Changing Address?

Changing Address?

---

Harry put his glass back down, wincing at the drink's taste, and deciding that he should have ordered a Butterbeer instead. He looked at the untouched cherry soda opposite, and then over at the door of the Leaky Cauldron. It wasn't like her to be late for anything, especially a date. He thought for a moment about recent events.

After he'd killed Voldemort, it had been easy to get Wormtail to confess to framing Sirius, and the court had posthumously cleared Sirius. The old house at number twelve, Grimmauld Place now belonged to Harry, and he'd gone straight back there as soon as he'd left Hogwarts, not even visiting the Dursleys to say goodbye. Since everything he had was in his trunk at Hogwarts, he'd simply sent them a letter by Hedwig, which had read 'Bad news. I'm still alive, and the wizard who wanted to kill me is dead. I got a medal for killing him. Goodbye, Harry Potter,' and never spoke to them again. He wished, though, that Sirius was still alive, so that he could have enjoyed his pardon, but now it was just Harry and Remus living there. For the first time ever, he'd been able to have a party on his birthday, inviting all his wizard friends.

Just as he was remembering that, the door opened, and Hermione entered, looking quickly round the bar. He waved, and she smiled and came over to join him. 'You ordered my drink already, then,' she commented. 'Sorry about the time, the interview ran late.'

'Was that your Experimental Charms one?' he asked.

She nodded as she sipped her drink. 'What have you got there?'

'Firewhisky. I shouldn't have bothered, it's too strong. How did your interview go?'

She shrugged. 'I thought it went OK. but that's what I thought for the other three, and they all said I was over-qualified. I never even thought of that while studying for my NEWTs.'

'I don't have that problem,' he joked.

'How did your Quidditch trial go?'

'Not bad. I've been taken on as a reserve Seeker.' He raised his glass. 'To the Falcons and Experimental Charms!' Hermione echoed his toast, and both drank. Harry coughed. 'Hang on, I'll get something to add to this.' He returned with soda added to his drink. 'Stop grinning. You've got to try things, haven't you?'

'That's true. I'm trying to get a job, as well as trying to persuade my parents that I'll be safe if I move out and live on my own. They don't like that idea.'

He sipped his Firewhisky. 'Do they want you to stay at home, or share a place with someone?'

'They know I don't want to stay at home forever -- they both left home when they were my age, to go to university. They'd be happy if I were sharing with other girls, though.'

'Or other women, now that you're an adult,' Harry suggested, smiling at her.

'True. It's just habit.'

'What if you shared somewhere with some men?'

'Harry! We've only been on two dates so far -- it's a bit soon to be even talking about anything like that.'

'No, I didn't mean like that! You've stayed in the house before, when ... when Sirius was alive. You and Ginny had a room, and I shared with Ron. It's a big house.'

'So it'd just be a completely innocent arrangement?' She gave him a suspicious look. 'You aren't hoping it might lead to anything?'

Harry tried to look innocent, but failed. 'Well, if we both wanted it to lead to anything later ... but, you know, we've spent most of the past seven years together in Gryffindor Tower, in class, everything. Now we suddenly don't see each other as much. I miss you. If you moved in, we'd see each other around the house a lot.'

'Yeah, I miss that too,' she said, looking down at her glass. 'It'd save time getting together to go out, too. We could just meet in the hall, instead of having to think of somewhere to meet. Oh -- is that painting of Mrs Black still there?'

Harry chuckled. 'I told her I'd killed Voldemort, and her painting just fell off the wall. McGonagall's got it in a locked room at Hogwarts now.'

'McGonagall? But I thought Dumbledore was recovering.'

'He doesn't want to be the Headmaster any more, though. He's going to teach Transfiguration again, and McGonagall will be the new Headmistress.'

'I haven't even been to St Mungo's to see him. I should.'

'He's there for the rest of the week. I thought you'd have gone.'

Hermione grimaced. 'I've been too occupied with finding a job to even remember. I never used to be that bad.'

'He'd understand.'

'I expect he would, but I ought to remember people.' Hermione toyed with her drink. 'So all I have to do is tell my parents I want to share a house with my boyfriend and a werewolf.' She grinned. 'They might take a bit of persuading.'

'You don't have to tell them what Remus is.'

