Chapter 9: Curious Things and MysteriesNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text"Good afternoon, Professor Snape," Harry said as he walked with some of his house mates on their way down the hall and passed by the man. The others with Harry gave out similar greetings following his lead. Professor Snape had been acting different lately and not just because of his limp. People have been treating him more warily hoping to not get his ire. Harry was being only a little more respectful and polite than usual. He was pretty sure Professor Snape would sniff out a suck up and that would earn his ire.
"Afternoon," Professor Snape grumbled as he limped past them. He then growled out to a different group, "You there! Five points from Gryffindor. You know those items are banned from the hallways."
"Not fair!" Ron said with a frown. He left it alone though after that. All of Gryffindor knew Professor Snape was in an even fouler mood lately and didn't press their luck as much as they usually did with him. The professor merely glowered one last time as he continued limping away.
"I really hope that leg is hurting him a lot," Ron said with a glower of his own at the Potions Professor's back. The others with Ron nodded in agreement as they all decided to leave the area quickly but not too quickly.
"I'm really glad I'm not in Gryffindor…" Hermione started.
"I've heard Professor Snape has been extra tough on them in class," Susan said.
"I've heard they also keep bringing it on themselves," Hannah said.
Harry, after a moment, said to the others, "I'll see you all back in Hufflepuff. There's something I need to check now that I think about it."
"See you later then," the girls said to him in turn. Hermione hoped maybe he would share whatever it was later, but didn't press him. Harry nodded to them as he started to walk away. There was something on his mind.
[-] [-] [-]
One of the many skills Harry learned while with the Knights, and despite his age, was how to follow someone without being noticed. Harry found Professor Snape's limb rather odd. There was a very good healer at the school, yet for some reason Professor Snape hadn't gone to Madam Pomfrey for medical aid. Professor Snape kept limping around the school and would pause every so often to look around him. It was almost as if he sensed someone following him. Harry decided to continue more carefully.
Soon they were at what Harry knew was the Staff Lounge. Harry flattened himself against the wall as he looked around the corner. Professor Snape looked both ways quickly before entering the break room and Harry moved closer.
The professor gave a sigh as he grumbled aloud, "How the bloody hell are you supposed to keep an eye on all three heads?" Filch was busy wrapping the professor's leg. "I wouldn't have to worry about this if Professor Dumbledore listened to me," Snape griped.
"I know what you mean, Professor. The headmaster still refuses to let me bring back some of the old punishments. That would straighten out these brats," Filch said.
"It isn't the same," Professor Snape said as he winced while Filch tightened a bandage. "Careful…" the potions' master warned.
"Well, I ain't the school healer. Why don't you just go to her?" Filch griped.
"You know why I can't…" Professor Snape said as they fell into silence for a moment.
If he went to Pomfrey with this level of an injury, she would quickly heal him but have to make a report for Professor Dumbledore. The Headmaster would then call Snape to his office and question him while again ignoring Professor Snape's warnings. The argument would end with Dumbledore telling him to stop his investigation into the matter or something else along those lines and ignore all he was told.
"You know why the headmaster mentioned the corridor like that at the feast?" Filch asked. "I wanted him to say something, but not like that. I'm surprised we haven't caught more brats trying to sneak a peek."
Professor Snape gave a scoff. "I know what you mean… Telling curious children not to do something because it is too dangerous is just begging them to do so," he said as Filch nodded in agreement.
Harry then left quickly. He had the answer to the question he wondered about at the moment. It was curious that Professor Snape was visiting that corridor and trying to get past the dog. He wasn't sure what to think on the matter. It was suspicious, but he didn't think the Professor was trying to steal whatever it was. If he was, why would he easily share so much with Filch? What was it Professor Snape spoke to the Headmaster about? So many questions and things to think on and look into.
Harry rounded the corner shortly before Professor Snape grumbled to Filch. "The damn door is open! Close it," he ordered. Filch did so after he quickly looked up and down the hall to make sure no one was overhearing them.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry put down a book as he lay in his bed that night. He bought the book over the summer in addition to his school books. He had placed it in his trunk towards the bottom. He meant to start reading it sooner, but Hogwarts was exciting and he got wrapped up in it all. He looked over the cover of the old book again. It had light brown binding and gold letters spelling out the title, "Intention: The Key to All".
The book was very fascinating. When he got it at Flourish and Blotts, the clerk was surprised he found it somewhere in the store. "It's really just seen as a conversation piece if anything. That's why it isn't printed anymore or really seen as valuable. There are still copies scattered around, but that's it," the man said to him as he rang him up.
Harry decided that decision by the wizarding world was stupid. The book was fascinating and had a lot of interesting information well thought out and explained. He realized what the problem was after reading about the author. Not only was the author a muggleborn, he was also a Hufflepuff. Most decided this meant he didn't really understand what he was talking about. While they didn't run him out of society, they didn't really give him much credence when it came to magic studies. The tome was also from a long time ago when muggleborns were underestimated even more than they were now.
The book mostly talked about how intention was a huge part of magic. It mentioned how it was important for silent casting. Harry knew this was true, because they had seen Tonks cast silently a few times. Hermione, being the inquisitive cutie she was, immediately asked questions. She sort of left it once Tonks told them it was stuff they learned about in sixth year, even Hermione didn't think she was ready for sixth year material in her first year. She would probably wait until third year for that level of material.
The book Harry was reading went even further with the intention thing then silent casting. It talked about how you could completely change the results of a spell based on your intention with it. The author even said you could, with enough practice, cast a spell with a completely different spell's effect. One example the author shared was casting a jelly leg jinx which in reality was a blasting curse. He even theorized you could cast the curse of death which instead acted like a stunner, thus giving the appearance of death but actually just stunning the target. It was not something he recommended trying on another human though.
Harry had read more in the book. While it was a lot about spell casting, it even said that intention and practice could be the key to unlocking more wandless magic. There was even mention of a ritual to help you commune with your core and better understand your own magic. It was mentioned to be careful with doing such a ritual, but how wonderful the results could be. The book was extremely interesting to Harry. He really liked magic, especially if it could be very useful.
Harry planned on reading more of the book and practicing some of the things it mentioned in the future. He liked the idea of silent casting. It may be a sixth-year skill, but did that mean you had to wait that long to practice it? He didn't think so. It would probably be a lot of hard work for someone so young, but he was a Hufflepuff and hard work was never something he would shy away from in his life. He was pretty sure wandless magic was a good way off for him though, but he would read all about it anyways.
The green-eyed boy gave a yawn and a stretch. It was time for sleep now. He would be focusing on DADA tomorrow along with Hermione to see if they picked up on anything from Professor Quirrell.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry sighed. Hermione couldn't help but nod in equal sentiment from next to him. After their talk regarding Professor Quirrell over Halloween, it seemed to become even more obvious he was up to something and faking his stutter. It seemed so obvious; Harry was wondering if they were both suffering from some form of confirmation bias. If you believe something hard enough, you will find proof you are right, even if you are completely wrong.
"Was it really always this obvious?" Hermione whispered to him.
"It seemed so to me," Harry whispered back.
"What are we whispering about?" Hannah asked jokingly from the other side of Harry.
"The stutter," Harry replied. Hannah had a questioning look on her face. "We'll tell you later," Harry said to her. She nodded and they went back to pretending they were paying attention to the class.
Once they were dismissed, Hannah and Susan left quickly with everyone else as was usually case. Everyone was eager to get out of the classroom. Harry and Hermione hung back a little. Hermione gave out a frustrated sigh. "I can't believe him!" she said with almost a growl when they were alone. She really didn't like teachers slacking. "I think you're right, Harry. It can't be real."
