and getting it out of the way would be the smart thing to do. Once that's done, we're free for whatever."

The adults nodded and Emma turned to Harry. "How are you making out? Did you bring a sleeping draught with you?"

He gestured and a bottle appeared in his hand. "Right here. I'll drag a little today since I'm twelve hours off, but by tomorrow I'll be fine."

Dan nodded. "So, did Sirius tell you anything about this bit with Scrimgeour?"

"He told me what Umbridge did and how his group in the Wizengamot was able to use that to bring him down. I think Madam Bones will make a fine Minister. She's fair, and not very corruptible. Sirius says people have tried bribing her before, resulting in arrests and trials."

"Susan says her aunt values honesty," Hermione added.

Harry glanced over to her, his brow furrowed. "Susan? Oh, the Hufflepuff? I didn't know she was related."

Hermione nodded. "She's in my study group. She told me she lives with her aunt. Her parents were killed in the first war with Voldemort."

Harry fell silent. He'd never paid much attention to Susan before and now he felt like a heel about it.

He looked up when he felt Hermione take his hand. "It's all right, Harry. She didn't want people to know or make a fuss about it. Just like Neville, or you. You never told me what was going on with the Dursleys."

"What ever happened to them, anyway?" asked Dan.

"Happened? To the Dursleys?" Harry asked. "Nothing. Why?"

Dan and Emma looked astounded. "You mean they got away with abusing you all those years?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess."

The adults scowled and Harry felt the need to explain. "You need to understand, the Ministry won't do anything because they think Harry Potter is a Muggle, or at best a Squib. And since the Ministry won't talk with the Muggle authorities, they won't have them do anything about it.

"It would be different if Dumbledore had charmed or hexed them, but he didn't. That's just the way they were."

"Doesn't that bother you?" asked Emma curiously.

He thought about it for a moment. "It did for a while. I thought about going back there one day and paying a visit, but what would be the point? My real revenge will come when I turn seventeen and I gain control over all of my inheritance. The Potter Trust owns the house on Privet Drive and they've been living there rent free. I'll put a stop to that or evict them. And that will be it as far as my revenge goes."

"You don't want to hurt them? You don't want to hex them and make them pay for what they did?" asked Hermione.

"If I did, would you think less of me?" he countered.

She nodded, unhappy with her answer.

"Now you know why I won't do those things," he said. He looked her for a moment, then grinned. "But that doesn't mean I won't dream about it."

She grinned back. She didn't want him to risk a trip to Azkaban. Besides, she had own plans for the Dursleys, and she'd be of age months before he would. And unlike Harry, who would curse them directly, she would be more discreet about it.

Waivunu Fiji, July 10th 1996...

Sirius woke to the sensation of dozens of things crawling in the bed. He froze and cracked one eye open, then wished he hadn't. Land crabs, dozens of them, were covering the bed, and someone nearby was humming.

The prank war had been a disaster. Sirius felt he had the upper hand because he could use magic, but Cindy had enlisted Remus and Harry as allies for some of her more devious pranks. This time, however, enough was enough.

"Cindy, my love?" he said softly, barely audible over the sound of the little crabs.

"Yes, dear?" she said, breaking from her humming.

"I surrender."

She paused and stared at him. "What?" she exclaimed.

"I said, I surrender," he said in a stronger voice.

"No terms? No conditions? No caveats? No hidden magical tricks?"

"Just one."

"What is it?" she said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Marry me."

She blinked and resisted the urge to sit down. "What?"

"Marry me. What's hard to understand about that?"

Cindy stopped removing crabs from her bucket and looked at him suspiciously.

"Just what kind of joke are you pulling now, Sirius Orion Black?"

"Help me get out of this bed in one piece and I'll prove to you I'm not kidding."

He flinched as a land crab clicked its claw close to his nose. The thing stared at him as if trying to figure out if he was food. Sirius shuddered again and closed his eyes.

She stood undecided for a moment. "All right, but if this is another joke..."

"It's not! I swear!"

She pulled the flat sheet out from the bottom of the bed and then grabbed it by the corners, trapping most of the crabs. Then she tied the four corners together and tossed it, and her bucket of crabs, out the window.

Sirius opened his eyes and spotted the single crab still on the bed. He rolled away from it and fell off the bed with a heavy thump. Standing, he reached for his wand and held it straight up.

Cindy tensed, seeing him with his wand, but he wasn't pointing it at her.

"I swear on my magic that my proposal to Cindy Adams was truly given," he intoned. His wand flashed and she gasped.

Oaths based on magic had been explained to her. He had just risked his magic to prove to her he wasn't kidding.

He placed the wand on the night table and walked over to her. "I meant what I said. You're everything I could want in a wife. You're intelligent, funny, beautiful, and you're even good at pranking."

"Just good?" she teased.

"The best and I love you," he said, leaning in to nuzzle her ear.

She sighed and leaned against him. She had been hoping that things might go this way. A small part of her, however, had doubted it. Since the disaster with Anthony, she had thought she'd never marry.

"Well?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, Sirius. I'll marry you."

He tightened his grip for a moment and kissed her forehead, then he released her and went rummaging through his night table drawer as she watched him, astonished.

"Where the blazes... Aha! There you are!" he exclaimed as he withdrew a small ring box from the drawer. Turning, he opened the box and offered it to her.

She sucked in her breath. In the box was a large three carat diamond solitaire in what looked like a platinum setting. She reached for it, then hesitated. "What spells are on this?" she asked suspiciously.

He grinned sheepishly. "There's a self-sizing charm, and it's invisible to anyone who might want to steal it. There's also a Portkey, should you ever become injured. Once you put it on, only you or I will be able to remove it. Pretty standard stuff for engagement rings."

She nodded and reached for the ring. The stone sparkled and seemed to have a light of its own. It was enchanting and her hands trembled.

"May I?" he asked.

When she nodded, he brushed the tears from her cheeks, then took the ring from the box. Taking her hand, he kissed her palm, then slipped the ring on her finger.

It warmed for a second and she could feel it adjusting to her size.

He smiled at her timidly, an unusual expression for him, and it touched her heart greatly. For the first time she saw the wounded boy who had been rescued by the Potter family. He hid behind pranks and jokes, but he was there, nonetheless. She knew about a lot of Sirius' background and now he was showing her a side that no one saw.

She pulled him close and kissed him for all she was worth. Then she pushed him back onto the bed. They had been intimate many times, but this was different.

Sirius bounced when he hit the bed. He started to reach for her, but froze so suddenly that Cindy took a step back. When his expression twisted, she backed up again, wondering what was happening.

With a sudden leap, Sirius was off the bed and howling in pain. The single remaining land crab in the room had latched onto his hand and wasn't letting go!

Once she realized what was happening, she collapsed against the side of the bed, laughing so hard she wasn't sure her legs would hold her. Sirius, however, was too busy dashing about the room, shaking his hand to remove the crab to notice her reaction.

Hermione's House, Oxford, England, July 15th, 1996...

"Wait a moment and I'll get him," Emma said. "He's outside with Hermione. I think they are practicing some sort of charm work."

Emma turned and left a teary eyed Cindy sitting in the kitchen, clutching at her tea cup. Sometimes Sirius needed help explaining things to her. In this case, Harry was the best person to help, as he'd been raised by Muggles.

Emma paused to watch Harry and Hermione, who were both staring at some objects on a table. She moved closer and saw that the objects were plastic army men that Harry had bought two weeks earlier. She had thought at the time that they might be a gift for someone because Harry was certainly too old to be playing with army men. To her surprise, two of the army men stood and circled each other.

She moved closer.

One of the army men raised a saber and charged the other soldier, who sidestepped the wildly swinging plastic sword. The second soldier rabbit punched the sword wielder as he ran by.

"Ahem."

Both teens looked up and the soldiers froze in their new positions.

"How is this studying?" she asked, convinced they were goofing off. Not that she minded them goofing off.

"Oh, Mum, this is animation charms and techniques. The idea is to animate the inanimate. Imagine trying to fight someone when suddenly you're attacked by the dining room set?" replied Hermione.

"She's right, Mrs. Granger. It's a charm technique. Covered in both Advanced Defense and Advanced Charms."

Emma nodded, but the idea confused her. She'd talk to Remus about it next time he passed through.

"All right, but it's time you two put away the books and take a break. And, Harry? Cindy's here. She's upset about something that Sirius told her. She wants to talk to you or Hermione about it."

Hermione grinned and grabbed the bag with the toy soldiers. She held it open and one by one she animated those on the table to walk into the bag.

"Show off," Harry teased affectionately.

She blushed, but smiled at him.

In the kitchen they found a teary-eyed Cindy toying with her cup of tea.

Harry slid into a chair and wondered what could be wrong. Sirius and Cindy had shown up one night over a week ago to announce their engagement, and now she was here, and very upset.

"What's wrong? Did you two have a fight?" Harry asked worriedly.

She shook her head. "Tell me about the lifespan thing."

Harry glanced over to Hermione, who nodded to him. He turned back to Cindy. "You know wizards live longer than Muggles, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yes, Sirius said as much. He said that he could easily expect to live to one forty or so."