'I suppose I don't, but I told them about him when he left Hogwarts. They might have forgotten by now.'

'It's up to you.'

'I'd like to be back in a wizarding house,' she admitted. 'With my parents nearby, though.'

'You'd be near them, even if they weren't near you. I mean,' he grinned at how strange that sounded to him, 'you could Apparate there easily enough, but they'd have to drive to the house, or get the Tube.'

'It's a lot easier for them to get there than to Hogwarts, anyway. I'll talk to them.'

'You do like the idea, then?'

'You look very suspicious, grinning at me like that. Yes, I do like the idea, as long as you don't think it means anything ... yet.'

'I do wonder if it'll make us change our minds -- without Ron around, maybe we'll just drive each other crazy.'

Hermione nodded. 'We can try, anyway, if I can talk my parents into agreeing.'

'You're going to try to drive me crazy?' Harry asked, grinning at her. 'They can't stop you, you are an adult.'

'As a witch, yes, I'm an adult. But as my parents' daughter, I'm still in the Muggle world -- and I'm not eighteen until next month.'

'You can do what you want after then, anyway.'

Hermione nodded again. 'Don't go renting out all the rooms before then,' she joked.

'I haven't suggested this to anyone else. There are quite a few rooms left, though.' He laughed at her expression. 'You started it.'

'It's you and Ron. You've been a bad influence on me.' After a pause, she added, 'I haven't seen Ron or Ginny since your birthday. I saw Mr Weasley when I went for my interview at the Muggle Liaison Office, though.'

'You'll be more likely to see them at my house.'

'You're doing your best to convince me. I don't think I've seen anyone in our year, apart from you.'

'Well, I hope I'm not too disappointing.'

'Of course you're not,' Hermione reassured him. 'I wouldn't want to see most of the Slytherins again, anyway.'

'Who would? Well, the Aurors want to see some of them, of course. They caught Nott and Rookwood -- did you hear?'

'Saw that in the Prophet. I'm still getting that. How do owls get to you, when the house is protected with Fidelius?'

'I never thought about that. They do, anyway. Hedwig, Pig and Artemis all find the house OK.'

'I know Artemis does, or she wouldn't be able to bring me your answers.' Artemis was Hermione's owl, bought just after she'd left Hogwarts, to help her stay in touch. 'Oh, and Ginny's going to be the new Head Girl -- did you know?'

Harry nodded. 'Ron wrote to tell me. Three Head Boys and a Head Girl in the family -- I don't think her parents have calmed down yet.'

'I know, Mr Weasley had real trouble concentrating on my interview. He kept asking me things like what it's like to be Head Girl, instead of the interview questions.'

Harry laughed, then looked at his watch. 'We'd better leave, if we want to see that film.'

'Oh, yes. Still, it's not far -- unless there's a long queue. There shouldn't be, not for an afternoon showing.'

As they walked down Charing Cross Road towards Leicester Square, Harry asked, 'Do you want to look at the house again afterwards, to remind yourself of what it's like?'

'I suppose I should. Yes, OK, I'd like that.' She glanced at him. 'I'm sure you've got absolutely no ulterior motive.'

Harry looked innocent. 'I'm the good one, remember? I'm getting a medal for killing the bad one.'

*

After the film, they Disapparated from a secluded area near the cinema, Apparating in the front hall of Harry's house.

'I thought you said the painting had gone?' Hermione asked, looking at the closed curtains which the painting had been behind. 'I'm glad the house-elf heads have gone, anyway. What did you do with them?'

'I didn't want to destroy them, so they've gone to the Museum of Supernatural History,' he told her. 'The painting has gone --' He drew back the curtains. Behind was an enlarged photo showing his parents, with Sirius, their best man. It must have been taken just after the wedding ceremony, and the three of them were smiling out at anyone who might be looking at the photo. Sirius waved occasionally, while James and Lily hugged each other.

Harry glanced at Hermione, and then closed the curtains. 'I can't stand to look at it for too long at a time, but I want it there as a reminder.' Hermione nodded. 'I wonder where Remus is,' Harry said, leading the way into the kitchen. 'Oh -- I would show you round, but you remember the house from when we first used it, don't you?'

'Yes. Hello, Professor Lupin,' she said as Remus entered the kitchen from another door.

