Harry Potter and The Fight of Logic vs. Love

Chapter 7

A/N Another one heading your way! Happy Reading!

Staying with the Grangers- Chapter Seven

The car was started, and without a word, John was off, following the path home. He knew it would take about an hour to get home, but he couldn't find out anything to talk about. He could cut the tension in the vehicle with a knife. This is going to be a long, long ride he thought.

The ride went by with very few words being spoken. Harry was unsure of how to deal with Mr Granger, and he could tell Hermione was off in her own world, reading 'Hogwarts: A History' for what seemed like the millionth time. He wasn't sure if she was doing it out of habit or nervousness, because he didn't see her taking in that much. He could swear that she was on the same page she was for the past 15 minutes. He started to wonder how much longer this was going to take. He wasn't sure how much longer it would be until he went insane. Just as he thought of the prospect of nodding off, Mr Granger turned down a nice street. The last sign he had read indicated that they were in the town of Old Windsor. He read the name of the street, Harwood Gardens. Looking around at the houses, he noticed they were quite large. Even before Mr Granger had turned into the driveway, Harry had recognized the house. It was a large, stone based home with white walls. It was made up of two levels, and had to be able to house at least 2 families if it needed to. The old house had a majestic look to it, especially in the late sun. The shutters and doors that were painted green, the cobblestone path leading to the door, and the exquisite garden that covered almost the entire front lawn made it seem even nicer. It made Privet drive look like a shack. Harry was impressed, especially since he knew what it had looked like already. He noticed, as the car pulled to a stop, that he could see a bench in the backyard under a large oak tree. That was the swing on which his dream took place, and he couldn't help but realize that his dream may have been more than just a dream. He had been in this area before, he knew it.

Harry got out of the car, and made to take his trunk out of the vehicle. After he had pulled out his own, he moved to pull out Hermione's bag but was blocked by her father. "Don't worry Harry, I will get Hermione's bag. You just worry about walking yourself up to the house. Elizabeth was very excited to be meeting you, so please don't keep her waiting. Take him up there Hermione." She looked at her father, then at Harry. Harry moved towards her, dragging his trunk along behind him. Hermione gave her father a look of anger, a stern look that even McGonagall would have been proud of. She nodded her head towards Harry. Her father got the hint. "Harry. I meant to say that you should walk up there without the trunk. I would be only too happy to take that for you. You are our guest. Please, I insist, go ahead." He looked back at his daughter, and saw that she was smiling again. Why does she have to do that? She shouldn't tell me how to act. I am the father here. Then again, if I didn't do it, she would tell her mother, and then would I be in for it. He grabbed Harry's trunk, and watched the pair walk up the path to the house.

Harry had started becoming more and more nervous with each step he took. Why did she have to make him do this? He was sure that this was a bad idea, but there was no turning back now. Or could he make an excuse and leave now, even if he had to walk back to number 4? What would Hermione do if he tried that? He knew he would probably be hexed before he could make an excuse for need to leave. She would see right through the lie. He resolved to the fact that he would need to live with this now. He gulped as Hermione made it to the front door. Before he had a chance to back away, she turned the knob and entered. "Mum! We're home!" Hermione called upon entering the house. She took off her shoes and walked forward. Harry followed suit, if somewhat unsure of what to expect. His feet felt like lead, and the only reason he moved in at all was from the, not as gentle as it could have been, nudge from Mr Granger who had come up behind him. Harry entered and heard an excited response from the kitchen to Hermione's call. He was greeted by a woman who was slightly shorter than him, maybe by a few inches. As he had expected, she seemed to be the one that Hermione took after. She was built much along the lines of Hermione, and had the bushy hair to match hers. The colour itself was almost identical. He looked into her eyes, and saw the hazel eyes that resembled Hermione's. She came up quickly, and introduced herself. "Ah, the great Harry Potter. So nice to finally meet you. I'm Elizabeth, but you can call me Liz or Lizzie. I hope my husband wasn't too hard on you without me around. He can be a little overprotective sometimes." She beamed at him.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you as well Mrs Granger. I can't say I'm surprised to see where Mione gets her beautiful looks from." Hermione's jaw dropped and she turned a shade of red that she never thought possible at this. He looked quickly at Hermione, giving her a quick smile. Her mother, turned a slight crimson, and laughed. "I would just like to thank you for allowing me to stay here for a few days. I just do not want to inconvenience you or Mr Granger. I hope that I can repay you some day in the future, though I'm not quite sure how I would go about that. And do not worry; Mr Granger did not treat me at all wrong on the way here." Harry was surprised at how calm he kept now that he had seen Hermione's mother.

