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A loud explosion blasted the loose items and knickknacks off shelves, and debris floated down like mismatched multi-coloured confetti. A hand shot straight up into the air and blasted away a small mountain of rubbish to reveal the dirty, dusty, disheveled form of Harry Potter. Harry shook his head, stood up, and brushed off his lab coat. He straightened his glasses and ran a hand through his messy, unkempt hair, stepping off the raised platform.
“Luna, are you alright, my dear?”
A pristine, well-put-together blonde-haired woman stepped out from behind a foot-thick glass wall, clipboard in hand, and rolled her baby blue eyes. Her blonde hair was swept back into a tight bun, and a peculiar-looking instrument held it in place.
“Am I all right? I should be asking you that, Harry, but yes, I’m fine.”
“A quite unexpected reaction that one. Note that dragon blood and basilisk venom are not a compatible mix. Bollocks, would you look at the state of the lab?”
“I wonder what would give you that idea? Two of the most dangerous magical creatures in existence, and you go and mix them together.”
Harry, as usual, either chose to be unaffected or remained oblivious to the sarcasm in his friend’s voice and hung his lab coat up on a peg near the door. He disappeared behind a partisan and reappeared a couple minutes later, well dressed in pressed trousers, a silk vest, and a clean white button-down shirt.
Luna unbuttoned her coat, hung it up next to his, and disappeared to get re-dressed behind the partisan. The boy-who-won kept his back turned, turning to face the witch when Luna rested a hand on his shoulder after she finished changing.
“Thank you for your excellent observations, but I’m afraid I have other matters to deal with. Namely my godson, one mischievous but delightful young boy named Teddy.”
Luna kissed Harry’s cheek and stepped through the doorway Harry opened. They walked up the long, spiral staircase, and Luna left with a reminder to attend the gathering at the Weasley’s home later this evening before she vanished in a swirl of green flames via the Floo. Harry shook his head, Luna’s reminder surprising him, but he placed his glasses in an inside pocket and walked out the front door.
“Good afternoon, master Harry, sir.”
Harry stopped his brisk walk down the well-kept cobblestone pathway, knelt in front of a house-elf he didn’t recognise but smiled anyway.
"Good afternoon to you as well. I’m afraid I haven’t seen you around here before. What is your name, my little friend?”
The house-elf looked gobsmacked that Harry would speak to it and jumped up and down in excitement. Harry placed a hand on its head to stop this, and the house-elf beamed at him.
“Oh, the master wants to know Wally’s name; he does. My name is Wally, master Harry Potter sir. Dobby did say Master Harry Potter was the bestest, oh yes, he did.”
Harry patted Wally’s head and continued his walk down to the main gate of his estate. The wrought iron gates and wards dropped at a wave of his hand, and Harry turned left to walk down the road to where a small crowd gathered. Most of the people eyed him with curiosity but took a step away from him.
Harry didn’t mind but stared into the sky and clasped his hands behind his back. A disturbance rippled in the air like the afternoon sky was being peeled back, and a large yellow bus descended to stop in front of Harry. The doors flew open, and a small army of children ran off the bus.
“Harry!”
Harry knelt and caught a blue-haired boy with brown eyes in his arms. The boy gave him a tight hug and wriggled free, obviously excited about something.
“Look, I caught a Wonkersnap today on the field trip!”
“Ah, and she is a beauty. Excellent job, Teddy.”
Teddy beamed at the praise and placed the jar back in his bag. Harry smiled as Teddy’s hair changed to a wild green, and his eye color matched. The older wizard stood up, held out his hand, which Teddy took, and the younger wizard skipped down the road with Harry walking beside him.
“Teddy, do you remember where we are going today?”
The young boy’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and then a broad grin threatened to split his face in half.
“It’s the Easter party at Grandma Molly’s house. Come on, let’s go!”
Harry laughed when Teddy tugged on his hand and tried to run down the road. If only he could find a way to bottle up his young charge's inexhaustible energy, the Potter-Black family would be the first trillionaire on the Ruling Nine.
“Whoa, there, firecracker.”
Teddy stopped, bouncing up and down on his toes as he stood in front of Harry with his arms crossed. Harry knelt in front of Teddy again and pulled out a multi-coloured bag from inside his robes. Teddy laughed and clapped his hands in excitement, to which Harry smiled.
