The trip from London to Crawley, where the Grangers lived, would take between one and two hours, depending on the traffic, when driving the speed limit in the family's four-door Cadillac. Harry was sitting in the back-seat of, between Hermione and Tonks, as it made its way down the motorways through England.
The best thing about Dan Granger driving, in Harry's opinion, was that he kept his eyes on the road most of the time. However, when he had to look behind the car, whenever he wanted to make a safe merge onto another lane, he always seemed to look through the rear-view mirror instead of the side-view. This allowed him to keep an eye on Harry and his daughter. It would have been funny if Harry didn't have a case of bad nerves. He was about to spend two weeks with his girlfriend's parents. While Hermione had talked about them a lot, this had been the first time he had ever really met them long enough to have a conversation. Emma Granger seemed to realize this, because she started a conversation with him before they had even left London.
"So, Harry," Emma said, "Forgive me, but I couldn't help notice the tension between you and your... relatives, were they?"
"Uncle, Aunt and cousin," Harry said, "My mother's sister. I suppose tension would be a good term for it. My relatives and I never really got along, even though I lived with them since I was fifteen months old. It is a rather long story. Let's just say that I was never really considered part of the family. Aunt Petunia was always quite jealous about my mother being a witch, even from an early age. And she couldn't quite get over such petty jealousy. My relatives refused to tell me that I was a wizard. They tried to keep my Hogwarts letter from me. It was Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts Groundskeeper, and new Care of Magical Creatures Professor, who told me I was a wizard."
"You've met Hagrid before," Hermione said, to her parents, "He broke up that fight between Mr. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy."
"Oh yes," Emma said, "Large fellow. Gentle though. Quite nice."
"He's a good friend," Harry said. "Anyway, my relatives never really wanted to take guardianship of me. Only recently did I discover that they never should have had guardianship to begin with."
"Oh?" Emma asked.
"Recently," Harry said, "I read my parents' Final Will and Testament which had been made around the time I was born, and updated about a week or so before their deaths. In the Will, they said I was supposed to live with one of a number of different people or families, none of which were my mother's sister or her family. Actually my Mum explicitly stated that I should not live with my Aunt."
"Your parents' Will was ignored?" Dan asked, frowning, "Isn't that illegal?"
"If it isn't illegal in wizarding society, then it is frowned upon," Tonks said, "However, the loopholes are easy to get around for those who know how to do it. The Goblins of Gringotts have control of many official Documents, such as Wills and Contracts – mostly because they can be explicitly impartial. However, there are usually witnesses who are at the proceedings of the Will's creation. It is usually left to the Witness to make sure the Will is opened."
"The problem with that," Harry said, "is who the witness was. Albus Dumbledore."
"The Headmaster of your school?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows, "Why is that a problem?"
"Because he deliberately disobeyed my parents' Will," Harry said, "Simply because he decided his opinion was better. Apparently when my mother sacrificed herself for me, there was some sort of magic transferred to me. It is what kept me alive the night my parents died, you see. Well, Dumbledore apparently believed that as long as I was with someone blood-related to my mother, then I would be protected from Dark wizards who wished to harm me. Oh, I was truly safe from Dark wizards who wished to harm me. It did nothing to protect me from my relatives' abuse."
"Abuse?" Dan asked, narrowing his eyes, "What kind of abuse?"
Harry winced when he realized he had said too much. He looked at Hermione, who gave him an encouraging smile. Harry sighed and continued.
"The Dursley's house had four bedrooms," Harry said, "One for my Aunt and Uncle, one for a guest – usually my Uncle's sister – and two, yes two, for my cousin they doted upon. One was his bedroom and the other was a storage room where he stored his broken and unwanted toys. My early eleventh birthday present was that I finally got to stay in Dudley's second bedroom. Prior to that, I stayed in a small cupboard under the stairs, where I slept, played and basically lived in for most of the time, especially during punishment for doing something freakish or abnormal."
Harry wasn't sure why he was admitting all of this. He certainly didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him. Did he want his girlfriend's parents to get to know him a bit? Perhaps.
"I always wondered," Dan murmured, then cleared his throat. "The first time I saw you, you looked smaller than your average twelve year old. Shorter and skinnier. I'm sure that cupboard stunted your growth. How many meals a day did you get?"
Harry sighed. "Two, maybe three, on occasion. Most were meager, even though I cooked much of it. Sometimes as punishment I went without meals for a day or two, or had cans of cold soup."
"Your Uncle and cousin sure looked like they ate three meals a day," Dan huffed, "Maybe more."