'Hello there -- and you can call me Remus, now. Harry does. So, has he convinced you to be sinful?'

'I keep telling you, I'm the good one!' exclaimed Harry.

'Just as long as you mean Voldemort was the bad one, and not me,' said Hermione, grinning at him.

'Oh, of course. You knew I wouldn't mean anything else.'

'You'd better not. How are you, Remus?' She shot an accusing look at Harry. 'It sounds as if Harry asked you about me moving in before he mentioned it to me.'

Remus shrugged. 'He asked if I'd mind, before he asked, yes. I'm no worse. Severus keeps me supplied with Wolfsbane potion, so you'll be safe here if you do move in.'

'Yes, I knew Harry wouldn't ask otherwise. The Ministry still bans you from getting a job, doesn't it?'

'Unfortunately. Well, it's not exactly a ban, but it's as good as, with all the restrictions they've got. Minerva's trying to see if they can get round them and get me teaching at Hogwarts again, but I don't think it'll happen. That law didn't apply when I was teaching you.'

Hermione sighed. 'You were probably the best Dark Arts teacher we ever had. It's a shame you can't keep doing it.' She glanced at Harry. 'I don't mean you weren't a good teacher too.'

Remus said, 'Yes, I liked teaching. I can only manage now because first Sirius, and now Harry, let me live here free. I wish I could pay my way, though.'

'I'm happy with being a Quidditch player,' said Harry. 'Maybe when I get too old for that, I can teach. It'd be interesting to try it officially.'

'Yes,' said Hermione. 'Look, how about if I talk to my parents about this, and then you can give them your side when you come to my birthday party?'

'Er -- OK.'

*

Harry nervously checked his watch again. It was the nineteenth of September, and it was twenty past five.

'Harry, stop pacing up and down!' said Remus, laughing. 'From what I hear, you weren't as nervous when you went to face Voldemort!'

'Voldemort wasn't the father of my eighteen-year-old girlfriend, who I'd asked to share a house!' Harry reminded Remus. 'I didn't exactly make an appointment with him, either!'

'When's her party start?'

'Six o'clock, but I'm supposed to get there half an hour earlier. I don't want to be late -- I want to give them a good impression.'

Remus nodded. 'I know. Would it make you feel better or worse if I said you remind me of someone?'

'You mean my dad, when he met my mum's parents?'

'That's it. Sirius, Peter and I were trying to help him get up the courage to finally meet them.'

'I've met Hermione's parents before, at the station, but that's all. Just a couple of minutes at most. Now ...' he shrugged and dropped into a chair. 'Oh yeah, and once in Diagon Alley, when Mr Weasley got into a fight with Malfoy's dad. That didn't help.' Now it was twenty-one minutes past five.

'Stop looking at your watch, it just makes it worse. Why not go now? I know it's early, but it's not that early. It'll look as if you're keen to meet them.'

'Which I'm not. Starting off with a wrong impression -- sounds like a good way to jinx the whole conversation.' He crossed his arms on the kitchen table and rested his head on them, making it hard to look at his watch. 'Tell me when it's time, since I'm not looking any more.'

'OK.'

'Voldemort, Acromantulas, a Basilisk, Hagrid's pets, Dementors, a dragon, Death Eaters and more Death Eaters -- they were all just things to cope with. Well, except for the dragon, that was one thing I had time to think about. Oh, and a Sphinx.'

'You've led a quiet life,' said Remus, smiling. 'And now you're meeting two perfectly ordinary people, who can't even curse you, since they're Muggles, and you've been thinking about it for weeks.'

Harry nodded. 'This is driving me mad.'

'If it makes you feel better, James was really happy when he got back home after talking to your grandparents. It all went really easily, as easily as annoying Severus.' Remus embarked on a long anecdote about how the four Marauders had once brewed Polyjuice potion in the Shrieking Shack, and used it to make Snape see James everywhere one Saturday. Harry enjoyed it, but couldn't help feeling it would have been funnier if he hadn't been thinking about Hermione's parents. 'And, at the end of all that,' concluded Remus, 'Snape went to the hospital wing and said he was hallucinating, and he had to take a whole lot of potions before they decided he wasn't, and he wound up with a week of detentions.' Harry laughed. Remus added, 'And, at the end of all that, it's twenty-nine past five.'