“Now, how are we getting to Grandma Molly’s house today?”
“Grindlegizzer! Grindlegizzer!”
A miniature replica of a regal-looking bird floated out of the bag and hovered in front of Teddy’s wide, excited eyes. Harry put the bag away and folded his hands over the bird.
“Do you remember the words?”
Teddy nodded and squeezed his eyes shut in concentration.
“When the sky is a baby blue, and there’s not a single cloud in the sky, I call upon the Grinddlegizzer to fly!”
The tiny replica hummed and flashed beneath Harry’s hands before an explosion of alternating red and orange rings appeared in the sky. A large bird flew out of the centre of the rings and broke its descent with a snap of its wings. Teddy laughed and clapped his hands before dashing up to the bird to stroke its beak. The bird trilled and lowered its body to the ground. Harry helped Teddy onto its back and climbed up to sit behind him. The Grinddlegizzer screeched and flew off into the air with a mighty flap of its wings.
Hermione helped Molly in the kitchen and spared a quick glance out the window to the party outside. Around a hundred people milled about with twenty or more inside the New Burrow. As a thank you gift to the Weasley family for their help and support during the war, Harry paid for a million galleons in renovations to their home. Arthur and Percy ran for the head of their respective departments (Magical Mishaps and Legal) and won with Harry’s support. They held an annual Easter party where many political to-dos happened, and alliances were made.
“They’ll be here. When have those two ever been anything but exactly on time?”
Hermione blushed at Molly’s teasing question and set a casserole on the entrée tray.
“I know, I know. Wait, is that them now?”
Both women headed outside, and Hermione gasped as a large bird swooped down from the sky to land on the ground. Harry climbed down first, helped Teddy off the majestic creature, and both Black wizards ignored the crowd. Teddy patted the bird’s beak, and the bird dissolved into gold dust at a phrase from Harry. Harry and Teddy walked hand in hand through the crowd ignoring the whispers, and Teddy dashed forward to hug Hermione.
“Hermione!”
Hermione smiled and hugged Teddy, noticing how well dressed he was, and ran a hand through his hair. Her eyes traveled up from an expensive pair of black leather shoes to an elegant tuxedo and stopped at Harry’s mesmerizing emerald eyes. The usual twinkle of mischievousness mixed with an untold number of emotions the former Gryffindor witch called ‘madness’ swirled in the depths of her long-standing crush’s eyes, making her swoon.
“Always was an excitable child. Hello Hermione and the many Weasley’s behind her. We aren’t late, are we?”
“Neither late nor early, Harry, my dear. You arrived on time, which I assume is when you wanted to.”
“It’s all good, Molly. Thank you for inviting Teddy and myself.”
Harry placed his hands-on Teddy's shoulders as the young boy stood in front of him again after detaching his arms from around Hermione’s legs. Although Teddy was still young, he had remarkable talent when sensing the moods of an individual or a crowd, and his hair colour kept changing at a cyclic rate because he could feel all the underlying tensions in the atmosphere. With a squeeze on Teddy’s shoulders from Harry, the young boy’s hair stopped on purple, and his eyes were yellow.
“It goes without saying. What type of party would it be with the-”?
“Mad Harry Potter? Do my eyes deceive me, or does the-boy-who-vanquished stand before me?”
An awkward silence fell upon the already tense crowd, and Ronald Weasley stumbled through the crowd. During the war, the youngest Weasley son had acquired a taste for alcohol, his habit worsening after, and one drop turned him into a belligerent, uncontrollable drunk.
Charlie and Bill pushed through the crowd to restrain Ron before more damage could be done, but Harry proved quicker and dissolved into thin air. Everyone gasped and looked confused but not Teddy. The little boy looked excited, and his hair and eye colour were a vivid green again.
“Mad says he? Quite an interesting word choice. Quite peculiar now that I think about it. Mad as insane? Or mad as in gone around the bend? There are quite so many different vivid variations that overwhelm, overwork, overload-”
“Harry.”
Teddy waved his arms, and Harry’s rather enthusiastic monologue stopped like someone had cut his vocal cords.
“Thank you. Now, as green is to grass, copper to brass, and yellow to the sun, I the Mad Potter do conjure up some fun.”