"What is all this 'Mr and Mrs Granger.' I told you, it's Liz. And if Jonathan hasn't told you to call him John, he will be getting a talking to later." She turned and gave her husband a stare that reminded Harry of Hermione's stares. Harry thought quickly and found a way to try and make peace with Hermione's father.

"Oh no Mrs Granger," he started, until she shifted the glare to him. "Uh, I mean Liz. He told me right away that I should call him John, but I prefer a more respectful tone. Really, I am sorry; it is just a force of habit. I hope you won't hold it against me if these slip ups occur while I am here. I really wouldn't want to upset you so I will try my hardest to get the names right." He smiled at her, nervously awaiting her response. He was relieved when she cracked a smile at him.

"Alright Harry, I was worried he had pulled his uptight attitude as he always does when Hermione talks about you. He is a father after all, can't blame them for being overprotective of their only daughter. I hope that you really will try your best to become more comfortable with us. Please, make yourself at home. Hermione can show you to your room in a moment, I just need a word with her in private." She turned, and almost had to drag the stunned Hermione into the kitchen. Harry was left alone with John again, and became nervous again.

"Harry. You didn't need to lie for me. I did not think you would presume to lie to my wife from the moment you entered our home." Harry looked at the man, and felt even more nervous. He had hoped that John would be happy that he had covered for him, but it seemed like the opposite. "I expect you to be honest in the future. If I find out that you lie to me or my family, even once, then you will find yourself in deep trouble. Do you understand?" Harry nodded his confirmation, unable to speak. "Good. Now, I need to thank you for saving me a tongue-lashing. I owe you one." He broke into the first true smile Harry had seen. Relieved, Harry smiled back and found his voice.
"No problem Mr Granger. You don't mind if I still call you that do you?" Harry asked.

"Of course not Harry. Whatever you feel more comfortable with. I will not force you to call me something you don't want to."

Hermione had been stunned from the moment Harry addressed her mother. Had he just said she got her beautiful looks from her mother? He said she was beautiful. How could he say something like that to her mother after just meeting her? She didn't even hear the rest of the conversation and before she knew it, she was being dragged into the kitchen by her mother, leaving Harry with her father in the hall. She turned to look at her mother as they entered the kitchen. She found her mother looking almost ecstatic.

"Well Hermione. Now I can see why you continue to talk about this boy. I would have to approve of your interests." She gave her daughter a wink.

"What? It's just Harry. He's just a friend." Hermione said, looking puzzled.

"Oh come now Hermione. Your father may be uptight about you dating, but I could care less. I think you have found a real great person to give your love to. I would have to approve. He seems like a great young man. And he isn't too hard on the eyes either is he?" she laughed.
"MOTHER! How can you say something like that?" She couldn't help but smile at the thoughts going through her mother's head. "Seriously. Harry and I are just friends. That is all. He's my best friend, and he was in trouble. He was confused. He needed me to help him. That is the only reason he is here." She tried to explain.

"That isn't what I saw as he came in. I noticed the way he referred to you, and the way he looked at you. There is more there than meets the eye. Mark my words, he cares for you, and you care for him. You may not realize it yet, but you will soon enough. Now, if you are going to deny it, you may as well move Harry upstairs and show him his room. I will let you guys get unpacked, but on one condition." She smiled at the confused look Hermione gave her. "Make sure you behave. No fooling around while the door is closed." She couldn't contain her laughter any longer, and the glare Hermione gave her made her laugh even more. "Go on now. Take him upstairs, give him the tour."

Hermione gave her mother one last glare before turning around and walking back into the hall, and found Harry and her father in a better mood than when she had left. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there wasn't as much tension between the two. "Harry, come on. I will show you around the house. Let's start upstairs, I can show you your room and mine as well." She noticed her dad stiffen a bit at her words. "Don't worry dad, we are just going to get Harry settled in, then we will be down for dinner." She turned and started up the staircase. Harry politely took his trunk and Hermione's bag from her father, and thanked him for carrying them in. Then, following Hermione, he trudged up the stairs. When he reached the landing, he noticed five doors. Hermione was standing next to one, watching him. He could tell she was frustrated; she had that look about her as if she was trying to solve an usually difficult problem at school.

"Over here Harry. This will be your room for the next few days. I hope it's alright, I know it isn't the most comfortable bed and the room may be a bit small." He could tell she was nervous about getting his approval. He decided he better check out the room and let her know that everything was fine. He walked up to the door and opened it.

