Was it all enough? - Year 7

"Hello Harry. I trust you had a good time at Miss Chang's home? You don't mind me visiting do you?"

"Of course not sir," Harry replied. His mind was racing wondering why the Headmaster was at his house.

"I'm a bit concerned about the recent raid at Department of Mysteries. You know that some of the staff took artifacts home to try and prevent them from being discovered. Sirius told me how you were able to warn the department they may be getting a visit from security. The Minister of Education paid me a visit the other day wanting to know if you had mentioned any of these artifacts and also wanting to know where you were staying. I told him I knew nothing of the artifacts and in fact had only recently found out you were spending time at the Ministry. Do you know anything about the artifacts he was speaking of?"

Harry felt himself start to squirm. "I did spend a couple days in their artifact room. There were shelves full of stuff. I was going to help them try and determine what some of them were but after my meeting with Gallah, I couldn't get back to the department," Harry said honestly.

"They raided the homes of the employees and found a few items. None of the employees will face punishment for this; it is within their charter to take items home for further study. The Minister was convinced there are still some items unaccounted for. He wouldn't give any specific details, but I'm convinced he thinks you may be involved."

"Sir, why would the Minister of Education be involved in this? Shouldn't it be a security matter?" Harry asked trying to avoid directly lying to the Headmaster.

"I believe the items he wants are personally important to him. If you do know, or happen to come across any of the items, I would like you to bring them directly to me. Is that understood?"

The way Dumbledore looked at Harry; he knew this wasn't a request. "Of course Professor." Harry felt himself squirm. He hated lying to Dumbledore and always felt like Dumbledore knew when he was.

"I'm going to be gone for a while Harry," Sirius added. "If you hear something about the items, send a message to the Headmaster at once." Sirius and Dumbledore both left a few minutes later. Harry felt very conflicted. He trusted Dumbledore and didn't like keeping things from him, but also wanted to do the right thing with Unspeakables, and Fletch said not to trust anyone.

The next few days went by slowly with the only interesting part being talking to Mrs. Wilkins at his French writing lesson. He was really getting bored when Hermione showed up on Wednesday. "Hermione. Man I'm glad you came. I'm so bored since I can't go back to the Ministry."

"You could be studying for next term you know. I find that helps me pass the time," she said smugly and then got a sly look. "So, what were you doing in Belgium?"

"Um... I was just taking a personal trip with Sirius, nothing magical at all." Then attempting to change the subject he said, "You're going to the twins' store opening aren't you?"

She didn't look happy but said, "I suppose so. If I weren't good friends with them, I would skip it. Things still seem strange with Ron. I bet Parvati will be there."

"Maybe, she was friends with the twins as well you know. Why don't the three of us meet in Diagon Alley in a couple weeks? We could hang out and have a meal. I'll treat."

"We could do that. It may help to make things better. So, will you show me more of what you learned in Auror training? I've been studying those bind spells."

Harry thought for a minute and decided to tell her some of the story about the raid. He told her about seeing the items and warning Fletch, then about Dumbledore asking about the items. "Well of course you'd tell him if you had any information. Why would he even ask?" Harry was looking guilty and she quickly picked up on this. "You don't have any information do you?" Hermione was now giving him a very questioning look.

He knew that he could trust Hermione and really wanted someone to talk to. "First. Do you promise me that you won't tell a sole what we talk about? Not even if you think it will protect me from something bad. I won't say a word unless you promise me," Harry said this trying to make sure she knew he was serious.

Hermione whined for a bit but finally agreed to not tell anyone. "I think I know which item Gallah is interested in," Harry said looking a bit guilty, "They didn't find it when they searched the employee's house. I didn't tell Dumbledore."

"How do you know they didn't find it? And, why didn't you tell Dumbledore?"

"I know where it is and I didn't tell Dumbledore because Fletch told me to not trust anyone. He made it sound very important."

"But you're telling me?" she said smugly.

