Summer

Summer ~ Chapter One

It had been a rough year and Harry was really hoping the Dursleys would give him a break this year and just leave him alone. He had already told Uncle Vernon that his godfather, the dreaded criminal (to the Dursleys), Sirius Black, liked to check on him and make sure he was happy.

Strangely enough, when they arrived on Privet Drive things did seem different, but not necessarily better. Dudley was sulking in the kitchen and Aunt Petunia looked more horse faced than ever (How could she possibly have been related to his beautiful mother?)

"All right, boy! It's time you knew about some changes there'll be around here this summer!" bawled Uncle Vernon. " We've taken care of you for nearly fifteen years- it's time you began making a contribution! "

At first Harry thought Uncle Vernon must have discovered his Gringott's vault.... but that was impossible, wasn't it?! Then how....?

" Things haven't been going well this year in the drill business and you and Dudley are going to have to wor,k and earn something to help the family...." At this Aunt Petunia let out a wail.

"Not Mummy's ickle sweetums! He's just a baby, Vernon!"

"Not to worry, Petunia. I have arranged suitable work for the boys. Our Dudley will be assisting in the local bakery. He'll make a little money and maybe he'll eat enough at work to help our grocery bill go down.

"Will I be working there too?" asked Harry, his mind suddenly filled with a Muggle version of Honeydukes.

"Don't be a stupid git, as if they'd have a blighter like you working with the public. I have arranged work for you with our dentist. He and his wife need a cleaning boy, to empty trash and polish up the spit that flies about. Perfect for you!"

'Perfect,' Harry thought. Some summer. He bet those people were just like the Dursleys.

"All right," sneered Uncle Vernon, "Let's get you boys over to meet your new employers. Dudley, I'm sure they'll be thrilled to have you. And you, Potter, you'd just better hope they'll take you, because the next job will be much worse. We might be able to get you work digging garden trenches"

After Aunt Petunia had drooled over Dudley, combed his hair and straightened his tie around his bulging neck, they set off. When they arrived at the sweet shop, Dudley's eyes bulged as much as his neck. After Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia spent ten minutes telling the owner how lucky he was to have Dudley (the owner didn't look as if he felt that way after gazing at the size of Dudley's belly) they set off across town for the offices of Harry's future employers.

"Remember boy, no 'funny' stuff here, or you'll live to regret it," Uncle Vernon muttered as they left the car. "Coming, Petunia?"

"I think I'll just stay here and look at Dudder's baby pictures. I just can't believe my ickle man has a paid position!", she moaned, looking as if Dudley had died, instead of working among some of his favorite things-sugar, flour, butter aand chocolate.

So Harry and Vernon walked up to the door of a very large establishment.

"Big place, isn't it?" asked Harry, looking over the freshly painted steps and railing, and the beautiful geraniums in boxes along the windows.and down the sides of the steps.

"I believe they live in the building also, that's why it looks more like a house than an office," growled Uncle Vernon. "More for you to keep clean at any rate."

"Oh, brother!" thought Harry, "Well, at least Dudley will be no place near."

Uncle Vernon rang the buzzer and a voice told them to enter. As they went in, Harry noticed first that things looked very comfortable and cheerful. There were really pretty watercolor paintings on the walls and not a lot to dust or polish. "This is a dentist's?" he thought to himself. There was something about the rooms that made him feel good.'Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.'

Uncle Vernon went over to a window and spoke to the person behind it, "Vernon Dursley here for a 3 o'clock!" Vernon said pompously.

"The doctors will be with you momentarily," said another voice that had a friendly tone. A few minutes went by, with Uncle Vernon muttering under his breath about no funny business, then the doors opened and a man and woman came out. They looked vaguely familiar to Harry, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen them.