"Wow" was all he could think of. The room had to be at least twice the size of his own at Privet Drive. It had a large window with a bench set into one of the pale blue walls. There was a small bookcase in one corner, sitting next to a large desk. On the opposite wall, there was a large, poufy queen sized bed that looked like you could get lost in the sheets for hours. Next to it, on either side was a nightstand. On the third wall, there was a hamper sitting next to a very elegant looking antique armoire. This was almost too much for Harry to take in at once. He immediately felt ashamed for making Hermione sleep in his little room at Number 4. He turned around and noticed that Hermione was watching him expectantly. "It's great Hermione, really. I feel bad knowing that you had to spend the past few days in my little hole. This is amazing." He smiled at her as the nervousness was replaced with a glowing smile.

"Oh thank God. I thought you were going to hate it. I know it's not what you are really accustomed to, and you don't like people going out of their way to make you comfortable. But I hope you will be alright with it. As for sharing your room with you, I really enjoyed it. I liked spending time with you, and being in one room like that made me feel more comfortable. I really liked the past few days." Hermione finished. "Well would you like a hand unpacking or would you rather I wait for you in my room?"

"Well, if you want to go and unpack your items first, I could start unpacking mine. Then if you're done before me I wouldn't mind a hand. How does that sound?" Harry asked.
"Alright" she replied, smiling brightly again. "See you in a few minutes." Hermione turned and walked out the door, leaving Harry in the large room all by himself. He took his trunk, and opened it. The first thing he saw was his stack of school books piled neatly on the right side with a note attached 'Sorry but I know you will need these. Mione.' He couldn't help but smile. He would only take out what he needed, so he rifled through and pulled out his most prized possessions. The photo album that Hagrid gave him back at the end of first year. He looked at his smiling parents, imagining if he would be able to enjoy the love that they had enjoyed. He set the album on one of the nightstands. Taking out his invisibility cloak, he put it under the pillow on the bed, just in case. Words rang out in his head from one of his mentors. "Constant Vigilance Potter. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He hoped he wouldn't turn out to be as paranoid as Mad Eye, but then again it never hurt to be cautious. He fiddled around his trunk some more, finally coming upon another frame; this picture was a tad younger than the pictures of his family. This was his new family. The picture was of Harry, and Hermione at the end of the fourth year, yet Ron was mysteriously missing. He remembered when Collin Creevey had insisted on taking a picture with Harry as the foreign students were leaving. Harry only allowed him to get a picture on one condition, that he gets a picture of him and his friends together first. Collin had agreed only too happily, and had even got it developed for Harry so that it was moving like all other magical pictures. He remembered that day, and even had to laugh when he remembered it. When Fleur had seen him taking pictures, she insisted on getting one with him along with her sister Gabrielle. He remembered the look that Ron had given him, and how Hermione couldn't help but laugh at his grief. He wished days like that would happen again, but he wasn't sure if they would or not. He was taken out of his stupor by a soft knock at the door. He turned, and saw Hermione standing there.

"Do you still need some help Harry? I'm all finished over there."
"No thanks Mione. I think I am just about done here" he said, putting the frame down on the other nightstand, a little closer to his bed. "There. Now how about the rest of that tour you promised me?" He smiled at her.

"Sure, come on." She pulled him out of the room and towards the door right next to his room on the right. "This is my room. What do you think?" He noticed the room was the same size and shape, with a window and bench set into the wall on the far side. He noticed that she had a much smaller desk than his room, but made up for it with 2 extra bookcases. Her bed was the same size and style as his. She only had one nightstand next to her bed, due to the bookcase on the other side. He noticed there were a rather large number of photos of the trio, though sometimes not all in the same frames. There was the photo of Harry and Hermione right after the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. There was a picture of the trio at the Burrow from last year. He noticed a picture of Hermione when she was a child, perhaps just before coming to Hogwarts. He saw what looked like a family photo, with Hermione and her parents, along with someone who must have been her mother's sister and he assumed her family. The only reason he knew that it must be her mother's sister was because of the same style of hair they shared.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised to see the bookcases. You don't need a library from what I can see." Harry laughed and received a playful hit on the arm.

"Alright, enough making fun of me. Let's keep going." she smiled. "This is the washroom, not much need to explain that. That is my parent's room, again that doesn't need to be shown. This is one of my favourite rooms in the house." She opened the door, leading into a large, spacious room, with large windows on all sides including a few skylights, and a door leading out to a balcony. "This is our sun room. It's the best room for relaxing in, since it can be so calming during a nice sunny day." As Harry looked around, he could see why she would like it. The couches that were in the room looked very comfortable and the view was incredible. He looked at one of the armchairs, realizing it looked vaguely familiar. Then it hit him, they were a different colour to match the decor of the room, but they were exactly the same as those in the Gryffindor common room back at Hogwarts. He smiled, knowing that she could bring her favourite place home with her.

