Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

Harry Potter and the Year That Changed Everything (2)

By fbline

Chapter Two: Regrets and Revelations

Harry did as he was told and retrieved the large suitcase that Dudley used when he went away to school. He wondered briefly what Dudley would now use but contented himself that they would likely buy their beloved son a whole new set of luggage. Besides, he had bigger things to worry about at the moment. What the hell had just happened? Was it his anger that had caused him to use wandless magic against his cousin? It had happened before, but he had thought that he had gotten past that stage. Wandless magic wasn't something a witch or wizard could usually do very effectively, but he seemed to have done it pretty effectively tonight. And where was he supposed to go now? He didn't have time to owl Ron to ask permission to come to the Burrow, and Hermione was still on vacation. Should he go to the Leaky Cauldron like he had three years ago? And why hadn't he received any warnings from the Ministry? And what happened to the Order members that were supposedly looking after him? And why the hell was he getting this blasted suitcase when he already had his own school trunk? This was turning into a really strange day. Little did Harry know it would soon enough get even stranger.

Placing the large suitcase down at his own feet, Harry looked back at Petunia to await her orders. He hoped that it wouldn't be a long ordeal so he could get packed up and be on his way. Maybe he could have one of the Order members drop off the suitcase once he got where he was going...wherever that would be. Once the suitcase made it's clunk on the floor, Petunia seemed to break out of some kind of trance and looked at Harry again, her face still quite unreadable.

"Thank you, Harry. Now, please go up to your room and wait there. I'll let you know when dinner is ready."

Vernon listened to his wife's words and quickly stepped in front of her.

"What do you mean telling him to go to his room? He's leaving this house right now!"

Petunia made to response to her husband's proclamation and instead opened the large steamer trunk in the middle of the room.

"Vernon, your dress shirts have all been cleaned and pressed. Dudley, I managed to get the food stains out of your pajamas and you should have plenty of socks and underwear. While you're both packing I'll ring Marge and let her know you're coming. Harry, get up to your room...now."

Harry looked from the shocked expressions on the faces of his uncle and cousin to the stone-like one of his aunt and wisely decided to do as he was told once again. He could hear the yelling of his uncle for nearly an hour afterwards, as well as the whimpering of Dudley. At first, Harry thought that it might have been that Dudley was whimpering over leaving his mother, but he soon realized that he was actually bemoaning the fact that he had to leave his new PC behind, along with his 52 inch TV, and not to mention that Marge didn't have satellite. For Dudley, it was something akin to going to jail. Eventually, there was a window shattering slam that Harry was quite sure the entirety of the British Empire could hear, followed by a heavy silence. Ten minutes later he heard slow footsteps coming up the stairs and heard the clearing of a throat before his aunt's voice broke the steely silence.

"Harry, it's time for dinner. I haven't got anything prepared, so it's going to be whatever you can find. I think I'm going to have a lie down instead. I'll see you in the morning."

Harry then heard footsteps on the stairs again that grew distant this time until they faded altogether. Chancing a peek out his bedroom door, he could see that the hallway was now completely empty. Looking into Dudley's room through the hole in the wall, he could see that all his drawers had been emptied of their contents and the floor was strewn with all manor of cast off items. Walking down the stairs he saw that the door to the spare bedroom was closed and that it looked as if a minor battle had occurred in the living room. Cushions had been thrown about and one of Petunia's prized Royal Doulton pieces had been smashed into the fireplace. Harry quickly made himself a lettuce and tomato sandwich and returned to his room to try and process what all had happened in the last few hours. He could not understand what had ever possessed his aunt to choose himself over her husband and son. He would have to ask her in the morning. For now, he settled himself upon his bed and felt somehow more appreciative of having a roof over his head and food in his belly.

The next morning, Harry woke up to the smell of bacon frying. For a full minute while he was hurriedly getting dressed he told himself that he'd be lucky to get any after his uncle and Dudley got through with it. Once he stepped into the hallway however, the events of the previous night caught up to him. His uncle and cousin were gone now. It was only he and his aunt in the house, and that meant that she was actually fixing breakfast. The clattering of plates made him speed up a bit to hurry in to see if she was in need of his help.

