- Rating:
- 15
- House:
- Astronomy Tower
- Ships:
- Charlie Weasley/Hermione Granger Harry Potter/Hermione Granger
- Characters:
- Charlie Weasley Harry Potter Hermione Granger
- Genres:
- Romance
- Era:
- Harry and Classmates Post-Hogwarts
- Spoilers:
- Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Half-Blood Prince Quidditch Through the Ages Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them J.K. Rowling Interviews or Website
- Stats:
-
Published: 01/10/2007Updated: 08/22/2007Words: 8,277Chapters: 4Hits: 5,361
Here, There, and Everywhere
Sweet-Lemmon
- Story Summary:
- After five years away, Hermione returns to Britain with a shocking surprise. And Harry won't like it.
Chapter 01
- Posted:
- 01/10/2007
- Hits:
- 2,408
Here, There, and Everywhere
Chapter 1/Prologue: wonder and stunning news
July 1st, 2006
Harry Potter heaved a sigh, taking another sip of his Butterbeer. Regardless of
all the people taking loudly around him, he was alone or at least feeling that trick
emotion of loneliness. It was strange to find yourself empty, willing for
something you couldn't be quite sure what.
With the Butterbeer trickling between his fingers, he rested his head on the
sofa, but did not close his eyes. Not that it really mattered,
anyway.
He was far away, even if his physical body was present at The Burrow living room, pretending to pay attention
to the Weasleys, and their aggregates; Harry was, instead, in a wonder
land, trying once more fathom about how, or maybe why, he was there.
There. This there wasn't about the reunion in The Burrow. There
was his life, the current stage of his life.
The slowing down, deadly stagnate state of his life.
If he was by himself he would have groaned. Loudly.
'Get a grip, Potter!' a voice oddly sounding like Snape's hissed in his
head. 'Let's not start another pity party, shall we?'
Forcing himself to look content, Harry shifted on the sofa, his eyes
scanning the room in search of something.
Or maybe someone.
He actually smiled; he missed her. It's strange how you only notice, how you
finally realized the true importance about something-or someone- when you lost
it, when you let them go away.
Damn Ron.
Harry breathed hard, looking across the room, and his gaze met Ginny's eyes.
The redhead girl- or better, woman- smiled, and nodded at him, before returning
to her chat with her husband, Neville.
Ginny and Neville, who would have thought?
Seeing their cheerful faces, Harry couldn't help but feel happy for them. He
could see that he would never be able to make her happy like that.
And, in fact it seemed it had been in another life when he dated Ginny.
Bloody monsters in the chest...
...or in the pants.
A Big and Happy Weasley family.
What a joke!
Harry shook his head; whatever he had with Ginny was now gone. So much had
happened in those five years...
So much- and at same time, so little.
Harry and Ginny's relationship proved to be just wrong- the only thing
they actually enjoyed to do was snogging, and even it started to lose its
brightness after some time.
They were a boring
couple.
As he watched Neville patting carefully Ginny's seven-month tummy, Harry
couldn't help but think what would happen if it was he there. No, he wasn't jealous. No, it was a different emotion. It
was wonder.
A simple conjecture if the incident- as he and Ginny would call it
later- wasn't a false alarm. Obviously, he would love that child with all his
heart and soul, but would it be fair? Would it be fair for everyone if they had
married only because of a pregnancy?
And for more scare that those days, five years ago, might have been, the incident
was also a blessing. It was when Harry and Ginny finally realized that they
weren't meant for each other. That it wasn't the fact of having a child that
was scaring them, but the thought of an upcoming wedding; the thought of need
to spend their lives together.
Then, then they knew- they knew they weren't in love.
And once more Harry wondered if one day he would fall in love; truly and desperately
in love for someone. No, he was really looking for it, it was just a wonder.
In truth, he had a girlfriend but...
Harry laughed to himself, poor Muriel hadn't received 'Mrs. Weasley's seal
of approval for Harry Potter's girlfriend'
'She's a nice girl, Harry, dear, but the meeting will be only for family and
very close friends,' she had said.
