Petrificus Totalus
After watching the two Weasleys disapparate Hermione led a very thoughtful Harry back into the house, and without stopping she led him straight up stairs to his bedroom, where she began to try make up for some of the damage she had done to their relationship.
"Hermione," Harry gasped as he came up for air from the first kiss and gently pushed her away.
"Yes love,"
"While we were waiting for Mr Weasley, I was thinking, and I don't get it, why would Ginny fancying me stop you from kissing me and doing things like holding my hand, or just sitting with me while we tried to watch that fuzzy display you call TV?" Harry asked
"Well I…" she began before Harry cut her off.
"I just don't get it, see, I thought you really loved me, you know, the real thing getting married and all that, kind of love, I mean I still kissed you and held your hand even when I knew it was upsetting my so called best friend, it never occurred to me to hide these feelings I have for you, I just don't get it." Harry sat down on the bed his shoulders slumped over; the hurt in his eyes was still there just as it had been when he had made to leave earlier.
Hermione stood with her mouth open, she had no idea she had hurt him so much, she realised that he must have been thinking about the past few days, he was reliving all the times she had pushed him away, all the rejection she had shown toward him, and she had no idea what to say.
"I think I should go back to the Dursleys for a few days," he suddenly said as he got up and opened his trunk.
Hermione was beginning to panic, she felt as though her world was falling apart and she had no idea what to say or do.
"I… I was trying to spare a young girl's feelings, I didn't want to rub it in her face that we were together…" she knew when she said it that it sounded futile.
"See that's the part I don't get," he said as he chucked his few possessions into his trunk and shut the lid, "do you think more of Ginny's feelings than mine?" he asked before he started to pick up his trunk by the handle nearest to the door, "how she feels is more Important than how I felt when you wouldn't kiss me, or hug me, or hold my hand, is that what you are trying to tell me?" Harry threw the last of his shirts into the trunk "you don't need to see me to the door; I'll get the knight bus to the Dursleys." With that he tightened his grip on his trunk and began to drag it to the door.
The spell hit Harry squarely between the shoulder blades as he opened the door. "Petrificus Totalus," Hermione screamed as she pointed her wand at him.
Harry froze in the door way, slowly falling backward onto his trunk, Hermione was furious, not with Harry, but with herself as she thought about just how absolutely stupid she had been, and the stupid reason she had come up with, years of longing for him to notice she was a girl, years of trying to hide her feelings for him because she thought he didn't feel the same way, years of loving him, and now that they were finally together it looked like she had blown it. As he had opened the bedroom door something inside her seemed to snap.
"You are going nowhere Harry James Potter, you are a wizard and you are my fiancée, and you are going to listen to what I have to say," she shouted at him before she levitated him over on to his bed.
The thunder of feet rushing up the stairs was lost on Hermione as her mind spun wildly trying to think of a way to prove her love for the man she would willingly die for.
Sirius was the first to enter the room closely followed by Hermione's parents, "What the heck," Sirius said looking at Harry lying stiff as a board on the bed.
"He was going to leave me," Hermione sobbed.
"Well do you blame him?" Sirius asked pulling out his own wand "you've been so cold toward him I'm surprised he stuck it out so long."
"Hermione love, what have you done?" Mrs Granger asked looking worriedly at Harry.
"He was going to leave me mum," she sobbed again "I've loved him with all my heart since the day we first met, and I waited all these years for him to notice me, I cant remember how many nights I cried myself to sleep because he didn't seem to love me back, then I go and cock it all up because I was afraid Ginny would take him away again…" she trailed off as her mother took her into her arms.
"Did you tell Harry all this," Sirius asked still looking at his petrified godson.
Harry lay on the bed silently screaming at them to free him, then as he listened to Hermione a small tear escaped his eye and trickled down his cheek, he remembered how she had always dealt with things using her head and ignoring her heart, he knew she relied on logic and books to much, he suddenly realised she had done the 'logic' thing again, and she had yet again gone about things the wrong way.
Then he remembered just how much she did love him, and it no longer mattered to him what she had done over the past few days, he thought back over all the things they had been through, things that proved her love for him so much more than any kiss, or hug, or word, could ever do, all he wanted to do now was to get up and hold her in his arms. He tried to move his eyes to plead with Sirius to free him but it was impossible.
