Chapter 67: Harry Potter - part 5

Harry Potter's third year passed as quickly as a post-owl. His marks on his chosen subjects were doing great and he liked all classes very much. Well, maybe not so much in the case of 'Politics and Economics'. Harry was not a big fan of the 'Politics' part of it but he understood that he would have to learn or he would be eaten alive by the other families. Andromeda had been very clear with him on that when she suggested that he take the class.

The Autumn Cup went well for Harry. His team, the 'Fangs and Claws' got second place in the Cup. They had lost in the finals to the 'Hogwarts Harpies', that was Gryffindor's chasers team. The trio of chaser girls literally played with the chasers of Harry's team. And it didn't help that they knew all of Captain Wood's weaknesses. Even when Harry got his hands on the snitcher, it was already too late. The 'Hogwarts Harpies' had opened a gap of more than a hundred and fifty points. Harry's hurried capture of the snitcher was just to not let the humiliation be too big.

The Spring Cup was a little more predictable for Harry. With the Autumn Cup happening at the start of the year, Captain Wood had a lot of time to scout potential players for Gryffindor's team. The main line up didn't change from the past year. The only new additions to the team were the three new reserves. That year, Gryffindor's Quidditch team consecrated itself as the first winner of the Spring Cup. Their prize was a silver ring for each member of the team that read 'Spring 1994' in golden letters over a big red 'G'. Dean Thomas, a dorm mate of Harry, said that the rings resembled a lot the ones given to the champions of the North American League in their main sports. For Harry, the ring was a good memento of their win over the other Houses' bests. The house cup of this school year was won by Ravenclaw, but it was a very close dispute between the four houses.

Summer break started and Harry Potter saw himself traveling over the pond via international portkey. If he had thought that side along apparition was bad, it was only because he had not used portkeys for such a distance before. The longest one that he had taken before was from London to Madrid, for last summer break. This year's target for vacation was the Caribbean Islands. But before arriving there, they passed by the United States since they didn't have port keys directly to their final destination. Apparently, the Black family owned an entire island in the Caribbean Islands, and it was, of course, warded from the seven levels of Heaven to the Underworld and no one aside from the Black Family and the people hired to take care of the island could enter it without authorization.

The island house was brilliant. Harry, Sirius and Remus were the only living humans there. But of course that they didn't have limited themselves just to the island. They would, almost everyday, visit the other islands which were full of non-magicals and magicals alike. The magic used in the islands were, in its majority, of African origin and would be frowned upon back in England. Harry took the opportunity to buy some books about the local's magic and, of course, he didn't forget about Hermione and had bought some books for her that he thought she would appreciate.

Back again at Ol' England, Harry's summer break turned into a mix of relaxation, non-magical studies, and hanging with his friends. Fortunately for Harry, the day that they chose to hang in Hermione's house, Ron had to go visit his Aunt Muriel. So Harry had Hermione in a two piece swimsuit just for his eyes. Her body had grown during the one year interval and he had a very hard time controlling himself to not pop a raging boner while wearing his swimsuit. But if her response was anything to think about, Harry was certain that she was very conscious of the reaction that her body had on him. He had noticed, too, that Hermione had been a lot more 'touchy' with him during the past year, with sometimes, these more near the end of the year, she just decided that Harry's lap would be a good place to read her newest book. He had 'suffered' during these days controlling himself to not poke her bum with a wild boner. But the worst was the teasing that he had received from his older friends. The Weasley twins would do catcalls at the duo, while the trio of chaser, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinet and Katie Bell, would yell some stuff like 'about time' and 'just kiss her/him'. With the daylight almost gone, Harry decided to follow his dogfather's suggestion and approached Hermione in the pool.

"Hermione, I was thinking… That since it is just the two of us today, if… If you would… If you would like to go to the movies together with me?"

Harry asked Hermione while stuttering in the beginning but managing to ask right at the end. Hermione, at first, was shocked with her friend's initiative. But her shocked look soon gave place to a big smile. Harry, seeing that smile, felt that something was going on inside his belly and chest. He could hear his own heartbeat inside of his chest and could feel it too in his ears.

"Of course I would like to go to the movies with you Harry!"

Hermione finally said, replying to his invite. Harry let out a breath of air that he didn't have any idea that he was holding. He then smiled at her.

"Brilliant!"

Harry said, smiling like a loon. The duo stood still in the pool smiling at each other like they were in their own world where time didn't matter.

"If you both want to go to the movies it is better that you both start by getting out of the pool."

The duo was woken up by the voice of Jane Granger. The woman had, at some point, arrived home from her dental practice and took a seat by the pool with a book in hand and a big cup of iced tea by her side.