"I trust you more than anybody else and I thought maybe you could help me figure out what it is." Harry saw her look pleased. "I don't want to start this week since we're going to the opening Friday, we wouldn't have much time. Remember, this is just between us. No one else knows about it."

"I can't believe you trust me more than anyone else. Thanks Harry." Hermione hugged him. "But why won't you trust me and tell me why you went to Belgium?"

"Because that's really personal. Is the only reason you came back today to find out about Belgium?"

"Not entirely. I wanted to go running with you. I've decided to try and get in better shape as well. I brought my clothes and everything." They both changed and went out for a run. Hermione did better than Cho had on her first time. She stopped after the first trip to the road and back but Harry did one more. They each went to separate bathrooms to get cleaned up and when they were both back downstairs, Hermione got a serious look in her face. "Harry. Can I ask you something and you promise not to think it's stupid?"

"I'll try. You should go on since I've asked you bunch of stupid things before."

"Why do you think we never got together? I can take it if it's just that I'm not your type or anything. I've just been curious lately," she said this not looking directly at Harry.

This really surprised Harry. Hermione had obviously become more confident and direct over the past few months. He didn't know what to say for a minute, but decided to be honest. "I don't really know. By the time I started noticing how pretty you were, Ron already had it set that he wanted to date you, and then you and I just seemed like best friends. Then R.J. came along and then Cho," he thought for a second and then spoke in a firmer voice, "Besides, you never gave the slightest clue that you would have thought of me any way other than a friend." After another short pause he again spoke timidly, "I remember how amazing you looked at the ball with Viktor, but Ron was already crazy about you by then."

Surprisingly she looked pleased with his explanation. "I can live with that. I've just wondered about it for a while now. I was jealous when Ginny started letting you know how she felt. I guess Cho's it now, huh?"

"I think so, if we can make it through not seeing each other much for my final year. I was really nervous at her parents over the weekend. But, no matter what happens with Cho, you're my best friend and nothing will change that." Harry went on to tell her all about the weekend at the Chang's.

Winky brought them food and they continued to talk until Hermione had to go. "Ok, I'll see you at the store and then next week we talk about the thing." She hugged Harry and apparated away.

The opening was at noon, so Harry decided to arrive a bit early to see if they needed any help. He knocked on the door and heard someone yell, "Not until noon."

He knocked again and finally Cho noticed it was him and opened the door. "Sorry. Didn't know it was you. Let me show you around." The store looked much bigger on the inside. There were fake wands, fake brooms and many practical joke accessories. What looked the strangest was the area towards the back. The aisle leading to it seemed to twist and that entire room looked like it was on its side.

"What do you think of it? Fred and I worked weeks getting the spell right. Go on, walk into it," George said proudly. Both twins were watching him closely, trying to gauge his opinion of their store.

Harry started walking and felt himself rotate along with the aisle. By the time he was in the candy section, he was completely on his side but everything felt right side up. Looking back to the main section, it now looked like it was the part rotated. If the twins could see the huge smile on his face, they would have no doubt about what he thought of their store. Harry walked back out amazed. "That's great! I can't believe you guys are really doing this. Have the parents seen it yet?"

"Nope, just Ron and now you. I've never been this nervous," Fred said unable to stop smiling.

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Harry offered.

Fred and George looked at each other and then George spoke timidly. "Well, you could hang around for a bit and when people start talking to you, you could tell them how great all this stuff is. I mean a plug from a celebrity would help."

"You'll have to clear it with my manager; she's in charge of all my endorsements."

Harry hugged Cho who said, "Since he's an investor, I don't see a problem."

Just then Ron appeared, but not alone. Parvati was with him. "Ron! What did you bring her in here early for? No one is supposed to see it," George said angrily.

"Harry's got his girlfriend," Ron snapped back.

"Harry's girlfriend happens to work here and is a big investor," Fred yelled.