"Yes, that's right," Harry said with a nod. "Did he tell you that when a wizard marries a witch, the weaker partner usually gets their lifespan extended to match the stronger partner? The magic from both partners helps reinforce the weaker partner, bringing him or her up to match the other."

"But I don't have any magic to help with that," she protested.

He nodded grimly. "That's right, you don't. But you have something even more important than magic. You have your love for him and his for you. His magic will try to extend your life beyond the Muggle average, and it will succeed, to a point."

Hermione leaned forward and placed her hand on Cindy's arm. "Sirius will live to roughly twice the average age for a Muggle. And when he marries you, his magic will do the only thing it can do to bring you both into balance. It will take away years from him and give them to you, along with a little bit of his magic."

She blinked at her. "I'll be a witch?" she asked incredulously.

"No," Hermione replied with a shake of her head. "You won't be a witch, you'll become a Squib with just enough magic to power things like the potions and other items that rely on a person's magic to work. It's not enough power to actively work with, but it will be there."

"And he'll lose what?"

Harry leaned back in his chair. "He'll lose some of his magic. Not a lot, mind you, and it won't be noticeable. And he'll lose roughly forty years from his expected lifespan so that you can gain roughly the same. Marriage in the wizarding world is a sacred sharing, Cindy. It's not something people do lightly. There is no divorce in the wizarding world because there's no way to separate the shared magic of two people.

"A married couple who want to break up can only split and live apart in the wizarding world."

He paused before plunging forward. "You're only seeing the negative about this. If Sirius were smoking, you'd know each cigarette shortens his lifespan and as a doctor you'd hate that. You hate the fact that he's deliberately cutting short his lifespan, but that's not the case here. Sirius loves you and he's offering you nearly forty extra years to live together. He wouldn't make that offer if he didn't really love you. There is no guarantee that you will live that long. But consider the alternative. You live a normal lifespan and then he goes on alone for another fifty years without you? He doesn't want that. I wouldn't either."

Cindy sniffled and looked at him strangely. "But how could he give that up for me?"

"Because he loves you," he hissed in annoyance. He couldn't understand her lack of understanding. "He loves you, like my parents loved me and gave their lives for me. I'd do the same for Hermione in a heartbeat! Sirius has been dealt a crappy hand for most of his life. His family hated him for refusing their narrow-minded dogma. He found refuge with my family and then lost that when my parents and grandparents died. He needs you and wants you, Cindy. I can see it. We all can."

Hermione and Emma both gasped at Harry's words. Hermione blushed and Emma stared at the two, wondering.

"He's been alone and hurting for too long," he said, then his voice dropped to a whisper. "Can't you accept that? He wants you and wants you to live your life with him. In his mind, he isn't sacrificing anything. He isn't even giving you a gift, he's being selfish in wanting you around longer because he needs you to be with him."

Cindy nodded tearfully at him.

"I don't know what else to say. He needs you and I need you to help him in ways I can't."

"I don't think you need to say anymore," Sirius said in a choked voice behind him.

Harry stood and whirled around so fast his chair crashed over backwards. "Sirius! I didn't... If I knew..."

Sirius grinned and walked over to him. He placed both hands on his shoulders. "I know, Harry. I know. I love you, too."

Cindy stood and walked around the table until she was standing next to both of them. She reached out and touched them both. "I never thought I would have a family of my own, and now I see that's exactly what I'm getting. A husband and a son, two fine men I'm proud to call my own."

Sirius wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "I hope that doesn't mean you aren't interested in adding to that family?" he asked hopefully.

She looked at him and smiled, then shook her head. "No, I could be convinced to add more. After all, Harry doesn't need us to teach him about pranks."

Harry stepped back in time for Hermione to grab him a tight hug, her eyes filled with tears. Surprised, he hugged her back. "What did I do?" he asked.

"For being you," she whispered back.

Emma smiled and made a mental note to speak to Dan. Sooner or later those two were going to formalize their relationship and she wanted him to get used to the idea.

Hermione's House, Oxford, England, July 17th, 1996...

It was the bang that caught Harry's attention. It was a distinctive sound that he had heard before. Someone had arrived on the Knight Bus! He was in his room, dressing when he heard the sound of voices downstairs.

Frantic, he quickly invoked his Evan Black disguise. It wasn't much: his eye color changed to a deep blue, his hair turned to a light, sandy brown and grew longer until it was nearly mid shoulder length. Discarding his regular shirt for one proclaiming the virtues of the Sydney Slaughterers, an Australian Quidditch team, he finished his disguise and hoped no one would recognize him.

What he didn't know was that he no longer looked like the scrawny Harry Potter people remembered. He had put on a lot of muscle mass, thanks to quality meals and regular exercise, and he had shot up to a respectable five eleven. His shirt was tight, outlining his muscled chest, and around his neck he wore a leather thong with several seashells threaded through it. He was a far cry from the Harry Potter of fourth year.

He stepped from the room and walked to the stairway. Hermione appeared at the bottom of the stairs and she looked up. Her expression immediately changed to one of relief. "Ah, Evan, there you are. We have company I'd like you to meet."

She walked up the stairs to meet him.

"Company?" he asked sotto voce.

"Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Ron," she hissed. "They wanted to know if I wanted to go with them to Diagon Alley."

He groaned and closed his eyes. Could he take a trip to Diagon Alley with the Weasleys?

"How do I look?" he asked.

"Good enough to eat, but that's because I know it's you," she replied with an impish grin. Since their declaration that they wanted to be together even after school, their conversations had become a lot more flirtatious in nature. Hermione found it strangely refreshing to be able to hint at matters that she'd never talk about normally.

He gave her a mock scowl and she giggled.

"All right, let's see how well my acting abilities work," he said softly, then he kissed her quickly.

She grinned and took his hand, pulling him down the stairs.

Emma looked up and tried to hide the relief in her expression when Hermione arrived with Evan in tow.

"Everyone, this is Evan Black. He's a distant cousin of Sirius Black. I met him on Fiji," Hermione announced.

Harry moved to stand next to her, his arm around her waist possessively. "G'day everyone," he called with a wave. He had met several Australian wizards and those wizards he knew from Fiji didn't sound much different than they did. So his fake accent was more Australian than Fijian, but he figured the Weasleys wouldn't notice.

Ginny's eyes lit up, seeing Evan. She eyed him as if she were evaluating a piece of beef she wanted to buy and discovered she was very hungry.

Mrs. Weasley smiled and Ron frowned, spotting him. Ron had wanted to believe Lavender, even after the photo and the gifts Evan had sent Hermione. He liked her and had hoped that one day they might date, but ever since Evan came into the picture he knew she was lost to him. First it was Harry blocking his way to her, now this Evan.

Ginny walked up to him. "Hi, I'm Ginny, Ginny Weasley," she said, suddenly shy. Evan Black was taller than she expected, his skin a golden tan. Each move made the muscles in his chest ripple under that shirt.

"Hi, Ginny, Ginny Weasley," Evan replied with a smirk. Ginny's blush deepened and he chuckled.

Ron moved forward, frowning. "I'm Ron Weasley," he said, offering his hand.

Harry took the offered hand and was surprised when Ron tried to squeeze him. He tightened his smile and did nothing. The simple fact was that Ron didn't have enough strength to hurt him. King Kong's marathon body building sessions had seen to that.

A minute later Ron stepped back, looking chagrined. Harry had merely smiled and pretended that all of Ron's effort was wasted. Molly pulled him away and both Hermione and Ginny glared at him. Emma hid a smile. She recognized the pissing contest for what it was and knew who had won.

"No worries," Evan said pleasantly. He turned to Hermione. "So how are we getting to this Diagram Alley?"

"We'll take the Knight Bus," Mrs. Weasley pronounced.

"You'll love it, Evan," Ginny said timidly.

Evan grinned affably at her, surprised by her suddenly timid behavior. She was acting like she did around Harry before her first year.

"Do you have enough money with you, Evan?" asked Emma.

He nodded and tapped the pouch on his belt. "Coin and my debit card if needed, so no worries," he replied easily.

Emma nodded and turned to Hermione, handing her several fifty pound notes. "For your books. Have you your list?"

Hermione nodded to her question.

"Then I guess we're all ready to go," announced Mrs. Weasley. She turned to Emma. "I'll try to have them back in time for dinner."

"All right. Be careful," Emma called to Hermione and Harry.

Of all the people traveling, Hermione was the only one who had not been on the Knight Bus. Harry grabbed a bed and quickly pulled her down to sit next to him. She looked at him curiously when he tightened his grip around her waist and then grabbed firmly on the bed post.

She squeaked when the bus took off with a bang and clung to Harry with both hands. After looking out the front window, she buried her head against his shoulder, refusing to look again.

This was the first time in several years Harry had been back to Diagon Alley. Last summer, Hermione had owl-ordered most of her school materials so they hadn't had to come to the Alley. They had felt it was better to avoid the possibility of Harry being discovered.

They had just entered the Alley when Harry stopped and stared at the headline from the Quibbler. Hermione plowed into his back and Ginny into hers.

"Ha... Evan?" Hermione asked, correcting her mistake.