A giggle of laughter sounded from behind an archway that sprang up from the ground, and a beautiful young girl stepped out from behind it. She twirled towards the crowd and blew a kiss. Teddy clapped his hands and dashed forwards.
“Adelina!”
The young girl waved at Teddy, hugging the energetic child before opening the door behind her. A great whoosh of wind blew past, and out spun a well-dressed man. He unfolded his tall frame, straightened his suit, and placed a top hat on his head. Teddy waved up at the man with both arms, and the man stooped over so he could look at Teddy.
“Why hello there, my young lad. How are you today?”
“I’m good, Mr. Tall-fellow. How are you?”
“I’m feeling quite well. Ah, hello, Adelina. You are looking radiant as always. Shall we begin?”
Adelina nodded her dainty head and danced through the doorway. She reappeared with a trunk in her arms, set it on the ground, and opened the chest with a loud click, causing a larger box to pop out. The young girl struggled to open this one but eventually managed, and a much larger trunk popped out, knocking Adelina on her backside. Mr. Tall-fellow opened this one and pulled out many two-dimensional objects he set about. Once done, he nodded and stood back up to his full height.
“Teddy, would you do the honour and say the magic words?”
Harry’s disembodied voice carried out over the grounds, and Ron shook his head in his stupor. No one could blame the drunk red-headed wizard as this performance was rather peculiar, and no one knew what to make of it.
“Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Magic and laughter aplenty!”
The two-dimensional objects shook and, like well-practiced dance partners, sprang to life. A forest materialized right before everyone’s disbelieving eyes, and Adelina skipped over to the entrance with a graceful flourish. Hermione just noticed that Mr. Tall-fellow ducked his head and disappeared inside the forest, but Teddy jumped up and down in excitement, ran over to Hermione, and dragged her by her hand to the forest entrance.
“Come on, Hermione. You’re going to love Pandora. It’s one of my favourites of Harry’s creations.”
“Wait, Harry created…this?”
Hermione’s question faltered on the tip of her tongue as she took in ‘Pandora.’ How in all things magical did Harry create her wild, passionate fantasies that she kept locked up tight within the innermost recesses of her mind?
“Pandora is your escape, my dear. Wherever, whenever, whatever. No one person sees and experiences the same exact thing.”
Hermione felt warm, pulsing tingles shoot out all over her body as she became hyper-aware of how close Harry stood behind her.
"Like the Mirror of the Erised only bigger.”
Harry hummed his agreement, and Hermione watched as more people from the party trickled inside Pandora. She saw Harry’s eyes grow bright and a smile cross his face. Teddy ran past in hot pursuit of something, and other guests gasped as they saw their deepest desires.
Hermione sat on the porch railing and watched Harry yell out orders to the kids running around him. Harry, Fred, and George were busy setting up the night’s culminating event, a firework show, and all the children wanted to help the ‘Mad Potter.’ Parents were distrustful (Hermione had no idea why as Harry adored children), but the children could not be dissuaded, and Hermione laughed as Harry pointed and mock yelled at a little boy.
“Magnificent, isn’t he?”
Hermione cast a sidelong glance at Luna when the other woman walked over to lean against the railing and nodded with a smile. She chided herself for her moment of jealousy as Luna was engaged to Neville Longbottom and Hermione blushed at Luna’s knowing glance.
“Pandora is Harry’s brainchild, and he worked without sleeping around the clock for it to be finished for tonight’s festivities. All his efforts tonight are meant for you, so enjoy the show.”
“Wait, what are you saying? What do you mean?”
Luna giggled with a little wave and disappeared in a swirl of fireflies. Hermione grit her teeth in frustration, but Teddy ran up to her and hugged her around her waist. Hermione’s annoyance washed away with the boy’s kind gesture, and Harry walked toward them. Fred and George mosied over to Angelina and Alicia, and Harry stopped next to Teddy before placing him on his shoulders.
“Are we ready to begin, Teddy?”
“Yes.”
Hermione smiled as Teddy whispered, his eyes fixated on the black nighttime sky and his hands fisted into Harry’s messy ebony hair. Harry closed his eyes and muttered something underneath his breath. Hermione’s eyes narrowed as she tried to understand the words, and the answer came to her with the force of a freight train. Harry’s mutterings were a litany of voice activation runes. Her suspicions were correct when bright, multi-coloured fireworks shot up into the sky with an explosion of colours and sounds. Hermione gasped at the clarity and colour of the fireworks, Teddy appearing to agree as he clapped and squirmed on Harry’s shoulders.
