Harry appeared on the steps of the Burrow, the only place he could think of Apparating to safely. His fingers barely grazed the door before he collapsed, blood streaming down his forehead, staining the porous stones of the step a sickly ocher.

Molly Weasley could have sworn she heard someone at the front doorstep. She looked out the window and didn't see anyone, not bothering to look lower. Her wand held firmly in her hand, she collapsed the spells guarding the front of the house, then screamed when she saw the young boy covered with blood.

Within a few moments, she had levitated the boy inside onto the couch and flooed the Headmaster, quelling the usually queasy sensation she got from using the fireplace like that. The Headmaster was thankfully in his office and immediately set out for the Weasley home, wondering how young Potter had arrived there, when he had last seen the boy leaving the hall after lunch. He dismissed her panicked description of his condition as her normal mothering self.

When he stepped out of the floo, Harry's sickly-coloured skin told Dumbledore he had been foolish to dismiss her worries. The Headmaster murmured a spell over the boy and then reached into his pocket, pulling out a small trinket.

In moments, the boy was ready and the Headmaster set the trinket into his hands. The old man grasped the trinket and Molly grasped it also, realizing it was a Portkey. Dumbledore had no time to chastise her as they were pulled away. In a moment, they arrived in the Hospital Wing, a prone Harry levitating in front of Dumbledore's arms while Molly sprawled on the ground, having been in a bad position when the portkey activated.

"Molly, I know it's been many years since I taught you, but don't you think that might be a tad bit of an undignified position?"

Molly Weasley flushed bright red when she realized Dumbledore could almost certainly see her knickers. She gathered herself up as Dumbledore called for the nurse. In moments, Poppy appeared, her eyes wide at the sight of Potter.

"On the bed. He was just here last night. How's he always get hurt so fast?"

Dumbledore filled her in as Poppy directed Molly to her stores, telling her what to bring back.

"Hmmm... at the Burrow? How'd he get there?"

Dumbledore was about to speak when the doors swung open, Hermione and Ron barreling in. "Professor Dumbledore?! We were..."

Both stopped dead when they saw Harry. Wide eyes gazed at him as Hermione hesitantly asked, "How'd he get here? We just saw him disappear."

Dumbledore had pulled both students into his office, away from Poppy and Molly Weasley. He wanted to receive this information first without Molly wringing her hands and blubbering.

"We were all walking around the lake, Harry was slightly ahead of us, mainly because..." Hermione trailed off.

Ron turned bright red as the Headmaster chuckled.

Hermione's face flushed also. "Anyway, he was slightly ahead of us when we heard him say that he had seen a snitch. We looked over, just as his hand snapped out, pulling it out of the air. He turned to us and disappeared."

They finished off the story, telling him they had run here looking for him and then to the Infirmary.

"You may go back down to the Hospital Wing, I'll be back in a few moments."

As they headed back to the wing and Harry, they heard the Headmaster's voice ringing out, ordering all students to return to their dorms and all teachers to meet him on the front lawn.

When Hermione and Ron made it back to the wing, both pairs of eyes passed over the beds where three Slytherins had lain at one time. Near the beginning of seventh year, Draco, Goyle, Crabbe, and Parkinson had attempted to ambush Harry and kill him for their master. Harry's spells to protect himself had blown the four students backwards into walls. Draco died immediately from his neck snapping like a dried, brittle twig while the other three had lain in the Hospital Wing, under guard, until all three passed away in the night, Dark Marks burning on their chests, marking them as failures to their Lord.

At the time, Harry had missed two weeks of school as he faced a trial at the Wizengamot. It had taken a short amount of time but after two sessions with veritaserum–and three mediwitches on hand each time to watch carefully–Harry's story about the attack was also verified by one of the paintings of a former Headmaster. Harry returned to school, the Slytherins hating him even more passionately than before. The killers of the other three students had never been captured.

Hermione and Ron were allowed to stay until dinner time, watching Harry in his normal bed. Both noticed two wands by the bed and Hermione said, "That one's Harry's. Is that your mums?"