"Yeah. I just wish I knew why he was faking it," Harry said.
"I guess we'll tell the others back in the dorm?" she asked. Harry nodded. She sighed and shook her head. "I'm going to the library," she said before marching off. Harry gave a smile and a chuckle at she retreated in a huff. She really hated how wasteful she felt the class was, even before finding out about the stutter. She always made a habit of going straight to the library to look over the day's chapter again.
Later that day after Hermione returned, their dorm gathered up together and Harry and Hermione explained it all to Hannah and Susan. Susan gave a few blinks as she gave a thoughtful look. "I think you two are on to something. I don't know what though. It does seem rather obvious thinking about it now," she said.
"The worst part is whatever is going on he will get away with faking it. No one else for the job really," Hannah said with a sigh.
"It sounds like we will have to take our DADA study more in our own hands," Harry said.
Tonks then came in and said to them, "That's how its always been for that class really. You should find a time and place to practice the spells and look up more information. If you want a good grade in the class for your fifth year or want to take the NEWT for it, you should start studying it on your own. It can be risky so be careful. The best option would be a private tutor, but a good one is hard to come by even for someone raised in the magical world outside of Hogwarts. You would still have to cram during the Holiday and summer break. You aren't allowed to bring a private tutor to Hogwarts."
Hermione frowned to that. She looked to Harry in silent question. Harry was in thought before he shook his head to her quickly. Hermione got the message. It wasn't time to bring Tonks in on their concerns regarding Professor Quirrell.
"Something on your mind? Hermione?" Tonks asked.
Hermione took on a thoughtful expression for a moment. She had to think up something to ask. Fortunately, there were always many things on her mind and so she picked something to ask. "I was wondering if there were other magical abilities like your Metamorphmagus talents. Meaning other magics that are given to you from birth or inherited," she asked.
"My abilities weren't inherited, but I believe it is possible that any children I have are more likely to be metamorphs. There are abilities like that though. The Inner Eye, which is what seers call their ability to give prophecies, is the most commonly known even if it is fairly rare. You also have Veela and their Allure," Tonks said.
"Allure?" Hermione asked.
"It is essentially super powered magical charged sexual attractiveness. It works really well on men, but can also effect women. Veela appear extraordinarily beautiful to everyone. People will do what they can to try and get their attention no matter how stupid or dangerous. I've heard strong will power is a way to avoid being over taken by it. Older more experienced Veela can turn it on and off. When they are younger, it can just happen suddenly. This ability is severely lessened when you get to people being an eighth or less Veela. By that point, they are just naturally seen as a bit more attractive than their peers. No innate magical enhancement," she explained.
Tonks gave a sigh. "Honestly though, there are many magical abilities that could be inherited, but have been around for so long they're normal for most and don't see them as such anymore. Though I would say one of the rarest inherited magical abilities is Parseltongue," she said.
Hannah and Susan gave a shudder to that. Tonks frowned to them. "I know what people think of that, but it isn't really evil," she said.
"But. You-Know-Who was a parselmouth…" Hannah said quietly.
"He was also a magic user. Would you say all magic users are evil simply because he was?" Tonks asked. She didn't like Hufflepuffs acting that way.
"Well... No. That's different though?" Hannah said unsure.
"What is Parseltongue exactly?" Hermione asked.
"The ability to speak with snakes. Salazar was probably the most famous and that's why Slytherin has a snake as their mascot," Tonks said.
"Wait… I've done that before," Harry said in shock.
"You have?!" Hannah asked in worry as she tried to lean further away from Harry but wasn't moving from her spot.
Harry gave a slow nod. "I didn't know what it was until now. I had a conversation with a Boa Constrictor in a zoo this summer. I also accidentally vanished the glass and he left. It was actually a bit funny and a little sad. He kept talking about how he was on his way to go see Brazil," he said.
Hermione gave a chuckle to that. "That really is quiet the journey," she said. She wanted to make sure Harry knew she wasn't wary of his ability like Hannah was.
Hannah frowned in thought and worry. Tonks gave her a stern look before she turned to Harry and said, "As Hannah… decided to demonstrate for us. People see it as a dark art."
Hannah blushed and Susan looked to her a little in concern. "Is this going to be a problem?" she asked her friend. Susan really didn't want there to be a line drawn in the sand between her roommates.
"I… I don't think so. I mean…" Hannah started. She looked up to Harry and said, "You're Harry Potter. You're in Hufflepuff…"
"Like I was trying to say. It isn't really bad being a Parselmouth. That doesn't mean you're any more likely to go dark than the fact you are born a witch or wizard," Tonks said.
Hannah frowned to that in thought. Hermione frowned as she decided to stick up for her first friend even more. "It sounds to me believing someone is evil simply because they have Parseltongue as an ability is just as bad as thinking all Hufflepuffs are dumb just because they are in Hufflepuff," she said.
Hannah sighed. "Okay… Just… Please Harry… Don't go around speaking in snake to everyone or something," she said.
"No problem. I didn't even use it intentionally the only time I have," Harry said.
Hannah seemed a little more at ease and then blushed a little in shame. This was Harry. He was a friend and one of her roommates. She knew him fairly well by this point. Harry made a point of being fairly open with them right from the start.
"Is it going to be a problem for you, Susan?" Tonks then asked. She was fulfilling her duties as RA and making sure there wasn't an issue with her charges. She also really hoped her cute firsties weren't about to fight with each other.
Susan quickly shook her head. "It is a bit of an odd revelation, but I don't think it is a problem," she said. She then turned to Harry and said, "Though… You probably shouldn't go around sharing it with others too easily. Maybe some more of our house mates eventually, but still be careful."
"Thanks. I will. I'm just glad I learned it isn't something common in the magical world now, instead of later when it might have been a problem. I thought it was something regular in the magical world," Harry said.
"Like I said. It is rare," Tonks said.
Hermione gave a frown in thought. "Has anyone ever thought to look more into it? I just wonder because there are medical and healing symbols that use snakes. The most well-known being the Rod of Asclepius. In the muggle world, that symbol was adopted by a lot of health organizations. I know it is rooted in Greek Mythology for muggles, but like many things as I've learned, that symbol could actually have roots in the magical world as well," she said.
"Huh…" Tonks said in thought. "I don't know. Perhaps that is something to look into carefully." Hermione's eyes lit up in excitement. She had yet another thing to research and it looked like she wasn't the only one thinking this.
"I hope so. I'll look into it as well. I want to change how people see things for the better. This is something else I can add to the list. I really would like it if this ability could be used to help heal people," Harry said.
Hannah, to her silent shame, felt more relieved hearing those words. If Harry was wanting to know more about Parseltongue for the purposes of helping, then it was even less likely he was secretly dark. She hoped he found something and proved it to everyone else as well.
[-] [-] [-]
As November continued in full swing, most of the school was getting pumped for Quidditch season. Quidditch was the best sport ever according to some. Harry thought it more complicated than anything really. The sport consisted of two teams and played on a field while using brooms with three hoops on each end.
A team consisted of three chasers, two beaters, a seeker and a keeper. The chasers used a red rubber ball called the Quaffle, which they used to score a goal in any of the hoops worth ten points each. The beaters used bats to smack two hard rubber balls at any player trying to knock them off balance or their broom, while also sometimes guarding their own. The keeper kept the opposing chasers from scoring a goal. The seeker was the oddest position. They tried to catch a small golden ball with wings which ended the game and scored their team 150 points regardless of if that won them game or not, which it usually did but wasn't guaranteed. The game did sound kind of fun, but really odd. Then again, most things in the wizarding world could be classified as odd, but fun.