Harry expected to see the kitchen in a mess, expected to get a tongue lashing for not having breakfast done early, but neither of these things came to be. Instead, a great stack of golden hotcakes steamed in the middle of the kitchen table, while an equally generous amount of scrambled eggs and bacon were being dished up also. This was the usual breakfast that they would have on weekends, but Vernon and Dudley were always there to eat it all before Harry even got a look in. She hardly ever cooked like this by herself, and never when it was just the two of them. Not knowing what else to do, Harry sat down in his usual chair and poured orange juice into his and his aunt's glasses. Once she had shut the stove off and placed the pans and bowls into the sink she sat down across from Harry and began to eat in silence. Harry thought that staying quiet was probably for the best, but he couldn't help feeling bad for his aunt who currently looked even more miserable than he felt.

"Aunt Petunia, these hotcakes are really good. I don't think the two of us can get through all of this though."

Petunia didn't respond at first. Instead, she spooned up a good amount of scrambled eggs onto her plate and uncapped a bottle of tomato ketchup that Harry hadn't even noticed being there before. To his amazement, his prim and proper aunt then proceeded to empty half the bottle onto her eggs. He had never seen her do such a thing before. After screwing the cap back on the bottle and licking the small amount that had gotten on her fingers, she began to eat up her eggs like a woman that had been starved before speaking.

"I always used to eat my eggs like this. Vernon told me the morning after we were married that I needed to stop doing it. He said it would make me fat. I haven't eaten them like this since. That was about twenty years ago now. I got it from my father, your grandfather. He used to make Lily and I eggs and poured ketchup on them. That all seems like a lifetime ago now. You should have met your grandfather, Harry. Lily was the apple of his eye. That's whom she got her eyes from. Daddy had the kindest eyes. You have them now, Harry. It's hard for me to look into them sometimes, you know. They remind me of your mother and my father and it reminds me of the promises I made to them, and how I've failed them both."

Putting her fork back down, Petunia got up from the table and walked out into the living room and then up the stairs. Harry was now left alone in the kitchen with more food than he had ever had available to him since he'd lived there. Unfortunately, with what his aunt had told him still sounding in his head, he suddenly found that he wasn't at all hungry.

The next few weeks fell into a sort of pattern for the two remaining occupants of the house. Harry still got up early in the morning to get in his run, but now he was not required to make breakfast when he got back. To his great surprise his aunt was actually very good at cooking, it was just that Vernon had always insisted she let Harry go it so that she could focus on more important things, like himself and Dudley. After breakfast was taken care of, she and Harry would work on the garden and lawn during the early part of the day, before cleaning up the inside until it was time for dinner. After dinner, Petunia would usually retire to her bedroom while Harry was left alone to go whatever he wanted. For the first couple days he sat on the couch and watched television, something he would never be allowed to do normally, but he lost interest when he discovered that there really wasn't anything worth watching anyway. There was only so much EastEnders he could stand. Mostly now he worked on his studying, writing letters, and talking to Hermione on their mirrors. She was as shocked as he was when he told her about his uncle and Dudley moving out and was just as surprised that he hadn't gotten anything from the Ministry for using wandless magic. She said they could have to ask Dumbledore about it when they saw him next. As always, she ended each conversation the same, with a smile and a comforting, "I'll see you soon, Harry! I promise!" This thought, combined with the continual outpouring of love from Luna, gave him hope that things might just turn out all right after all.

On the morning of July 29th, Harry woke up to the sound of an owl scratching against his window. Since it wasn't Hedwig or Pig, he wondered whom it could be from. Opening the window enough to let it in, the bird stuck its leg out and allowed Harry to remove the note it held there before taking off again. The note was fairly short, and the neat calligraphy with the heart dotted i's told Harry exactly who it was from.