Ron picked it up, feeling a cold shiver as he did so. His eyes widened as he realized what kind of wood it was. "Hermione – this is yew. It-it's He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's."

Harry shivered in the bed and both watched him intensely. He went still again, his eyes flickering from dreams.

At dinnertime, Poppy shooed them out. They went relunctantly, quietly discussing the wand and how Harry had could have gotten ahold of it.

As they entered the hall, they detoured towards the staff table and tried to tell Dumbledore about the wand. He waved them off, simply saying, "I already know."

Hermione spent most of her time studying or spending time in the Hospital Wing, watching Harry and reviewing. Within a month, Ron and she had begun arguing fiercely again and their relationship splintered. Everyone had thought that Harry would awaken by the time N.E.W.T.s came, but he hadn't. He still slept. Specialists from around the world were brought in and all threw their hands up in disgust. Dumbledore contacted others he knew and those-usually tribal elders from people who eschewed contact with civilization-also threw up their hands in disgust. No one knew why Harry wouldn't awaken. His body didn't atrophy in any way. His toned body, from hours of hard work in gardens and flying, stayed the same as time went by.

N.E.W.T.s completed, Hermione stayed by Harry's side, not even understanding why she did so, only knowing Harry needed her there. She went home for one week, Apparating back after only two days.

At the beginning of summer, Dumbledore announced that Voldemort's body and the dismembered bodies of many Deatheaters' had been found. The phrophecy was told to everyone and soon, the day of the announcement was named Harry Potter Day.

And yet, still Harry slept.

Although her skills were more towards Charms, Hermione took a crash course in the medical arts and the Headmaster hired her on as Harry's private nurse, allowing Poppy her summer. She spent all of her time making sure Harry was well taken care of and the free time working on her advanced spell components and studies. Even though she was done with school here, there was more knowledge she did not yet have.

As the next school year began, her scholarship to Cromwell–a wizarding advanced charms university–was extended until she was able to attend. She stayed on and students she knew from before stopped by to say hello and see Harry whenever they could. Two more months passed and on the night of Halloween, Harry sat up. Hermione called frantically for Poppy.

Harry looked directly at her and smiled sadly. Then Hermione saw his eyes. What should have been peircing green looked like a yin-yang of electric green and intense red. "Hello, Hermione."

That was all he spoke. He stepped out of his bed, not noticing the backlessness of the robe or the cool air of the room. He walked deliberately out of the Hospital Wing, Hermione following him, trying to get his attention.

Poppy tried to stun him but it didn't work. In minutes, he had made his way down to the front doors and began crossing the grounds towards the gates. Hermione stayed beside him, asking him what he was doing. Dumbledore appeared at the gates just as Harry disappeared. Hermione stared, openmouthed, at the spot where Harry had been. No crack from an Apparition, no twisting look from a portkey. Harry just seemed to walk into an invisible doorway, disappearing a little bit at a time as he moved forward.

In the sky, a cloud shaped like a phoenix, glowing golden and red formed, gently wafting over the city. It looked exactly like the phoenix emblem of the Order of the Phoenix.

Hermione was at her parents' for dinner. The disappearance of Harry Potter over a year ago had unnerved nearly every witch and wizard. More disappearances began to happen immediately afterwards, the same phoenix cloud hovering in the sky, marking from where each wizard or witch had disappeared. She ate listlessly, wondering what had happened to him. Even her studies were being affected.

At least the others who disappeared were known or suspected Dark Wizards, she thought. She sighed and a bitter memory of Ron was dredged up, making her scowl even though she'd forgiven him recently. Just recelently, Ron had arrived at her villa and she'd forgiven him when he asked for it. It had taken Ron over a year to come talk to her.

Her stipend for school allowed her to rent a nice place near Cromwell and she happily was able to afford it without roommates. While not big, she had her own room, a room for her library, and another room she had set up as a guest room.

She pushed the meal aside, not hungry, and said she was going up to her old room to fold her clothes. Her parents nodded as she stood and made her way out of the room. There was a knock at the door and Hermione went to answer it. Harry stood on the step, wearing the same robes he had disappeared in. Hermione gasped and pulled him inside, hugging him fiercely.