The first Quidditch match of the season was coming up soon and everyone was excited for it. Slytherin and Gryffindor in particular since they would be the opening game. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were also getting excited for the first game and many were rooting for Gryffindor, even if there were again worries about the seeker this year. Harry learned Gryffindor was actually a pretty good team, but they had yet to find a really good seeker to match the rest of the team's skills.
While most were getting pumped for Quidditch, Harry and Hermione were on their way to meet with Hagrid again. It was just the two of them this time. Harry smiled as he knocked on the door to Hagrid's hut.
"Good ta see you two again! Come on in," Hagrid greeted them as he answered the door. "Are you two excited about the upcoming game?" he asked with a grin.
"A little bit. I'm curious about the sport. It sounds like something you have to see to really get though," Harry said.
"Aye. That it is. Yer father played for Gryffindor. He was a great Chaser. One of the best. Made him mighty popular with the girls, but as I have pointed out before… heh heh… That didn't impress your mom much. Though she did later finally admit she liked watching him play," Hagrid said with a friendly grin.
"I think it sounds dangerous…" Hermione said with a worried frown.
"It can be. Especially when ya get to the pros, but all teams have really great healers. Madam Pomfrey is one of the best healer you'll find, so any injuries that might result from the game are usually easily taken care of," Hagrid said.
"Still sounds dangerous… But I do want to watch at least the first game," Hermione said with a smile as she took the offered tea cup from Hagrid.
"What do you think, Harry? Any thoughts on trying out next year? I've heard ye are pretty impressive at flying," Hagrid said.
"I don't know. I'm getting a broom, but while I love flying, I'm not sure about playing Quidditch. Draco and a few others said I could probably be a good seeker with my build and how I was in Flying Lessons," Harry said.
"I can see that," Hagrid said nodding. "Then again. Cedric is really good, so you would have a challenge trying to replace him on the Hufflepuff team. But like ye said. Flying ain't the same as playing Quidditch."
"I'll agree you're really good at flying, Harry. And it is obvious you love it," Hermione said. She then gave a warm smile as she added, "You did teach me how to fly and got me over my fear of heights when on a broom at least."
"That sounds like a story," Hagrid said with a grin.
"Harry gave me private lessons. I was foolishly worried about looking bad in front of the whole of our year during the lessons. When we were on our own though, it was different. I really came to like flying. I will never do so alone though. I really prefer company when flying," Hermione admitted. She left unsaid how much she hoped that company would almost always include Harry. She had wonderful and embarrassing dreams regarding private lessons with Harry.
"Good to hear. Flying is wonderful, especially with great company. I'm lucky to have that flying motorcycle. I'm a bit on the big side for brooms, so I wouldn't get to really experience it otherwise for the most part," Hagrid said with a hearty chuckle.
"She really came to like it. We got a little carried away that first time," Harry said.
"Really?" Hagrid asked.
Hermione blushed cutely. "We ummm… Almost got caught out past curfew, by Filch," she said avoiding eye contact at the moment while daintily sipping her tea.
"How did you two avoid that?" Hagrid curiously asked. He was very much an eager audience.
"We kind of… broke one of the rules by accident. We dived into a room that was on the third-floor corridor. I still don't know why such a large three headed dog is allowed in the castle with such a small room," Harry said.
"Ye met Fluffy?!" Hagrid asked almost white with panic.
"That's its name?!" Hermione asked in shock. She would have laughed at the cutesy name if Hagrid didn't seem so worried.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't ye name him? I take care of him," Hagrid said. He then frowned as he said, "Ye weren't supposed to find him…"
Harry was a little worried so he quickly added, "We didn't mean to. We were worried about Filch finding us. Besides… Hermione was able to get inside that room with just an unlocking charm. It isn't like we blew a hole in the wall or something."
"It shouldn't have been that easy to get inside," Hermione said with a frown of her own.
Hagrid gave a heavy side. "No. It shouldn't have been. I'll have ta talk to the professors about that. Since ye two got in there by mistake, I'll leave yer names out of it," he said.
"Thank you, Hagrid," Harry said with more relief than he liked.
"But you two best not be poking yer noses around that there place again. Fluffy is Dumbledore's and Nickolas Flamel's business. Not for you two," he said.
"Believe us! We don't want to go there again if we can avoid it. We were lucky he was asleep at the time. Harry barely kept me from screaming in shock and waking him up," Hermione said as Harry nodded in agreement.
"That ye two were," Hagrid said.
"So. Are you looking forward to the game?" Harry asked in an attempt to change the subject. He still made a mental note to look up Nickolas Flamel out of curiosity, but he knew not to press the matter. The last thing he wanted was to get on Hagrid's bad side unnecessarily.
Hagrid grinned in appreciation on the change of subject. "Aye! Rooting for Gryffindor obviously. You two just wait and see! This will be our year! Even with the seeker troubles… The game should still be fun to see, but Slytherin will probably play extra dirty. Their captain, Marcus Flint, emphasizes playing dirty. They always try to find a way to keep the referee… distracted," he said.
"There's just one?" Hermione asked.
Hagrid nodded in reply.
"That's odd. Most muggle sports have multiple referees so there are more eyes on the game and players are less likely to get away with cheating," Harry said.
"I wish we would do something like that as well, but most see that as part of the game now," Hagrid grumbled.
The three continued talking about other things after that. Their topics ranged from Quidditch to Mid-terms to the holidays and more. Hagrid said Hogwarts was nice during the Christmas Holidays, but he understood them wanting to head home. "Most of the students do head home. Some stay though. It is usually older students who are more often than not muggleborn who choose to stay," Hagrid said to them before they eventually left to head back to the castle.
[-] [-] [-]
Hermione sighed again as she read the letter from her parents regarding Christmas break once more. She wasn't sure how she wanted to handle this. She read it again and frowned deeper. There was something here she found very worrying. She had been warned by some, muggleborn students have an additional challenge due to their home life. They usually end up having to choose magic or their family. She had thought it wouldn't be a worry for her so soon. She was thinking that was part of the reason the older students chose to stay at Hogwarts as Hagrid mentioned.
"What's bothering you, Hermione?" Harry asked as he sat down next to her on the couch.
"My parents… Just read this," she said handing him the letter to look over. It didn't take Harry long to read through the letter. Hermione knew he finished when he handed it back to her.
"I have mixed feelings… The convention and seminar is very good for their business and important. I also realize they want to spend some time with me for the holidays and I want to spend it with them as well. But… I know how those things go, Harry," she said sounding a little sad and worried. "I've been with them before on such trips, usually in the summer. I'll end up spending most of my time alone reading in the hotel room. Not any beaches to lounge on while they're out this time," she said.
She kept her further worry about this to herself. Her parents had never chosen to go to some seminar during Christmas Break before now. Hermione felt as if her parents were moving even faster and further ahead with their own lives now that she was at Hogwarts. She didn't really want them to just wait for her, but she couldn't help feeling they were partially writing her off. She also felt it would be really bad if she choose to stay at Hogwarts for all of Christmas. It would also be really lonely for her since her roommates were all going home for the holidays.
Harry nodded in understanding.
"I want to spend time with them. But I also want a proper Christmas. I don't want to spend it in a hotel room on an otherwise boring trip. Is that asking too much?" she asked with a troubled look. She loved reading, but she was realizing there was more to life now that she had friends.
Harry gave her a hug that she soaked it in eagerly. "How long does the convention last?" Harry asked her quietly. The note hadn't said any dates, but he had the impression an early letter did.
"It will be the first half of the holiday break," Hermione answered taking in his warmth.
Harry nodded to himself as he broke off the hug. "I have a possible solution. It is for you to decide if you want to try it or not," he started.
Hermione motioned for him to continue.