Dear Harry-

Good morning! I received an owl from Dumbledore last night after talking with you. Somehow he knew I wanted to ask him something. Mr. Weasley was right he doesn't miss a trick. Anyway, from the report he received from Tonks (she was watching you the night your uncle and cousin moved out and was going to intervene until she realized you were more than capable of taking care of yourself. In fact, she wanted to congratulate you on your wandless use of the "force bolt" hex that we won't even learn about until this coming year!) You used an advanced and undetectable form of wandless magic that only very powerful wizards and witches can use. There are apparently only a few Aurors with the ability to do so, and none of them are nearly as young as you are! Dumbledore said he'd like to help train you in its use since power of emotion is very important in casting it. He must have known that I would want to know more about it as well, since he agreed that I could get training in it as well, along with the rest of the "Ministry Six" if they want. I thought we could talk about it when we get to the Burrow. Speaking of which, how would it be if you got picked up at midnight tonight? Dumbledore said you could leave then, so I kept the school owl he sent and wrote you right away. So, be ready at midnight tonight and have your mirror with you. I'll try and talk with you later today. I can't wait to see you again!

Love,

Hermione

For most of that day, Harry felt as if his feet were barely on the ground. The knowledge that he would be leaving soon sustained him all day long. After all his chores were done and dinner was over, he told his aunt about leaving for the Burrow that night and expected her to go off to her room as usual. Once again, his aunt greatly surprised him.

"I see, well, I guess this may be the last night hours you spend here then. You'll be 17 in two days and you'll be able to make your own way in the world. These last few weeks have made me realize something, something I should have done a long time ago. I need to explain some things to you. Please, sit down. This may take a while."

Harry didn't know what to do or think. His aunt had been treating him entirely different of late, treating him kindly and almost maternally. That alone was a shock, but now she was going to actually explain something to him? Something important? He had a hard time believing any of this was even possible. Petunia sat down on the couch and motioned for Harry to sit down beside her. This was another first. She had never let him sit next to her before.

"Harry, the first thing I want to say to you is how sorry I am. I know I don't deserve to have you believe that, but it's true. I won't try to justify my actions, but I would like a chance to explain them. I guess I should start at the beginning. For the first five years of my life, I was their whole world. Like Dudley, I had everything I could possibly want, including the undivided attention and love of them both. And then Lily was born, and I had to learn to share their love. I tried my best to hate her, but I couldn't, she was perfect. She loved everyone and everything, and you couldn't help but love her back. People would look at her beautiful green eyes and her shiny copper colored hair and would just melt, including me. I loved her as much as any sister has ever loved another. The year she turned six and I turned eleven changed everything for us both.

Mother was ill then. She had a miscarriage shortly before my birthday and was in the Hospital at the time. On the night of my birthday I was home alone taking care of Lily while daddy was visiting her. Lily was the one that saw the owl first. She was giggling and pointing at it. I thought it might be hurt so I opened the window to look at it, but it was perfectly fine. The only surprise was that it was carrying a letter...a letter addressed to me."

Harry's jaw dropped as his eyes widened. His aunt Petunia, the woman who had said countless times the he was a freak, that his mother had been a freak she was also a witch? This was unthinkable to him. Petunia noticed his shocked look.

"Yes, it's true. I received my letter from Hogwarts first. It was exactly the same as your mother's and the exact same as yours. I had been experiencing odd things for nearly a year, but I hadn't said anything to anyone about it. When I first read the letter, I couldn't believe it. I got excited at the prospect of going off to some exotic sounding school and learning about magic, but one look at Lily's shining eyes told me what I had to do instead. My birthday is right before your term starts remember? Well, at the time mother was still having complications from the miscarriage, and father was in no shape to take care of the both of them. He was completely lost without her. Someone had to take care of Lily, and that's what I did. I wrote them back and said I couldn't go. They sent me another owl the following day asking me to reconsider, but I couldn't. Lily needed me, and that was more important. After a few years went by I nearly forgot about it all, until five years later when Lily received her letter. By then mother was healthy again and she and daddy were overjoyed for her. I never mentioned my letter, and now it was too late for me anyway. Lily was going to go and I would stay behind. It was one more thing that she had that I wanted, and that's when my jealousy of her began."

Harry couldn't believe his own ears. His aunt had held this against his mother all these years, and now she held it against him as well. He had no idea this was the reason, but now he was beginning to understand.

"Aunt Petunia, I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to go to Hogwarts. You would have liked it there. I can understand why you felt left out. Did you ever tell uncle Vernon about any of this?"

Petunia gave a hollow laugh and shook her head.

"No, I never did. In fact, you're the first person I've ever told this to. I was afraid someone would find out. I was afraid that Vernon would leave me, and now he has anyway."