Ginny stared at Hermione, her eyes narrowing in speculation. She had been watching the interaction between Hermione and Evan carefully. It was clear they cared for each other very much, but she was sure they hadn't reached an intimate state yet, despite Lavender's latest claims.

Evan pointed to the headline at the newsstand. It read, "Harry Potter volunteers to take naked space walk!"

"Oh, that's the Quibbler," commented Ginny with a laugh. "They’re always posting sightings about Harry Potter." Ginny’s expression fell and she sighed, her shoulders slumped a little. "I miss him still."

When Evan turned to Hermione, she could see guilt in his eyes.

"You can't believe anything the Quibbler says. They report a sighting of Harry at least once a week."

He nodded, but she could tell he was upset. Not by the headline, of course, but by Ginny's reaction.

"Come on. I want to check out Quality Quidditch Supplies," Ron said.

"Ron, Gringotts first, then books, clothing and potion supplies. Then Quidditch," Molly said firmly.

In Gringotts, Harry followed Hermione to the counter to change her pounds to galleons while the Weasleys headed off their vault. Ginny looked like she would have preferred to stay with them.

Hermione met Ron's eyes just before he disappeared with the Goblin. His eyes flickered from her to Evan for a moment, then he nodded. Turning back to the exchange counter, she sighed. It seemed as though Ron had finally come to understand that she wasn't interested in anything more than friendship with him and that Evan was quite real.

"Are you all right?" she whispered to Evan.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "I just feel like a right prat. I ran away from all of my friends. What kind of friend does that?"

"One that wanted to remain living," she retorted as she shook her head. "Look, we'll talk about this tonight. Just believe me when I say you did what you had to do to live. Who knows what that old man had planned for you?"

Evan nodded unhappily. He believed her, but it didn't make him feel any better. One thing that Sirius and Remus had taught him was to stand by his friends.

Hermione and Evan waited by the door for the Weasleys to return from their vault.

"I didn't know that Gringotts offered debit cards. Is that something new?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure. Sirius got it for me before I left Fiji. It's tied into my trust account and not the main account," he said, then he frowned. "I really need to keep a closer eye on my accounts, but it's dead boring."

"I'm surprised you did as well as you did on Estate Management then," she replied dryly.

Evan was about to reply, then he looked up and smiled at the approaching Weasleys.

"All right, first we're off for books," pronounced Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione grinned. The bookstore was one of her favorite parts of visiting Diagon Alley.

Inside Flourish and Blotts, Ginny and Ron went in different directions, looking for their books. Harry followed Hermione, carrying the books she picked out.

Mrs. Weasley came up behind them and looked at Evan expectantly. "Don't you need to buy books too, dear?"

Evan turned to her. "Oh, no, Mrs. Weasley. I'll get my books when Hermione and I return to Fiji in August. Besides, I doubt that this store will carry the books I need."

Mrs. Weasley looked doubtful and Ginny approached after seeing them converse. "What kind of classes are you taking that we aren't?"

"Well, my Runes class is a mix of runes and enchanting, just like my Potions class is a mix of potions and alchemy. But there's my languages class, where I'm continuing to learn new languages. Last year I did Arabic and Japanese. This year I'm continuing with Japanese language and culture."

It turned out that Harry had a talent for languages, like his mother Lily. He was soaking up every language he was exposed to.

"Oh, say something in Japanese!" Ginny said with a grin.

"Watashi no namae wa Evan Black desu," Harry said with a straight face.

"What does that mean?"

"I said my name is Evan Black," he replied with an easy grin.

Ginny grinned and turned to her mother. "I can't find this Herbology text," she said, pushing the book list at her.

Mrs. Weasley sighed and nodded. "All right, dear. Let's see what we can do."

She wasn't sure about leaving Hermione alone with that strange boy, but she had to trust the elder Grangers to have checked him out. She didn't approve of Sirius Black and was wary of anything to do with him. As far as she was concerned, he should have been taking care of his ward, Harry Potter, instead of this strange boy. It bothered her that Harry had walked out of Hogwarts and vanished without a trace. When questioned about it, all Sirius would admit to was that Harry was safe and happy.

He seemed to be a nice enough boy, but there was something off about him that she didn't like. His answers were a bit too glib and his attitude not properly respectful for a foreigner.

Watching them, she went reluctantly with Ginny.

"Maybe this was a bad idea and I should go home?"

Hermione turned to him. "You'll be fine. I think Mrs. Weasley always thought I might get together with Ron and sees you as competition. The one you want to be careful around is Ginny. She's a lot smarter than she let's on. I swear that girl should have been put into Slytherin."

He nodded absently and let her add another book to the pile he was carrying. It didn't matter to him, he was adjusting the weight with his ring.

At Madam Malkin's, Harry got the chance to help Hermione purchase a dress robe for school functions, as well as a pretty dress that she'd use over the Yule holiday. She loved going dancing with Harry and had been surprised to discover he had taken dancing lessons just so he wouldn't disappoint her.

She stepped from the changing room wearing a powder blue dress with a plunging neckline. Mrs. Weasley shook her head in dismay and Harry's jaw fell open in shock The dress was perfect for the dancing they did, and what it did to her figure was enough to make him wish for a cold shower right there in the store.

Hermione took one look at his reaction, then turned to Madam Malkin. "I'll take it."

The shopkeeper nodded and made a note on her parchment.

Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Dear, don't you think it's a bit too revealing?"

"Actually, Mrs. Weasley, that dress is brilliant on her. She's going to be the envy of the dance floor next month," Harry said.

Mrs. Weasley frowned and debated with herself whether or not to scold this boy for butting in where his opinion wasn't wanted. Hermione used the interruption to slip back into the changing room. A few moments later, she handed the dress to the shopkeeper.

After Madam Malkin's Hermione and Evan went to Florean's for lunch, while the Weasleys went to the apothecary for potion supplies. Hermione had owl ordered her supplies at the end of the year so she could work on her Potions homework.

Hermione and Evan had just made their selection when she heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, hello Hermione," said Luna Lovegood. "Are you enjoying your summer?"

Hermione looked up at the girl she knew only from a study group at school. "Hello, Luna. Yes, thank you. How are you?"

Luna peered down at the couple for a moment, then she fixed her attention to a spot directly between them, on the table. "I'm fine. I'd like to stay and talk, but I'm getting ready to go with Daddy for our annual Golden Ringed Platypus expedition."

Harry blinked and looked at Hermione, wondering if this strange girl was insane or not. Then the girl turned to him. "That's really a very good disguise, Harry. Normally I can see through a glamor, but that isn't a glamor.

"It was nice seeing you both, but I have to go. Take care, Harry!" she said airily, then she turned away and breezed out of the shop.

Harry turned to Hermione, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Hermione," he hissed.

"It's all right. She won't tell anyone. Even if she did, no one would believe her," Hermione said softly.

"Eh? Why is that?"

"Her father prints the Quibbler and while she is frightfully smart, she also believes in creatures no one else believes in." Hermione paused and looked thoughtfully at him. "I'm more interested in her comment about your glamor. She's right, you know. It looks too real for it to be a glamor. I can't see any of the faint, telltale shimmer one usually sees around a glamor."

"Here come the Weasleys," Harry muttered.

Both of them pasted smiles on their faces and waved at the approaching red heads. Evan used the distraction to steal a spoonful of Hermione's ice cream.

Seeing what Evan had done, Ron shot him a grin. Mrs. Weasley frowned and made a note to talk to Emma Granger about the boy's behavior and warn her that they shouldn't leave Hermione alone with him. A nice girl like Hermione really should be seeking someone of station and not a wastrel from the Pacific.

"Get all of your supplies?" asked Evan.

"Yeah, now we can go visit Quality Quidditch," Ron said with a happy grin. "Ginny and I both use Comet 260's."

"Do you play Quidditch, Evan?" asked Ginny.

Evan smiled. "I used to, but there aren't any pitches on Fiji. I still have my Typhoon Mark IV though and fly when I can."

"No Quidditch!" exclaimed Ron mournfully. That was something he couldn't understand at all. How could anyone live without Quidditch?

Evan shrugged. "It's all right. I've got my board and my bike. My PE tutor makes sure I stay in shape."

"Tutor? Don't you attend a school?"

He shook his head. "Most of the wizards on Fiji are home schooled, usually by their parents. Sirius, however, has hired tutors for every one of my classes. They arrive by Portkey before class and leave afterwards." He grinned at Hermione. "Come August, Hermione and I will be taking classes in Advanced Transfiguration and Runes."

Molly frowned. "But... what about the Reasonable Restriction to Underage Magic?" she sputtered.

Evan's expression turned serious. "Mrs. Weasley, Britain is the only country in the world that thinks that law is reasonable. I can practice magic anytime I want. So can Hermione, when she's with me in Fiji. And on top of that, she'll have help from Masters in both fields."

Ron and Molly looked appalled, but for different reasons. Ron shuddered at the idea of additional school work during the summer, while Molly was sure what they were doing was breaking a law somewhere.