"This is my wife's nephew - name's Harry Potter, " barked Uncle Vernon. "So nice to see you, Harry" said the man. "I am Dr. Chris Granger and this is my wife Ivy. We're in this dental practice together. We set it up here originally in our home so we could be near our daughter. Now she goes to a boarding school most of the year, but we like having her near in the summers. Also, it's convenient to have all of our books in one library. We are a family of readers."

'NO KIDDING,' thought Harry as he shook hands with both of the Grangers, grinning as he thought of Ron's words. 'That's what Hermione does- when in doubt, go to the library.'

" I'm very happy to meet both of you", said Harry, trying to hide his delight.

Now he remembered meeting Hermione's parents in Diagon Alley right before they started their second year. Lucius Malfoy had been quite rude to them, he recalled.

"We've heard you need something purposeful to do this summer and feel we may be able to provide something." said Dr. Ivy Granger.

"There's a possibility the job may involve some evenings and overnights. Possibily we may need you to accompany us on some out of town trips. Do you have any objections to this, Harry? What about you, Mr. Dursley?"

Harry had to fight not to yell with joy, but he knew he'd better not seem too thrilled. He didn't want Uncle Vernon to get suspicious.

He just grinned and said quietly as he could manage "That will be fine, Dr. Granger".

Uncle Vernon looked a little surprised that Harry didn't seem angry at the idea of spending so much time with his employers, but being rid of Harry was too much for him.

"No problem. The boy needs to spend his time doing something useful, instead of hanging about with his head in a book." Uncle Vernon was so obtuse he didn't even notice the grim looks the Grangers gave each other at his comment about books.

"Would you like to stay now and get to know our routines, Harry?" asked Dr. Chris.

"Sure," said Harry. '"I mean, yes sir!"

"We'll see that Harry gets home later, Dursley. If he's late, he'll have supper here."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, he can eat something cold when he gets home. The boy isn't used to special treatment, make no mistake about that," barked Uncle Vernon.

"Perhaps not,' said Dr. Ivy, "but no one goes hungry here. Good health and good nutrition go hand in hand. Speaking of which, be sure Dudley gets here for his appointment this week. I hope he's eating less sugar since his last visit. The boy can't afford to lose any more teeth."

Uncle Vernon grunted but managed to thank the Grangers for hiring Harry before he left.

As soon as the door closed, another door opened and a figure darted out singing, "It worked, it worked!" Harry turned around to see Hermione standing in front of him, with her eyes dancing.

"Did you already know about this?" Harry asked, wondering how.

"Yes, your friend has planned this for some time," answered Hermione's dad. "She discovered the Dursley's brought Dudley in to see us, and has been hatching this scheme since last summer."

"Well, they mistreat Harry," said Hermione, shaking her head angrily, "and they keep him from doing his homework. Now he'll be able to keepup with his studies, and perhaps get ahead a bit. And won't have to be rescued by some dangerous flying car."

"You know Hermione is our only child, Harry and we haveplenty of everything to share. You and Hermione have had some adventures I'm eager to hear about too, from both of you," said Dr. Granger.

"I don't know about the adventures, but I believe Harry could do with a bit of spoiling and 'special treatment' for a change." Hermione's mother's eyes showed a softness and sympathy Harry had rarely seen in his life, except from Mrs. Weasley.

Then her eyes blazed as she remarked, "That horrible man! He doesn't mind giving special treatment or demanding it for that oaf of a son of his!" Then she looked horrified. "I'm sorry Harry! I forgot he's your cousin. It doesn't seem possible that you and he are related."

"Don't apologize," said Harry. "I think that's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me. Most of my summers are spent hearing how wonnnnnderfulllll Dudley is and how I'm rotten to the core."

" Not this summer!, " replied all three Grangers at once.

Harry sighed happily, then wondered if Hermione was going to make him spend the entire summer studying At least he knew they wouldn't starve him, although he might be begging Ron to send him something with sugar in it!