'Thanks, Remus! That really helped pass the time. Right, I'll see you later.' Harry Apparated to the coordinates Hermione had given everyone on the party invitations.

He arrived in a secluded back garden, on the patio outside a kitchen. Hermione, wearing a long blue Muggle dress that reminded him of the dress robes she'd once worn, was standing at the door. She smiled at him. 'Bang on time. Come and meet them.' Harry followed her in, mentally reciting the list of monsters he'd faced, to reassure himself that he could do this. Hermione glanced at him. 'They're only my parents.'

'I know. Remus reminded me they can't even curse me -- though I suppose they could ask you to.'

'I might not do it, though,' she said, grinning impishly. 'Come on, they're upstairs in the lounge.'

'The lounge is upstairs?'

'Most of the ground floor's the surgery. I thought you might be more comfortable in the lounge than lying back in a chair while two dentists question you, with all their drills and so on handy.'

'Oh, terrific, that reminder was all I needed.'

Hermione laughed at him, and led the way upstairs and into the lounge. 'This is Harry, you've met him before. These are my parents.' Harry smiled nervously, and greeted them. Hermione told him, 'Sit down and talk. I've just got to bring in a bit more of the food for the party.'

Harry sat in an armchair next to the sofa that her parents were sitting on, and began well with, 'Er ...'

'Hermione's told us quite a bit about you, over the years,' said Mr Granger. 'You seem to have had quite an eventful life.'

'In fact,' said Mrs Granger, 'just about everything seems to happen to you. It sounds as if not much of it was pleasant, either.'

Harry nodded. 'Too eventful. I'm hoping for a quiet life from here on.'

'Apart from being a famous sports player,' said Hermione, who'd just returned, levitating a tray of something with cocktail sticks in ahead of her. She went through a pair of double doors at one end of the room with it.

Harry looked around the room. He hadn't really looked at the place properly when he came in. The lounge was a little larger than the Dursleys' lounge, and double doors into the dining room were folded back to make enough space for the party.

'I wouldn't mind that,' he admitted. 'If it was for being a good Quidditch player, and not because I didn't get killed as a baby.'

'I suppose we'll never be able to see a game, as we're not wizards,' said Mrs Granger.

'I don't know -- I don't think you'd be kept out, if you wanted to go.'

'We should get Hermione to take us to a game.'

'OK,' she said as she went back through the lounge again with the now-empty tray.

'You'd see me in a less-sinister light, then.'

Mrs Granger protested, 'You don't seem sinister! Hermione's no fool, and if she likes you, can't be too bad.'

Mr Granger nodded, and continued, 'We're concerned that she's rushing into this. You just seem to have been friends for years, and then suddenly you're dating when you leave school.'

'We spent a lot of time together anyway,' said Hermione, who'd returned, levitating bowls filled with various snacks. 'Well, the three of us did, including Ron.' She put the bowls onto some occasional tables and a shelf.

'Stop diving in and out, and sit here,' said her mother, moving over to make space for her. 'It won't be the end of the world if the last of the food gets up here after people start arriving, you know.'

Hermione sat down on the other end of the sofa. 'How is this going -- are you friends yet?'

'I'm still concerned about the rush,' said her father. 'You're suddenly going from being two of a group of friends, to dating and wanting to live together.'

'It's not exactly like that --' Harry started, just as Hermione said, 'Not really living togeth--' Both stopped, and looked at each other.

Her mother smiled. 'Couples are meant to finish each others' sentences ...'

'... but you're starting at the same time,' Mr Granger finished.

'They do that,' Hermione told Harry.

'I've inherited quite a large house. Hermione stayed there the year before our fifth year, before I even knew about the house. She's old enough to leave home, and if she gets a job at the Ministry, it'd be handy to live in London, where the house is.'

'That'd be more persuasive if you couldn't both Apparate,' Hermione's father pointed out. 'She's told us that the team you've joined is in Falmouth, and Cornwall's further from London than we are here.'

'Ah.' Harry sat trying to think of an answer to that.

'One of our old teachers lives in the house too,' Hermione said.

'I know,' said her mother, frowning, 'and that doesn't make it better. I'd be a lot happier about you and Harry living together if you weren't sharing the house with a werewolf.'

'Oh, you did remember that.'