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Harry said, "I know what you are going to say. I should turn them over to authorities. Normally, I would completely agree with you. But I would rather just put it past me. if I am lucky, I never have to see them again. I am an Emancipated Minor, and hopefully soon enough my Godfather – who I should have lived with all these years if I couldn't have my parents – will be a free man and I can live with him."
"He was in prison?" Emma asked.
"Remember the reports about the fugitive on the news last summer?" Hermione asked, "Sirius Black? That is Harry's Godfather. We recently found out he is completely innocent of his crimes. Framed for everything."
"I remember that!" Emma said, "They said he was dangerous. The pictures they put up showed a pretty deranged individual."
"That is what spending over a decade in Azkaban will do to you," Tonks said. "The guards aren't human. They literally suck all the happiness out of you. All the good memories, leaving you with the most horrible moments of your life."
"Muggles can't even see them," Hermione said.
Dan whistled. "Something like that could give even the grittiest of the SAS the willies!"
"Sirius Black is only dangerous to those who cross him," Harry said, "In this case, that would be Voldemort -" Tonks shuddered slightly, "the Death Eaters, and Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was a former best friend of Sirius and my parents. He betrayed my parents and is responsible for the crimes that sent Sirius to prison. Sirius escaped Azkaban – the first person ever to do it – because he realized that Pettigrew was a threat to me. You see, Pettigrew is an Animagus. He can turn into a rat. For twelve years, Pettigrew lived as Scabbers the rat – who belonged to the Weasleys."
"Your friend's family?" Emma asked.
"Former friend," Hermione said, then when her parents looked at her curiously, she continued, "We'll talk about that latter. It is not for casual conversation in the family car."
"So," Dan said, "This Pettigrew bloke – you're saying he lived as a rat for twelve years? Rats only live for four to six years if they're lucky, even the healthiest of rats. How on earth did they not notice something strange?"
"They should have noticed something," Tonks said, "Animagus Revealing Spells are easy to accomplish, but it was never done to Pettigrew whilst he was living with the Weasleys."
"It does certainly seem peculiar," Harry said. "Just one of many questions that have recently come up about our former best friend and his family. Anyway, Pettigrew, as a rat, was at Hogwarts with Ron, in our dormitory. Pettigrew could have killed me at any time. It was only because he is a coward that he didn't do it. But my godfather escaped prison to come and find Pettigrew before the man tried to do something to me."
"Well, Harry," Emma said, "While I am against letting your relatives get away with such abuse over several years, I suppose we will respect your decision. Know that it is very hard for me to say that, however. As someone who works in the medical field, it is common practice – almost a requirement - to report such abuse to authorities. It gives me much relief to know you'll never spend another day with them."
"Thank you for keeping it confidential," Harry said. "I rarely ever open up about such things."
"Not at all surprising in cases like yours," Emma said. "I'm just happy that you've grown up to be quite a polite and nice young man, especially since you didn't have the best role models to teach you."
"Thanks," Harry said. "That means a lot to me, Mrs. Granger."
"Oh, please, Harry," Emma said, "Call me Emma. Mrs. Granger makes me sound so old."
"So, Emma, Hermione has told me a bit about the two of you," Harry said, as he glanced from Hermione then back to her parents, "But not as much as she could have. You said she's told you much about me. I feel at a bit of a disadvantage."
"Well, let's see," Emma said, "How about we start from the beginning, when two individuals became a couple and eventually a family. Dan and I have been married for about sixteen years, and we dated for a couple years prior to that. We met as fellow students at a school for future doctors and dentists. Dan had been in the SAS for four years prior, two of which were in medical training, so it was no surprise he was at the top of the class. And then there was me. I wanted to work in the medical field; it was a dream of mine for much of my life. However, I had many doubts. I was terrified of the sight of blood, and didn't know how to treat animals. What was left but dentistry? Didn't know half of what I was doing though. So one of our teachers assigned me a tutor, which just so happened to be a fellow student and the smartest one in the class... Daniel."
Harry saw Dan's smile of reminiscence on his face, through the reflection of the rear-view window. Emma looked over her shoulder and glanced from Harry, then Hermione, then back to Harry.
"If Hermione ever told you she got her brains from me," she said, "she lied to you. I won't disagree that she got her good looks from me -" Daniel huffed playfully, and Hermione, Harry and Tonks chuckled. "- but she got her brains from her father."