" Hermione, why don't you show Harry around, and decide about what you'd like for tea. I have a patient to see, then we'll talk some more. I'm sure Harry has some questions for you as well," The older Grangers disappeared behind the doors they came from, and Hermione told Harry to come with her.

"Yeah, my first question is, why am I not starting to clean and empty trash? That's what Uncle Vernon said I'd be doing. I don't mind, Hermione. I'm ready to do anything they ask, they're so nice to me."

"Oh, Harry, we'll take care of that together. But there's a lot more for us to do than clean. My parents have a lab where they make things to use in their work. I've kind of taken that over while I'm here and I can sure use your help."

"You mean like potions? That's my worst subject, Hermione. And remember when you turned yourself into a cat? Do your parents know about THAT?"

"Of course they do. That was when we decided I needed to make a concentrated effort to excel in that area. This has really given me a good chance to improve my skills."

"So why didn't you tell me about this scheme, Hermione. I have been dreading going to the Dursleys for weeks. You could have given me a clue."

"I never knew how things would turn out. Your Uncle Vernon seemed to be hoping something would keep you from leaving school. So I really didn't want to make you think something might happen. McGonagall and Dumbledore sort of acted as if they might step in to help, but you know the less we mess with the Muggle mind, the better."

"Uncle Vernon's mind is such a mess, he'd never know if anyone messed with it. He said the drill business wasn't so great this year, and that was why we had to work. Did you have anything to do with THAT? Not that I care... that git deserves any bad luck that hits him."

"I couldn't do anything with your Uncle Vernon's business, you know anunderage witch can't meddle with Muggle business. My dad just sort of mentioned to some of his dentist friends that Grunnings Drills weren't the best on the market. He developed a new one in his spare time, and lots of the dentists have been replacing their Grunnings Drills with the new Crookshanks brand. Business has been quite good for the Grangers this year."

" Hermione, you are one amazing witch, " said Harry shaking his head. "What could you possibly surprise me with next?"

(A really big hug and kiss would be nice, she thought, but quickly buried the thought.

'Patience, girl. All in good time. You can't scare him back to the Dursleys the first day he's here!' (As if.....)

By the time Chris and Ivy came back into the living area of the house Hermione and Harry had assembled a nice tea. Harry was amazed at what Hermione had been able to accomplish without even a hint of a spell. She seemed to have wands built into her hands, she moved so quickly.

"Is there anything your daughter isn't good at?" Harry asked her parents. Hermione blushed, but Harry noticed she looked pleased.

" We have expected a lot from Hermione and she's never disappointed us," Chris replied. "I have been really pleased to see that she's learned to relax and have some fun at school."

Harry almost fell off his chair at this. "Hermione relax? She works harder than anyone in our class! But yeah, she has had some fun with some things we've done."

Hermione gave Harry a warning look and shook her head slightly. He took this to mean her parents didn't know ALL about her school activities.

"I mean.... she can turn a teapot into a tortoise faster than anyone in our year. Now if I could only get her to enjoy flying."

"Just give her a bit more time, Harry," said Ivy, with a look in her eyes that made him wonder about Hermione's mother.Why would a Muggle look that way at the mention of flying. "I have a feeling she'll be flying around faster than anyone before long."

"See, Harry. They think I can do things well, so I guess I just don't give much thought to what I can't do." said Hermione. "But flying... I don't know. A girl's got to stop someplace."

"I'm usually around to have you fly with me, so I guess it's not that important, " Harry said this so matter of factly that he didn't see the look of delight that passed quickly over Hermiones's face. So he just expected them to stay together? She hadn't thought he ever gave things like that a thought. Maybe some of those feelings she'd been having weren't so crazy after all.

"Still, Hermione - you need to get over your hesitancy about flying, so you can experience the joys of it. I mean... it seems to be a joyous thing." This time Harry knew Ivy had some experience of flying besides what Hermione had told her. Was Hermione's mother really a Muggle or was she just pretending for some reason of her own?