Harry blinked when she pushed him away and stared into his face, held at arms length. "Where have you been?"

"Been?" Harry asked confused. "Why are you here? Weren't we walking around the lake a few minutes ago? Where's Ron? For that matter, how the hell did I get here?"

"Harry," she started then stopped. "Come on. I need to make a few calls and you need to get into bed and warm up. You're shivering and not covered very well."

Harry tried to look behind himself and reached around to feel his cold back. His eyes widened as he realized he was wearing only a hospital style robe and anyone on the street could see just about everything he didn't want them to see.

"Hermione, what's going on? Umm, for that matter, do you know where my wand is?"

Hermione nodded as she shut the door and took out her own wand. In a moment, Harry was wearing a warm blanket around her shoulders that she had summoned from off the catch. A few hairs from Crookshanks covered the blanket and she absentmindedly picked them off as she guided Harry towards the stairs. Her mother's voice called out, "Who was at the door?" just as her parents walked into the room. "Harry?" both gasped. They had gotten to know him the summer before seventh year when he'd stayed with them for a few days.

"Hi Mr. Granger; Mrs. Granger."

Hermione waved them off and guided Harry up to her room. Once inside, she brushed the clean stacks of clothing off her bed and ordered Harry into it. Once in, Hermion told him not to get out and Harry chafed at the restriction. She soothed him for a moment and said, "I'll be right back. I have to make some calls. Please, stay there."

Harry eyed her for a moment, then nodded. Once she left the room, he grabbed one of her textbooks and paged through it, more awake than he had ever been before.

Hermione made her way down to the sitting room and tossed a pinch of Floo powder into it after starting a fire. In a moment, she was talking to the new Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"I'll be there in a bit, Hermione. Don't let him leave or have his wand just yet... hold on a moment. I think Fawkes will be coming with me. It'll take me some few moments, though. I'm getting some reports from some people."

The Headmaster distractedly waved goodbye at her and she pulled her head back. She started back up the stairs after telling her parents that company was coming. Her mother went to make up tea and set out some biscuits while her father moved his golf clubs and the model ship he had been working on out of the sitting room. One was good for relaxation, the other he used to keep up his dexterity.

Harry lay in the bed, staring at the date on a piece of parchment. He hoped Hermione just liked to write her papers two years ahead of time or it was a typo; otherwise something strange had happened. And why was Riddle's wand next to his on her bedside table? Why did she have his wand at her parent's home? What really had him wondering was his reflection in the mirror: his eyes looked like they were red. He didn't have his glasses and didn't know where they were at all.

Crookshanks padded into the room, looking as grumpy as ever. Seeing Harry, he leapt onto the bed and stared at him.

Harry reached out hesitantly, then gained courage when the cat didn't swipe at him. "So, has it really been two years? Is it really the year two thousand?"

The cat purred as he snuggled against Harry's leg, neither confirming or denying the information. Harry reached for his wand and accidentally grabbed both, shivering when his fingers came into contact with them. He dropped the yew wand and the cold chill disappeared. He concentrated for a moment, then cast a spell Dumbledore had taught him. It seemed so long ago now in sixth year. The eyes couldn't be corrected by magic, but for a few hours; magic could act as his lenses of glass used to. Crookshanks watched him do the spell, then batted at his arm; he wanted his ears scratched again. Harry obliged before looking in the mirror again; he had been right before. His eyes were red. He leapt out of the bed, accidentally knocking Crookshanks to the ground. He looked closely at his reflection then recoiled. His eyes looked like Voldemort's had ,except he still had round pupils instead of cat-like slits. Crookshanks stared at him grumpily and Harry asked in a very small voice, "Am I Voldemort?"

The cat meowed angrily at the name and Harry blinked. He remembered from school how much the cat hated Dark Creatures. "So... you still hate Dark Creatures... but you don't hate me?"