"I volunteered to be her tutor," Dan said, "Simply because I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Didn't really have anything to do with the fact that I could help her learn the ropes. Three tutoring sessions later, I finally got the nerve to ask her out. I had been this brave, gritty SAS bloke, and here I was afraid to ask a pretty girl out."
"A year and a half later, the evening after we got our degrees to become dentists," Emma said, "he asked me to marry him, and I said yes in between the happy tears. Six months later, we got married. Two months after that, we started the same dentistry we've had for sixteen years. A month after we started our business, I got pretty sick and went to the hospital. Turns out I had a miscarriage. Didn't even know I was pregnant. You might have heard that such events can cause women to become depressed. Certainly didn't pass me by. For weeks and months I blamed myself. I am in the medical field - why didn't I know I was pregnant, even if that isn't my specific line of work?"
She sighed audibly and looked at her husband. "It was Dan who broke me out of the depression and saved our marriage. He promised me we would have a child."
"And I was right," Dan said as he smiled at Hermione through the rear-view window.
"You were right," Emma said, "September of 1979 came and Hermione was born after a rather tough pregnancy, and even tougher bout of childbirth. Found out a few days later that Hermione would be our only child. You would think depression would hit me again, that I would have blamed myself for not being able to give Hermione a sibling. Truth is, we realized we were blessed just to be able to have Hermione in our life. She's our miracle."
Harry looked at Hermione, who smiled as her eyes became quite misty. Thoughts swam through Harry's head. Up until now, he never truly realized just how big of a sacrifice Hermione had made when she had made her parents forget about her. How hard it must have been to make this loving, sweet couple – two people she loved more than life itself - believe they had never been able to have a child they had hoped for?
Back when she had first told him what she had done, he had thanked her for making the sacrifice. But 'thank you' never really said enough, did it? He now realized how much she truly loved him. To have done such a thing to her parents, so she could force herself to join the hunt with him to find the Horcruxes. It was at that moment he vowed he would never doubt her love for him. How could he? When she had learned such love from her parents?
"Tonks, was it?" Dan asked.
"You can call me Dora or Tonks," Tonks said, "Both are alright with me. Full name is Nymphadora, but I hate that name. I don't know what my mother was thinking when she gave me that name."
"Hermione said in her last letter that you recently became a bodyguard for both her and Harry," Dan said, "Could you explain that?"
"Initially it was just Harry," Tonks said, "But since Hermione means so much to Harry, as a friend and boyfriend, then I was assigned to be her bodyguard as well. That Pettigrew bloke Harry mentioned earlier. He is a fugitive on the run, and considered quite dangerous. Since Pettigrew betrayed Harry's parents, it was thought that he would target Harry as well. Albus Dumbledore is also an apparent threat to both Harry and Hermione."
"I know what you're thinking, Mum, Daddy," Hermione said, "I used to tell you that Albus Dumbledore was a pretty great man. Recently we learned that might not exactly be true anymore. He seems to believe that Harry has some kind of destiny about him. Because of this, we think Dumbledore wants to use Harry as some kind of Chosen One to defeat those who align themselves with the Dark Arts. Dumbledore would do anything to get what he wants. Even try to control Harry – perhaps even make him a sacrifice."
"I think Dumbledore placed me with the Dursleys," Harry said, "because he knew I wouldn't be treated as well as I could have been with a more loving family. I grew up with no friends before I went to Hogwarts. I was shy and lacked self-confidence. Dumbledore likely hoped that I would see him as this grandfatherly mentor-type figure and do anything he wanted me to do, because he sent me an invitation to this magical school and a whole new world."
"The perfect recipe for a weapon or a sacrifice," Dan said. "Is that enough to arrest someone in the wizarding world?"
"Perhaps," Tonks said, "Except the Minister of Magic gave Dumbledore a pardon for the next year or so. A big event is happening next year at Hogwarts, and Minister Fudge wants Dumbledore to be a part of it. Also, if news got out that the Headmaster of Hogwarts was involved in something sinister or criminal, the bigwigs in the International Confederation of Wizards might move this big event outside of Britain to a different school. Minister Fudge doesn't want that to happen."
"Sounds like a load of corruption in high places to me," Dan said.
"That might be pretty close to the truth," Tonks said.
"Hermione, be honest with me," Dan said, "How would you feel if we moved out of Britain and you went to a different school? Somewhere that wasn't run by an apparently manipulative Headmaster. Take note that since Harry is Emancipated, he could come with us if it came to that."