Harry got Ron off to the side when Fred and George were showing Parvati around. "So, she's your official girlfriend now. Have you told Hermione?"

"I guess she is. I didn't know I needed to clear it with Hermione," Ron answered curtly.

"I asked if you told her, not cleared it with her. It would have just been polite to warn her before she gets here," Harry said trying to not sound like he was complaining, he understood how things were when you had a girlfriend.

"Yeah, maybe it would have been, but it's too late now. This place is amazing isn't it? If it does well, I'll just work here after school." Ron quickly put any talk with Hermione out of his head.

A few minutes before noon, Harry noticed quite a few people outside the store. Most of them were current or former Gryffindors and their friends. Harry noticed Cho's friends were also in line. Ron opened the door right at noon and all of the people came running in. It was like a circus for a while. They were trying out all the gags and buying the candy. The twins had some of the less drastic treats out for trial and it wasn't uncommon for someone to sprout feathers on their arms, or fur on their backs after trying one.

Harry tried to stay in back while it was so crazy. After a couple hours, there was a steady stream of new people coming in and most ended up buying something. Finally, Harry noticed a reporter and photographer from the Daily Prophet come in and begin interviewing customers. After talking to four or five customers, the reporter made her way to where Fred and George were manning the checkouts and began asking questions about the store. Harry let them talk for a minute and then when the questions seemed to slow down, he came over and said he wanted some candy. The reporter immediately recognized him. "Harry Potter! Seeker for the French International Quidditch Team. What are you doing here today?"

"Everyone is here for the opening. This is going to be the best store in Diagon Alley. Can you believe these two invented all of this by themselves? I can't wait to get some and give it to my friends," Harry said, trying to not sound too obvious.

"You are rarely seen out and about. Rumor is you don't like the press much. Why did you make an exception to come here?" the reporter asked.

"I don't mind the press as long as they print what I really say. Normally I would just rather spend time with my close friends. I wouldn't have missed this opening for anything and I'm glad to see the Daily Prophet is devoting your talents to covering it," Harry said and moved around next to Fred and George who were beaming proudly. The reporter snapped a few pictures and the reporter got back to Harry.

"How have you managed to keep away from the clutches of your chaser Kristi Belig? I understand she's been trying to get some face to face time with you?" the reporter pressed.

"I don't know where you heard that. Kristi is a great person and a fantastic chaser. She's just being nice to me, and trying to make sure I felt like I fit in on the team. You're reading too much into that story. Here, let me give you and your cameraman some of the candy I just bought. I wouldn't recommend having your camera running when you try some of it." Harry smiled and gave the reporter and her cameraman an assortment of the candy he had bought, and quickly moved back away from her.

Fred and George both came over thanking him for the publicity. They said they couldn't have bought anything any better. Cho gave him a big hug and kiss. Harry saw a bunch of flashes going off when they kissed. After a few more minutes, he was about to say he was leaving and then noticed Hermione walk in.

She was wearing a really nice outfit that wasn't like what she normally wore. It made her look much older than normal. She also had her hair pulled back which showed off her features much better. Harry pushed through the crowd to greet her. "I didn't think you would ever get here. You look great!" Harry said honestly.

"Thanks. I almost didn't come. This is the outfit you bought me," she said happily and then looked around, "Have you seen Ron?"

"Yeah," Harry answered and then looked sad. "He brought Parvati. Sorry about that. I told him he should have told you he was bringing her."

"I figured he would bring her. It would have been nice for him to tell me though. He's not the most thoughtful person sometimes. This is what I meant about things still being strange. If he still thought of me as a best friend, he would have at least told me." Hermione looked really sad. "There're too many people here for me right now, I'm going to just go home."

"No, wait. Let's go to the ice cream parlor," Harry said not wanting his friend to leave. "I just need to tell Cho. I'll be right back."

Harry found Cho. "Cho. I'm going to go get an ice cream with Hermione. There's nothing for me to do here."

