Those Crazy Nine Months

CHAPTER FOUR

The door creaks softly as Harry opens it to let himself and Hermione and Neville in. Slipping inside, Harry holds the door open for his friends, closing it quietly behind them. "Sorry I didn't invite you over before... Don’t really know why I didn’t..." he murmurs, glancing at the clock. "Oh no.... I think we took more time then I thought when we got lost..."

Taking off his jacket, and taking Hermione and Neville’s jackets from them, he surveys his friends’ outfits. Glancing down the hallway as he takes his wand from his pocket, he quickly covers up the strangeness of their clothes with a glamour spell. Hanging the jackets in the closet by the front door, Harry calls out, "Michael? Are you here?" Harry looks at his wand for a moment before it fades from sight. "Concealing spell," he whispers to Hermione and Neville, as he slips the invisible wand into his pocket.

"Harry? You're home early!" A voice calls from across the house. Down the hall that divides the single story flat in two, the door to the bedroom opens revealing an almost naked young man. A light blue robe hangs open from his shoulders, revealing a tan chest and blue boxers with yellow ducks on them.

"Michael!" Harry exclaims as he flings his arm to the side, blocking the view of his friends and laughing. Hermione makes an undistinguished squeaking sound before turning and covering her eyes, as Neville coughs and looks over his shoulder.

"Sorry, Harry, didn't know you brought guests," Michael says, quickly closing the robe and tying the belt in one deft move. "My apologies, I was just about to get in the shower when you came in," he says as he walks towards the people in the entryway.

Hermione, being the first to regain her composure, gently lowers Harry’s arm and smiles to his boyfriend. "I'm sorry, we should have called before making Harry bring us over here. This is the first time we've been able to talk him into bringing us to his new home since he moved here. I am Hermione Granger, this is Neville Longbottom. We are friends of Harry’s from school."

Neville smiles shyly, nodding as he is introduced.

"Michael Parish, pleased to meet you. Do come in, if you'll give me just a moment to make myself presentable...," he says, flashing a charming smile as he gestures to the living room.

Harry rolls his eyes, chuckling softly as he leads the way. He stops in the door for a moment and lets his friends pass him. Harry greets Michael with a kiss, before letting him go and turning back to his guests.

After the bedroom door clicks shut behind Michael, the three in the living room sit down with a collective sigh. "See why I love him? He's absolutely great. Never asks questions... Enables me to play Quidditch without lying to him about what my job is." Harry says softly, with a small smile playing on his face.

"Not bad on the eyes either from what I saw," Hermione says with a grin. "But Harry... duckies?" Hermione giggles, cutting herself off as she hears the door open again.

"Honestly Harry, where's your hospitality?" Michael teases, running a hand through his hair. "Would you guys like anything to drink? Tea, coffee, juice? We've also got some beer, but I think it's still a bit early for that."

Hermione glances at Neville before nodding, and saying, "Just some ice water is fine. It's a bit warm out there." She smiles, brushing a strand of curly hair from her eyes.

Michael blinks for a moment, as it seems Hermione’s light blue summer dress shimmers for a moment, showing the green St. Mungo’s uniform through it, before blinking back. Scratching his head, he shrugs it off and heads for the kitchen.

"These glamours won't last for long, Harry. Have you thought about what you're going to say?" Neville asks softly, keeping his voice low to keep Michael from hearing.

Harry nods a bit, as Michael comes back with a tray, four glasses, and a pitcher of ice water on it. Filling the glasses, Michael says, "So, to what do we owe the honor of this visit?" He smiles to Neville and Hermione as he hands them their glasses.

"Actually," Harry says, "I wanted to ask you something." Setting his glass on the table and brushing the hair away from his scar, he takes a deep breath. Thinking for a long moment, he decides to take the direct approach. "Michael, do you believe in magic?"