Crookshanks stalked over and rubbed himself against Harry's leg then turned, his tail high in the air, and stalked out of the room just as Hermione appeared at the top of the steps. She scooped her cat up and rubbed her cheek against the top of his head as she walked into the room, coming to a dead stop as soon as she saw Harry's bum. She'd bathed him while he'd been in the coma but seeing him standing, the muscles tight with use, made her take pause and try to remember how to breathe.

Harry saw her in the mirror and turned bright red. He spun around and clutched the robe tightly closed. "Is... tell me you write some of your papers two years in advance?"

Hermione's face was flushed. When he spun around, she had caught sight of something else. "N-no."

Harry sighed and went to sit on the bed. "What happened?"

Hermione sat down on the chair at her desk and Crookshanks settled in her lap. "Maybe we should wait until the Headmaster gets here."

Harry nodded and Hermione asked, "Could I have your wand?"

Harry looked down at it and then up at her, asking, "Why?"

"Just... Harry, you've been gone awhile. No one knows what happened. I'd feel safer if you'd let me hold onto it."

Harry thought about it for a moment, then flipped it in the air, catching it by the tip and handing it to her. She took it and marvelled at his skills. He had started doing tricks like that with fake wands in sixth year to practice his dexterity. Coins, gobstones, just about anything small enough, he'd practice with them, either throwing or deflecting them. None of his muscle memory was gone and his muscles hadn't atrophied in the year he had been gone.

He picked up the yew wand and, after a moment of reflection, snapped it. A cold chill filled the room before disappating when the door opened and Mr. Weasley, followed by the Grangers, entered the room, the robes her wore matching the splendor of some of the robes Dumbledore had worn for fancy occasions.

"Mr. Weasley, why are you here? Where's Dumbledore?"

Arthur looked harried and nervous as he watched Harry. "Dumbledore's adventures were over. He was ready for the next one once he was sure Vol-Riddle was gone."

"Voldemort's gone? But I thought the prophecy..." He stared at Hermione and she nodded.

"I did it? But... the last things I remember are looking away from Ron and Hermione snogging then seeing a snitch."

Hermione's face went crimson again and her parents both stifled laughs. Then Harry remembered what Dumbledore had always meant by being ready for the next adventure. "Dumbledore is gone?"

Arthur turned to the Grangers and said, "I think we could use that tea now. Why don't you go help your parents, Hermione?"

She looked at Harry, then nodded.

Arthur took the wand from her hand and closed the door as she left.

Harry sat, waiting for Mr. Weasley to speak. Arthur took out his own wand and was about to perform the Priori Incantatem spell when Harry shook his head. "I just fixed my eyesight."

"I can see more than just the last spell. Hold on a moment." He did the spell and lenses made of smoke floated for a moment, then disappeared; next a small smoke stone was summoned, followed by a flash of green light. Arthur stopped there.

"You've done the killing curse?" he whispered.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. The last spell I remember doing was to summon my overcoat."

Arthur sat there pondering for a moment when Hermione and her parents returned, Hermione with a nearly full bottle of firewhiskey as her parents carried the tea things. Once the tea was poured, Hermione dosed all their drinks with a scant teaspoon of the alcohol. Her parents left the room and both she and Harry were silent as Arthur contemplated him. After a few more moments, he sighed. "Harry, you haven't finished school yet. And with Voldemort gone, I think you should come back to Hogwarts."

Harry watched him for a moment then said, "You could care less about my education. You want me at the school so you can watch over me and make sure I'm not someone other than I was back in ninety eight."

Hermione's mouth fell open as she looked at Harry. Arthur just nodded. "Yes. Am I that transparent?"

Harry shrugged. "It seemed like I could just tell. I don't know. Where's Ron? Shouldn't he be with you, Hermione?"

"We broke up in seventh year. He's dating Lavender now."

"Oh... good." Harry's eyes widened when he said that. He hadn't meant to. "I mean... I..."

Hermione stared at him, then said in a dangerous tone, "Why's that good?"

Harry looked from Hermione to Arthur who had a twinkle in his eye. "Hermione... I just meant that-no offense, sir-it's just when Hermione and he were dating, Ron didn't treat her all that well."