After a morning spent learning how to use the Grangers' computer, Harry began to feel that he could maybe function in the Muggle world. He didn't think it would ever replace magic, but quills and parchment would seem pretty slow when he got back to school. When he voiced this opinion to Hermione, she reminded him that once they were fully qualified as wizards, all they'd have to do would be think. The quillcould be enchanted to do the writing for a wizard.

"But it's a fairly complicated spell, I looked it up our first year. We'll only begin to use it when we're fifth years." Hermione looked at Harry sternly, and continued, "Don't get any ideas about putting a spell on a computer, Harry. Muggles have enough problems without spells."

" 'Course I won't. I don't want to hear ANYTHING from those people at the Ministry this summer. Guess they'd be happy not to hear my name for a while either. "

They went in to have lunch with Hermione's parents, and as they began eating the Cornish pasties and salad, Ivy pulled a paper from her pocket. From where Harry was sitting, the paper looked like it had a lot of stars on it.

"Here's a list of the things for you to pick up today, Hermione. The items with stars are the ones that'll require special care." Harry looked from Hermione to her mom and noticed that Ivy's eyes had a slightly mischievous look. " Harry, come to my office after you've finished your lunch. I think Hermione has some things to take care of before the two of you are off. I'll give you the directions, and the money."

" Of course, " said Harry,but wondering why. Surely she should give the money to her daughter. Hermione was always so responsible. They finished their lunch, and Harry helped Hermione clear away the lunch things.

"This is not the kind of work Uncle Vernon was expecting me to be doing," Harry told Hermione with a smirk. "He told me I'd spend the afternoon cleaning blood, spit and bone."

"Bone!" squealed Hermione. "Harry, why would my parents have bones? They work with TEETH, they aren't orthopedists. And anyway, people don't throw bones away, no matter what kind of doctors they are."

"They don't know that. You don't know these people- they make Gilderoy Lockhart look like a genius."

"Well, you better go see Mom and I'll do what I need to do. Meet you in her office in a bit" Hermione turned and disappeared up the back stairs, leaving Harry to wonder where they were going, and whether Hermione was going to change out of those shorts. He shook his head hard and wondered what was wrong with him. This was HERMIONE,one of his best friends. He felt his ears getting hot as he tried to rid his mind of the picture of Hermione running up the stairs. Great wizards! He had to go in and talk to her MOTHER. But Harry relaxed a little as he remembered Ivy's look of mischief. He didn't think she'd be too surprised at his thoughts. He couldn't help a feeling of sadness as he wondered whether his mum would have been as funny and understanding as Hermione's. When he knocked at the office door, and heard Ivy call, "Come in," he tried to put on a cheerful face.

" You're sure you don't mind going along to do the errands, Harry? Chris tells me you've taken well to working with the computer," Ivy had a concerned look as Harry came in." Are you worried about something?"

"Oh, no, it's not that, I'd love to go out. I don't usually get far from Privet Drive in the summers. My aunt and uncle, uh, aren't too crazy about being seen with me. I'm pretty much of a freak to them."

Harry wondered if he sounded like he felt sorry for himself and quickly added," I don't mind though, we just don't, um... have a lot in common, I guess you could say."

" OK, Harry, no need to put on the brave front with me. Remember, I know what Hermione's told me AND from my own experience with the Dursleys. If your mother could get her hands on them...." Ivy stopped in mid sentence and Harry stared at her.

"Y-you sounded as if you really KNEW what my Mum would have thought" whispered Harry. He looked at Ivy, who was shaking her head as if unsure whether to continue. She took a deep breath and then said gently" I DO know how Lily felt about many things. We certainly spent enough time as girls discussing what we wanted for our own lives and our children. We both knew we would do anything for them. Neither of us ever thought our lives would have gone in the directions they did, or that Lily would lose her life."

"You and my mother were friends? Does Hermione know? She never said anything.I thought Hermione's family were all Muggles."