'Yes, I remembered! I don't suppose you were going to tell us?'

'It doesn't make your case stronger,' said Mr Granger quietly. Harry realised that this was the reason they'd asked Hermione to join the conversation.

'I would have told you,' Hermione said weakly.

'After you moved in?' her mother asked.

Harry frowned. He was so used to Remus already that it hadn't occurred to him that there'd be any real problem. 'Remus isn't dangerous. There's a potion he takes, so he changes shape at the full moon, but keeps his human mind. It isn't a problem.'

'What happens if he forgets the potion?' Mrs Granger asked.

'He's not going to forget. Do you think he wants to be a werewolf, with an animal's mind every full moon? When he was our age, the potion didn't exist, and he had no choice but to avoid everyone. He doesn't want that again.'

'The Headmaster trusted him to teach us,' Hermione pointed out. 'He knew he was a werewolf -- all the staff did -- and nothing went wrong.'

'Remus was staying there when Hermione was there before, and you didn't mind then,' said Harry. Hermione winced, and her parents stared at her. 'Oh,' he said weakly. 'You didn't know, did you?'

'No, we didn't,' said Mr Granger. 'Hermione just told us that there would be adults there making sure everything was OK.'

'She did not say that one of the adults was a werewolf. Did you think we knew?' Mrs Granger asked Harry.

'Yeah,' said Harry. 'I just assumed you would. Hermione and the others had been there for weeks before I got there.'

'Look,' said Hermione, 'if I do move in, I'll have a room to myself. I can lock the door, you know -- not just with keys, but with Locking charms.'

'Are you more worried about me being in the house with her, or Remus being there?' Harry asked her parents.

Mr and Mrs Granger looked at each other. 'We're worried about both,' said her mother.

'But you are looking like the lesser evil,' said her father.

'A lesser "evil"? I'm the good one!' protested Harry.

Hermione laughed. 'He keeps saying that.'

'I don't. Do I?'

'Well, you've said it a few times since Voldemort's death.' She asked her parents, 'Did I tell you he got a medal for killing Voldemort, and saving my life?'

'Yes, you did. You don't happen to have the medal with you, do you?'

Harry shook his head. 'It doesn't actually get presented to me until next month, but I've been told it's definite, and not to make any other plans for Hallowe'en.'

'You're sure this werewolf is safe?' asked Mrs Granger.

'Remus is safe, yes. He's got a name,' said Hermione sharply.

'And this is just about living away from home, not living together?' asked Mr Granger.

'Yes, and ... actually, it feels odd living here again,' said Hermione. 'I'm used to living in a school dormitory, and having Harry and others around at meal times, and in the common room in the evening. This isn't going to be the same, but it'll be closer.'

'It "would", not it "will",' rebuked her father. Hermione nodded.

Mrs Granger said, 'Look, you two finish sorting out the food, and we'll go and talk this over.' She and her husband went out of the room.

'Well,' shrugged Hermione, 'there's not much left to do, but we can talk about them in the kitchen.'

'OK,' agreed Harry, following her back down. 'This doesn't look as if much has been getting baked. How did you clean it up so fast?'

'I borrowed a book from Mrs Weasley,' Hermione explained, pointing to it. 'It saves Mum having to do anything, and I can practise magic at home. So all the recipes used magic, and I just used Scourgify to clean it all up.'

'It's nice, being able to use magic outside school. It all looks really good, too.'

Hermione smiled at him. 'I think we'll leave the cake down here until later in the party, and these extra bowls of snacks,' she said. She put the cake into a cupboard, to avoid tempting any of the guests.

'Is there anything I can help with?' he said, as she put eighteen candles on the birthday cake. 'And we've forgotten to talk about them,'

'I've just about finished. I don't think we should have mentioned Remus,' she said glumly. 'I should have told them he was there before, too.'

'I wouldn't have said it if I'd realised.'

'It's not your fault I hadn't told them. I don't think they're going to agree, though.'

'Would that stop you? You're eighteen now, after all. At least, that's the excuse for the party.'

'I don't want to just walk out on them. I know why you did that, but I like my parents.'

'Yeah, sorry. I wish I knew what that was like.'

Hermione hugged him. 'Poor Harry.' They stayed like that for a moment.