"Harry, Hermione, dinner is ready!" her mother called from downstairs. Harry snapped out of his trance, and noticed how unusually close behind Hermione he was as they were looking out into the room. He also noticed at how close his hands were to moving up to her shoulders. He quickly took a step back and not a second too soon as Hermione turned around. "Let's go Harry."

When they went downstairs for dinner, Harry was unsure of how dinner would run. Hermione's parents seemed to be taking Harry sitting around the table with them very lightly. Even Mr Granger seemed to be friendlier towards him. His plan must have helped at least a little bit. Dinner went fine, but when dessert was served, things went downhill very quickly. Mrs Granger, it seemed, was very intent on finding out everything about Harry.
"So Harry, what is it exactly that you think you want to do after school?" she asked innocently enough.

Harry thought quickly, and realized that he couldn't tell her that he wanted to hunt down evil wizards because he wasn't sure how much Hermione had told them about the dealings of wizards. "Oh, well, I was thinking of going into teaching at Hogwarts, if they would give me a job of course. I think that they might consider me for the Defence position, since my scores in that class have been second to only Hermione's."

"Don't say that Harry. You know that defence is the only class you outshine me in. Everyone says that." Hermione smiled, trying to show off that Harry was indeed better at her than something.

Mrs Granger took the opportunity to push for a bit more information regarding her daughter. "Well that sounds great Harry. You and Hermione would be great teachers. That means you guys would spend practically all your time together. That is just what people need to strengthen their relationships, not that you two need to strengthen it from what Hermione tells me. You two are the best of friends." She was grinning at her daughter's shocked look, but noticed that Harry seemed oblivious to her push for information.

"Well I wouldn't mind spending more time with Mione. I mean I do see a lot of her at school already, so it wouldn't change much. It's too bad that we have never really had the chance to spend time together during the summer like this." That seemed to prove Elizabeth's suspicions. She didn't need to hear anymore from Harry. She could read between the lines. He cared for Hermione; she could tell.

"Mother... Don't start this again." Hermione growled.

"Don't start what dear? I have no idea what you are thinking" her mother replied with a grin.

"Seriously mother. This is getting ridiculous. Come on Harry. Let's take a walk before it gets dark. I can show you around the neighbourhood." She got up, and Harry looked at her parents for any sign of what he should do. Her mother smiled and nodded, giving Harry a wink as he got up. As he turned to leave, he noticed a questioning look pass on Mr Granger's face. He could hear one question as he left the room.

"Well Lizzie, what was that all about?"

Hermione ran upstairs, and grabbed her purse as well as stopping to grab Harry's wand as a precaution. She quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a blue tank top. She grabbed a navy blue sweater, just in case. With her own wand stuffed in the bottom of her purse, she came back down, tying her hair in a messy ponytail as she went. Harry had finished putting on his shoes and was waiting on the porch. "So where are we off to Mione?" he questioned.

"Oh who cares, as long as we can get out of this house. My parents are going to drive me insane. Can you believe the kind of questions my mum was asking?" she fumed.

"Oh. Well I didn't seem to notice anything wrong with what she was asking. What do you mean?"

Could Harry have really not known, or did he and he was just playing it off as he didn't care what others think? "I mean all the things she is insinuating. Didn't you pick up on what she was trying to say, without actually saying it?" she tried to get an answer to her question.

"Well I hate to sound like Ron, but I didn't pick up on it. Why, what was she trying to say?" he asked, now getting curious.

"Men..." Hermione sighed. She had to laugh a bit. "Don't worry Harry; you don't sound too much like Ron. If you started eating everything in sight, I would be more worried. Listen, just forget about it. Let's just enjoy the walk."

With that, they were off. She showed him all around the town, and took him out for ice cream since their dessert was sitting unfinished at home. They had walked for hours, even in circles without noticing it. They were having too good a time to notice anything other than each other. Before they knew it, they realized it was almost 10pm. They made their way back to Hermione's house.
"Thanks for inviting me to stay with you Mione. I really appreciate this. I mean, less than a week ago, I was ready to make a run for it. Now that you did all this for me, I can't believe I ever thought of running away from you." Harry said as they walked up her street.