"I'm probably going to leave in a few minutes anyway. I'll meet you over there," she kissed him.

He got back to Hermione and they quickly went up the street to Fortescue's. Florean was nice enough to set them inside so they wouldn't be bothered. "I'm sorry about wanting to sit inside. I don't like people bothering me all the time."

"That's fine with me today. What's Cho doing at the store?"

"She's doing the business stuff for them. We formed an investment business and invested in the store. Actually Cho formed everything and did the investing, I just put in the same amount of money she did since I don't know anything about stuff like that."

"You just trust her with the money like that?" Hermione questioned.

"Of course. I'd trust you too. If you find something you want to invest in, I'll partner with you also. I mean I trust you with all my secrets already," Harry told her honestly.

"Not all of them. What about Belgium?" Hermione smiled.

"Next subject," Harry said with a smile, "So, it doesn't look like this year will be just the three of us, unless it's you, me and Ginny or something. Maybe Ron didn't see you since we left so quickly."

"He saw me. I saw Parvati point me out to him. I'm ok if it's just the two of us this year," Hermione said and toasted her ice cream to his.

"As long as it's the two of you just being good friends, I won't complain," Cho said having overheard the last part of the conversation. "Things not ok with Ron, huh? I think you're doing well. I know how I'd feel if Harry and I split up, even if we were on good terms. If I saw him with somebody else, I'd be a wreck. Of course, I'd go over and break her legs and then be a wreck," she gave Harry a look like she meant it.

"I'm not upset about seeing him with Parvati," Hermione said quickly and Harry felt she was being honest. "He didn't tell me he was bringing her and didn't even come over to say hi. That's just not being a good friend. That's what I'm upset about."

Cho agreed with her and said, "I have an idea. There's a restaurant with a nice bar that overlooks Diagon Alley right up the street. Let's go have a couple drinks and then maybe something to eat. It can't hurt, you're dressed really nice already," Cho suggested. After a little more convincing, Cho led them to the bar area of a restaurant. They got a table overlooking the street. It was nice and quiet. While trying to decide what to order Cho suggested, "Let's get a bottle of wine."

Hermione responded quickly, "Cho. Harry and I aren't of age yet. They won't let us have wine. We'll have to stick to butterbeers," she said this in her schoolteacher tone of voice.

Cho sat up straight and said, "Hermione. We're with a famous Quidditch star. They'll let us have whatever we want, especially since it's a waitress; watch."

When the young waitress came over, she was already blushing badly. Cho addressed her, "It's been a crazy day today, what with being at the opening for the store and all. Could we just get a nice bottle of Merlot please?" Cho asked calmly. The waitress didn't say anything and brought back a bottle and three glasses. Cho grinned before saying, "And this is in England. I'm going to get Harry out in Paris before long to see how he gets treated there."

"And, are you going to bring Kristi along with us?" Harry said with a sly smile.

"She'll probably demand it after the nice press you gave her. She said she would show us around and it would be nice to go with someone who knows everything," Cho said. "Harry probably hadn't had a chance to tell you about the Ministry and that he can't go back to work there."

"Oh he told me all of that when I was at his house Wednesday," Hermione said and Cho suddenly didn't look happy.

"Harry didn't tell me you were at his house. I imagine you and Sirius both agree that it's a good thing he's not going back." Cho said giving Harry a slightly dirty look.

"I don't know about Sirius, he wasn't there," Hermione said and Cho looked even less happy.

"I didn't have a chance to tell you about Hermione coming over. I just saw you at the store and you were busy. I'm glad she came though. I was really bored since I can't go to the ministry."

"When I said find something to do, I'm not sure I meant have a girl over to keep you company," Cho said only half-jokingly.

"Oh Cho," Hermione said lightly, "Do you think for a second that Harry would ever consider doing anything unfaithful to you?"