"You could spend the first half of the holiday break with the Knights and me. We could then make arrangements for you to meet your parents. You can have a late Christmas with them without it being spoiled by all of the time you spent in a hotel alone. We don't have the most lavish lifestyle, but it would be a proper Christmas and you could see your parents as well. Hogwarts doesn't allow you to leave half way through break after all," he said to her.
Hermione blinked in thought. She then bit her bottom lip in deeper thought.
"It is just a suggestion. I know you might be a bit apprehensive to visit and stay with me in the Rust District. Think on it some at least," Harry said as he stood about to leave her to her thoughts.
Harry was surprised when Hermione quickly grabbed his hand. "Is it safe?" she asked her honey brown eyes look deep into his emerald eyes.
Harry nodded to her. "Even if you weren't by my side the whole time," Harry said to her reassuringly with a smile.
Hermione then seemed to let out a breath and relaxed. "I'll do it. This seems like the best solution. I'll get an actual Christmas and then I will get time with my parents," she answered. "I won't have to start pulling away from them so soon..." Harry barely heard her mutter the last part.
Harry smiled to her. "I'll contact Boss and we can start making the arrangements. Just need to know the actual dates of the convention and seminar," he said to her. He was a lot happier and excited then he let show at Hermione choosing to spend part of her Christmas with him and the Knights.
Hermione was just as excited and happy. She wasn't as controlled in her emotions though. She stood up and gave him a very tight and heart felt hug. She knew Harry would probably never know how much this meant to her. "I'll write my parents right now," she said with a smile. This was going to be a wonderful and exciting holiday break. She just knew it.
Chapter 10: A Very Rusty ChristmasNotes:This chapter is a biggie. Hopefully it isn't too long.
Chapter TextHermione was both excited and apprehensive about her holiday plans. She was super happy and eager to spend Christmas with Harry and to actually visit the Rust District after everything he told her about it. At the same time, this was to be her first Christmas Day away from her family. She would be seeing them for the second half of the break, but it was still a very new and kind of scary experience for her.
For her own good, Hermione decided to focus on the exciting aspect of her Christmas break. "I'm really excited to meet all of the people you've talked about. Boss, Davey, your friends and even The Professor," she said to Harry after he again asked how she was doing. She had zoned out a little and he was worried she was bothered by their plan.
"I'm actually a little jealous of you, Hermione. I wish I could meet them all too," Hannah said with a slight frown.
Harry had thought about getting them to all meet real quick before everyone left, but Susan's aunt was picking her up and Harry didn't want to get the Head of the DMLE's attention like that. She would probably ask too many questions and he didn't really know her too well. Susan also agreed it might not be a good idea yet either.
Hannah was going to be picked up by her father at the platform before they side-along apparated away. He was taking her on his annual Manic Christmas Shopping Spree as she called it. It wasn't Last Minute Christmas Shopping, but he treated it that way.
"There's always summer break. Maybe we can all briefly meet then," Harry suggested.
"Maybe… My aunt might not be too suspicious if we tell her you're being picked up by someone you're close to in the neighborhood. I didn't think that would work for Christmas. She would wonder why your relatives weren't picking you up for some holiday fun or shopping," Susan said.
She was loyal to her friend and determined to keep Harry's secrets like they agreed on that first night. So long as he wasn't doing something evil or too illegal, like trying to take over the magical world, she would leave her aunt out of it. She could easily talk around such things without her aunt being too curious for the most part during the holidays. She wasn't worried about saying too much in that regard.
"It's a bummer we haven't made any progress on Nickolas Flamel," Hannah said with a sigh.
"Yeah. We had a feeling it would be tough to find anything about him. That's why we asked you two to help us out on that front. Thanks again for agreeing to help even if it is slow going," Harry said to her.
"Puffs stick together," Hannah said with a friendly smile.
"I'll try to carefully look into him while I'm at home. I don't think my aunt will care as long as I don't spend all of my time looking," Susan said. The door to their compartment then opened and the refreshment lady asked if they wanted anything.
[-] [-] [-]
Hermione was nervous and quickly grabbed Harry's hand as they walked through the barrier. She needed to hold it to focus on getting through to the other side. Now that she was moments away from meeting the people who were Harry's family, even if not by blood. She really hoped they liked her. Harry had assured her they would love her, but she wasn't so sure.
Harry liked to make her feel comfortable when he could. She guessed that was why he never complained when she grabbed his hand during the year so far. He might have turned red sometimes, but that was it. He also had no problem with her huggy nature. Hermione would admit she had taken advantage of that a number of times. It wasn't wrong or anything. That's what she told herself at least.
"There they are!" a cheerful voice said soon after Harry and Hermione passed through the barrier.
Harry let go of Hermione's hand now, even if she was reluctant to let him. He then gave a broad smile as he cheerfully called, "Davey! Boss!" The two students made their way over to the waiting Street Knights.
Hermione took in the sight of arguably the two most important people in Harry's life. Jett was definitely handsome. He was tall and well built and looked strong. He had dark brown hair and his hazel eyes were rather dreamy to a girl. He also had just a light amount of stylish scruff. He was dreamy and if Hermione hadn't already dreamed many times of Harry, and seen the green-eyed boy without his shirt, she might crush on Jett. Sure, he was older than her, but it would be no worse than a girl crushing on a singer or actor.
Looking to Jett's side she saw Davey. Hermione was thankful Harry saw the curly haired blonde girl as an older sister. If he didn't, Hermione would easily feel threatened by her. Davey was cheerful and seemed very friendly. She was only a year older than Hermione, but the girl was already developing physically. It didn't help matters Harry had talked about her cooking and baking skills a lot as well.
Hermione decided to put cooking on her list of things to talk to her mom about this summer. She needed to learn how to cook to catch up. They do say the way to guy's heart is through his stomach.
"This is Hermione," Harry introduced. Hermione gave a shy wave as she stood a little behind Harry.
"Aww… she looks so cute, " Davey thought with a smile. "Hello, Hermione! I'm Davey. Harry's said a lot about you in his letters," Davey said cheerfully shooting Harry a quick grin.
"He does?" Hermione asked more interested than she meant to sound. She also felt more comfortable and confident and stepped out fully from behind Harry. Him talking about her had to be a good thing… Right?
Harry tried to play it cool, but Davey knew what signs to look for that showed he was a little embarrassed. "Mission accomplished! What kind of an older sister would I be if I didn't embarrass him a little in front of his crush? " she thought to herself with a small giggle.
It was actually Jett who answered Hermione's question. "Yes, he does. He mentions the others too, but you get plenty of letter space," he said. He then smiled to her and said, "I'm Jett by the way. I'm not sure if Harry told you my actual name or not. He always insists on calling me Boss all the time."
"He has mentioned your name once… Maybe twice?" Hermione said the last part pretending to be unsure.
"Then feel free to call me Jett," the young man said sounding almost hopeful.
Hermione smiled to him. "Thank you, Jett. But… I think Boss suits you better. That's what he always calls you, so It would feel strange otherwise," she said.
Jett gave an overly dramatic sigh. "Can't even get his friends to use my proper name…" he said shaking his head.
Harry chuckled. Davey giggled. Hermione even joined the blonde girl in giggling. "He specifically told me to greet you that way," she said.
Jett gave a half frown as he muttered, "I knew he'd do that." The others laughed again and Jett soon joined them. "Well let's get going, everyone. The van's waiting outside," Jett said. He picked up Hermione's trunk with little effort. "I'll carry your trunk. Harry can carry his and Davey would probably kill me if I didn't let her carry Hedwig's cage," he said with a playful grin.
"You're right I would!" Davey said with certainty. She then gave a big smile as she turned to the snowy white owl and said, "Hey girl! Nice to see you again."