"Hermione and I had a very long talk home when she got home.. I told her about some parts of my life that I haven't thought of for a long time. Lily and I were very close, Harry. If things had turned out differently I might have been named your godmother. We were always friends though, right up until your parents went into hiding." Ivy looked away from Harry, and he could tell she was attempting to blink away tears. "I knew when I saw you yesterday that I couldn't look into your eyes, Lily's eyes, all summer and not tell you this. After all these years I can finally give my best friend's child a little of the love and care his mother would have wanted. It's only been my belief that Dumbledore knows best, and more recently that you and Hermione were together at Hogwarts that have given me some peace."

"I can hardly believe this. After all these years with the Dursleys, I find that I have a godfather and even with him gone, someone still cares about me." Harry shook his head in disbelief. Then he had another thought, "Does this mean I don't have to go back to the Dursleys?" Someone laughed in the doorway and Ivy and Harry turned to see Hermione standing there.

"I see Mum couldn't keep her secret any longer. What do you think Harry? Last year when you and Ron were so furious with me about your broom being checked for jinxes and hexes, I was only obeying Mum. Though I didn't know why she was soconcerned."

Ivy looked a bit embarrassed.

"Well, you know, all of us thought the same thing about Sirius. I never WANTED to believe he would betray Lily and James. But all the evidence.... and I was so angry and lost without my friend. I do hope neither of you has to lose a friend, although the way you've disregarded the rules at Hogwarts....it's only the Circle Charms that Molly and I have performed over the years that have kept you three alive."

" What are Circle Charms? And You mean Molly Weasley?" Hermione and Harry asked together. This was getting stranger and stranger.

" You'll only learn Circle Charms in your seventh year. They can go horribly wrong, and instead of giving you protection they can help danger find you. That's one reason I decided to come back into the wizarding world. Molly's got so many children, her Circle Charmsare getting a bit worn."

"Ron's mum!" Harry cried. "Of course! I always thought it was just being at Hogwarts that helped. But things did get a lot better after I met Ron and Hermione." Harry laughed as he remembered their first experiences with Hermione. "You didn't care much for us at first though, did you,Hermione?"

She looked embarrassed then laughed and said, " You didn't act the way I expected you to, Harry. I mean I'd read about you in all these books and there you were, totally clueless. And as I recall you both had traces of Chocolate Frogs on your faces. D'you remember the spell Ron tried. I'm sorry, but you both seemed a bit pathetic." Then her voice changed and she said, so softly Harry wasn't sure he heard correctly as she added, "Back then."

Ivy looked at them as if she wanted to laugh, but quickly changed the subject. "You two had better head out. Harry, here's the money. You can keep up with that. I know you've had to manage your own money for several years. Hermione, you have the list?"

"Right, Mom. So we'll see you.....?"

"Your dad and I will meet the two of you at the Leaky Cauldron. I think we need to celebrate tonight. Your dad won't mind, he's growing more accustomed to the fact that there are two witches in the family." said Ivy.

"That's a nice change. Poor dad, thought he was going to have a nice, normal Muggle marriage, and what did he get?" said Hermione.

"Two wonderful women and a terrific life." Chris said from the door."You two had better move. Harry, I'll call the Dursleys and let them know you'll stay here tonight, if you'd like. We may have a late evening, since we don't have anyone coming in till the afternoon."

Harry felt that he better pinch himself to see that he wasn't dreaming. He'd never had any idea that life could be this good. All he could do was smile and nod as he looked around the room. He saw Hermione no longer wore the shorts she'd had on that morning. He couldn't help noticing that her dress didn't hide the fact that

Hermione was no longer the bossy little girl he'd met on the Hogwarts Express.

"Harry ! Come on! " Hermione was looking at him impatiently. He'd better start trying to focusing on something besides Hermione's Muggle clothes or he'd be sent back to Privet Drive or getting another letter from the Ministry of Magic.