Hermione stared at him and Arthur turned to Hermione. "What does he mean?"

Hermione loked at the floor. "He, umm... Ron slept with three other girls while we were dating. I knew about it, but each time I gave him another chance."

"Actually, four."

Arthur growled something evil and muttered something about seeing his youngest son soon.

Hermione looked up at Harry through her hair and thought that maybe he was looking at her with more than concern. She dismissed it, however. They'd always been friends and always would be just friends. She wasn't tall like Ginny, or nearly as pretty as Padma and Parvati. Her hair was untamable without magic and while she wasn't fat, she wasn't slim like Lavender or good at sports like Angelina. The only thing she was was smart with even teeth.

Fawkes flitted into the room and made his way instantly to Harry, singing softly. Harry's upset stomach from hurting Hermione and Hermione's disquiet were both settled.

Harry's eyes snapped to Fawkes. He didn't hear the song. He could feel it. What he heard was an old song, something a mother might have sung to a baby, trying to get the child to sleep.

"Fawkes... are you singing a Welsh lullaby?" Harry was sure the bird's trill sounded like a yes to him. "Do I need to go back to school?" Fawkes rubbed his head against Harry's cheek and Harry asked Hermione, "How's my house?"

"Um, I havent been there in awhile. Last time I was, it was fine."

"I'm going there. May I have my wand?" Arthur didn't look like he was ready to give it back just yet.

"Fine, I don't need it to Disapparate." and Harry disappeared.

Fawkes snatched the wand from Arthur's hand and flew out the window.

Arthur watched the bird go and muttered, "I'll miss that bird." Louder, he spoke, "Molly's going to murder me."

Hermione asked, "Mr. Weasley, will Harry be okay?"

"Fawkes will be staying with him. I'll apparate home and send Hedwig to him also. Maybe you should follow him. I need to get back to the school. I'm still getting used to it all."

Arthur disappeared as soon as he stood and Hermione cleaned up the tea, noticing Harry hadn't touched his. She magicked it all down stairs, then used magic to fold her laundry she'd brought to her parents' and quickly packed it into her trunk. In moments, the trunk was shrunk down and stuffed into her pocket.

She went downstairs and grabbed her cat carrier. Whether Harry liked it or not, she'd be staying with him. Crookshanks didn't want to get in and she had to tempt him in with a small pile of kitty treats. Once she was ready, she told her parents where she was going and said goodbye. She took the floo in her Parent's house to Diagon Alley and called for a cab on the phone installed inside the Leaky Cauldron. A few minutes later, she arrived on Grimmauld place and carefully looked around. No one was outside and since it was midday, most people were at work. She thought about the address and number twelve began appearing. First the door, followed by the walls and windows. Numbers Eleven and Thirteen were pushed aside and Number Twelve stood there, what had used to be a grimy and disgusting house, now was a clean and almost cheerful looking home.

The silver door knocker that had once been there was gone. A gold and ruby phoenix had taken its place and she started to knock. She stopped and grasped the door, swinging it open. She stepped inside carefully, and saw that all the paintings were finally gone, save the one of Phineas Black.

Harry had received everything Sirius had owned when he died. Although Harry didn't want it, the Headmaster had forced him to see reason and the home was fixed up so Harry would have somewhere to live after school. The original plans had been for her, Ron, and Harry to all live there after school.

The old gas lamps were all lit, and the house was cheery with its new paint.

"Harry?" she called. "Where are you?"

Crookshanks rattled the carrier's door and succeeded in unhinging it. He jumped out and scampered towards the kitchen. Hermione called Harry's name again and this time he appeared, walking down the stairs, carrying his Firebolt. "Hermione. What are you doing here?"

"I-I thought your offer about living here might still be open?"

"More likely Mr. Weasley told you to follow me." He watched her.

She flushed and wondered when he'd gotten so bloody insightful.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here. You can help me figure out what's going on."

"What do you mean?"

Harry set his broom in the corner. "Accio."

His wand hand flared slightly green and a book in the sitting room flew out of the room and neatly into his hand.