Petunia looked as if she might cry so Harry placed his hand on her shoulder causing her body to flinch at his touch. He felt very sorry for her now.

"I'm really sorry. But if he didn't know about you being a witch, why did he hate them so much? And why did he hate me in particular?"

A pained look came over Petunia as she leaned back into the couch for support

"A lot of his anger comes from events that happened before you were even born. When I met Vernon he was a semi-pro boxer who's gym was near our house. I used to walk down there and watch him train. You should have seen him back then. He had this thick head of hair and muscles all over. He didn't have a mustache back then and some of the guys around the gym called him "Babyface." Well, they didn't call him that in the ring. They didn't usually stay conscious long enough. Scouts used to come from all over the area to see him box and to talk with him, there was even talk of him training for the Olympics. After his fights I used to wait for him and then we'd go out for a late dinner at an all night cafeteria. I used to love hearing him talk about what he was thinking during the fights and watching him eat like a man possessed. Afterwards he'd walk me back home and we'd kiss like we'd never see one another again. That went on for three years until reality caught up with us. He was just starting to make a name for himself in professional boxing when I told him that I was pregnant."

Harry sat stunned at the words his aunt was telling him. He'd had no idea that his uncle had been a professional boxer, but it did explain his drive for Dudley to do well in the sport, and he certainly had the size and fists for it. It was hard though to imagine him with a full set of hair and muscles. It had obviously been sometime ago. The idea of his aunt and uncle being young and in love was also new to him and made them both seem slightly more normal in his eyes. Looking back at his aunt he saw that she was wiping tears from her cheeks. He'd never seen her cry before; he didn't really know what she could.

"When I told him I was pregnant he was excited. I was happy since I feared that he might be angry about our carelessness. I was only two months along at the time so we set a date a month from then to get married. It was a very small ceremony, just my family and his. I felt bad that this would take him away from his boxing career, but he always told me that it would just delay it, that's all. He'd go back later, once Dudley was born and things had settled down. Unfortunately, that never happened.

When Dudley was a year old, I found out that I was pregnant again. I was shocked. I had previously believed that I couldn't get pregnant so close after having a baby, but I found out how wrong I was. Vernon's reaction this time wasn't as happy as it was with Dudley. He had been planning on going back into the ring and even had plans of quitting his job to get back into shape. With a new baby, he wouldn't be able to do that. Instead, he started working more and more overtime and weekends and I hardly ever saw him. He said it was because a new baby would mean that we would need more money, but I knew there was more to it than that. He was disappointed with me, and with himself. He had to give up on his dream, and I couldn't help but feel that it was all my fault."

Harry was now shocked and confused. A second pregnancy, how could that be? In answer to his unasked question, Petunia's tears began to fall faster as she now didn't even bother to wipe them away.

"I miscarried in August of that year. Vernon did he best to care for me, but it was tough with Dudley being so young. I felt like I had let them both down, that I was merely disappointing Vernon once again. I remembered my mother when it had happened to her and how I had resented having to take care of Lily, and how I had turned down my chance to go to Hogwarts and have a whole other life because of it. I realized then that I was being punished for it. I felt that god had forsaken me because of what I had felt then. There was a void now in our relationship, and I wondered if we could survive it together. That's about the time you came in, Harry. To tell you the truth, it wouldn't have mattered if you had been a magical child or not. To Vernon, you were a reminder of what we'd lost, what he'd lost. You became a symbol of everything he had missed out on. You were the reason his dream died. I know I should have taken the blame myself, but I was too weak. Blaming you meant that I was safe. Blaming you meant that the family could stay together, and that was my dream. I am so sorry, Harry. I should have taken the blame myself. It's my fault, all my fault."

Petunia's voice gave out as she began to sob violently. She had curled herself up into a fetal position and cried like Harry had never seen anyone cry before. He became aware that this marked crossroad in his relationship with his aunt. If he walked away now he might never have to speak with her again, he was leaving shortly after all. But, if he reached out now, their whole relationship could change. It was up to him now. As anyone who knew Harry would expect, he knelt down in front of her and gathered her slight frame into his strong arms while whispering reassuring words into her ear.

"Shh, it's ok. Everything is going to be all right. Don't worry about uncle Vernon and Dudley they'll come around. I'm glad you told me this stuff. I had no idea. I forgive you, I really do. Does Dudley know about any of this?"