“More blue, Harry! More…ow…”
Hermione glanced up at Teddy, who rubbed his leg, and Hermione saw Harry incline his head to her. Teddy grumbled under his breath and looked at Hermione.
“Would you like to pick a pattern or colour, Hermione? Please be quick as I want my turn.”
Hermione’s eyes narrowed, but an idea came to her, and she smiled.
“Some red and gold, perhaps?”
A sea of red and gold fireworks exploded a moment later, and Hermione giggled as a monstrous Gryffindor lion burped the words “Hermione Granger’s choice!” The brilliant witch ignored the murmurs from the crowd with ease. A couple of other bright colours flashed into the sky, and Hermione recognized the important events in her and Harry’s life up until a year ago.
Before the boy-who-lived, now the man-who-vanquished had fallen into what society called “madness.” Shaking her head to dispel those melancholy thoughts, Hermione looked at Harry, noticing a smirk tugging at his lips, and the fireworks continued to paint their life together. The nighttime air seemed a little warmer, and her cheeks were on fire, but Hermione settled in as the firework show continued.
The party wound down considerably after the final huzzah of fireworks and the political who's who sipped from their nightcaps as they finalized deals or alliances and made promises to keep up later. Hermione smiled at a group of men, both young and old, as she walked around with a tray of nightcaps. Ginny did the same along with Molly, as all three women knew the alcohol loosened the tongues of the politicians and made the talks…friendlier.
Hermione kept an eye on Harry as she was afraid he might vanish into thin air, but he still talked with Bill about Gringotts. Besides, Harry wouldn’t leave Teddy, who slept upstairs in Ginny’s room.
“Just a few more minutes, dear, and then you can go to him.”
Hermione smiled gratefully at Molly and emptied her tray of drinks as fast as possible. She set it down on a trash table and made her way over to Harry. His eyes swept over her, making Hermione blush, but she stood by his side, watching his conversation wrap up. Bill shook Harry’s hand, nodded to her, and excused himself to find his wife, Fleur.
“You appeared to be having a serious conversation. What was it about?”
Harry smiled at Hermione, and she swooned. His effect on her was ridiculous, but Hermione would bear every second of it if he stayed near her.
“Bill just finished telling me about the final touches of a deal I made with the Goblin Nation, and it has come to pass rather nicely.”
“You didn’t tell me you had made a deal with the Goblin Nation. Harry, that’s dangerous.”
“That is why people call me mad, my dear. Tell me, have I actually gone mad?”
Hermione smiled and cupped his cheeks in her hands. Tingles raced through her body at the proximity between them, and if Harry wanted to, he could look down to see Hermione had gone braless that night. However, true to his inherent nobility, Harry’s eyes stayed locked with Hermione’s.
“You’re already halfway there, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. All good people are mad in some way or another.”
Harry kissed Hermione’s forehead, a gesture that had started right after he killed Voldemort and they finished their seventh year. The motion never failed to warm Hermione’s heart, and she reveled in the contact. No one else kissed her head, not that she would allow anyone to, and she lived for the gesture.
“The evening is ending, and I need to pick up my charge before heading back to my estate. Molly making you a room for tonight?”
Hermione shook her head and held onto Harry’s forearms. Tonight was one of the few, and far between occasions Harry made a public appearance, and all his friends and family did their best to make him stay as long as possible.
“No, the Weasley’s home is booked for tonight, and I’ll just apparate back to my flat. Why?”
“I still don’t like that you live by yourself. Why don’t you spend the night in your room at my estate?”
Butterflies erupted in Hermione’s stomach at Harry’s offer, and she nodded as words failed her. Guests did not just walk in or invite themselves over to the Potter-Black Estate, one had to be invited, and only Luna frequented it daily as she worked as Harry’s assistant. Such secrecy and seclusion did not sit well with Hermione, but she respected Harry’s wishes.
Besides, Hermione and the others had themselves to partly blame for not being as close to Harry as they used to be. After the war, everyone wanted and needed different things. Many wanted to party and drink away their demons and ghosts, while a few wanted some desperate, alone time.