Ginny looked interested. She always thought the restriction was dumb, and while she didn't quite hate school like Ron did, the ability to learn more magic during the summer would be nice. If anything, she was becoming even more envious of Hermione. Not only was her boyfriend smoking hot, but he was smart and they would be making magic together, while she de-gnomed the garden.

Two hours later they were back at Hermione's house, in the backyard with Ginny and Ron. Molly was in the kitchen, speaking with Emma. The two Weasleys looked at the pool with a little envy. They had a swimming hole, which worked for them, but it was a half mile walk from the Burrow to the hole.

"How much do you know about this boy, Emma? I don't mean to pry, but he seems a little odd," Molly said, cradling her cup of tea.

Emma smiled at her. "You don't have to worry about Evan, Molly. Hermione has him wrapped around her little finger. He wouldn't dream of doing anything to hurt her."

"Still, it seems to me that he's not being fully truthful. I'd suggest keeping an eye on him. I'm not sure I'd be willing to leave my Ginny alone with him," Molly countered.

Only because your Ginny wouldn't think twice about trying to steal him away from my daughter, Emma thought unkindly.

She nodded. "I was like that at first. But I've known him for nearly two years now. Believe me when I say I trust him around Hermione."

Molly nodded reluctantly. After all, it wasn't really her problem. But the situation still intrigued her. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you meet Evan?"

"We first met him before Christmas in 1994. Sirius had moved to Fiji and he invited us to come out to visit him over the holiday. Hermione was close to Harry and Sirius and we thought that Sirius might like a friendly face, since Harry had gone missing. He bought us the plane tickets, so we went. Evan was living with Sirius at the time. She and Evan hit it off almost immediately."

Molly scowled at hearing Harry's name being mentioned. "Yes, Harry Potter," she said with a bit of anger and sorrow. "I had so many hopes for him and my Ginny, only to have them ruined by that fool of a Headmaster."

"It was a great shame to have that happen to him. And then, when people learned how he was treated, they still did nothing against his family," Emma said. She was interested to see Molly's reaction to that statement.

Molly stared at her for a moment, then reached over and patted her hand. "They couldn't do anything, and by the time they learned of his home situation, he was already a Muggle," she said, shaking her head. "Such a waste of ability and power and to lose it so young! He and Ginny would have made wonderfully powerful children."

Emma smiled weakly. Hermione had explained about the British prejudices concerning Muggles, but this was the first time she had ever experienced it first hand.

In the backyard, Evan was off discussing brooms with Ron, while Ginny and Hermione sat at the picnic table, discussing, well, Evan.

"I know I saw the photos, Hermione, but I never realized just how fine he looked. He's almost as cute as Harry was," Ginny whispered excitedly.

Hermione blinked and tried to keep a straight face. "Really?" she replied. "I don't know. Harry was cute in an underfed sort of way. He was my friend, but I never really paid that kind of attention to him."

Ginny sighed. "I wish he hadn't left. But without any magic, he's not much use to anyone, anymore."

Hermione looked at her, surprised. "You mean if he showed up now, you wouldn't be interested in him anymore?"

Ginny shook her head. "I would be happy to know he's all right, but that's about it. Mum would never let me date a Muggle, and even if she would, I don't think I could. Now, tell me more about Evan. He seems very attentive, and don't think I didn't catch how he held your books for you."

Hermione smiled weakly. She liked Ginny, but had never seen this side of her before. It was disturbing. Covering her discomfort, she launched into a fictitious tale of meeting Evan and falling for him. Inwardly, she hoped the Weasleys would go home soon.

Meanwhile, in another part of England...

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Buttercup?" replied Xenophilius Lovegood.

"You'll never believe who I saw in Diagon Alley today," Luna said.

"Oh? Did you manage to find out if we could hire any Short Stumped Snarkles as pack animals, Lotus Blossom?"

Luna sighed. Sometimes getting Daddy to pay attention to her was a little difficult. "No, Daddy. The Magical Menagerie was clean out of Short Stumped Snarkles. They think they won't get another shipment in for two months."

Xenophilius turned in his chair and clutched one fist. "Drat! They never have anything we need for our expeditions!"

"Daddy, don't you want to know who I saw?"

"Who did you see, my little dandelion?"

"I saw Harry Potter. He was having lunch with one of the girls I know from school."

Xenophilius scowled. "How is that possible?" he muttered to himself. "I've placed Harry in Tibet for the International Naked Yeti Roundup." He turned to look at his daughter, but was only partially successful. He was badly cross-eyed, so one eye was firmly fixed on her ear. And that explained why he thought his daughter was an exceptionally bright but rather ugly child. Strangely enough, her mother had exactly the same deformity.

"What was he doing in Diagon Alley, little weedling?"

"He was having lunch. A blueberry and chocolate ice cream sundae with nuts and fire ants, I think. And the Queen was there, too," Luna said. She knew the queen wasn't there, and that perhaps Harry was traveling in disguise for a reason. Adding the Queen to the story would make it more believable to people. She was tempted to add Elvis to the sighting as well, but only Americans would believe it then. After all, everyone else knew that Elvis had been turned into a vampire and was now living in Ecuador.

He made a note on a parchment and rolled it up before sticking it in his drawer. "I'll see that we update the Harry sightings, my little cherry blossom."

Luna smiled happily, then went down to the kitchen to cook dinner. She was an accomplished cook; for her it was a survival skill. Xenophilius was of the opinion that raw food was safer than cooked. She wasn't about to sit through another meal of freshly cut grass and gravel.

Hermione's House (Later that evening), Oxford, England, July 17th, 1996...

Harry collapsed onto the couch beside Hermione and tiredly wiped his face. As he did, his features returned to normal.

Hermione watched him, shocked at what she was seeing. He shouldn't be able to do that, even with a focus ring. He had problems with a glamor spell with a wand and couldn't cast one at all with a focus ring.

A moment later, Emma and Dan joined them in the living room. Emma dropped into her favorite chair with an exhausted air about her.

"You know," she said slowly. "I used to like the Weasleys, but now I'm not so sure. The way Molly dismisses all things Muggle is disturbing."

Hermione nodded. "Ginny wasn't much different. She basically said that she missed Harry, but now that he was a Muggle, he was pretty much beneath her notice. And before that, she told me that Evan was almost as cute as Harry."

Harry cracked one eye open and looked at her. "Almost?"

Hermione laughed and leaned against him. "Yes, almost. And I could see her eying you with interest. If you were a side of beef, she would have purchased you."

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "She can eye all she wants, but I'm not interested and I'm off the market. Besides, I don't think that was lust she was looking at me with. There were a couple of times when she seemed to be looking as if she was trying to piece things together in her head. Mark my words, after the twins, she's the smartest Weasley and the one most likely to penetrate my disguise."

"Should we be worried?" asked Dan.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. Harry pulled Evan off well enough to fool her, at least for now. He made some smart comments and demonstrated some Japanese, which will keep her from connecting Harry to Evan."

"Why?" Emma asked. She had kicked off her shoes and had them propped up in Dan's lap. He was seated on the footrest and began to rub her feet automatically as he listened.

"Simple. Evan's smart; Harry isn't," Harry said with a grin.

"Harry!" Hermione admonished.

"Oh, fine. The Harry she knew well was only a mediocre student. He probably would have gotten four or five OWL's, if that many. Not the eight that Evan got, and he certainly wouldn't have learned to speak Japanese and Arabic."

Hermione smiled to herself and cuddled deeper into Harry's embrace. He was combing his fingers through her hair and she was enjoying herself immensely.

Dan frowned. "I meant to ask you. You took your OWL exams under the name Evan Black. How can you take your NEWTS under the name of Harry Potter?"

"Sirius made a deal with the Pacific Rim Ministry. They're hoping to open the first formal wizarding school on Fiji and Sirius offered to donate the land for the campus. It's in the interior and will only be accessible by Portkey. The school won't be ready for several more years, but they couldn't pass up the chance to get twenty five hundred hectares of land at no cost if they allowed for a minor name change on the NEWT exams and a few other concessions," Harry replied. "I don't know all the details, but either I'll take the exam as Harry Potter, or the grades will be assigned to me afterwards. Either way, it works."

"Nice," Dan murmured. With that much land, they could build a campus that would rival most modest sized colleges.

"Harry, can I ask how you removed your glamor? You didn't use the counter-spell," Hermione asked from his shoulder.

He paused in combing his fingers through her hair and looked startled.

She sat up and looked at him. "Did you use your wand to cast the glamor this morning?"

He shook his head. "No, I thought I had made a breakthrough in using my ring."

She gave him a pensive look, then bounced to her feet. "I want to go look something up," she announced.

"Now?" exclaimed Harry.

"Now," she answered, then went upstairs to her room where she kept her books.

He shook his head ruefully. "She could be about to give birth and she'd be asking for a medical book so she could look something up," he muttered to himself. Then he glanced up to see the frozen expression on Dan and Emma's face. A moment later, they began to laugh.

"You have no idea Harry," Dan said with a chuckle.

He sighed and climbed to his feet. "Well, I guess I'll call it a night then. For some reason, today wore me out more than I thought it would."

Emma looked up in alarm. "Are you feeling all right?"

He smiled reassuringly. "Yes, thanks. I'm just tired."