Hedwig gave her a hoot in reply.
"I know! We should have definitely said hello to you first. Then again, they do say save the best for last," Davey replied smiling as she took the cage. Hedwig swelled at the praise and gave a loud hoot in acknowledgement.
"Davey and Hedwig are pretty close," Harry started saying to Hermione. "She looks after Hedwig while she waits for replies whenever I send letters."
"Ohhhh. I'm sure it is an enviable job. Hedwig really is beautiful," Hermione said. Hedwig gave her a hoot in affirmation.
"It is. The younger kids really love seeing her when she comes by," Davey said as they made their way to the van. Hermione was even more looking forward to Christmas in the Rust District. The van was in really good condition and wasn't old. It also had plenty of room for their trunks. During the ride, Harry sat in front with Jett talking to him about the school year. Hermione and Davey sat in the first row of seats behind the front with Hedwig's cage sitting between them. Davey was listening to everything she could of what Harry said and Hermione would occasionally add her own thoughts.
[-] [-] [-]
The first day of Christmas Break was a wonderful blur for Hermione. She met a lot of people and got a brief tour of the Rust District. She was a might bit surprised to see so many people living inside the giant warehouse. It was in good condition, clean and surprisingly very homey and so large, but it was so different to her. All of the people were happy to see Harry again and most of them were pleased to meet her or at the very least polite.
It was only Cordelia who seemed less than pleased to meet Hermione. "So, you're Hermione?" the girl asked. Cordelia was pretty and she was a friend of Harry's. Cordelia had straight black hair and blue eyes. She also had a fair but healthy complexion.
"Yes… I am," Hermione greeted a little nervously. Cordelia wasn't someone who Harry saw as a sister. That meant she could potentially be competition in the future. Hermione wasn't sure why she took notice of such things or cared, but for some reason she did. She also didn't really want to be hated by the girl.
"It is good to meet another friend of Harry's. He is very important to us," Cordelia said.
Hermione was pretty sure that was a partial threat, or at least a warning. She replied with, "Yes, he is important to us as well."
Cordelia seemed to look her over. Hermione had a feeling the girl easily spotted someone with a crush on Harry. Cordelia gave a slight smile that wasn't unkind. "Then neither of us better hurt him," she finally said.
Hermione blinked in surprise for a moment. She then gave her own slight but not unkind smile. "Agreed," she said. It seemed after that Cordelia and her had come to some agreement. Hermione wasn't exactly sure what it was at the moment though. Cordelia was friendlier at least.
Once they had their dinner, courtesy of Davey obviously, Hermione's brain quickly moved "Learn to Cook" up to the top of the list for things to start once she was with her parents and she wasn't waiting until summer. It was also given a big fat "Urgent" stamp once Davey talked about how learning to cook from a recipe was only the beginning. A true cook, who actually made food tasty, required experience and experimentation.
Hermione decided she really needed the extra points in her favor cooking would bring. She didn't hate her body or anything like that. She was not just healthy, but in surprisingly good shape for a girl her age, even if they were a witch. However… her hair was mess and a huge problem. Her teeth were too big and another huge problem. She spent too much time reading books, even if she didn't neglect the friends she had. She also wasn't exactly popular either. Not hated, but not popular.
She couldn't do anything about her hair or teeth. She wouldn't try to suddenly take after Lavender Brown or Parvati to become popular. She wasn't about to give up her favorite hobby all together either. So, knowing how to cook and being able to wow Harry, who had Davey's cooking on a fairly regular basis, would be a huge bonus that might make up for some of her negatives. It would be enough for her to stay in the running at the very least and not bring up the rear. She had always been a bit curious about cooking in the first place anyways. Hermione noticed how much her dad loved her mom's cooking, when she had the time. Hermione loved it too and she loved learning so cooking would be fun as well. She hoped at least.
[-] [-] [-]
"Morning," Hermione said as she took it upon herself to wake up Harry the next day. He gave a stretch as he sat up and was again shirtless in his bed. That might have been part of the reason why she made a point of waking him up.
"Good Morning, Hermione," Harry said as he put on a shirt, much to Hermione's secret disappointment. He gave her a smile and asked, "How was your night?"
"It was good. Davey's room was nice and the bed comfortable," Hermione reported to him with a pleasant smile.
That had been a downside for her on the trip, even if she had expected it. She wasn't allowed to sleep in the same room as Harry here and instead shared a room with Davey. The pretty blonde girl at least left her alone last night, but Hermione had a feeling that wouldn't be the case tonight. She could just tell Davey was eager to have girl talk with her and wouldn't let her off tonight. Hermione didn't mind the idea too much, but she really hoped Davey wasn't going to want Lavender tier girl talk.
Lavender Brown had quickly made a name for herself as the head Gryffindor Gossip and First Year Supreme Girl Talker, if such positions existed. Lavender was fairly nice at least and she happily got along with girls in both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, even from different years. The Slytherins didn't really talk to Lavender much. They were too posh and too upper class for such things, even if they were just as bad as everyone else at gossip. They just kept it to themselves mostly.
Pansy Parkinson was probably the Slytherin equivalent of Lavender Brown. She was a little mean-spirited about it at times, as opposed to Lavender. Oddly enough Pansy wasn't too bad and she was actually almost tolerable, even for Hermione, when she wasn't trying to get Draco's attention. It was hard to believe Pansy wasn't always trying to get his attention, but it did happen often enough.
"So. What's the plan for today?" Hermione asked after a moment while Harry got up.
"First, I'm going to go take a shower. After that, breakfast. Then if you want, I can give you a more thorough tour or we can just hang out. Maybe even go somewhere around the area. I've told you the Rust District is safe. Two kids our age can almost always look around without worries," Harry said to her.
"Hmmm... I like all of those options," Hermione said with a pout to herself in thought. Harry, as usual, thought was far too cute.
"We have a little time to think on it. Can't wait to have Davey's American Pancakes again!" Harry said as he gathered up his stuff to go and take a shower.
"She can cook American food as well?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Davey cooks food from all over. She loves learning new foods to cook," Harry said.
"That's nice…" Hermione said a little less than enthused by this news.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked in concern.
"Yeah. I just find Davey to be pretty amazing is all. You've talked about her plenty, but she still has surprises it seems," Hermione said. She wasn't about to mention she was worried she wouldn't being able to hold a candle to Davey, even after she learned to cook.
"She has had quite the life," Harry said not expanding on that. "Time for my shower," he then said as he left.
"Do I wait here?" Hermione asked.
"If you want," Harry said causally.
"O-okay…" Hermione said in a slightly smaller voice as he left. She blushed and looked around his room. There was something she really wanted to do for some reason and it was way too embarrassing. No one was looking though. She blushed deeper as she shifted a little uneasily. She swallowed nervously. She then quickly leaned over his pillow and took in a deep inhale.
She blushed as she momentarily smiled and thought, "Harry's scent… " She then blushed anew. "I can't believe I just did that… That's something Lavender would do," Hermione admonished herself out loud. Lavender was also known for being more than a bit boy crazy by all of the girls. Hermione still took in Harry's scent once more anyways while blushing furiously. She then busied herself with looking around his room while sitting at his desk and waiting.
[-] [-] [-]
After breakfast, which Hermione decided had to be illegal because it was so good, Harry gave her a more in-depth tour. She loved seeing the School House. She found it kind of fascinating all of them attended it and it was a good size while still inside the warehouse. It was also nice meeting The Professor and learning a couple of others earned their certifications while Harry was away and now helped with teaching the younger kids. It was something Professor Lang was immensely grateful for.