Hermione's eyes widened. Harry's wand was nowhere hear him. All he was wearing were a pair of sweats and a tee, yet he had still been able to summon the book. His eyes oscillated as he looked at her and she blinked. "How did–? Why are your eyes like that?"

"I don't know and I don't know. All I did was think of a spell before and all the lights in the house came on."

Harry walked past her into the sitting room and slumped down on the couch. It looked exactly like the oversized ones in the common room except this was black leather with gold piping.

Harry muttered Accio again and two bottles of butterbeer flew into the room. Hermione sat in the chair across from the couch and Harry tossed her one. She uncorked it, holding it aimed at Harry in case it had gotten too shook up. He smiled for the first time as she opened the bottle aimed at him. When it didn't spray all over him, she took a long drink. While she couldn't see him, Harry shook his up and waited until she was done. When she looked back at him, he aimed the bottle at her and opened it. In less than a moment, her hair, face, thick sweater, and her jeans were soaked with Butterbeer. Harry laughed as Hermione glared at him.

Fawkes appeared in the room and dropped Harry's wand on him, then settled on the perch that had been bought for Hedwig so long ago.

"Are you hungry, Fawkes? If not, I'm sure the Headmaster misses you."

Fawkes trilled but seemed perfectly happy where he was. Harry's eyes widened as Fawkes' song seemed to signify he was quite happy and had no plans to leave in the foreseeable future.

Hermione used her wand to clean herself off, and then innocently walked towards the kitchen. Once she was behind Harry, she turned around and poured the whole bottle onto his head. Harry jumped up with a shout and spun around. Hermione turned and ran, giggling, only to be caught up to by Harry and held against the wall as he poured the remainder of his drink on her.

The trilling of Fawkes seemed to be laughter as he watched the two.

Harry pulled away and said, "I'm going to take a shower. If you're really staying, find a room."

Hermione's face was bright red from Harry holding her so tightly. She nodded hesitantly and started to say she actually had a place already. Her voice died in her throat as she walked him pad away, barefooted. She drafted a short letter to her landlord in her head and stated she was giving notice and would be out in a month. She debated actually putting it on paper but pushed that thought aside. She'd stay here a few days. Missing a few classes wouldn't put me that far behind, she thought.

She followed him up the stairs and saw his stuff was still in the master bedroom where Dumbledore had put it at the end of seventh year. She noticed the snapped wand lying on his bed and wondered how it had gotten here. Then she remembered: There was an anti-apparition ward around the house. How did he get here?

She took the room next to his and pulled her trunk out of her pocket. Returning it to normal size, she maneuvered it to the foot of the bed and opened the trunk. She didn't think she would stay more than a few days, so she left it as was it was.

Harry stood in the shower, turning up the water each time he got used to the previous heat setting. Soon, he was completely red and reached for the hair potion. Getting a good lather up, he mixed it into his hair and sighed. In a few minutes, he was done washing his hair and body but continued to stand under the water. The shower nozzle looked like a snake and Harry wondered something. He looked at it at different angles until it looked real. He spoke and instead of his normal tenor, sibilant hisses escaped him. He sighed. Still a parselmouth.

Once he finished, he stepped out and stared into the mirror. "What's wrong with your eyes, Harry?" he asked himself. He stared at them closely. They really were yin-yangs. They even had the small balls that the yin-yang had, signifying that one side couldn't happen without the other.

He wrapped a broad towel around his waist and walked out into the bedroom. As he looked at his clothing, he wondered why his muscles hadn't atrophied. He'd been missing two years and everything seemed absolutely normal with him. Well, he thought. Except the eyes.

Gods. I can't even go out. Everyone will bug me to death wondering where I've been. I'm as trapped here as over the summers when I was at the Dursleys.

Harry's mind flicked to Hermione and for a moment, some very mature thoughts about being trapped with Hermione flashed through his mind. He turned bright red and started looking for clothing.