"Hermione love, for the past few days you treated him almost like a stranger, if he wants to leave you have let him go, give him time to think it over, now you set him free," Mrs Granger said firmly before she turned and ushered the two men standing behind her out of the room and followed them.
Hermione sat down on the edge of the bed and wiped her tears away, "Harry, I love you with all my heart, and I'm sorry I messed up, I'm going to free you now, please don't be too mad with me, I just… I love you." more tears began to fall down her face as she stood and once again pointed her wand at him and whispered "Finite."
Harry reached for her hand as she moved away from the bed, pulling her till she was forced to sit down next to his pillow, still lying on the bed he then shuffled around a little until he could rest his head in her lap, neither of them spoke as Hermione began to run her free hand through his messy yet silky hair, Harry looked up into her eyes and then gently squeezed the hand he still had a hold of, then he put his free arm around her waist and buried his head into the softness of her stomach squeezing her tightly.
Hermione let her tears fall and gently ran her hand through his silky hair as he held her tight, she knew then exactly how much he did love her, thoughts of how cold hearted she had been for the past few days entered her mind letting her know how close she had come to driving him away, after all what boy would want to be with cold hearted girl who showed him no affection at all, she thanked what ever deity might be in charge realising she had come so very close to ruining her chances and losing him for a second time.
They stayed holding each other like that for what seemed to have been a wonderful piece of eternity until Mrs Granger shouted up to them "Hermione love is everything ok."
Rolling onto his back "We're fine Mum," Harry shouted, a huge smile breaking out on his face "absolutely fine."
"No hanky panky up there," came Sirius's voice with a small laugh in it.
"I think we should go down sweetheart," Harry said quietly.
"I love you so much Mr Potter," Hermione said as she leant over and kissed him tenderly.
"No kissing on the bed," Harry said when she broke the kiss "you never know what might happen." Then he chuckled and sat up.
"Harry James Potter! I have no idea what you mean," Hermione said pouting "besides we're not ready for that yet."
"We weren't ready to face a mountain troll either," Harry said laughing before jumping up from the bed pulling her with him "come on you, before my sixteen year old teenage hormones take over and I ravish that delectable body."
Once down in the kitchen Mrs Granger asked if everything was ok, as the two teenagers nodded she gave a sigh, "Good so have you got some thing you two want to tell me?"
Both Harry and Hermione looked at her as though she was crazy, then looked at each other questioningly.
"What's all this with Harry calling me mum?" Mrs Granger asked looking sideways at them.
"Oh that," Harry said looking at Hermione.
"Yes, oh that," Mrs Granger answered.
"Well Harry and I, we are sort of, well that is Harry asked me, and I said yes, and so we are sort of, you know, engaged," Hermione said rather quietly.
"Thank goodness for that," Mrs Granger sighed as she placed a hand over her heart "for a while there I thought you were, I thought I was going to be a…"
"Mum!" Hermione exclaimed rather loudly.
Harry stood and scratched his head "What did I do this time?"
"Mum thought I was pregnant," Hermione almost squeaked.
"You'd think we'd remember some thing like that, well I mean we would don't you think?" Harry said grinning.
"Harry, my mum thought I was going to have a baby, this is no time for silly grins," Hermione said looking really annoyed at her mother and Sirius who had started to chuckle.
"There's a simple explanation dear," Mrs Granger said scowling at both her husband and Sirius, "After all the yelling, and the spell, and then it went all quiet up stairs, Sirius said that when witches get pregnant they get all hormonal, refusing to speak one minute and yelling the next and throwing spells around, and you seemed…"
"I think you should stop before you dig a hole you can't get out of dear," Mr Granger said as he moved forward and hugged his daughter "Congratulations love, and you Harry," he said letting Hermione go.
"Dad please tell me, you didn't think we were having sex as soon as we were old enough," Hermione said eyeing her parents.
"Well you are a very beautiful young woman, and Harry probably finds you very desirable…" dad stammered.
"Now look who's digging a hole," Sirius laughed.
"I don't know, I rather agree with that," Harry chimed in "I mean about being beautiful, and desirable, not the having sex thing, though I would like to… er I don't mean have sex, well not right now, I mean later, but not like later tonight, I mean… I'll shut up, I think," he added when he saw the look of horror Hermione gave him.