Hermione also enjoyed seeing the Rust District Dining Hall which was spacious and decorated up for Christmas. "A lot of people cook in their homes, like Davey does, but there are still some who eat here," Harry explained. "Boss, Davey, and I even make a point of doing so every so often. It is really nice seeing so many of the Knights coming together to eat. I guess I was already used to feasts like we have at Hogwarts in a way. We also host community events here from time to time. There will be a Christmas Eve Feast here for everyone."
"That is really nice. The Street Knights do have a different lifestyle, but it seems really nice in many ways," Hermione said as they moved on.
Harry showed her several other areas and even told her some of the future plans they had for their home base. Hermione was really impressed with everything they had going on here.
"What do you plan on doing with that large area?" Hermione asked when they came across a different area just outside of the home base warehouse. It was rather large, but Harry explained it was still part of the Rust District. There just wasn't anything there yet.
"Don't know really. It has a different feel to it than most of the area. I'm almost thinking it is latent magic or something. Not enough to harm muggles or anything like that, but most do sort of avoid it," Harry said.
"Ooo! Do you think it's warded or anything? Maybe its some long forgotten magical place like Diagon Alley or something," Hermione thought in wonder.
"Maybe it was in the distant past. I don't think it's warded or anything though. I'm not even entirely sure it is magic instead of some other kind of energy. I actually plan on looking into it once we've learned more about magic at Hogwarts," Harry said.
"Maybe I can help you when the time comes. At the very least, you'll have to tell me all about what you find," Hermione said with finality.
Harry gave her a smile as she looked over the area more from where they were standing. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Hermione," he said as she turned and smiled at him. "Do you want to next tour more of the area outside and around our home base? It is pretty cool," Harry suggested.
"I'd love that!" Hermione said cheerfully. "I'm really enjoying my Christmas Break so far, Harry. Thanks for coming up with this idea," she said before giving him a tight hug which Harry easily returned. They held the hug for a good while before they continued.
[-] [-] [-]
The next few days were a lot of fun for Hermione. She also used that time to get some extra Christmas presents. She loved how many shops there were with interesting selections in the area around the Street Knights' home base. Harry spent plenty of time with her and she really loved that. She met plenty of other people Harry knew too.
They even had a big group outing where they went to the arcade Harry talked about frequenting. Burns and Davey once again got into a heated, but friendly competition against each other. Hermione was honestly surprised how much fun she had at the arcade. She had never really thought about going to such a place. Harry even won her an early Christmas Present.
He got her a perfect sized stuffed gorilla wearing a stocking cap. Hermione was very thrilled at getting such an early gift, even if she made a point of containing herself. Davey still noticed Hermione's rather large and extra happy grin the rest of that day, which ended up a conversation they had that night. Hermione knew the stuffed animal wasn't meant to be anything extra special. She still kind of pretended it was like they were on a date and Harry won it for her like couples do in movies and books and on tv.
Hermione, Burns, Davey, Harry and Cordelia later went to the milkshake place the regular group frequented. Hermione really enjoyed that as well. She had friends at Hogwarts and she really liked Susan and Hannah, but getting milkshakes wasn't something you did in a Magical Boarding School. This event was something Hermione thought only happened on tv shows. She had never been able to do something like this with other people apart from her parents on really rare occasions. Having parents who were dentists meant you didn't really get to enjoy sweet things much.
[-] [-] [-]
When it was two days before Christmas, things were a bit different. The day started off well enough, but around lunch Harry was called to meet with Jett. Harry returned soon enough, but it was obvious something was on his mind. He wasn't really in a sharing mood either. Hermione asked him what was going on and he simply said it was Knights' business and she didn't need to worry about it.
Hermione might have gotten over that, but Davey was acting a little worried, even if she hid it fairly well. Hermione didn't like it. She made the best of her time with Harry instead of pressing him though. He told her it wasn't something happening until that night. She wanted to pump him for more information, but she decided against it this time. If they were at Hogwarts, she wouldn't have let up on him. She would have kept trying with him to show her worry and to help. Here though, she just wanted to be close to him for some reason.
That night after Harry left, Hermione retired early to the room she was sharing with Davey. Davey was occupying herself with getting things prepped for Christmas, or at least that was her excuse. Hermione lay on her guest bed looking at the ceiling. She couldn't really bring herself to just read a book either.
She felt wrong oddly enough. She guessed it was because she was worried. This was the first time since school started she wasn't at least near Harry. Davey lived right next door to Harry so while they had some distance, she still kind of felt his presence or magic if you will.
The frizzy haired girl had grown too used to how Harry's magic called to her. She had embraced that call all this time while at Hogwarts. She even experimented with it a little. She noticed if she left her bed curtains open at night it called her more which felt nice. She also usually had rather wonderful and embarrassing dreams starring him in those cases. Dreams she told herself she didn't like having, yet she would assure they happened a number of times.
Now though, it seemed like her magic was missing the call. Her worry was mounting more as well. She tried to ignore it, but she was feeling similar to how she did after first parting from him after Flourish and Blotts and waiting for him on the train. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she knew it wasn't just a simple crush, even if she was crushing on Harry hard.
"I can't take it anymore! " Hermione thought to herself as she sat up on her bed. Things were probably tougher in this case since she could feel his magic or presence in the distance. It was there at the edge of her awareness. She felt like she had to go to it.
Hermione carefully sneaked past a very busy Davey. She was only able to do so because the pretty blonde was so pre-occupied. Hermione only dared try to go to where Harry's magic seemed to be calling from, because she had quickly learned just how safe the Rust District was. She had been out at night plenty with just one or two other kids her age. The adults they met, even the drunk ones, were merry and pleasant enough. No one was starting trouble or anything. Hermione looked over to where the call was coming from and carefully made her way. She had a feeling tonight she needed to be extra careful.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry was sitting on top of a roof as he kept lookout over the area in front of him. Boss and a couple of others were handling a really bad and potentially very messy situation at the moment. His job was to just keep look out from where he was safely sitting. He would give out a signal if he saw a runner or someone acting very suspicious.
Harry and the others thought it was rather odd but fortunate how, despite having glasses, he actually had some of the sharpest eyes in the Knights. He was one of their best lookouts when needed. He was also a really good climber, since he loved it and was able to get to good positions. His current one was actually rather easy to get to, but only if you were looking for a way up.
The night had been quiet so far. Harry was thankful for that. If things went well, they would be able to take care of this potential problem tonight and tomorrow. Depending on how big it was, or if it needed to be handled with extra care, they may or may not get the local law enforcement involved.
Harry soon heard some small and quiet footsteps coming his way. He kept his guard up, but turned around. He was easily expecting it to be Burns. He was also a really good lookout even if he too was young. Harry however had not expected to see a head of frizzy brown hair when looked.
"Hermione?!" he asked quietly but obviously surprised.
"H-h-hello…" she said quietly in reply. She now realized this might not have been the best idea. Seeing Harry, her magic really seemed to leap for joy and she made her way over to him.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked with a frown. Hermione gulped but was glad it at least wasn't a full glare.
"I was really worried… You wouldn't tell me what was going on and Davey's been acting up too," Hermione said. There was more to it than that, but it was hard to explain. The atmosphere didn't help matters either.
"You shouldn't have come," Harry said.
"S-s-sorry…" she said in apology.
"This really doesn't seem like you at all," Harry said to her as his frown deepened. She wasn't one to just wander around like this.
"It's hard to explain," Hermione said. She guessed she would have to spill the beans to him now… If he didn't hate her for the rest of her life for this. "Good going, Hermione Granger… Why didn't you listen to your brain and stay in the room? You're supposed to be the brightest Witch of your Age! Not sneaking out at night to meet some boy on a rooftop… No matter how romantic it seemed, " she mentally scolded herself. She couldn't help it though. Things were different with Harry. She always acted different around him in some way, even if it was usually small and not noticeable.