His aunt's sobs slowed down after a while and she, for the first time, drew Harry to her in a long overdue hug.

"No, Dudley doesn't know. Vernon said it wasn't something to discuss, so we never did. It would have been a girl. I had always wanted a girl, you know? Well, what's done is done. I'm glad we had this talk as well, Harry. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I appreciate you doing so. I made a promise to my mother to take care of Lily and I failed. I made a promise to Lily to take care of you, and so far I've failed that as well. If you'll give me a second chance, I'd like to try to be a better aunt to you, and a better person in general. What do you think? I know that you'll be of age soon and don't need me anymore, but if you'd let me, I'd like to be a real part of your life from now on."

Harry felt as if he might cry himself now. If someone would have told him when he had woken up that morning that at the end of the day he would be hugging his aunt and having her beg his forgiveness for fifteen years of mistreatment, well, the idea would have been laughable. At the moment, however, he didn't feel at all like laughing. He had longed for years for a familial kind of love in his life and now, just as he was nearing the start of his adult life, he was being offered it.

"Aunt Petunia, you deserve forgiveness as much as anyone else does. You had bad things happen in your life just as I have, so we aren't really that different, you know? And hey, you didn't fail my mum when you promised to take care of me. I'm here, aren't I? And you didn't fail your mother either; there wasn't anything anyone could have done to save her from Voldemort. I'd like you to be a part of my life as well, a real part. But, I do have one condition for you"

Petunia wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and looked at Harry's serious expression. She was struck, for not the first time that evening, how much Harry's eyes looked just like her sister's eyes, his mother's eyes.

"What's your condition? I'll do anything."

"My condition is that you tell uncle Vernon and Dudley about everything you've told me here tonight. If you're going to be a part of my life, then we all have to get past these issues that have been hanging over us for far too long. I know that uncle Vernon is mad right now, but we both know he'll be back. For one, aunt Marge can't cook, and for another Dudley won't stand for being away from his Playstation. So, how about it, will you talk with them about this?"

Petunia chuckled lightly at the mention of Aunt Marge's cooking ability and Dudley's love of button crunching. Shaking her head she gave Harry a last squeeze and stood up from the couch.

"Ok, you have a deal. You're right, I don't imagine Vernon will be away for too long, and it would be a relief to talk about this with the two of them finally. So, Harry, it's 11:50, when did your friend say she would be picking you up again?"

Harry looked over on the mantle at the clock and realized he still had to bring his stuff downstairs. He couldn't believe that the time had gone by so quickly. As he was bringing the last of it down and double-checking his room for anything he had missed, he heard the doorbell ring. As he landed on the last step he saw his aunt opening the door to greet the beaming face of one Hermione Granger.

The moment that Hermione realized that it wasn't Harry opening the door her smile vanished from her face. Instead, the "business" face of Hermione replaced it and she spoke to Harry's aunt in a flat tone with more than a little bit of coldness blended in.

"Good evening, Mrs. Dursley. I've come to pick up Harry...now."

Harry arrived at the door and Petunia was moved out of the way by force when Hermione rushed at him to envelop him into her trademarked bone-crunching hug. After the passage of several minutes she released Harry to defensively stand in front of him looking daggers at Petunia, who continued to stand next to the now closed front door. Hermione grabbed hold of one end of Harry's trunk and spoke again in the same chilly manner as before.

"Well, we won't bother you and your family any longer. Harry, would you grab the other end so we can get away from here?"

Aunt Petunia lowered her head and stared down at her feet. Harry could tell that she felt truly ashamed and very much deserving of the way Hermione was talking to her. Knowing all too well how she felt, Harry placed one hand on Hermione's shoulder and the other on his aunt's.

"Hermione, wait. Aunt Petunia and I have been talking and we've come to an understanding. Uncle Vernon forced her to choose between the two of them and me, and she chose me. It would have been a lot easier for her to chuck me out, but she didn't. We've talked more tonight than we've ever talked before, and we've both agreed to give ourselves a second chance. She wants to be a part of my life now, and I want her to be one as well. I trust her, Hermione. So please, won't you give her a second chance also?"