Sirius was roaring with laughter, while Mr Granger was really beginning to blush. Mrs Granger was having trouble not laughing, Harry was so much like her husband in quite a few ways and she could see why Hermione loved him so much.
Five minutes later while Mrs Granger was in the kitchen making some tea, Dad and Sirius had sat down to watch a video; Mr Granger was trying to explain how the remote control worked. Harry and Hermione were walking arm in arm around the garden.
"Harry James Potter, I can't believe you told my parents you want to have sex with me," Hermione said chuckling quietly.
"Did you see your dads face, and I thought your mum was going to explode," Harry said his face going red again.
"Well I don't think it was something they wanted to hear," she laughed "but you did look sort of cute all red faced like that."
"Well I meant every word, maybe not quite the way the words actually came out, what I wanted to say was I would like for us to have a baby, you know be a mum and dad some day," Harry declared "though the having sex part sounds good too."
"Harry!"
"Well its true, teenage hormones and all that, I mean I am only human and you really are a beautiful and sexy woman and I… I think I'll shut up again," he said as they turned toward the house.
They arrived at the kitchen door at the same time as an owl delivered a letter, Mrs Granger was just feeding the owl a treat when Harry and Hermione sat down at the table, both were curious about who had sent the letter.
"It's for you," Mrs Granger said as she read the address "looks like Ron's writing." She handed the letter to Hermione.
Hermione read the letter and Harry watched as she first smiled then frowned, gradually as she read her face began to show anger and then disgust.
She handed it to Harry when she had read it.
Dear Hermione
I am sorry I have not written to you sooner, I am writing to apologise for the way I acted toward you and Harry, I really should have been more understanding, after all you are a very clever witch and you know what you are doing.
I am still in the hospital; you may have heard I have been a little ill.
My Healer tells me I am now on the road to recovery.
Well as I said I should have been a little more understanding, I realise now that you only went out with Harry to make me jealous, and I must say it did work for a while, but I am now quite willing to forgive you as soon as you ask.
Like I said you are a clever witch and you will no doubt finish with the boy who lived just as soon as I tell you how I feel, which is no doubt what you have been waiting for.
I mean we both know that you don't really feel anything for him, I mean how can you, he's always been a miserable and moody person, remember how he yelled at us earlier in the year when he arrived at Grimmauld place, how could anyone fancy someone like that.
What I want you to do when you next see him I want you to tell him it is all over, and then as soon as I get out of here you and I can get together again as a couple, I'm sure you will be much happier with me now that I have forgiven you.
You will of course guessed from this letter how I feel about you, I look forward to your reply.
Ron.
"You were never a couple," was all Harry could say.
"How dare he, how bloody dare he," Hermione seethed
"Language Hermione," Harry said suddenly finding the whole thing funny.
"That evil two faced… ugh, as if, I wouldn't give up half an hour with you for a whole life time with him," she said still seething.
"Why don't you write him a reply and say how sorry we are he won't be at our engagement party this Saturday, and you could also add that we are sorry he can't be at our wedding either, we are sorry about him being in the mental ward but we hope he is getting on ok with his fellow inmate Lockhart," Harry said still smiling.
"Engagement party? This Saturday?" Mrs Granger said spilling some milk.
"Yes I'll ask Dumbledore if we can hold it at Hogwarts right after I destroy those Horcrux things," Harry replied seriously "I could ask him about the wedding ceremony as well, being as we are both Muggle raised there might be something we need to do before we can get married."
"Harry we could have a Muggle wedding, we are both old enough to marry in the muggle world, all we need are parental signatures" Hermione said rather quietly.
"Hermione Jane Granger, you can't possibly be thinking of getting married so young," Mrs Granger gasped.
"Yes I can mum, I want to fulfil my dream, I don't want to wait until this war is over, or to wait to find out if we both survive, I've wanted to be Harry's wife since the day we first met, I don't want to wait any longer," Hermione said looking at Harry "If he still wants me, that is."
Harry's mouth was opening and closing, his eyes wide with surprise his brain seemed disconnected from his tongue that was not responding to his command to say yes.
"Harry, say something please," Hermione said looking as though she was about to cry again.
"Saturday," was all Harry managed to say before Hermione enveloped him in a bone crushing hug.