Probably Hermione wouldn't approve Muriel either.
Honestly, Harry!
Harry averted his eyes from Neville and Ginny, and looked down at his hands; a
tiny smile was beginning to play on the corner of his lips.
He missed her.
When Hermione and Ron started to date, he, along with everyone else, thought
that was the obvious thing to happen. After all, after years of bickering and
not so subtle flirting,
Hermione and Ron seemed to be perfect to each other.
However, the bickering never stopped after they started to date; it became
worse. Harry wasn't able to count how many times he had to listen Hermione
complaining about how a prat (and others colorful words) Ron had been,
or Ron complaining about 'Hermione's bossy nature'.
Harry just wanted to scream at them, 'Then, why don't you just break up?'
Of course, he never spoke
that line aloud; even if day after day the idea of Ron and Hermione together
was turning painful for everyone.
However, besides all the problems, Harry had never thought that Ron would do that.
He had never thought that Ron would cheat on Hermione.
With Romilda Vane.
If Harry closed his eyes, he still could see Hermione's face- painful and lost
face. She had not cried, not even a single tear. She had not screamed, or threw
out Ron's things out the window, or even cast some jinks towards him. No, she
did nothing.
She simply said nothing.
And one week later she accepted an offer to work in Hungary.
Harry never saw her again.
If only he had asked her to stay...but he didn't. He
was too busy with his own problems, too scared with the possibility to have
gotten Ginny pregnant to pay real attention to the fact that Hermione was leaving.
Maybe, deep inside, he didn't believe that would leave Britain.
Maybe.
Of course they had written to each other; first almost every day, then, every
week...every month...and with time, the letters began to arrive only on
birthdays and other special occasions.
Obviously Harry had thought to visit her in Hungary, but every time he mentioned that, Hermione
just would come out with an excuse that she was too busy. After a few tries, he
finally gave up.
*
"Harry?" A hand on his shoulder brought him back to present. "Are you
alright?" Remus Lupin asked him.
"Huh?" Harry's head snapped at his former teacher. "Oh no,
just thinking."
Remus nodded his head in knowledge. "You and Ron seemed to be quite thoughtful
this evening," Remus commented, indicating Ron with his head. Harry looked at
his best friend and realized that Lupin was correct; Ron was strangely quiet.
He didn't look angry, or even sad... just thoughtful.
Harry wondered if that had anything to do with Hermione's last letter; the one
Ron had simply forgot to mention to Harry- and the dark haired wizard
only knew about because he had seen it on Ron' s desk. Of course he wanted to
know what Hermione had written that made Ron didn't tell anything, but he
supposed it was something between only Hermione and Ron.
And Harry would be a good friend and not mention anything; not that he did like
that.
Uncertain exactly why, the idea of Hermione only writing to Ron didn't please
Harry at all.
"I guess." It was the unsure answer. "When Charlie is arriving?" Harry asked,
changing the subject.
Charlie Weasley. That was the reason for the excitement within the Weasley
family.
Apparently, Charlie Weasley was returning for good to England, and bringing with him a fiancée.
Mrs. Weasley was beyond herself to know the mysterious girl, who her son was
dating- and was finally getting married with.
The fact that Charlie was getting married wasn't really a surprised; about a
year and a half ago Charlie started to send letters telling the family about a
wonderful girl who had captured his heart.
However, he had never mentioned her name, and that was the all fuss about- the
Weasley family would finally know who Charlie's girlfriend-er, fiancée-
was.
"Soon, I think-" Remus replied, but before he could continue anything he wanted
to say, a loud 'oh' was heard.
Charlie Weasley had arrived.
And Hermione was with him.
Hermione with Charlie?
How? Why?
Why didn't she tell me she was returning?
She looks beautiful...
Harry looked confused around the room, and realized that the others were
confused as well. However, he smiled nonetheless.
Hermione was back. Quite timing indeed; she and Charlie had arrived in the same
day.
He was still with a pleasant smile on his lips when Charlie began to speak.
"Well, I want everyone to meet my fiancée, Hermione Granger."
"WHAT!?"