Hermione looked as if Harry was speaking a foreign language, and Petunia looked as if she couldn't believe his words either. After looking back and forth a few times between them both, Hermione allowed her tense expression to soften and nodded.

"If you trust her, Harry, then I will. Mind you, if she hurts you again, she'll be answering to me. Do you understand what I'm saying, Mrs. Dursley?"

Petunia felt happy that Harry had defended her, but also a little worried about the threat Hermione had given her. Nodding her head with wide eyes, she walked over and grabbed the other end of Harry's trunk. Harry was glad that the two women seemed to be ok now...well, that they weren't openly hostile with one another at least and grabbed hold of Hedwig's cage and his Firebolt.

Once they had the bulk of Harry's possessions, the three of them walked out into the humid summer night and walked the short path that led to the driveway. Harry was once again glad that his uncle wasn't present when he saw the car that Hermione had arrived in.

Vernon Dursley was a man greatly prone to envy. He would often boast of his detached house, only to be envious of his co-worker's second home in Majorca. He would always boast of his corner office with a window, only to be envious of someone else's key to the executive washroom. Therefore the sight off Hermione's very own shiny new Jaguar would probably have sent him off onto a tirade that would have woken the neighborhood, much like his departure had. The fact that she was a witch, as well as being barely old enough to drive, would not have helped matters in the slightest. After everything was packed away in the surprisingly roomy boot, the two teens stood together so say goodbye to Harry's aunt. Figuring that he would want a moment alone with his aunt alone, Hermione gave the woman's hand a soft squeeze and a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Dursley. I'll look after Harry for you. I'm glad the two of you have come to an understanding finally."

Petunia allowed a half-smile to come to her lips as she squeezed Hermione's hand back.

"Thank you, Hermione. And please, call me Petunia. I'm very glad to know you'll be looking after Harry, and that you have been all these years. I know I haven't been doing my job, so I'm glad someone has. I promise to change that from now on, though. You have a special friend here, Harry. I hope you appreciate that."

Harry gave an embarrassed nod and smiled at both females in front of him.

"I do, although I know I don't say it nearly enough. I don't know what I'd do without Hermione, and I can only hope that I never have to find out."

Hermione was now the one to look embarrassed and gave Petunia one last smile before walking around to get in behind the wheel of the car, leaving Harry and his aunt to stand alone together under the garage light. Petunia was the first to break the silence.

"Harry, you'd better get going. I'll let you know if I hear anything from your uncle. I think his pride is hurt more than anything, but once he calms down I should imagine that I would be hearing from him. I don't know if you'd want to, but I'd really like to keep in touch with you, Harry. I know that I've had nearly seventeen years to get to know you, but I'd like to try and make up for that now."

Harry smiled and drew his aunt into only the second hug they had ever shared together.

"I'd like that. I'll send an owl when I get settled in. When uncle Vernon does get hold of you, remember what I said. After you talk to him, write me and let me know how it goes. I really do think he'll understand if he's still the same man you fell in love with, and I really do think he is...deep down. Some close to me once told me that love conquers all. I really hope she's right, for both our sakes."

Petunia's half-smile turned into a fell one as she pulled back from Harry's strong hug.

"Your friend sounds very smart, Harry. I like Hermione. She's got a good head on her shoulders. She reminds me a lot of your mother at that age. Although the way she was looking at you when she first saw you wasn't very maternal at all. Well, you should go. Write me when you get settled and I'll let you know when something happens here. And don't forget to buckle your seat belt!"

Harry's face was slightly red at his aunt's comment about Hermione as he opened the passenger side door to sit down beside his female best friend. Then, with a last wave, the two of them drove off into the humid night on the way to the Burrow. Hermione adjusted the thermostat and turned on the stereo without taking her hands off the steering wheel as she drove past the darkened houses of Privet Drive. Once they were on the highway she turned and gave a fleeting glance to the still slightly red and smiling Harry.

"Why so red, Harry? Do you want me to turn the temperature down further? I can get it to the point where you can hang meat in here if you want."

For some reason the mention of the word "meat" made Harry's face turn even redder as he mumbled his reply.

"Uh, no, that's ok. I'm comfortable, really. It was just something my aunt said before I got in that made me a little embarrassed, it was nothing."