Since Harry had not allowed anyone to go with him on the Horcruxes hunt, he required the most time alone to recover from everything he had seen. People approached him and asked about his travels, but Harry would smile tight and change the topic. Hermione and everyone who knew Harry finally relented when he allowed someone in on the Potter Estate. The wizarding public was shocked when Harry chose Luna Lovegood, fiancé, to Neville Longbottom. Neville, Luna, and Harry had discussed the working and personal relationship, and Luna and Neville informed everyone that the details would be sorted out later.
“Hermione?”
Hermione had been shocked, of course, at his decision, praying fervently that his choice would have been her, and felt…betrayed when Luna took on the role of Mad Potter’s assistant. In her typical fashion, Luna had sensed this. The two witches had an enlightening chat, where Luna explained in her dreamy manner that Harry needed someone who had endured a fraction of the emotional maelstrom inside of him.
Hermione grudgingly agreed with this logic as she knew her muggle and magical life had been princess-like. Harry supported her every decision financially in the magical world, and her parents did as well in the mundane world.
Keeping that in mind, Hermione struggled to grasp the magnitude of Harry’s offer, the privilege of seeing his private abode, and Hermione dared to hope that his isolationist lifestyle was ending.
“I have my own room? I don’t have a change of clothing, though.”
“Yes, you have your own room. I converted one of the guest rooms with you in mind, and sleepwear won’t be a problem as you can wear one of my old jerseys if you want.”
Hermione blushed at all the mental images and fantasies that provided, and it was all she could do to nod. How did Harry make Hermione Granger, the cleverest witch of her age and respected magical researcher, turn into a monosyllabic pile of goo with just his words? Honestly, she should have more of a defence against his charms since she had been his best friend all these years!
“Thank you, Hermione. You have no idea how worried I get when I think of you alone in your flat. Even with Voldemort gone, all his inner circle Death Eaters dead, and most of his support base gone, I don’t think all the troubles are over yet. Let me grab Teddy, and we can apparate back to my estate.”
Hermione’s cheeks tinged a dark pink again at his words, and she stared lovingly at his back as he left to grab his godson. Ginny stopped at her side and smirked at Hermione’s expression.
“Is it safe to say-”
"Shut up, Ginny.”
Ginny laughed and patted Hermione on the back. Harry reappeared, a sleeping Teddy in his arms, and nodded farewell to Ginny. Ginny, thankfully, hadn’t pursued Harry after the war and instead opted to be a good friend as she dated Dean Thomas. Harry grabbed Hermione’s hand, and they apparated to his estate.
Even though it was dark, Hermione fell in love with Harry’s estate as soon as she saw it, and she regretted that she had to sleep as she wanted to explore. A house-elf appeared with a lantern and guided them up to the walkway to the front door. The house-elf waved its hand and the front door opened for the four of them to step inside.
“Master Harry’s miss Grangy’s room is ready, and her bath is drawn, so says Dobby, master Harry sir. Wally has placed clothes for the little master Teddy, master Harry, and master Harry’s miss Grangy; he has Master Harry, sir. Dobby is telling Wally that master Harry’s mail from yesterday and today has been sorted and that the dragon’s eggs is ready to be hatching tomorrow. Missus Luna told Dobby, who told Wally that Master Harry is not to touch the dragon eggs until she comes back later today she has. That is all Wally has to report, master Harry, sir.”
“Thank you, Wally. Please check the status of the wards and a perimeter check before you retire.”
Hermione stood there impressed and curious, but Harry moved to the grand spiral staircase, and Hermione followed. She smiled as Harry changed a sleepy Teddy into pajamas, tucked him in, and agreed to his godson’s groggy request to teach him how to fly tomorrow. They exited the room, left the door cracked open, and walked down the hallway. Harry stopped outside another room, pushed open the door, and extended his arm for Hermione to step inside.
She gasped at the beautiful décor of the room with its light brown walls and slightly darker trimming. A very comfortable-looking queen-sized bed dominated one side of the room, with solid wood bookcases and a matching desk dominating the far wall. A walk-in closet next to the door that led to an adjoining bathroom occupied the final wall, and Hermione embraced Harry in a tight hug as soon as she took in everything. She blushed at his deep chuckle and sighed when Harry hugged her back.