"All right, dear. But if you start feeling ill, we're right down the hall."

Harry nodded and waved before heading off to bed.

He had been sleeping for several hours when he vaguely felt his bed shift.

"Harry?" someone whispered.

He rolled over and tried to ignore the voice.

"Harry?" the voice whispered again, only this time someone was also shaking him.

He opened his eyes and blinked sleepily. "Hermione?"

"Were you sleeping?" she asked with a grin he couldn't see.

He yawned and dropped his head back onto his pillow. "No, I was examining the inside of my eyelids for defects. Now, is there a reason for this midnight visit? Perhaps you've finally decided you want a hunk of this green eyed wizard, hmmm?"

"You know I do, Mr. Potter. But when that happens, it won't be with my parents sleeping in the next bedroom. Now, shake free of your over-sized ego and pay attention," she said in a low voice.

He sighed and sat up. "How may I serve you, Oh, luscious, intelligent one."

"Prat," she muttered.

Harry conjured a small blue bell flame and set it hovering by his night table.

He tried to ignore the fact that the small light was outlining her body perfectly. He looked at her and couldn't hide the desire he felt. It was burning in him like a raging inferno and it forced him to shift in the bed to hide the growing bulge under the blanket.

For her part, the idea had seemed like a good one when she first thought of it. But now she wasn't so sure. He had been downright adorable in his sleep. If that wasn't bad enough, he was giving her a look that she was coming to recognize. It was a look that he reserved only for her. She couldn't help it, it caused her breath to quicken and her pulse to race.

"I... ah... um... I think I know what is going on," she blurted. "And stop looking at me like that. Don't make it any harder."

He suddenly started to laugh and she glared at him. "I... couldn't... make... it... any... harder... without... hurting... myself," he gasped, holding his sides as he laughed.

Hermione blushed when she realized what she had said.

Harry finally calmed down and sat up straight. "All right, just what are we talking about here?"

"Have you ever cast a glamor on someone else?"

He blinked at her seemingly unconnected non sequitur. "No, I don't think so."

"But you have problems casting one on your self with your wand and can't cast one using your ring at all. That's clue number one," she said, ticking off one finger.

Harry nodded, still confused.

"Clue number two, you got sick after taking the animagus revealus potion, each component of which is fairly standard. It's the potion itself that made you ill, not the ingredients."

She ticked off another finger. "Finally, clue number three. Luna Lovegood. What did she say today?"

"'That's really a very good disguise, Harry. Normally, I can see through a glamor, but that isn't a glamor,'" Harry parroted stupidly. He looked longingly at his pillow and wondered when Hermione would get to the point.

"Only one class of wizard fits these clues. You're a natural morpher," she said triumphantly.

He blinked owlishly. "Er... What?"

"A natural morpher, like a werewolf or a metamorphagus or a shape shifter. There may be other types, but my book is very limited about the topic." she replied, sounding upset about having to admit about a flaw in her book.

Harry sat silent for a moment, then he thought about both his hair and Hermione's. Slowly his hair color began to change and lengthen until he had a hairstyle similar to hers. She leaned back on the bed and nibbled on her lower lip. It had taken minutes for his hair to change, but it was clearly identical to her own now.

"I tell you about this wonderful ability you have and you use it to mock me?" she asked incredulously.

He shook his head. "No, not mock you," he replied with a grin. "But just think, you can use me to test out a hair style."

Hermione laughed quietly. He closed his eyes and concentrated on returning his hair to normal. It took a minute, but he managed it.

"Now, Miss Granger, as much as I'd love to continue this conversation, I think we should go back to sleep," he said, laying back down.

Hermione nodded, but she looked unhappy. "Don't you want to kiss me good night?"

He reached up, sliding one hand behind her neck and pulled her gently down to him. He kissed her hard and let one hand slide under her nightshirt, caressing her hip. She shivered and moaned softly. His tongue probed her mouth, tangling with her tongue, tasting every part of her. She wanted that hand to touch her, really touch her.

She moaned again and sighed in frustration when his hands fell back to the bed, releasing her.

"Harry, that's not fair," she said breathlessly.

"No, it isn't, but now you understand what you're doing to me, as well. I love you, but I'm only human. We agreed to keep things slow. If you want to change that, we can talk about it. Otherwise, teasing isn't fair. I'll wait as long as you need, Hermione, but we need to cut back on the teasing."

She stood and looked down at him. With him laying in the bed, his arousal was obvious to her. She nodded in understanding. She had deliberately changed into a very light nightshirt before entering his bedroom to tease him a little. Ginny's reaction to Evan had ignited her insecurities and Harry's obvious desire had been a quick way to relieve them. It was only now that she realized what she'd done had been wrong.

She'd apologize to him tomorrow and make plans for that conversation about moving things up a little.

She closed the door and slipped back into her own bedroom. It was far too late for her to be taking a cold shower. Frustrated, she climbed into bed with a sigh and closed her eyes. Images of a tented blanket and his hot touch against her skin danced through her mind. She groaned in frustration and turned over.

In their bedroom, Emma removed the stethoscope from the wall with a satisfied smile.

"Well?" asked Dan.

"I told you they could be trusted. She woke him up to explain what she had discovered, then they kissed for a few minutes before he sent her back to her room," she replied. She wasn't about to tell him about some of the racier parts of their conversation. She would have words with Hermione on that subject, alone. She wasn't mad at her daughter, in fact she was rather pleased, but it was time to rehash a few key points of the talk.

"Good. I always said Harry was an honorable lad," Dan muttered. He pulled the blanket up and rolled over.

Emma suppressed the urge to pummel him with her pillow. Instead, she climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep, dreaming of chasing Dan with a whip and a bag of marshmallows.

Hermione's House, Oxford, England, July 20th, 1996...

The news that Harry might be some form of natural morpher sent Sirius into a fit of laughter, and he pointed out that the Potter blood had no such gifts. However, Candace Black married into the Potter line, making her Harry's great great great great grandmother. And the Black family did carry such traits.

Remus said he would make arrangements for Harry to meet with someone that might be able to help him.

Remus and Sirius were both shocked when Hermione laid out her case for the talent being there, even if it was largely untapped. The final proof was Harry's ability to change his hair and eye color, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't cast a glamor on himself.

Natural morphers were incapable of using magic to disguise themselves without it fighting against their own inherent magic. That others had been able to cast glamors on Harry suggested either an untrained, awakening talent, or just a weak one.

Remus suggested that the glamors might have been wearing off, but the metamorph in him had been adjusting his looks to match the glamor so no one knew when it wore off.

Sirius was pleased as punch. He thought this proved once and for all that Harry was a Black.

"Good morning, Emma."

Emma looked up to see Remus stepping through the door to the garage and their portal. She was shocked at how tired and ragged he looked.

"Remus! Are you all right?" she exclaimed. Then she glanced up at their calendar and understood. Last night had been a full moon.

"It was a tough transformation last night. Cindy has been studying potions with help from Harry's potions tutor, and we think she'll be able to make the Wolfsbane I need. For now, I have to tough it out," he said tiredly.

"I hope Cindy can help you, but can't Hermione make the potion? She received excellent grades on her exams," Emma told him. Hermione's OWL scores had finally arrived and, as predicted, she had swept her exams, achieving full marks in every test.

Remus shook his head sadly. "I wish that were the case, but the potion will only keep for a month and it's devilishly difficult to make. At best, she could only make the potion when she was home. She couldn't do it while at school. Harry's tried a few times, but he's not good enough to make the potion. He's good, but it takes a real master to make it."

Emma nodded. She thought that might be the case, but it never hurt to check. "So, what brings you to England this time?" she asked, setting a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits out for him.

He leaned back in his chair. "What else? I'm still looking for that brooch. It vanished into a family about a hundred years ago and hasn't been seen since. The last person to own it was a collector named Swanson, and then it vanished."

Emma frowned and sat down next to him. "Ravenclaw's brooch would be what? Over a thousand years old now?"

Remus nodded.

"So you're looking for a piece from the tenth or eleventh century that could fit in the palm of your hand," she added thoughtfully.

"Where are you going with this, Emma?"

"I'm just thinking, what if it slipped out of your world and into mine? What would the Muggles do with it? It could be in a museum or it could have been auctioned off for all we know and now it's sitting in some old lady's jewelry box."

Remus looked startled for a moment, then he shook his head. "No, Voldemort would have needed to get his hands on it in the mid 60's. Right about 1966, we think." He paused and his brow furrowed. "Although he could have stolen it, then created his Horcrux and put it back. Sitting in a Muggle museum for all to see would tickle his fancy and prove he was smarter than the average wizard by hiding something in plain sight."

Emma nodded. "Museum break-ins should be easy to find out about. Just go to the library and look through the microfiche."

Remus blinked and looked at her stupidly.

She chuckled. "Right, first things first. You rest here for a while, then we'll go to the library, where I'll teach you how to use microfiche."

He nodded gratefully. In truth, he was getting very discouraged looking for the brooch, and Emma's method did offer an avenue that he hadn't considered before.

"Remus, Hermione said something the other day that she couldn't explain. I'm hoping you can."