Cho smiled and said, "Of course not. I just haven't been able to spend as much time with him as I'd like. And, my sister has been telling me I need to do more to keep him happy since all the girls want him. I don't know what got into me," she leaned in and gave Harry a big kiss. They talked for a while more and all seemed really happy.

By the time they finished the bottle of wine, they decided to get something to eat, so the three moved into the restaurant part. After a nice meal and listening to the girls talk without him most of the night, Harry asked, "Hermione, what time do you need to get home?"

She looked at her watch and said, "Before much longer. I'm having fun; I wish I had told my parents I'd be later. Cho, when are you leaving?"

"Whenever Harry does. I'm going home with him this weekend. Hopefully Sirius stays away until Monday," Cho said squeezing Harry's arm. Hermione looked a little down, but then dessert came and she cheered up. After finishing dessert and paying, they walked back toward the store and saw it was still crowded.

Hermione told Harry she would see him next week and then said goodbye before going home.

Cho looked at Harry and he knew she was questioning why Hermione said she would see him next week. "Since I told her I was bored, she's going to make me study. I'd rather be working."

"As long as all you do is study," she hugged him tight.

"You never need to worry about me Cho. I only think about you. C'mon let's go home," he suggested and they left for the castle.

"All of my family thought the world of you. My grandparents kept asking why we weren't married yet. I haven't gotten along this well with my sister in a long time. Even she seems happy for me. She wouldn't stop talking about how her cat liked you when it hates every other guy."

"Probably because my animagus form is a kind of cat. That would have shocked them all if I had changed right in the middle of the room," Harry joked.

Cho laughed at the thought. Then Harry said, "Let's go somewhere before I have to start school. Take a few days off and let's go someplace with white sand, blue water and palm trees. Just like what you described."

She looked at him and said, "Deal. I'll take some days off the week after your birthday. You can surprise me by picking the destination. But, we go to Paris sometime after that. I'll set it up with Kristi. But for now, less talk more action."

Cho directed them to the soft rug in front of the fireplace in the great room. They spent the next couple hours laughing, talking and making love until falling asleep on the floor. The next day they went shopping and stopped into the store. Fred and George couldn't believe how good of a day they had. They were worried about finding time to build their inventory back up. The article in the Daily Prophet really pleased them. It ran on the inside of the front page and had the picture of them and Harry and even had a quote from the reporter about how impressed she was with the store and the candy.

Before going home, Cho promised to try and see him before the next weekend.

Harry had a note saying Sirius would be gone for at least another week. Harry wondered what he was up to but was glad he would be gone. This would give him and Hermione time to look at the orb. Hermione got there early Monday morning. "I really wanted to thank you and Cho for taking me out after the opening. That was just what I needed."

"Anytime. I liked having you there."

"Do you think Cho was really jealous of me being here?" Hermione asked.

"Probably. I think it's because you and I have been such good friends longer than I've known Cho. You know way more things about me than she does. That probably bothers her a little. She's not even that jealous about Kristi asking me out."

Hermione smiled, "Well I like knowing more about you than she does. Does she stay over here often?"

"Not often enough if you ask me," Harry blushed a little after saying this.

"So, let's see it," Hermione stated.

"Oh, the artifact. I'll get it," Harry quickly said.

"Not the artifact, what you got in Belgium. I know what it is," she said smugly.

Harry quickly turned back to her, "How would you know what it is?"

"You said it wasn't anything to do with magic. I looked up what Belgium is famous for and didn't think you would go there for chocolate. They're famous for jewelry and especially diamonds. And this was just before you visited her parents. I want to see the ring," she demanded with a very smug look on her face.

"Hermione! You never cease to amaze me. Moody was right you know, you should be an Auror. Nobody could keep anything from you." Harry quickly summoned the ring down from his bedroom and showed it to her.