Hermione smiled at Harry's obvious awkwardness and gave him another fleeting glance.

"What did she say, Harry?"

Harry's face continued on it's journey from slightly red to nearly purple.

"Uh, well, she was just joking, really. She was kidding with me by saying that you reminded her of my mum, even though you weren't looking at me in a motherly sort of way. She was just teasing."

Hermione's face was now that one that started to color up.

"Well, um, that was nice of her to compare me to your mother, I know how much everyone thought of her. And, um, well, she wasn't really teasing about how I was looking at you. I couldn't help it, though. What the hell have you been doing this summer when you weren't talking to me in the mirror, rebuilding Hadrian's Wall all by yourself?"

Harry's face was now practically roasting. It was bad enough thinking that Hermione might have been looking at him like that, but the actuality was even worse.

"I just did some running around the neighborhood and lifting some weights. You know, for something to keep my mind off things. It's no big deal."

Hermione snorted, which was very unlike her.

"No big deal? HA! Try to remember that when Ginny passes out, will you? Oh, and what about Luna? I'll have to try and hit her with a full body bind before she sees you. I don't know if I'll be able to handle seeing you with your shirt off, hell, I can barely keep my mind on driving with you fully dressed. She's going to be on you like a niffler at Gringotts when she sees you."

Harry's face was still radiating heat as he looked uncomfortably down at his lap. Hermione was reminded that Harry wasn't like most boys his age that would use his newly hard body and same good looks to their advantage in the female department. Knowing that the discussion made him feel awkward, she decided to move on to the next thing she was dying to know about.

"Well, are you going to explain what made your aunt do a complete 180 degree turn about, or do I have to test out my legillimency powers on you?"

Harry laughed at the mock seriousness of Hermione's tone and watched as the cars around them flew by. Hermione was not the fastest of drivers, even with the power of a V-12 at her disposal.

"It's kind off a long story, actually."

"Well, we've got three hours or so, I think that should be long enough. Unless you want to talk some more about Luna and how she may potentially rape you."

Harry looked over and saw the smirk on Hermione's face. He had feared the topic of Luna coming up and welcomed the chance to talk about something else.

"Ok, well, it all started earlier today..."

Harry went on to tell Hermione the whole story of the summer's events with his family, all the while with Hermione listening intently and occasionally interrupting to ask a question or to gasp at the more shocking bits that he had failed to mention to her in their previous conversations. When he had gotten to the point where Hermione had shown up he could tell that she was just as amazed about the whole thing as he had been.

"Wow, Harry! I'm proud of your aunt for defending you like she did against your uncle and cousin. And the idea that she could have been a witch! That's amazing! I've read where if left untrained, a witch of wizard will lose their power over time. Has Dumbledore ever mentioned it to you before?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, never. Think of how different things could have been if she had gone to Hogwarts. She would have been there around the same time as Ron's parents. I wonder what house she would have been sorted into. Can you picture my aunt in McGonagall's class? Oh, and can you picture her trying out for Quidditch? I'd pay a hundred galleons to have seen that!"

Hermione laughed along with Harry at the thought of his aunt in those types of situations. Her thoughts then turned more serious as she thought of what else it could have meant.

"Harry, if your aunt would have entered into the magical world, she may have ended up getting killed by Voldemort as well. Then you wouldn't have had any blood relatives left at all. I guess it's best that it turned out the way it did, you know?"

Harry's own laughter died when he realized that what Hermione had said was true. If Voldemort could have, he would have killed his aunt as well, and then there would have been no way that Dumbledore could have set up the wards that had protected him growing up. For the second time that night Harry gained a greater appreciation for his aunt. The female's breathy voice on the stereo was now singing something about Jupiter as Hermione got off one highway and onto another one as she came back to the topic she had jokingly mentioned earlier and now wanted to discuss seriously.

"Harry, have you heard anything from Luna lately? Is she still going to be able to come to the Burrow for the summer?"

Harry felt himself blush yet again as he pointed the air-conditioning vent directly at himself.