"No need to thank me Harry. I know that you would do the same for me if I was in your position. It's what friend's do for each other. I just care, that's all." She turned to look at him, noticing how much better he looked than just a few days prior. She saw the lights on in the living room and knew her parents were still awake. She looked into the backyard and saw the bench. "Do you want to go inside Harry? I really want to avoid that for as long as possible. How about we go and take a seat on the swing? The night sky around here is beautiful." She looked at him, hoping that he would want to. She thought that the dream she had, may not have been a dream at all, but in fact a vision. If he says no, then she will know she was just grasping at straws. She saw him glance at the front window of the house, and then to the bench. He seemed to be thinking about how to answer her, and she feared he would refuse.

"Well, it's not that I don't want to sit and watch the sky with you, but shouldn't we let your parents know that we are back? Won't they be worrying? Maybe they wouldn't want us out back here this late at night." When Harry had looked at the bench, he came to the realization that his dream could be real. He wasn't sure if he should be getting into what seemed like romantic situations with her. After what happened with Ron back at school, he knew that he couldn't do anything with Hermione until either Ron didn't like her anymore, or he died. The latter seemed to be more realistic, since he knew how much Ron loved her. Before he knew it, Hermione ran to the door, opened it and yelled in.

"Mum, Dad. Harry and I are back. We are going to sit on the bench for a while." She closed the front door again, grabbed Harry's hand and started walking him over to the bench. "See, all worked out. If they want us inside they know where we are. How is that?"

"Oh. Uhm well," he had to think of a way out of this. His time was running out; they were getting closer to the bench and further from the house.

"Exactly. I win again Potter. See what happens you try to beat the smartest witch of your age. No use in trying to say you are tired or anything, because I can tell when you are lying." She gave him that wicked grin, just like she had when she told him about his packed up books. She continued to half-walk/half-drag Harry to the swing. When they got there, she turned around and immediately sat down, still holding Harry's hand. He gave up his attempt to try and squirm his way out of it. She was right, it was difficult to try and outsmart the brightest witch of the age. He turned around, sat down, and looked up at the stars. Hermione was right; the stars really did look beautiful out here. He opened his mouth to tell her this, when he felt a head lean into his chest. He looked down, and saw that it was exactly as he had seen in his dream. He half expected to hear a voice come out of the air around him.


Hermione didn't know what came over her, but she knew that she had to drag Harry over to the bench. She had to make her dream become reality. She finally made it over with Harry in tow. She sat down, and realized she was still holding Harry's hand. Oh well. Who cares, it just feels right. He sat down next to her as she watched, tilting his head up and away from her to look at the stars. She took her opportunity, and moved in close to him, going under his arm and resting her head on his chest and while doing so had to let go of his hand. She looked down at the hand on his lap, and grabbed his hand in hers, noticing the faint scars.
"I told you they looked beautiful way out here." Hermione said as she nodded off to sleep, leaving Harry to stare at her head. He moved his arm, grabbed the sweater she had brought, and placed it over her shoulders. He didn't want to wake her up, but he wanted her to be comfortable. He stared at the back of her head, absentmindedly running his hand up and down her back. He moved it up and brushed the strand of hair that had come out of the ponytail and fell over her face out of it again.

Mrs Granger was just about to call Hermione back when the door closed again. She wanted to apologize for her actions earlier. She never should have pushed Hermione and Harry like that. Maybe Hermione was telling the truth. Maybe there really wasn't something between them. She got up, and moved towards the door. "I will be back John. I need to apologize." She looked at him, and he nodded in agreement. She went to go out the backdoor, but stopped when she looked out the window. She shut off the lights in the kitchen, and crept closer. I knew it. I knew that there was something there. "Jonathan, get your skinny butt in here now!" she whispered to him. "I told you there was something going on!" Jonathan made a movement to turn the lights on as he entered, but stopped when she hissed at him to stop. He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her as he did.

"Well well. Looks like I will have to kill the boy after all." John told his wife.
"You touch him, and Hermione will kill you. You saw the way she looks at him, and the way he looks at her. They would give up anything and everything to save the other. And just think, you called me crazy when I told you that after she stormed out after dinner with him." She turned her head to smile at her husband and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I don't think that Harry would ever do anything intentionally to hurt her. You won't need to think about killing Harry. I don't think that there will be anything to worry about."

"Alright then, if you say so. I will trust you for now. But I am going to say this, if he does show any sign of doing anything, I will wring his neck. Let them stay out there a while if you trust Harry. They will come in on their own. Let's go to bed." With that, he took her hand and led her away.

She looked at the pair out on the bench, and remembered the time the man behind her held her on the park bench like that. She couldn't help but think of how cute the pair looked. With one final look, she smiled at the pair before retiring to bed.