There was a knock, and a call of 'Hello!' The hugging couple let go, and Hermione said, looking over at the clock on the wall. 'They're a few minutes early.' She opened the door, letting in Ron, Fred and George. Harry greeted them.

'And Harry sneaks in here first to get all the best food!' said Fred. He looked at the cakes on the side. 'What did you do, eat the rest of the plates, to hide the evidence?'

'Don't be silly,' said George. 'He's old enough to use Evanesco on them.'

'Don't you dare,' said Hermione. 'My parents will have to buy replacements for anything that vanishes.'

'So, are you two really going to be living together?' Ron asked.

'What?' asked Fred. 'Nobody told me that!'

'No, we're not!' said Harry, as Hermione said, 'I might move into Harry's house, just to be living away from home.'

'Ouch,' said Ron. 'Don't both shout at once. Well, not-quite congratulations, then.'

Mr and Mrs Granger entered the kitchen.

Hermione introduced the new arrivals to her parents.

'You forgot Harry!' Fred said with a grin. 'That's not a good start.'

'Harry, can you take them up to the lounge? I'll stay down here to open the door.'

Soon the rest of the guests had arrived, and Harry found out who Hermione had invited. Seamus, Dean, Neville, Lavender and Parvati were all there, and Hermione had also invited most of the other prefects from their year: Padma, Anthony, Hannah and Ernie. Ginny, who was there too, wasn't the only one still at Hogwarts; Hermione had also invited Luna.

'You two'd better watch out,' Harry told the twins. 'There's eight prefects at this party, even if they're too late to give you detentions.'

'Remember, we're used to Percy. He could pester us even at home,' said Fred.

'He's not the only one,' said Ginny, smirking.

'As soon as she got the badge, she started abusing her power,' complained George.

'That's what it's for,' claimed Ginny.

'How did you and Luna get time away from Hogwarts, anyway?' Harry asked.

Ginny explained, 'McGonagall and Flitwick made us get notes from our parents to say it was OK. Though McGonagall did say I could get a note from Hermione instead, as she was a nice responsible Head Girl -- and I think she misses her.' Harry grinned at the thought of the stern teacher missing a pupil who'd left, and glanced around the room. Fred and George were levitating a slice of pizza between them and spinning it, trying to take a bite as it came round to them. Hermione was busy talking to the Patil twins, but paused to ask Harry, 'Harry, can you bring up the other snacks? You know where they are, don't you?'

Harry went down to the kitchen, where Mr and Mrs Granger were sitting talking to each other. 'I don't think there's anyone else coming,' he told them.

'No, but we're just talking about you and Hermione. It's partly about some of the comments her friends have been making -- all this stuff, the fridge, the microwave, it seems to be as odd to them as the magic is to us.'

'We're in a sort of culture shock,' said his wife. 'Hermione's had time to get used to it. She does use magic at home now, but not as much as I think she'd like to.'

'Probably not. She coped better at Hogwarts than people who'd been brought up in wizard families all their lives,' said Harry.

'People like you, you mean?'

'No.' Harry told them briefly about his parents being killed and how he was brought up by non-magic relatives, not knowing anything about his parents or that he was a wizard. He didn't mention how badly they'd treated him, though.

'Ah. So you've moved out because it's impossible to live in a non-magic home?' Mrs Granger asked, biting her lip. Harry suddenly realised who Hermione had got that habit from. He was beginning to see similarities to her in both her parents.

'No. We just didn't get on. They don't want me living there, and I don't want to be there, so it's best all round. Besides, I inherited that house -- and it's well-protected, even from magic.'

'It hadn't really occurred to us. Our daughter's so different from us now, so different from what we expected her to be,' Mr Granger said sadly. 'Her magic's pushing her away from us.'

'Not completely,' Harry told him. 'She told me she won't leave home unless you agree, because she likes you too much.'

'She did?' Mrs Granger said, visibly surprised. She glanced at her husband, who looked just as surprised. 'We haven't seen much of her since she started at Hogwarts, you know.'

'I thought you probably knew she wouldn't leave if it made you unhappy.'

'I suppose she doesn't argue with us much. Our receptionist has a daughter a year younger than Hermione, and they seem to spend all their time arguing,' Mrs Granger said.

'We just thought we were lucky,' Mr Granger said.