Harry might have said something, but just then he heard something behind him. "Crap…" Harry muttered. There was a runner and he was too far ahead for Harry to just signal. He was also on the move. "Later…" Harry almost growled to her before he took off.
Harry was really fast. He ran across the rooftop and hopped to another one. The runner below hadn't noticed him and was having to weave around some trash in the street waiting to be cleaned up tomorrow. The Knights may or may not have delayed trash pick-up for the area for this exact reason.
Hermione hadn't moved as she shamelessly blushed like some love-struck silly girl while watching Harry move like that. She was blaming it on her magic messing with her emotions again.
Harry was soon above the runner and then he moved ahead just a little bit. He dropped down right on top of the runner and pinned the larger man to ground with surprising success. Harry then let out a whistle that sounded like a bird you would find in the local area. There was a pattern to it, but it was only noticeable if you saw the person whistle.
Two larger men were soon in front of Harry. Hermione watched curiously as the three exchanged words. Harry then got up and the two men took the runner away. The green-eyed boy stood up and frowned for a moment to himself before he quickly ran back to his position and where Hermione was standing.
Harry's green eyes seemed to almost glow in the dark as he looked to her with some disappointment for a moment. He then sighed as he noticed Hermione shrink in on herself a little bit. "We'll talk later. For now, you're staying here. The Rust District is very safe, but not tonight," he said.
"I'm sorry…" Hermione said as she sniffed a little and fought back the tears threatening to spill.
Harry placed an arm on her shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "Just stay quiet for now and sit by me. Do not try to make conversation. If you happen to see someone else running like that, then get my attention. But only then. Hopefully we won't be here for much longer," he told her.
Hermione simply nodded as Harry sat back down. Hermione kept her distance for a little while. Eventually, she scooted closer and leaned on his back. She wanted the contact and Harry seemed to be receptive to it. She hoped maybe this would show him she was sorry. At that moment, Hermione decided she would do her best to never disappoint him again or leave him alone. If she needed to stay back from something like this in the future, she would try to wait for him and ignore that call in her magic the best she could.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry was right it didn't take too much longer for whatever was happening to finish. There was an atmosphere of unease around them as they headed back. Boss said he needed to take care of some things immediately, but he would be seeing Harry in his office tonight. A messenger would be sent to Harry when it was time.
"I'm really sorry…" Hermione said with a sniff once they were alone. "I didn't think you would get in so much trouble. I didn't think it would be that dangerous of a situation either. You've talked about how safe the place is and I've seen it first hand while being here."
Harry gave a sigh as he wrapped an arm around Hermione. He hated seeing girls cry, especially ones he cared about and were beautiful like Hermione. "There is a reason it is that safe here, Hermione. This just happened to be bad timing on your part. I told everyone we had to do some less than legal things to keep the Rust District safe like this and we control the rumors about the place. Boss and some of the others were… interrogating a man tonight," he said carefully.
"What do you mean interrogating?" Hermione asked as she paused in her steps causing Harry to as well.
"Exactly that. You got a glimpse of the ugly side of being a Street Knight tonight, Hermione. It is necessary though. Boss tries to keep such things from getting too bad when gathering information. He is very persuasive when he wants to be and without using violence. He is also good at reading people and dropping subtle hints they don't usually even fully realize give them away. It can get dirty though," Harry said.
"Why not take it to the police then?" Hermione asked.
"We do when we can. Tonight, it was different. The man was with a powerful criminal organization. They have people with power in their pockets. Just like how Hannah and Susan mentioned a lot of the known Death Eaters do with the Ministry of Magic. As I said before, muggles have more of the bad than wizards and more of the good than wizards. As I'm sure you well know, it is easy for muggles to go through their life meeting very little of the bad it has to offer," Harry said.
Hermione nodded in thought. She was lonely as a child, but she never really had it bad in the ways Harry was talking about now.
"We're family here. However… We've all been tossed aside, forgotten, or slipped through the cracks. We have it really good here in the Rust District and the Street Knights. We work hard to keep it that way. Even with things being as good as they are for us here. We can't go through our lives without coming across the bad every so often," Harry said.
He gave Hermione a smile. "It's all worth it though in the end," he assured her.
Hermione did feel better hearing that.
"Jett and the others will take care of things here now. They got what they needed. It seems we managed to again nip a problem at the bud," Harry said.
"But still… All of this so close to Christmas… Wouldn't it have been nicer to have it happen after instead?" Hermione asked. She wasn't sure it was absolutely necessary for it to happen now.
"It might have felt nicer at the time… But things would have been worse and tougher. Christmas is a great time for making moves if you're part of the criminal element like these guys are," Harry said.
"But it's Christmas!" Hermione protested in shock.
"Exactly," Harry said to her pointedly. "If you want to take action at their level with the least chances of getting attention, Christmas and other big holidays are the most opportune time. Everyone, including even the law enforcement to a degree, is busy with celebrating the holiday. They aren't paying as much attention. They could even ensure their people were the ones mostly on duty during that day. You would be hard pressed to find someone who won't trade shifts if it meant they got to spend time with their family on the holiday."
Harry gave a sigh. "This group would have taken steps to further increase their foothold here and bring in more of their people and other criminal elements. We do what we can to make sure that doesn't happen. The people here are good people who have had it tough. We take care of them and do so as properly as we can."
"We don't want rich and excessively greedy people coming here and knocking down homes to make a new overpriced strip mall. We don't want extra fancy places that charge you a fortune for the experience of 'fine dining' while giving you food that is little better than a snack. We don't want companies chasing out people, who have nowhere else to go, just because some greedy business wants to prove they're better and don't need to follow around their competitors," Harry explained.
"Don't get me wrong. We aren't opposed to businesses coming here or anything like that. We just prefer to keep away the bad parts of the business world. We have plenty of businesses that open up shop around us. They help the people here. You yourself saw that when you went Christmas shopping," Harry said.
"True. I was really impressed with the shops here," Hermione admitted. She may love to read and all of that and she wasn't completely crazy about shopping. She still did really enjoy it.
"We like that kind of thing here. Leaving the rumors around that you mentioned back on that first night helps with that a good bit. At the same time, they also attract people with certain frowned upon interests… We deal with that stuff as well. The manner we do so depends on the situation," Harry said as they made their way back.
"I'm still sorry about getting you in trouble," Hermione told him.
"Boss will be giving me a lecture. Since I managed to take care of my problem so quickly, he won't be too harsh with my punishment. I might have to help a little extra for some time at most. It also might just be a lecture and nothing else," Harry said.
"But I caused the problem…" Hermione said with a pout as she folded her arms.
"You aren't a Street Knight though. You're my responsibility while you're here," Harry explained to her. He then gave her an easy going smile as he said, "A pretty enjoyable responsibility I might add."
"I'm even more sorry hearing that," Hermione said deepening her frown.
"What's done is done. Just keep this in mind in the future. I guess. I didn't think I would have to say anything about it to you. Then again it was very unlike you to come like that. What happened? It can't have been you were just worried," Harry said.
Hermione sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. She motioned for Harry to do the same. "It was more than that. It is hard to explain and I really hope you'll hear me out. I don't fully understand it myself. The strangest thing is this has been happening since we first met," Hermione said.
"Since Flourish and Blotts?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. Harry was in thought. "What is it?" he asked to prompt her to start speaking again. He sat close to her hoping it would comfort her a little. She seemed to be really worried about this.
"Well… It is like my magic is calling to you… Or your magic is calling to me. It is really strange," Hermione said looking away while she blushed.