Harry was nervous handing it to Hermione. Her opinion meant a lot to him. "Holy cricket! This is really nice. Is it magical?" she asked, still staring at the ring. She could feel the pangs of jealousy come up. Hermione had always had a little crush on Harry and had even thought at one time they may get together. All of that was pushed back when he met R.J. and she started seeing Ron. Now Harry was with Cho and she'd never know what could have been.

"Not magical at all," Harry replied, shaking her out of her thoughts. "Her parents are like yours and she mentioned one time that she would want a traditional ring. And, her father told me the same thing when he was talking to me privately. I haven't planned on giving it to her yet. I just wanted to be prepared in case I wanted to."

"Do you think you'll do it this summer?" Hermione asked not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"I'm not sure. Maybe for Christmas. Whenever feels right. I don't want her to feel like I'm pushing her or anything. If I wasn't still in school I would do it for sure this summer." Harry banished the ring back upstairs.

"There are a lot of wizards who get married at seventeen or eighteen. It still seems young to me. But look at me, I haven't even had a serious boyfriend yet," she hoped that sounded like a joke.

Harry quickly said, "It'll happen. You need to find the right one. So far, I don't know anyone who I think deserves you yet."

She thought that Harry always knew what to say to cheer her up. "Fine, let's get down to business. Let's see the artifact now," Hermione said trying to stay focused.

Harry summoned the box down from its hiding place. "Now, when I open the box, I hear what seems to be one voice speaking a bunch of different languages. I can't understand anything. No one else has heard anything." Harry opened the box and summoned the orb out.

Hermione studied it closely and asked, "Are you hearing things now?"

Harry shook his head and said, "Watch." He placed his had near the orb and saw the electricity bolts go to fingers. Then he pushed his wand into it.

Hermione actually looked more scared than interested. "I agree with Dumbledore Harry. You should give this to him."

"Fletch said to not trust anyone. He didn't say except Dumbledore," Harry said firmly. "You promised not to say anything. If you don't want to help, that's ok, but I'm still going to work with it." Hermione quickly said she would help. She thought it would be better than Harry being alone when he did it. They spent the next couple of hours studying the orb. Hermione wouldn't touch it at all. Harry boxed it back up and banished it to the hiding place.

"I'm going to look some things up tomorrow but will come back Wednesday. Promise me you won't touch it until I get back," She said firmly, clearly worried about her friend.

"I promise mom," Harry joked. "Did you bring your running stuff?" he asked.

Hermione had brought it, so they had a run and she left without cleaning up first. Things got to be pretty routine for the next few weeks. He would see Cho at least on the weekends and had even been back to her house for a couple meals, but never stayed there. Hermione would come over at least a couple times a week to try out new ideas on the orb. Harry had been glad that Sirius was spending so much time away so that he and Hermione didn't have to hide so much. During one of the times when Sirius was home, he had helped Harry plan his vacation with Cho. Harry hoped it was going to be just what Cho had wanted.

Hermione came over the week of Harry's birthday and before they started looking at the orb Hermione got serious said, "Harry, this may sound stupid and not like me at all, but I want us to do something special this year."

"Sure. What do you have in mind? I bet Ron would be willing to join us."

She kind of looked down and said, "No, I want it to just be us. You'll always be remembered as the Triwizard Tournament winner and the youngest Quidditch player in a century. People will always talk about you and Ron flying the car into the Whomping Willow tree. No one will talk about me when we're gone." She looked embarrassed and added, "You think that's pretty stupid don't you?"

"Not at all. I don't see why you'd care. I don't care if they ever talk about me," Harry responded quickly.

"That's because they will talk about you. You've already got that. Think about how many times you've heard stories about your dad, Sirius, and Professor Lupin. Even the teachers now mentioned the things they've done once in a while. Fred and George will always be remembered as pranksters. I just think it would be nice for someone to remember me later." Harry could tell this meant a lot to her.

"They will remember you. You're the smartest witch to come through here in ages. You've tied or beat every score there is," Harry said honestly which made Hermione feel a little better.