“This is the exact replica of my room back home. How did you…?”
“I might have visited your parents after I mostly settled everything in my mind after the war. Your mum was only too happy to share stories, show me picture albums, and give me a tour of your house.”
Hermione released Harry, stepped back, and glared at him with her hands on her hips. Harry smiled that sexy, mischievous smile he was famous for when he was a student at Hogwarts and leaned against the doorframe.
Hermione’s glare didn’t lessen in intensity, and she wanted to smack him like she used to when the two of them were students at Hogwarts. However, that opportunity had passed as the ‘Golden Trio,’ Ron, Harry, and Hermione’s collective nickname, completed their seventh and final year at Hogwarts and graduated with due honours.
Hermione, of course, graduated at the top of their class and had been sweet-talked by many of the Ministry department heads despite her muggle-born status. Ron graduated with much help from his group of friends but had been overshadowed by Harry in Quidditch, academics, women, popularity, and…well, in every conceivable way.
Harry’s work ethic proved more decisive as he trained extensively in both the physical and magical aspects, free to explore his interests now that he wasn’t marked for death, and the new saviour of the supernatural world succeeded at everything he set his mind to.
Harry graduated as Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, and third in their class for academics (behind Hermione and Daphne Greengrass). Many departments in the Ministry, namely the Aurors, Unspeakables, and Department of Mysteries, heavily recruited him. In contrast to the popular gossip, in the last press conference, before he retreated to his family estate, Harry had smiled and graciously declined all the offers before naming his friends who would be “perfectly suited for all these wonderful opportunities.”
“Don’t give me that look, Hermione. It has always been my dream for you to stay here at my family’s estate and…well, live with Teddy and me.”
Hermione’s expression turned to shock, and her glare dissolved into a smirk. Harry’s eyes widened, and he gulped as Hermione’s brown eyes danced with mirth.
“Oh, pray do tell how secluding yourself in your family’s estate for a year is helping me decide whether to live here or not. I am all ears, Harry.”
“I…I…do you trust me?”
Hermione’s expression changed again to concern as Harry seemed to fold in on himself. His broad shoulders slumped, his magical aura faltering significantly. Hermione cried out softly and took his much larger hands in hers as tightly as possible.
“Of course, I trust you, Harry. What’s wrong?”
Harry didn’t answer and walked out of Hermione’s room with their hands still linked. He led her back down the grand spiral staircase, through the beautiful, expansive foyer, and through a pair of white double doors. Hermione had little time to marvel at the beautiful décor, and she wanted to ask so many questions, but Harry refused to slow his gait.
They passed through two more rooms before Harry stopped in front of a rather plain, maple wood door. His eyes flashed a bright green for a second, and the door clicked before swinging inwards. Harry walked through, and Hermione followed him as they walked down a metal grate spiral staircase. Hermione rolled her eyes as she imagined that all the staircases in the Potter Estate must be spiral, and she giggled.
“Welcome to my private lab where all my madness is born.”
Giant metal spheres hummed with magical power, and bright zips of magic crackled between each sphere. The very floor they stood on vibrated and hummed with the power resonating in the room, and Hermione’s eyes drank in the quirky magnificence of the giant room. There were rows of metal tables on which many peculiar instruments rested, and nothing in the room lay still. Everything was in motion, and Hermione spun around, taking it all in.
“You…you created all…this?”
Harry laughed and nodded his head.
“What do you think I’ve been doing all this time? I’ve poured over the books in the second-floor library and borrowed some from Dumbledore’s private library. I’ve read all of Nicholas Flamel’s works and every tome on all the magical schools in the world. Both here in England and on the Continent. I’ve compiled all that research into one of the biggest books ever written and spent most of the initial Potter and Black fortune to build all of this. Luckily, my inventions and ideas have rebuilt both fortunes and then some, but that’s beside the point.”
Hermione smiled as she continued to drink in the room and heard the pride ringing in Harry’s voice. If magical Britain could see what she was seeing, then no one would ever call Harry Potter mad again, and Hermione’s face brightened at the prospect.
“Why don’t you show the magical world all of this and tell them about your research?”
Harry smiled, shook his head, and grabbed her hands. Jolts of electricity shot up Hermione’s arm, and a blush alighted on her cheeks.