"Oh? What did she say?" he asked. He picked up his cup and sipped his tea.

"She said she could feel Harry's magic and was attracted to it, even back in their first year when she met him on the train."

Remus smiled. "Do you want to know the myth or the real answer? I can assure you, the myth is more interesting, if only from a historical perspective."

She leaned closer and took a biscuit from the platter. "Let's go with the myth first."

"Legend has it that a powerful wizard will call to unattached witches. His magic will seek them out, attracting them to him. A hundred years ago, a wizard like Harry would have dozens of witches seeking his attention because they honestly believed that mating with a powerful wizard would result in powerful children. The honor and prestige they could gain from having powerful children was incalculable.

"If this were a hundred years ago and you and Dan were wizards, you'd be actively trying to convince Hermione to bed Harry for the prestige and power it would bring to your family. The fact that Harry is growing into the most powerful wizard of this age would be a powerful attraction to any witch. They believed it was his magic calling to them, seeking a suitable mate."

He paused long enough to drink a bit of tea.

"The truth, I'm afraid, is something much more mundane. Witches have a greater degree of sensitivity to magic and are able to feel power levels in wizards, even if they aren't consciously aware of it. Studies have proven that this ability has nothing to do with mating and everything to do with the fact that they are more sensitive to magic. Some think it's so they can be more aware of what their children might be doing magically."

Leaning back in his chair, he continued. "All wizards and witches have an aura around them, a glow that represents the power level of the individual. The aura is rarely visible, although I've seen Harry's aura on several occasions. And there are people who can naturally see auras, the rest of us have to use a spell to seem them.

"I glow, but Sirius glows brighter than I do because he's a stronger wizard, although not by much. Hermione glows stronger than either of us. She's a powerful witch, one of the strongest I've ever met. But all of us are nothing compared to Harry. He doesn't glow, he stands as if he were the source of a raging cascade of magic. There are times when he's agitated that the magic literally flows off him like a waterfall.

"I suppose, in a way, Hermione senses this and recognizes that pairing with Harry would be advantageous. But that happened so far down in her subconscious that I don't think she's even aware it helped influence her."

"So this isn't a spell or something Harry did to her?" asked Emma worriedly.

Remus stared at her in horror for a moment. "You can't honestly believe that, can you? That Harry would manipulate your daughter like that? Merlin, Emma, Harry would do anything for her. He'd never hurt her like that!"

She looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for and I know Harry better than that. I'm just not sure I understand what's happening between them now that Hermione has mentioned feeling Harry's magic."

He took a moment to collect himself. He was angry and outraged that Emma would ever think something like that about Harry. But he also understood her confusion and wanted to explain it to her to help put her fears to rest.

Sighing, he raked a hand through his hair. "There's no coercion on Harry's part. His aura is mostly out of his control. No one, not even in the magical world, knows why two people fall in love. They just do. Harry and Hermione met at an important formative point in their lives and they're growing up together, each giving the other something unique."

He shook his head. "You should see Harry when Hermione leaves after the summer holiday, or after Christmas. He mopes around the house looking like he's lost his puppy. It's almost painful to watch because we know that we can't help him. That's why Sirius got those journals for them. James missed Lily quite a bit when they were apart, but that was nothing to the way Harry misses Hermione."

He paused and scowled. "We used to tease James about it, but never could with Harry. He's had it pretty rough for a while and that's something that's hard to forget. And we don't want to make the mistake of forgetting about him like we did last Halloween. The Dursleys left him with a vulnerability that I don't know if he'll ever outgrow."

Emma matched his scowl. "Yes, about that. I'm surprised that you and Sirius have done anything to the Dursleys."

"We can't," Remus replied. "Harry made us promise we wouldn't. He plans on coming down on them financially, once he turns seventeen. I think that's his only plan. He wants to show up there and hit them with an eviction notice. But he was quite clear that he didn't want us doing anything that might risk our going to Azkaban."

"You three take care of each other," she commented.

"We're family," he replied with a shrug. "My parents are dead, as are Sirius' and Harry's, so we're family. We may be small, but we're growing. Sirius is adding Cindy to the family and I think Hermione will join us as well, some day. In Harry's mind I think you and your husband have joined already."

"What about you, Remus? Isn't there room for someone special in your life?" she asked gently.

He sighed. "It would be nice, but where can one find someone willing to put up with a monster? I turn lethal for at least one night a month. That's bound to put a kink in one's love life."

Emma nodded sadly. He was right, and the odds of her finding a woman who would understand him and what he went through every month were slim. She thought about her list of unmarried friends and realized that none of them would be willing to live with that sort of problem.

Remus glanced out the window, then stood up so fast he knocked his chair over. "Oh, Merlin. Emma, get Sirius here. I think I just saw Professor McGonagall walk by in her animagus form."

Emma nodded and Remus pulled his wand, then hurried for the back door.

He skidded to a halt on the steps. Harry had the tabby in a body bind and was floating her toward the pool.

"Harry," he said nervously. "What are you planning to do?"

"Cats hate water," he replied in a matter of fact voice.

"Harry," Hermione said in a frightened tone.

He shot her a reassuring grin. "Is Sirius on his way?" he asked over his shoulder. He had levitated the cat until it floated above the middle of the pool.

"I hope so. I wouldn't want to have to try to explain this to him." Remus muttered. How could he explain how Harry had given their former Professor a hated bath?

The door opened again and Sirius and Emma stepped out, then Cindy joined them. Harry didn't turn to acknowledge their presence as he continued to hover the cat over the pool.

He gestured and the cat spun to face him.

"You know, Professor, there are laws about trespassing. I dare say the Grangers have not given permission for you to be on their property. One would think your motives for being here are less than honorable," he said in a calm tone. He was anything but calm, however. Everyone around him, even Emma and Cindy, could feel the power pouring off him.

"Harry, bring her over here and release her," Sirius said wryly. As much as he would enjoy watching his former Professor go for a swim, he knew her wrath would outweigh any amusement that might be had.

"Aw, Sirius, you can't tell me you never wanted to dunk a cat in water," Harry whined.

Sirius fought hard to keep from laughing. The look on the tabby was something he would always remember, with its ears flat and its eyes nearly popping out of its head.

"No, Harry. Set her down," he said firmly.

Harry glanced over to Hermione and she nodded, then made a few gestures with her hand.

"It's a good thing I don't like the smell of wet cat. Smells almost as bad as a wet dog," Harry said with a grin, then he directed the floating cat away from the pool.

"Hey!" protested Sirius.

Remus frowned and turned to Harry and Hermione. "Which one of you cast the anti-Apparation ward?"

Hermione suddenly blushed.

"Don't be angry with her, Remus. It's necessary," Harry said as he placed the cat on the ground near the table and released the binding.

The cat's form shifted and flowed into Professor McGonagall. She frowned at Harry, who stepped back, ready to cast a shield at a moment's notice.

"I see your powers have improved impressively, Mr. Potter," Minerva commented dryly. She kept her hand far away from her wand.

"No thanks to you or that school. I'd probably be dead if I were still there," Harry shot back. Hermione walked over to him and touched his arm, trying to calm him. He spun on his heel and walked over to where his shirt lay next to his towel. He reached down, grabbed it and put it on.

Minerva blinked at the anger in Harry's words and then she spotted the scars on his back. Scars that she and others had let happen.

"Why are you here, Minerva?" asked Sirius. "Harry's right. You're trespassing."

"I came here because I wanted to check up on Mr. Potter," she replied.

"Your concern is touching, if a bit overdue," Harry snapped. Why couldn't she have cared when I was starving and locked in the smallest bedroom? he thought. Or when Dudley burned my back and the Dursleys rarely bothered to use the prescription medicine on it?

Remus walked over to Harry and spoke to him quietly. The young man trembled with a mixture of fear and anger. He knew that if the Wizarding World discovered he still had his powers, the hunt for the Horcruxes would become a race. One he probably wouldn't win.

"You need to stay calm, Harry. You're putting out a lot of magic right now and while it won't alert the Aurors, it might result in someone from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad showing up," Remus said softly. He watched him with worried eyes. The last time Harry had been this upset had been shortly after they arrived in Fiji. He'd had a bad nightmare about being stuck in the cupboard under the stairs. It took them two days to repair the damage to the roof on that part of the house and the neighbors still didn't believe the story about a waterspout.

Harry knew that McGonagall was aware that he still had his powers and he was fine with that. But he never expected her to show up, unannounced. It jarred him badly and he was having difficulty dealing with it.

Remus glance at Hermione for a moment. "I'm going to go talk to Sirius and Minerva. Why don't you two go sit down?"

Harry nodded and let Hermione lead him over to a group of pool chairs. Cindy stepped up behind them and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder. "It will be all right," she said softly.

"Professor McGonagall won't divulge your secret, Harry. She's known about it for months and hasn't said a word," Hermione offered.

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly, trying to calm himself and ease the ball of lead sitting in the bottom of his stomach. "I know. But seeing her is a shock. She was a close friend of my parents and knew they didn't want me to live with the Dursleys," he replied quietly.

At the picnic table, another, different, but related conversation was going on.