"Who will really care about that except for the next person who wants really good grades? If you don't want to do anything, that's ok, I just thought maybe..."

"I'm all for it Hermione. It would actually be really nice for you and me to have something special. It'll probably be better than crashing into the Whomping Willow, and a lot less painful. I don't plan these things though. Did you have something in mind?"

Hermione looked nervous for a minute and said, "Actually, I did. It's a rare form of magic that they don't teach at all anymore. Most people couldn't do it and those who could didn't control it very well. It caused a lot of damage before they quit teaching it."

Harry was surprised; he never thought Hermione would suggest something dangerous. "I can't believe you would suggest something dangerous like that. What makes you think we can do it?"

"I don't know if we could or not, but if so we could request doing an Extremely Advanced N.E.W.T. presentation. No one has done that in a long time. Do you want to try?" Hermione asked pleadingly.

"You know I'm still doing Quidditch, so that takes time every weekend plus some practice during the week. You'll be Head Girl of course so you'll have extra duties. Do you think we'll have enough time to learn it?"

Hermione perked up. "You really think I'll be Head Girl?"

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "Of course you will, who else? Now, do you really think we can do it?"

"If we can't, who else could? And, if we start this summer, we should know before term if we even have a chance. I've already been reading a bit about it and could just tell you what I've learned. That way you won't have so much to read. This will really be something if we can do it," said Hermione becoming excited.

Harry shook his head and asked. "Ok, tell me what it is we're going to learn? I wish I could have stayed working. You're going to make me study all summer!"

"Thank you Harry, I really appreciate this." She hugged him tightly and then suddenly switched into her teacher mode. "Now, no one else can know yet. I mean no one, not even Ron. It's elemental magic."

The look of confusion on Harry's face made Hermione explain. "It's a good thing you can just pick things up naturally," Hermione said shaking her head. "Elemental magic is controlling elements. You can control water like making it rain, or large waves. With fire, you can use fire as a shield or as a weapon. Wind could make tornadoes or light breezes. Earth is the most complicated and we won't even try that but you could make earthquakes and things like that."

Harry's eyes were wide when he said, "No wonder they don't teach it. Where did you learn about this?"

Hermione looked around and said, "I sometimes go into the old bookstores in Knockturn Alley and noticed this really old book that had something in it. I bought it and the only other one I found that had anything to do with elemental magic. Guess what you're getting for your birthday now?"

"When did you go down Knockturn Alley?" Harry exclaimed amazed at the thought of his best friend spending time there.

"I go to the bookstores every now and then. I usually keep the hood up on my cloak so no one will recognize me. Don't worry; I just want to know about this stuff. Can't you see how impressive this will be even if we can only do very minor spells?" She saw some hesitation in Harry so she added. "Imagine making a puddle of water form into an object or making a wall of fire as a shield? There're even accounts of turning water and fire into creatures that can fight for you. I doubt we'd get that far but just think about it. Professor McGonagall would be so impressed."

"I'm not sure she'd be impressed if I sent a fire monster to attack Malfoy but I know it would make me happy. How do we keep this from Ron? If we have any progress, once we get back to school, he's going to wonder what we're up to," Harry joked.

"I doubt he'll notice anything, he's so wrapped up in Parvati that we could be gone for a week and he wouldn't know," Hermione said coldly.

"You're not bothered by him and Parvati are you? I thought you were over him."

"I am over him. Honestly. I just can't believe that he's giving so little thought to his two best friends just because of her."

"Is that what you two said about me when I was seeing R.J. and now Cho?" Harry asked suddenly feeling bad for doing the same thing to his friends.

"That seemed different. With R.J., it was only at night so it didn't seem so bad. And when you started seeing Cho, Ron and I were getting together so I guess that didn't seem so bad either. And, you always tried to do things with us, even if Cho came along. Ron's not like that. He'll just go with her and ignore us."