“Luna, Neville, and I have been working on that, but we don’t have all the pieces put in place yet, and besides, we need more people on our team.”
Hermione nodded her head, hundreds of scenarios running through her mind about how Harry could accomplish this goal, and her brain screeched to a halt as the last part of Harry’s statement sunk in. She looked into his eyes, and her breath faltered when she noticed how much closer he stood in front of her.
“More people? Harry, any magical researcher, would kill to stand and see what I’m seeing right now! You could literally have the top researchers from all over the magical world queuing up for miles outside your front door and desperate to prove why they deserve to have a chance to be here.”
“I’m not suited for that, Hermione, and you know it. I’m a doer, not a planner, and would botch up the application procedure so bad that Ron or Malfoy would be down here. Luna and Neville both expressed that they don’t want that responsibility either, and they already are performing their duties perfectly.”
Hermione arched an eyebrow at him, crossed her arms underneath her chest, and tapped her foot.
“Their duties, huh? What do their duties consist of, Harry?”
Harry smiled, and his white teeth contrasted beautifully against his tanned skin. Hermione smiled as well as it had been so long since she had seen him smile like this, and she had almost forgotten how damn sexy he looked.
"Luna is my assistant and lead explorer. She finds and categorizes all sorts of rare magical creatures and travels the world to visit and study as many magical societies as possible. Neville accompanies her whenever he can but uses his position of Lord Longbottom to keep the Ministry off my back. I try to keep those pesky buggers off my back, but the more allies and friends, the better.”
“But Harry, you haven’t stepped foot in the Ministry or the Wizengamot since the fall of Voldemort.”
Harry clucked his tongue and wagged his finger at her like one would a small child. Hermione sputtered indignantly and launched into a tirade, but Harry spoke first.
“I’ve made my intentions known through the post and Floo fireplace meetings. Minister Shacklebolt and Director Bones of Magical Law Enforcement have been most kind, and there are a few other Department Heads who are sympathetic to my cause. I believe your department, the Department of Magical Research, has been tasked with a few of my experiments.”
Hermione sputtered again, but the indignation seeped out of her when she realised Harry was right. The Department of Magical Research’s director had called many meetings about some rather peculiar research assignments and, when complaints arose, candidly stated that the benefactor paid for the research upfront and in full. The protests were silenced after that.
“Where do I fit into all of this?”
"I thought that rather obvious. I want to hire you as my full-time senior researcher and public affairs correspondent. If things continue moving as smoothly as they are now, in the future, we can discuss research interns and a full-fledged public relations team.”
Harry paused for a moment and squeezed Hermione’s hands.
“The lab is running quite well, and I have more time to myself. Time to deepen friendships and explore what could be’s. Something I want to explore is the chemistry between us, and I have a question for you. Would you do me the honour of being my lover and girlfriend, Hermione Jane Granger?”
The colour drained from Hermione’s face, her expression fell, and her legs almost failed her. Fortunately, Hermione’s brain re-fired, and she latched herself to him with her arms around his neck and lips pressed feverishly against his. Harry smiled into the bruising kiss and wrapped his strong arms around her waist.
Hermione had always wondered what it would be like to kiss Harry, and from what Ginny had told her, Harry had turned out to be quite the kisser. Ginny’s breathless, dreamy recounting of all the times she had kissed Harry didn’t do the man in question any justice as Hermione felt like she had died and gone to heaven.
Harry's lips were soft, gentle, and firm against hers, and when his tongue swept into her open mouth, Hermione could not help the righteous moan that gurgled out from her throat. The newly formed couple broke apart, and Hermione beamed up at Harry.
“I would love to be your girlfriend.”
Hermione giggled and hugged Harry again.
“Can you imagine what everyone’s going to say? Our friends will say, ‘I told you so,’ The press will probably give me a title like ‘Mad Potter’s girlfriend.’ That’s ridiculous, as I know you’re not mad but brilliant.”
“I don’t care what everyone else thinks, and the Daily Prophet is about to go bankrupt if I don’t renew my lease in the company, so they’ll be singing a different tune very soon. If you’re by my side, I could care less about the musings and mechanics of the outside world.”
Hermione’s answer to Harry’s short speech was another loving kiss, and she sighed as she sank into oblivion.