'I think you are,' Harry said with a smile. 'And so is she. One of the Muggle-born pupils in our year seems to have had her whole family life disrupted by magic, and by her living away from home at school for so long each year.'

'Oh, that's a shame,' said Mr Granger, shaking his head.

'It's not as bad for families like the Weasleys, because their parents went to Hogwarts too -- I think that's where they met. And all of their children went there.'

Mrs Granger said, 'We met them, first at that bookshop, when Arthur got into a fight, then when we dropped Hermione off at their house, and later in London.'

'Oh, that must be where I'm living. You're going to say the square looks dreadful, aren't you?'

She smiled. 'Well, it looks as if it was nice once.'

'Could you see the house?'

'No. Molly gave Hermione a note to read, and then she said she could see it. We still couldn't.'

'OK, I'll get Dumbledore to write another note, and then you can see it. I mean, if there's any point.' He looked at them hopefully.

'I'd like to look round the house before we decide,' said Mr Granger, looking at his wife.

She nodded her agreement. 'Then we can meet your safe werewolf friend and judge for ourselves.'

'Oh good, you haven't decided it's a bad idea yet, then.'

'Not yet, no,' Mrs Granger told him.

Hermione came into the kitchen. 'Why are you hiding, Harry?'

'Just talking to your parents. They'd like to see my house first,' he replied.

'Are you thinking about saying yes, then?' she asked them.

'Well, we haven't decided "no" yet,' said her father.

'Good, I think you'll approve of it. Harry, are you going to join everyone else?'

'Yes, if nobody minds.'

Harry and Hermione took the rest of the snacks up to the lounge. 'I think they like the way you stayed talking to them instead of coming back up to the party,' she told him.

'That's not why I did it. They looked a bit lost, with so many wizards and witches in the house.'

'I know,' she said sadly. 'I can't ignore my guests, though.'

'No, of course not.'

'Can I persuade you to dance?' She'd been teaching him how over the previous weeks.

'Yes, all right.'

As they danced, she said, 'I hoped they'd decide today, and say yes. At least they haven't said no.'

'I'll see if I can get that note from Dumbledore, so they can see the house.' The house was still protected by the Fidelius Charm, largely because of the threat of Death Eaters, but Harry was also worried about reporters like Rita Skeeter finding out where he lived.

'I hope they do agree. And it's still just innocent, right?'

'Yes,' he agreed. 'Well, for now anyway,' he added, with a sheepish grin. 'But I don't want to rush you.'

'Good boy.'

'Of course; as I apparently keep telling you, I'm the good one!' Harry told her, with a grin.

*

It was now the second Sunday in November. Hermione was still being turned down for jobs, with the excuse that she was over-qualified for them.

Harry felt that Hermione's parents had been avoiding the subject of her moving out of their home, but she'd finally managed to persuade them to visit the house. Harry had asked Dumbledore for a note for her to give them, so that they would be able to see the house, and now he was nervously waiting for the doorbell to ring. How much longer would it take them to drive? Perhaps there were traffic jams on the way -- there wasn't a Muggle radio in the house, and he didn't have a way to find out.

Finally, the doorbell rang, and Harry went to let the Grangers in. They'd parked in the square outside the house.

He greeted Hermione and her parents, and brought them in for a guided tour of the house. He was glad that Charlie had arranged for Buckbeak to be safely smuggled away from the house and into a reservation after Sirius' death, as a Hippogriff in a bedroom would have been hard to explain away.

'This is the room I was in before, when I shared it with Ginny,' Hermione told her parents. 'That's why there's two beds in here still. If I move in, I'll have this room to myself, though.'

'Well, there's a reasonable amount of room for you here,' said her mother. 'The view isn't up to much, but I suppose you can't live in this part of London and expect views.'

'We could change the view to something more touristy,' Hermione said. 'Ginny said her father's office doesn't have a window, though he's asked for one. They're underground, but they can still have windows.'

'That's one of the things I still find surprising,' said her father. 'Though I suppose it's like a camera and flatscreen TV.'

She shrugged. Harry asked her, 'Do you know how to make a window like that, or would you have to find out?'

'I'd have to find out. Of course, we wouldn't have to have a window of St Paul's or anything, we could have one that looked out on Hogwarts.'

'That'd be nice.'

'"We"?' her father asked.