"I hate to say this, but I'm glad you haven't fallen for anybody else. If both of you were off snogging every day, I'd be lost this year," Harry said smiling.

"Harry! Ron and I weren't off snogging every day!" Hermione looked offended.

Harry kind of blushed and asked, "So, you two never... you know?"

Hermione hit him in the arm and said, "No! Of course not, I'm only sixteen."

"So, then you must think badly of me," Harry said softly since Hermione knew he was with Cho and R.J. already.

"Not at all. Jealous really. It just never felt right being with Ron, and I think he knew it too. I mean we kissed a lot but that's it. I know how private you are so if you felt it was right with Cho then I'm glad for you. I know she didn't mind mentioning it."

Harry blushed but said, "What about R.J.?"

"I can't say I ever quite understood you two but I knew you were really happy with her. That's why you didn't go to Ron's over holiday, so you could spend all your evenings with her."

"So, do you think if things had been different that we would have?" Harry surprised himself by asking this.

Hermione blushed quite a bit but got serious and said, "Probably. I've always felt more comfortable with you than anyone else. Sometimes I just need to talk to another girl and Ginny's really good to talk to but other than those times, I'd rather just us be together."

"I feel the same way, except for Ginny being Ron. I think being with R.J. really helped me be comfortable with girls. I guess when you're 150 years old you learn a few things!"

"Ok, enough about this. Let's look at the orb, but after you get back from vacation, we need to spend some time on our project as well."

They went to the table and Harry summoned the box with the orb in it. Harry picked up the orb and it turned maroon like always. Just before he sat it back down, Hermione stumbled a bit and Harry caught her hand with his free hand. Suddenly, the orb flashed bright white and Hermione's eyes got very wide and just stared into Harry's eyes. Harry quickly dropped the orb and Hermione fainted.

Hermione suddenly felt like she was Harry or at least that she could feel everything about him. She could feel the magic in him; it just seemed to flow all around him. She seemed to see things that had happened to him flash before her and she was able to understand exactly what Harry had felt during those times. She saw the green flash that killed his parents. She understood how worthless he was made to feel living with the Dursleys. She felt how scared he was before fighting Professor Quirrell and Voldemort. She felt how scared and yet determined he was when he was saving Ginny and saw how he beat the snake. She saw how close to death he was from the venom before Fawkes help cure him. She understood how alone he felt most of the time and how he constantly needed to prove himself. She knew instantly how much he cared for her and his other friends. She also knew how insecure he really was and felt how much things had bothered him. She felt the enormous guilt he felt over Cedric's death. She was seeing things flashing before her and she felt how worried and guilty he felt right now about her. Flashing forward, she felt the pain of his heart being broken.

She couldn't tell when or how and before she figured it out, she heard, "Hermione are you ok? Hermione." She opened her eyes and saw Harry standing above her with a terrified look in his face. Of everything she just felt about Harry, the two things that stuck with her were his heart being broken and the sudden realization of just how powerful he was. "Oh, Hermione," Harry said grabbing and hugging her. "Are you alright? Do you want me to get you anything?"

She stood back up not feeling anything other than confused by what happened and awed by the things she had just learned about Harry. "I'm fine Harry," she said trying to compose herself. "I just stumbled and must have fainted for some stupid reason. I feel fine now."

Harry still had a really worried look on his face. "Sit down. You stumbled and the orb flashed white. You only fainted after I dropped the orb. "

"How long was I out for?" Hermione asked

"Just a second or two. Are you sure you're ok?" Harry asked obviously worried.

"Harry, I'm ok, really." It physically hurt her to know how much Harry's experiences had scarred him. It also made her feel good to know that he cared for her as much as she cared for him. She had always thought he cared for her as a sister, but knew that it was more than that. If only things had been different or maybe if she had been a little more aggressive a few years ago. She was really worried about how and when his heart would be broken. She was also a bit scared about how much magic she felt within him, still feeling it radiate from him.