"Honestly, I didn't think my presence would have ever invoked such anger," Minerva said. She was shaken by the events.

"What can you expect, Minerva?" asked Sirius wearily. "He views nearly everything to do with Hogwarts as part of what kept him an imprisoned slave. You saw the scars on his back. That's the Dursleys’ and Dumbledore's work. Maybe he's wrong to feel betrayed, but he does."

Remus walked over and joined them. Emma appeared a moment later, carrying a tray with tea and biscuits.

"He has his magic," McGonagall said flatly.

"Yes, but you knew that already. You also know that no one else can find out about it. Not until it's time to tell the world," Remus replied

"But why?"

"The prophecy is still valid," Remus explained. "That's what this is all about. He's out there, we've temporarily neutralized him, but there is still the potential for him to return. We need time to get Harry ready. With the rest of the Wizarding World thinking that Harry doesn't have any magic, and Voldemort being powerless, we've pulled the rug out from under any of his followers that still remain free."

"And I take it you two are providing the instruction he needs?" she asked archly.

Sirius grinned and pulled out a copy of Harry's OWL results from the Pacific Rim Ministry. She took the offered parchment and her eyes widened, seeing the scores.

"I had a feeling I might need to show you this. But how Harry is being trained is our business," Sirius said quietly. "Every class he takes is with someone at a Master level or above."

"He'll be taking his NEWTS at the end of this year, a full year early," Remus added with pride.

"Do you see why no one can know, Minerva? Don't argue with me over this. If I have to, I'll Obliviate you to protect that young man," Sirius said harshly.

"Maybe you should go calm down with Harry," Remus muttered.

"No, Remus. He's right. I'll offer an oath on my magic to keep silent if you like," Minerva said. She glanced down at the score sheet and noted the name, then she glanced over at Harry. He was holding Hermione in his arms, as if trying to draw strength from her. It was a scene she had seen before, with James and Lily.

"I can see why Harry's powers need to remain secret. But the ramifications of this when it becomes public? It is unlikely that he will be very welcome back in British society," McGonagall said.

"That's probably a good thing," Emma said, breaking her silence. "From what I've been able to see, British wizards are far too parochial and narrow-minded. When the secret comes out, the wizards in Britain will realize they were fooled by a fourteen year old boy who used their own prejudices against them. Will they be smart enough to recognize that and learn from it? I doubt it. No, Harry and Hermione will start a life for themselves elsewhere, I think. I hate the idea that we'll be so far apart, but it would be best for both of them."

Remus and Sirius exchanged amused glances. Emma had just announced exactly how she saw the future playing out and it agreed with their own ideas.

"If it comes to that and Harry doesn't provide you with a portal, I will," Sirius announced quietly.

Emma smiled her thanks, then turned her attention back to the Headmistress.

Minerva looked at her, surprised. She hadn't expected to hear such a cutting opinion of the Wizarding World from the Muggle mother of her best student.

Hermione stood and took Harry's hand, helping him to his feet. Then she walked him over to the picnic table with Cindy following them. He gripped Hermione's hand tightly in his own.

"Professor, my remarks and tone were uncalled for," he said stiffly. "I apologize."

Minerva stood and looked at him closely. He was well fed, filled out and much taller than she remembered. His skin was a golden tan and his eyes burned with suppressed magic. He stood close to Hermione, their fingers intertwined.

"No, Mr. Potter, your remarks were to the point and mostly accurate. I did fail to do my duty toward you. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. As I have told Sirius and Remus, I will give my oath that your secret will remain safe with me.

"They have explained what you are doing and why. Miss Granger's influence is obvious, considering the excellent grades you received. I dare say Hogwarts could not have done better for you," McGonagall replied. "And the school is a poorer place in your absence."

Harry nodded. He wasn't ready to completely forgive her, but he didn't like the level of anger her visit had invoked. One of his recurring nightmares was that Dumbledore had been somehow setting him up to take over for Voldemort. He didn't think he could turn into something as twisted as the Dark Lord, but it haunted his dreams nonetheless.

Cindy draped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Harry. Let's have a seat and talk like adults."

"You wouldn't have really dunked me in the water, would you, Mr. Potter? And how is it both you and Miss Granger are practicing magic?"

Harry sat down and made room for Hermione next to him. "I figured that a bath was less unsettling than killing you. As to how we can perform magic, let's just say that there is British magic, then there's the magic of other countries that's not recognized or monitored by the British Ministry, but is no less effective."

Minerva frowned. For the second time in less than ten minutes someone was pointing out a flaw in the British wizarding world.

He nodded to Hermione, who conjured a bluebell flame in her hand, then vanished it.

Minerva's lips thinned. Miss Granger's demonstration looked like wandless magic, although not as sophisticated as Mr. Potter's earlier demonstration. Wandless magic was supposed to be nearly impossible to do, and yet two students were demonstrating the skill as effortlessly as if they were using their wands to cast first year charms!

"We spend our summers learning, Professor. First, here in England, then we go to Fiji where we receive tutoring in Runes, Enchanting and Advanced Transfiguration. Hermione also gets some extra help in her Defense work from me."

Minerva blinked and stared at him. She had not expected that he was spending his summers working. This was a much different Harry Potter than the boy she once knew.

"So, what happens now?" asked Emma worriedly. In her mind, nothing had been resolved yet.

Harry shrugged. "That's up to the Professor. I would hate to have to take action against her, but I won't let her interfere with what we're doing. Her doing so would endanger you, Dan and Hermione."

Emma nodded. It was what she had expected. Harry would allow nothing that would endanger those he loved, and Lord help anyone who put Hermione in harms way. She glanced over to her daughter, who was blushing and trying hard not to smile. It reminded her that she still needed to have a private conversation with her.

Minerva pulled her wand and lifted it skyward. "I swear on my magic that I will not willingly divulge the secrets of those present."

Her wand flashed and her gaze met with Harry's for a moment. He nodded in satisfaction and Minerva breathed a sigh of relief. This was Lily's protectiveness coming into play in Harry. He wasn't sacrificing everything for a world that wouldn't care one bit for him. No, he did it for the girl who sat next to him. Harry wasn't saving the world, he was saving Hermione. The world was just going to benefit from his actions.

"Thank you, Professor," he said softly.

"Well, with that taken care of, perhaps I'll phone Dan and ask him to pick up something to cook on the grill tonight. Professor, would you like to join us for dinner?" asked Emma.

Minerva glanced at Harry, who smiled at her.

He really didn't want to be her enemy, but he wasn't quite ready to embrace her entirely. "You would be welcome, Professor."

"Thank you. I'd like to stay," Minerva replied, accepting the invitation.

Hermione grinned. She genuinely liked McGonagall and respected her.

Sirius stood and Cindy joined him. "We'll pass this time, Emma," he said as he glanced at his watch. "It's nearly four in the morning our time."

Emma nodded and the pair went back into the house to take the portal home.

Minerva watched them for a moment, then turned back to the others. "How did they get here from Fiji so quickly? And who is that woman?"

"Her name is Cindy Adams and she's going to marry Sirius," Harry said smugly. "They arrived as quickly as they did because they used a portal to move instantly from Fiji to England. It's magic proscribed by the Ministry because they want their ten galleon Portkey fee."

Minerva did a complete double take. "Someone is going to marry Sirius Black?" she exclaimed.

Remus laughed. "Yeah, that was about our reaction to the whole thing. But she's good for him, despite being a Muggle."

Minerva shook her head, marveling at the idea of it. Walburga Black must be spinning in her grave at the idea of her son marrying a Muggle.

"Remus, should we explain to the Professor everything we've been up to?" asked Harry neutrally.

Before Remus could answer, Minerva jumped in. "That won't be necessary, Mr. Potter. I will help if you think I can offer any assistance, but perhaps the less I know, the better off everyone will be."

"It may come to that, Professor," Harry replied. "We have some suspicions which, if they prove out, will mean us visiting the school again."

She shook her head."You can't, Mr. Potter. You'd be recognized in an instant and people would want to know why your back."

Harry grinned and his hair grew longer and blond. His eyes changed to a pale gray and he grew a goatee.

"A Metamorphagus!" the Headmistress exclaimed in astonishment. "I haven't seen one since Nymphadora Tonks went through school."

Harry returned his looks to normal. "It's not a well-trained talent yet. All I can do is change hair and eye color and make more hair appear. Right useful for shaving, though. I don't knick myself like I used to."

Everyone laughed.

Dan showed up a little later, bearing fresh meat from the butcher to toss on the barbecue. Harry went over to help him, while Hermione, Remus, Emma and Minerva talked about some of the differences between Britain and the rest of the Wizarding world.

Despite the rocky start, Minerva left, hours later, feeling much relieved about Harry's situation.

Hermione's House, Oxford, England, July 30th, 1996...

"Hermione, do you have a moment?" asked Emma.

She looked up from reading her Advanced Transfiguration text and nodded at her mother.

"Harry's out for his evening run?"

"Yes, he takes that very seriously."

"And there's no complaints from my daughter about his rock hard muscles, I take it?"

She blushed and shook her head.