Harry was in thought as he re-evaluated things he noticed when interacting with Hermione and even to some extent the others. "I think I can see that," he admitted.
"I don't really know it all myself. But I really felt lost when you were away like that and I didn't know what was going on. My magic felt… lonely… maybe? I have gotten very used to being around you, Harry. It seems my magic has as well. I first noticed whatever this was over summer after meeting you. I thought it was something else at the time…" Hermione said.
"Like what?" Harry asked.
Hermione blushed briefly. "I thought it was… excitement at going to Hogwarts and finding out I was a witch… along with making my first good friend," she said. It was partly true. Harry didn't need to know all of the details. Those would be too embarrassing to admit.
"I can see why you would think that. So, your magic was calling to me tonight?" Harry asked trying to get their conversation back on track.
Hermione shook her head. "No. It felt like your magic was calling to me. My magic was responding. It kept telling me I needed to find you. I needed to get to you… or something… This is really difficult," she said as she lowered her head.
Harry let her collect herself again.
"When I found you, I… my magic was really happy or something. That's why I approached you like I did. When I got closer and my magic seemed to calm down, I realized that it might not have been the best idea," Hermione said with a sigh.
The two fell into silence again.
After a moment, Harry spoke. "I think I've felt something similar, though not the same, to what you described."
"You have?" Hermione asked in surprise. She was beginning to think whatever this was went completely one way. She wasn't going to get her hopes up too high, since he said it wasn't the same, but she was hopeful this meant something wonderful for them both. Maybe her crush wasn't going to end sadly.
"Yeah. I think it is something we can both look into sometime, even if we do so separately. I want to know more about this," Harry said.
"I do too…" Hermione agreed. She really wished he had said more, but this was a start to her.
"Just curious. Do you think it might have helped matters if I had told you more about what was happening? I couldn't tell you everything as it is Knights' business, but maybe I could've said something more if it would have helped," Harry said.
"I want to say yes, but I'm not really sure. It probably would have helped my nerves…" Hermione admitted.
"But it was something more than just nerves…" Harry added as Hermione nodded. "Still. It couldn't have hurt. I will try to better explain things in the future if I need to," he said.
Hermione gave a smile to that. She then gave him a tight hug. She felt as if she was soaking in his presence and warmth. She loved it! She hoped Harry felt the same way.
They might have held that hug longer. Things might have even surprisingly progressed. It was not meant to be though. It was at that time a woman came to Harry. "Is it time?" Harry asked.
"Yes. He will see you in his office now," the woman said before she dismissed herself as Harry thanked her for passing on the message.
"I'll see you later, Hermione. I'll be sure to stop by your room when this is over. I'm sure Davey will probably give me an earful as well. She has a tendency to hear what happens or at the very least have good intuition about what happened," Harry said to her.
"I'll wait with her… Maybe that will make things better. I'll tell her it's my fault," Hermione said.
"I already told you. You're my responsibility while you're visiting us," Harry said before walking off.
[-] [-] [-]
Things weren't that bad in the end. Davey did give Harry a really tight and long hug, but Harry assured Hermione this was normal when Davey was really worried. Davey did give Hermione a bit of the silent treatment that night and might have the next day. However, the Christmas Spirit worked extra hard on Christmas Eve and Davey didn't resist it.
The curly haired blonde was humming Christmas Carols all day pretty much. She only took a break from humming when she was either talking or full out singing them instead. Harry and the others took Hermione to the Christmas Eve feast the Knights hosted. The food was great. The company was even better!
"I know you pretty much said this was a good time for criminals, Harry. But I really love Christmas and it seems the Knights are really in the mood as well," Hermione said giggling in happiness to Harry so only he heard her. It wasn't hard given liveliness of the people around them.
Harry smiled to her as he started clapping along to the current song several people were singing together in the middle of the dining area. "Well, we have guards out naturally. We will have plenty out tomorrow as well. Those guards are celebrating with family and friends tonight instead," Harry explained.
It made sense and Hermione would have figured this out on her own, but she was having too much of a fun time to bother with constantly thinking like she usually would. She was allowing herself this one indulgence. She might have also been a little drunk off the atmosphere. It was like someone had thrown a large Cheering Charm Bomb at the place!
That night Harry, Davey, and Hermione stayed up a good bit. They took turns singing Christmas Carols to each other. They even played a couple of games while Davey tuned in to a radio station playing Christmas music non-stop. They each had glasses of Eggnog without alcohol. Hermione got a little carried away and had three.
"I have to stock up! My parents are Dentists. They might not even have Eggnog this year," she claimed as an excuse. She did at least take her time with them, so she didn't get herself sick. She really enjoyed the sugar rush the three eggnogs gave her. The crash afterwards seemed to come around at about the perfect time for her to fall asleep for the night.
[-] [-] [-]
"Happy Christmas, Harry!" Hermione shouted as she jumped on top of Harry while he laid in his bed. It was her friendly way of waking him up.
"Okay! Geez! You really are excited for Christmas," Harry said in surprise with a chuckle.
"I am. Happy Christmas, Harry!" she said again.
"Happy Christmas, Hermione!" Harry said to her in reply. Hermione hadn't even changed out of her night gown before coming to wake him up. She reminded him of a very happy woodland nymph with her ever messy bedhead and bright smile.
"It looks like you got your Magical World Christmas presents," Hermione commented once Harry was awake enough to look around his room. There was a stack of presents at the foot of his bed.
"Did you get yours as well?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded her head. "I did. I think presents work in a similar way our letters do. The professors don't address them. Hogwarts somehow just knows. I think in the case of presents they're just sent to us instead of being addressed and delivered," she said.
"Good thing the professors don't know where I live then. I'm sure Dumbledore would come here and probably tried to drag me back to the Dursleys or something," Harry said.
"I would hope not. I would try to claim he wouldn't, but he did put you there in the first place and they were terrible to you," Hermione said as she frowned at the thought.
"Let's not dwell on that. Happy Christmas," Harry said again.
"Happy Christmas," Hermione said with a big smile. She gave Harry a tight love filled Hermione Christmas hug.
Christmas was a fun and wonderful day. Plenty of presents were opened. Davey cooked up a great Christmas breakfast and served wassail. Boss came by to say hello briefly. He made a point of visiting everyone on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Christmas music was again playing on the radio and they had more Eggnog. Davey convinced Harry, Hermione and a few others to go around Christmas Caroling for a little bit. Several other people also came by to say hello and wish them a Happy Christmas.
There were plenty of children out playing and shouting in joy as they played with their gifts or wore their new coat or just enjoyed some Christmas Day fun. It even snowed so they got a white Christmas on top of everything else.
Harry and Hermione along with several others made snowmen and had a snowball fight. Another great surprise was Harry hearing how everything was taken care of and the criminal organization trying to make a move into the Rust District was dealt with and wouldn't be coming back. Jett then joined in on their snowball fight briefly.
It was a wonderful Christmas Day and it ended with another wonderful feast, but this time it was a smaller affair. Davey and Harry invited a few people over and everyone brought a dish or holiday drink of some kind, though most were for the adults only. It was all together a wonderful Christmas and new experience for Hermione.
By the time night rolled around, Harry and Hermione were exhausted. Eventually, the two fell asleep on the couch they were sharing near the radio as it quietly played Christmas music. In her sleep, Hermione snuggled in closer to Harry. He seemed to shift in his sleep to accommodate her. Both Hufflepuffs had wonderful dreams that night. Davey decided they were too cute and too comfortable wake up and move. She did take a few pictures though. The two would find out about that later.
Hermione loved having Christmas with her parents. She was happy she would be having a late Christmas with them and would get to see them again as well. However… she knew this Christmas in the Rust District with Harry, was one she would never forget and would always cherish.