'Well, if I knew how to make one window, I could make several!' Hermione said impatiently. 'Harry's room's upstairs.'

'What else is on this floor?' asked her mother.

'Another bedroom -- that's where Mr and Mrs Weasley were -- and a drawing room.'

'A drawing room? O-oh,' said her father in an exaggeratedly upper-class voice.

Hermione laughed. 'It's an old house. It's got things like that.'

Harry showed them the drawing room, with his Order of Merlin medal hanging on the wall, then pointed out his own room on the second floor, and carried on up to the third floor. 'That's Lupin's bedroom, I won't take you in there.'

'Fair enough. So where is this Remus?'

Harry looked at his watch. 'He went to visit the Weasleys to talk about something, but he'll be back soon. Anyway, that's the whole house except the attic, which isn't very interesting.'

Mr Granger nodded. 'I think we'll skip that. What do you think, dear?'

'It's certainly got enough room for three people, and they'd have as much privacy as they want,' she replied.

'So, is it OK with you if I do move in here?' Hermione asked them both.

'Let's go back down and talk about it,' her father said.

They sat in the kitchen and discussed the house. Although they didn't actually say it, it was obvious to Harry that it wasn't really the house that they were concerned about. They seemed to like the house, and weren't worried about their daughter living there. However, they seemed less than convinced that the whole idea would be as innocent as he and Hermione had told them it would be.

Remus returned partway through the discussion, and was introduced.

'No, as long as I take that potion, I keep my own mind, but in a wolf's body,' he told them in answer to one question. 'So I drink it, and go up to my room before moonrise, and just lock myself in.'

'But if you lock the door from the inside, you could unlock it again, couldn't you?' Mrs Granger asked.

'How?' Hermione objected. 'He doesn't turn into a man with a wolf mask on, like in old horror films. He turns into a wolf. How could a wolf unlock the door?'

'Oh. Like that film with David Naughton in?'

'Yes, like that, except without needing so many special effects people,' Hermione said with a grin. Harry wished he knew more about films, but he hadn't been to a cinema before Hermione suggested it.

'And you really wouldn't forget to take it?' Mr Granger asked insistently.

'After all those years when it wasn't available, and I didn't have the choice? No. I won't forget. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone, especially not these two. Harry's being very generous, letting me stay here for free, and I'll do nothing to hurt either Harry or Hermione.'

Her parents seemed to be convinced by his earnest tone.

'You see, there won't be a problem,' Hermione told them. 'I'm in as much danger here as I am at home from the drills.'

'That's a bit of an exaggeration,' her mother complained.

'Remember when the anaesthetic wore off too fast when I was nine? I do. That hurt more than anything Lupin's ever done,' Hermione reminded her. Her mother blushed, and muttered something Harry didn't catch.

'All right, so that's one thing off our minds. You're safe from Remus. But what about Harry?' Mr Granger asked.

Hermione shook her head. 'We told you, it's just an innocent arrangement with two friends. Yes, we happen to be dating now, but we've only just started that.'

There was a pause. 'You are eighteen,' said her mother. 'When I was eighteen, I was living away from home, studying. I thought I was old enough then to make my own decisions.'

'You were,' said Mr Granger. 'So was I. And you mean that she is, too.'

'You two are being very quiet,' her mother said to Harry and Remus.

'Well, it's not really something I think I can join in with,' said Harry apologetically.

'Nor me,' said Remus. 'In fact, if you're not still worried about me, I'll go and get something done.' Nobody objected, and he went up the stairs.

'I could go too,' Harry offered, 'if you'd rather talk about this without me here.'

'No,' said Hermione. 'You're the one they don't trust now,' she added sadly.

Mr Granger looked at his wife, and then told Hermione, 'I think we're both remembering what I was like at your age. I'm still not sure, but I suppose you are old enough to decide for yourself. You're old enough to be responsible and careful if,' he reddened, 'you do ... get closer than you are now.'

'So it's OK?' Hermione asked eagerly.

'Yes, it's OK with me,' her father said reluctantly. He looked at Mrs Granger, who nodded in agreement.

'You don't mind me moving in, even though you're still suspicious about why?'

'We're suspicious,' said her mother, 'but we'll just have to trust you both.'

Harry put on the most innocent expression he could manage. 'Well, I am the good one.'

---