Emma moved to sit on Hermione's bed. "So, tell me how things are going with Harry."

Hermione's eyes narrow and she looked at her mother shrewdly. "Do you want the answer to keep the parent happy or the truth?"

"I thought we could talk to each other about anything."

Hermione huffed a few times and stood up. She paced for a moment, then faced her mother. "Well, you can relax, mum. Harry's hands don't wander without permission."

Emma frowned. "I'm not trying to start a fight with you. I wanted to talk to you because I get the impression that you're getting frustrated. You're going on seventeen and you're of legal age in the Muggle world. You could be shagging him and I couldn't tell you no."

Hermione collapsed back into her chair and looked at Emma unhappily. "He's frustrating at times. I know he wants me as much as I want him, but he's got this iron self control about him. I don't think I'm ready for that final step yet. I know Harry isn't. But something is still holding him back from going any further than a good kiss."

She paused and chewed her lower lip for a moment. "You know how you'd get together with your friends and they'd complain about the men who wouldn't commit to them?"

Emma nodded. It was a common complaint among the unattached women in her social circle.

Hermione laughed softly. "He's willing to commit; no problem there. He even promised he'd ask me to marry him on my graduation day. He told me he'd ask for your blessing first, though."

"Then what's the problem, love? That he's talking about something that's still two years away?" Inwardly Emma was howling triumphantly.

"I don't know! We kiss and when things start to get too intense, he backs off," she said. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

"Does he know where his limits are?"

"His or mine?"

"Yours and his. Yours first, because to me they matter more."

"I don't know."

Emma nodded and stood. "It seems that you should be having that conversation with Harry before you go letting yourself get all frustrated because he won't step over a limit he doesn't know about."

They heard the front door close.

"Speak of the devil," Emma said with a grin. "Talk to him, dear. He's really easy to talk to and I think he's as frustrated as you are. Oh, and close the door when you do. I'd rather not have to give your father CPR tonight."

Hermione rubbed a hand over her face. Her mother was right. It was time for her to talk to him.

Emma walked out of the room and Hermione followed her. She intercepted Harry just as he was coming upstairs.

"Harry, let's go out and sit in the backyard. I want to talk with you," she said softly.

He nodded and followed her, wondering what was going on. On the way out into the deepening sunset he switched on the Granger's bug lamp so they could relax without worrying about winged invaders.

She led him over to sit at the picnic table, then sat down next him when he dropped down onto the bench tiredly.

He turned and straddled the bench. "What's wrong?"

"Do you find me attractive?"

He blinked, then frowned at her. "You know I do."

"Then why do we always stop just when things start to get so intense? Why do you back away, especially when you know I don't want you to?"

"It's not because I want to," he muttered. "It's becoming harder and harder to do so."

She shook her head "You sure know how to send mixed signals."

He grinned. "I'm an expert at that."

"So, can you explain it?" she pressed.

He looked at her intently. "You're extremely important to me. I don't think I have the words to explain just what you mean to me. And I want..." He trailed off into a whisper and looked away.

"You want what?" she asked gently.

"You," he replied. "I want you, but a part of me keeps saying you couldn't possibly want me and that you could do so much better than me. And another part says if I step over the line I'll lose the best friend I've ever had. It gets so confusing and frustrating."

He sighed in frustration. He didn't have any answers. His dreams were filled with a scantily clad Hermione and his nightmares were her rejecting him for doing something he shouldn't.

When she laughed, he turned back to her, surprised. He wasn't sure if she was laughing at him or not.

"Hermione?"

"We're more alike than I ever realized. We have similar fears. I want you too, and I'm afraid that some pretty girl will take you away from me or that I'll lose you as a friend."

"There is no girl prettier than you," he countered heatedly.

She was thankful that in the darkness he couldn't see the blush she could feel heating her cheeks.

"What do you want me to do, Hermione?" he asked, his voice laced with frustration. "I'd do anything to make you happy, but I won't use Legilimency on you just to find out what you want. Remember what I said after Sirius' talk? I need you to tell me." He reached out and caressed her cheek with his fingertips.

"I want us to start doing more. Maybe not that," she countered when his hand jerked back suddenly. "But there is more we can do."

"Things that result in more cold showers or fewer?" he asked with a teasing grin.

She grinned back. "Fewer hopefully. And we'll have bookspace this coming year..."

"This is my NEWT year," he reminded her.

"Think of this way. This year I'll be there to help ease the tension of your NEWTS and next year you can do the same for me," she countered.

"You drive a hard bargain, but you've convinced me."

He leaned in and kissed her. His hand slid up to cup her breast and her eyes sprang open. She squeaked and moved back. Harry immediately looked ashamed of himself. "I'm s-s-sorry," he stammered.

She blinked and quickly closed the distance between them. "No, don't be. You startled me, that's all. You didn't do anything wrong," she whispered, then she grabbed his hand and pulled it up to place over her breast again. "I want you to touch me. That's what this whole conversation has been about."

He leaned closer to her, then glanced at the pool. A light had come on, casting a reflection on the surface of the water. "I think your parents are watching," he murmured.

Hermione looked up and sighed. "We'll find some time to ourselves."

He chuckled and leaned back after removing his hand. "We will. But for now, I don't want to damage the trust your parents have in us. Can we wait until they've gone to work? Your parents mean a lot to me. I don't want them to get angry with us."

"Me, either," she admitted.

He turned on the bench and stretched his legs out, leaning against the table. "This is going to be a long year with me studying for NEWTS, but everything will change once they're over. Have you thought about that?"

She turned and leaned her head against his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Once I take my NEWTS I'll be returning to Britain to hunt for Nagini, or helping Remus find that blasted brooch, then hunting for Nagini. I'll be able to meet you in Hogsmeade. We'll be closer," he said.

She shivered listening to him. His voice had dropped a register while he spoke. The thought of meeting 'Evan' thrilled her. Lavender will scream the first time she meets him, she thought viciously. It was a comforting thought.

"I hadn't thought of it like that," she murmured.

He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "We'll get there. Let's just take things one step at a time. But never doubt how much I need you."

He stood and offered her his hand. He was right. Her parents weren't exactly watching from the window, but they passed it far too often for it to be a coincidence. There would be other times for them to test the limits.

Taking his hand, she let him pull her to her feet. He kissed her softly, then wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked toward the house.

Author's Notes:

Bob peeked out from behind the curtain and was startled to find Alyx filling in a hole.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Alyx whirled around and tried to hide the shovel behind her back.

"Nothing! Just waiting for you!"

Bob eyed the partially filled in hole with suspicion. It looked like a grave.

Suddenly Generic Reader #6 poked his head above the dirt. "I'M NOT DEAD YET!"

Alyx whirled and smacked him in the head with the shovel and he fell back into the dirt silent. She then turned to Bob and tried to kick some dirt over the body's face. "Yes? Was there something?" she asked innocently.

Bob took a step backwards. "It's time for Author's notes," he blurted.

She nodded. "Alright, I'll be right there, you start without me!"

Bob backed away and turned to the audience. "Right then... and now the author's notes."

sanghamitra — Donuts, they are a mystery that only the truly enlightened will understand. Just be thankful that you do not have to understand donuts to understand our stories.

AK — While you're giving lessons on science, look up the meaning of the word fiction please.

Graup — McNair is trying to capitalize on Harry's fame. He is an Ex-Death Eater and using Harry's fame and reputation to further his own goals. Harry left the wizarding world long before he had established himself as Dumbledore's man, or solidly opposed to Voldemort. As to Scrimgeour, he is just your typical power hungry politician.

And no, Nagini will not be turned into something good, unless you count the snake skin shoes.

Ron will turn out alright eventually, but he needs to grow up some first. Ginny is pretty much in the same boat as Ron, but they are not pivotal to this story like they are in canon.

For the Brit pickers. We ain't Brits. So yes, they are going to "graduate". Live with it. Besides, we needed it for the story and you should be used to us pulling stuff out of our butts by now.

Beta'ing by Keith and Dorothy. Sorry guys, Dorothy made me pull the orgy scene involving Flitwick, Sprout, Griphook and Fang.

No Alpacas were harmed in the making of this chapter, but I stepped on a lemming while emailing it to Alyx. She put it in that night's stew. Someone send me a toothpick! Lemmings are stringy!

Special Notice:

This story is character driven as opposed to our usual event driven stories. It's centered around Harry and Hermione and their developing relationship. Both characters suffer from some key insecurities which will plague them for at least two more chapters before it goes totally away.

We're trying to work on a realistic relationship where the couple doesn't fall into bed within the second chapter of the story. As a result they will be having talks every so often as they deal with their insecurities. If this bothers you and turns you off, do yourself and us a favor and stop reading. Don't bother leaving a review saying you don't like it. This is a departure from our usual writing style and we're experimenting.

Key events will continue to be seen from the perspective of the principle characters even when they are not directly involved. That alone is a major change for how we write.

Back to:: Harry Potter » The Power of the Press

The Power of the Press
Chapter 4 - Year Five Continued

By Bobmin

The Power of the Press Chapter 4 - Year Five Continued

By Bobmin

The Power of the Press
Chapter 4 - Year Five Continued