He slipped on slacks and pulled a dark green robe over his head. He set his hand on his wand then slipped it into his sleeve. As he stood at the foot of the bed, he stared at the snapped wand lying on it. Voldemort was dead? It didn't seem possible. The last thing I remember was turning away from Ron so I didn't have to see him kiss her after he'd been more than kissing Lavender behind the broomshed. I don't know why I hadn't told Hermione Ron had been cheating on her. Harry sighed. Yes I did. I didn't tell her because I wanted to be with her. And if I told her, she'd think I was only trying to break them up. But she knew now. And maybe there was a slight chance of a possibility?

Harry knocked on the only closed door in the hallway. "Hermione?"

The door opened and Hermione poked her head out. Harry saw her bare shoulder and the strap of a red bra. "I'm starving and there isn't much food here. I don't want to go out, either. What do you think we should do?"

"Um, if you're still hooked up to the floo, we could go to my parents' and borrow their car and go into town to eat."

"Oh. You have your license?"

"My parents insisted."

"Sounds good to me. But I don't have any Muggle money."

"I have a bit and I can borrow from my parents if it's not enough."

Harry didn't like the idea of borrowing money but nodded. He'd figure out some way of getting to the bank and getting some of his money out. Hermione turned and Harry thought he might have seen a bit more.

He turned and went back to his room. Muggles meant different clothes. He pulled off the robe and pulled on a shirt Hermione had given him last... no, two years ago. He pulled on a pair of socks and walked out of his room, looking at Hermione's door. He had hoped to catch another glimpse of her but she had closed it completely.

Hermione looked at her clothing and sighed. Why was this so hard? It's just dinner with Harry.

She finally settled on a gold blouse and a black skirt. She grabbed her thickest tights and pulled them on over her underwear before pulling the skirt on. Sensible shoes and the blouse followed and she left the room and headed downstairs.

She worried about what might have happened to Harry, but Fawkes and Crookshanks were perfectly normal around him. Crookshanks had hated her last two boyfriends and neither relationship had lasted long. Usually long enough for them to pass a test or write a particularly difficult essay—with her help, of course—and then they were gone. Hermione sighed as she went down the stairs.

Harry sat in front of the fire, hissing at a snake curled up in front of the fire. The snake raised up and seemed to be staring at Hermione.

As Harry hissed, the snake stopped looking at her and turned back to Harry. The creature seemed to nod at him and hissed back. Harry turned to Hermione and said, "I've offered him all the food he wants and safety in return for getting a few dozen friends and guarding this place."

Hermione looked at his sunglasses, indecision on her face, then asked, "Are you sure that's a good idea? Can you trust them?"

"As much as I trust you."

She flushed again, then asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, you look very nice."

"Um, thanks."

Harry took a pinch of floo powder and called out, "The Granger residence."

Harry caught Hermione as she stumbled out of the fireplace and helped her get all the dust off. Harry had barely fared better on his own trip, stumbling and almost cracking his head open on the coffee table. A quick wave of his wand, and almost all the dust and ash were out of her hair.

"Moppet, you're back."

Hermione turned bright red as Harry turned to her and wickedly grinned. "Moppet?"

Her father looked chagrined at giving Harry any form of ammunition to tease his daughter, then grinned himself. "I have some other nicknames for her if you're interested."

Harry tried to get out that he MOST DEFINITELY was but Hermione's, "DON'T YOU DARE," overpowered his voice. She continued, in only a slightly lower tone of voice, "I came by to borrow a bit of money and a car so we could go get something to eat."

"Oh? Why?"

"Um," Harry answered. "I'm a bit leery about going into Diagon Alley. I'll pay you back as soon as I figure out a way to make it there without being seen."

"Perfectly understandable. Will a few hundred pounds do? It's all I have in my wallet right now."

"Um, I think that's way more than we need," Harry started to say while Hermione said, "Too much, Daddy."

"Take it; think of it as an early Christmas gift." He reached into his wallet and pulled out a thin stack of bills. He stuffed it into Harry's hands and said, "It doesn't look right if the girl pays. Have a good time on your date. The keys are by the door." He winked at both of them and headed up the stairs, calling back, "I'm taking a nap. Your mum went to a friend's for a cuppa."