"Right! We better get out of the pool and dress something."

Hermione said, repeating her mother's words. Both teens got out of the pool and each went to a separate room inside the house. As soon as Harry had closed the door of his room, Hermione peaked out of her room. She then, silently, went back to the pool in search of her mom. Hermione found Jane waiting for her daughter inside the house already.

"Mom…"

Hermione said to her mother. The mature woman let out a sigh then.

*sigh*

"Go take your bath. I will separate some of your more nice clothes for your date with Harry."

The woman said while having a small teasing smile on her face. Hermione just gave her mother a big smile, and went back to her room to take her bath.

Four hours later, the teens were exiting a movie theater while holding each other's hands after having watched 'The Lion King'. The movie was very good in Harry's opinion, but it was even better because of the meaning of it for him: It was his first time watching a movie in the theater. And best of all, he shared this moment with Hermione. The teens then passed by a fast-food store and decided to take something to eat.

Having each taken their choice of food, the teens sat comfortably at a table while having some small conversations. On the walk back to Hermione's home, the duo was hand in hand while slowly walking. Hermione then heard Harry take some deep breaths.

"Hermione… Do you… Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Harry asked Hermione after having piled all his Gryffindor courage for it. Hermione froze in place and slowly turned to look at Harry. She then blinked slowly. Then blinked again. Her brain was running ten times the normal trying to process the question that she had received. Hermione then smiled widely at Harry and hugged him tightly.

"Of course I would like to be your girlfriend, Harry."

Hermione said while looking at Harry's eyes and smiling. Harry hugged and smiled back at her. The now couple stood there, in the street, while just smiling and looking at each other's eyes. Centimeter by centimeter, their faces were approaching each other until they both closed their eyes and their lips touched each other. It was a very chaste kiss, but it was a kiss. The couple stood there, in the middle of the walkway, trading their first kiss. Some good seconds after, time that looked like an eternity for them, both teens separate their mouths from each other.

"Wow…"

Hermione said very intelligently. Harry followed her.

"Yeah… That was brilliant."

Harry replied to her, making his own comment on the experience.

"Again?"

"Again!"

The couple asked and said to each other and went for their second kiss. Then the third. Then the fourth. They had lost count of them by the time that Hermione's cellphone, something that her mother had loaned to her for their date in case of any emergency, started to ring. Hermione took the apparel and answered it. A minute later, after a short conversation in which she divulged their actual location, she hung up the call and stored the cellphone back inside her purse. She let out a sigh after it.

*sigh*

"It was mom. She wanted to know where we were because it's already dark."

Hermione said to Harry, who nodded his head at her in understanding.

"Let's go then…"

Harry took Hermione's hand again in his and both started walking again. When they were very close to Hermione's house, the girl let out a groan.

*groan*

"What is it, my girlfriend?"

Harry asked his girlfriend. HIS GIRLFRIEND. He liked the sound of it a lot inside his mind.

"Just remembered that we will have to give the news to my dad. He can be a little… overprotective of me."

Hermione said while letting out a chuckle and a smile at his address to her. Harry smiled at her, but it was a smile that was kind of distorted. Hermione giggled after seeing Harry's face.

"Don't worry, my boyfriend. We have my mom at our side… I hope… If there is someone that can talk with dad, it is my mom."

Hermione told Harry, trying to assure him, and her, that everything was going to be ok. The teens continued their travel back to Hermione's house, and soon, they arrived at the location. Hermione used her keys to open the door and pulled Harry inside.

"I'm home."

She announced in a loud voice.

"In the lounge room, princess."

Hermione heard her father's voice replying to her. She walked with Harry to the lounge room and saw that Sirius was there too, talking with her father and mother. Daniel Granger, Hermione's father, was looking fixated at her and Harry. Hermione raised an eyebrow at that, the same way that her mother did and was doing right now. While Sirius was just looking at the teens with a face full of amusement. Hermione then noticed exactly where her daddy was looking. Daniel was glaring at Hermione's hands that were still holding Harry's. Enlightenment came to her at that moment and she decided that there was no better time to break the news.

"Mom, dad, I would like to inform you that Harry asked me to be his girlfriend. And I accepted."

Hermione announced and waited for the explosion that was sure to come. But it didn't come. He looked to her father and then to her mother as if asking 'What is going on with dad?'. Jane chuckled at her daughter's face and resolved to explain.

"I have been preparing your father for this moment for a year now, Hermione."

Hermione was looking at her mother while doing a mighty impression of a fish outside water.

-------------