"Yeah, I got an owl from her this morning, actually. She's in Norway still, but she said she'd try and make it to the Burrow by my birthday. I guess that would be tomorrow now since it's well past midnight. I know why you're really asking, and no, nothing has changed between us. I can't give her what she wants while Voldemort's still out there. I can't give that to anyone. I wish to god I could, but I just can't. And speaking of tragic love stories, what's up with you and Ron? He asks about you in all his letters and wonders how you and I keep in touch so much. I really think we should tell him about the mirrors. If he finds out some other way he'll think we've been hiding something from him. After him tackling me last year, I really don't fancy him thinking we're carrying on behind his back again. He really does love you, Hermione. Couldn't you just give him once little chance, just one?"

Hermione kept her eyes focused on the road with as blank an expression has she could muster. Her cover was only blown when she pointed her own vent directly at herself.

"Harry, please, it's complicated, ok? I know in your case you are just trying to protect Luna, and that's pretty much what I'm doing with Ron. I don't want to hurt him, and that's what would happen if I went out with him. It really is for the best that he and I stay just friends until I can...well, it's just for the best right now, ok?"

Harry knew that there was obviously something Hermione wasn't telling him, something that would explain why she wasn't giving Ron a chance, but he also knew that she wouldn't talk about it until she was ready. He would have to wait until then, whenever that was.

At around 3:45 in the morning of July 30^th, Hermione pulled her car into the gravel lane that lead up the Burrow. Getting both of their luggage out of the car, the two of them made a couple trips to get it all onto the porch of the Weasley home. Harry instantly felt a wave of relief and peace wash over him as soon as he stepped foot on the front step. Opening the front door as quietly as they could, the two of them stepped into the kitchen to remove their shoes before stepping into the living room.

The sight that greeted them caused them both to grin. On the long couch there lay Ginny Weasley, who was curled up in front of none other than Neville Longbottom. Both of them were sound asleep, with Neville spooning her with his arm protectively around her waist. In the chair beside them, with is mouth wide open, was the third member of the golden trio, Ron Weasley. It looked like they had all tried to stay up to greet Harry and Hermione's arrival, but sleep had overtaken them. Hermione threw a quilted throw over Ron, while Harry placed a matching one over Neville and Ginny. Tip-toeing away from their sleeping friends, the two of them carefully made their way up the steps to their usual rooms. Hermione stopped and gave Harry a hug and kiss on the cheek, making Harry remember how much he had missed her doing that over the summer.

"Goodnight, Harry. I'm really glad you and your aunt are going better with one another. I know that we had our mirrors, but I still missed you this summer. Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning...I mean later on today. Sleep well."

Harry smiled at his beaming friend.

"Goodnight, Hermione. I really missed you, too. The mirrors are pretty cool, but it's just not the same as being with you in person. A mirror can't hug me like you do. I've really missed that a lot. Well, I'll see you at breakfast in a few hours."

Harry gave Hermione a kiss on her cheek and left her blushing slightly as he stopped off at the bathroom to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas. While he was washing his hands he heard the sound of someone passing by the door and assumed that Neville or Ron must have woken up and decided to go to bed. Drying his hands on the bath towel, Harry left the bathroom and opened the door to Ron's room. Upon entering, he instantly noticed that his usual bed seemed to already have an occupant.

Harry decided it must have been Neville that had woken up, since Ron would surely know which bed was his, whereas Neville might not. For a moment Harry just stood there, wondering if Neville had been brave enough to bring Ginny with him, but it appeared from the size of the lump that there was only one occupant present. He thought about letting Neville have his bed and just spend the night in Ron's or using Fred and George's room, but he then realized that Neville must have still been wearing all of his clothes, since there was no trace of anything lying around. Thinking that Neville might want to change into something more comfortable, or at least just take off his shirt and tie, he approached the bed to check if his friend had fallen back asleep yet. Noting the absence of the usual snoring Neville was known for, Harry grabbed hold of the blanket covering his head and drew it back.

"Hey mate, don't you want to take off some...clothes?"

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when he pulled the blanket back far enough to know that the person under it was definitely not Neville, nor any other male. Instead of seeing Neville's round face and sleepy eyes, he came instead face to face with long blonde hair, a beautiful face, and wide-awake gorgeous multi-colored eyes.

"Oh, hello, Harry. Gee, is this your room? I must have gotten in here by mistake. Funny how that happens around here, isn't it? And I don't think I need to take off any more clothes, since I'm not wearing any to begin with."