"There are reasons we need to remain at Hogwarts, Daddy," Hermione said. "I can't exactly explain them very well at the moment. But... in addition to Harry, so much good has happened to me at Hogwarts. I've made many friends and I love my classes. Aside from a few issues that aren't too grand, everything is great."
"That is what I thought," Dan said, sighing. "It was just a thought. Just know that I'm not exactly thrilled with you attending a school in which its Headmaster seems to have his own agenda for one of his students, outside of the normal educational sense."
"We know how to deal with Dumbledore, Daddy," Hermione said.
"Nobody will bother her as long as I am around, sir," Harry said.
"Same goes for me," Tonks said, "Besides, in a year or so, the pardon will be lifted and Dumbledore will be a wanted man."
"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse," Dan said.
Harry looked at Hermione and she smiled at him, though he could see a hint of nervousness in her expression. He knew she hadn't been entirely truthful to her parents about Dumbledore. But he knew she wasn't about to tell them that Dumbledore had apparently attempted to kill her several times, simply because she was Harry's friend. That would certainly make Hermione's parents pull her out of Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione needed to go to Hogwarts in order for their end-game to defeat Voldemort would work.
It was nearing eight-o-clock in the evening when they finally arrived in the city of Crawley. Before they made their way to the Granger's home, they stopped by a local pizza shoppe, and ordered a couple of gourmet pizzas for dinner that evening.
At a quarter-past-eight, they finally pulled into the driveway of the Granger's home. Harry stepped out of the car, then grabbed the Undetectable Extension Bag and Hedwig's cage, then he took his first look at the house. It was beautiful two-and-a-half story brick house with an attic at the top. Large windows covered much of the front of the house, and shades hid the interior from view. Six-foot hedges and fences surrounded the front and back yard, allowing privacy. Dan and Emma led Harry, Hermione and Tonks toward the front door, past a nice lawn and a flower bed which lined the front of the house. All-in-all, it seemed like a nice family home for an upper-class family of two long-time dentists and their daughter.
As Harry followed Dan and Emma inside, he found that the bottom floor of the house looked eerily similar to Number Four, Privet Drive. To his left, there was an archway which led into the family sitting room. Ahead of them, at the end of the hallway, there was another door. To the right there was a stairway that led to the upper floor. Instead of a cupboard under the stairs, there were a large door.
"Welcome to our humble home," Dan addressed Harry and Tonks, "Unfortunately we only have one guest room upstairs – that will be Harry's room during his stay. However, Tonks, one of the couches in the sitting room pulls out to a bed. You can either choose that or we can fix up something in the basement downstairs."
"The pull-out bed sounds lovely," Tonks said.
"Just as well," Emma said, "The basement – through that doorway under the stairs - is Dan's den, basically. His pride and joy. If he is home, and you can't find him, he'll usually be down there. Hermione, show Harry the second floor and where he'll be sleeping for the next two weeks. You can unpack now or later. Hurry though. You'll want some of this pizza before it cools off."
"Alright, Mum," Hermione said, "Come on, Harry."
Harry followed Hermione up the stairs. The bathroom was the first room they came to – the door situated nearly right in front of the stairs.
"This is the family bathroom," Hermione explained. "Mum and Daddy's bedroom at the end of the hallway has their own little private bathroom as well. My room is on the left side, here, with a window showing the front of the house. And the guest room – your room – has a nice view of the backyard."
"Our rooms are right across from each other, huh?" Harry said. "Interesting."
"Don't get any ideas," Hermione said, "Mum and Daddy can hear the doors open and close quite easily. Though I will have to convince them to allow us to spend time together in our rooms. Especially since we're going to practice Occlumency. I'm sure they'll be okay with it as long as the door is open. Come on inside. I need to get my things from your bag anyway."
Harry followed Hermione into her bedroom. Hermione set Crookshanks' carrier down and opened it up. An orange blur sped from the carrier with a meow and Crookshanks ran out of the room.
"Probably has to use the bathroom, poor thing," Hermione said, with a giggle.
Harry handed her the Undetectable Extension bag and she began pulling out her trunk and other belongings.
"I have a feeling we're going to have a very interesting conversation with Mum and Daddy," Hermione said. "We need to tell them at least three important things. Ron's betrayal – though I think we'll avoid the topic of what he did when I was Petrified. Second... Remember Luna's invitation that included my parents? We're going to have to tell them about your Betrothals."
Harry coughed. "Are you sure? I thought you were hoping to avoid that conversation."
"It seems like the only way," Hermione said. "I know how to explain it. Yes, there will be some issues. But it has to happen. We have to explain everything to them; including the whole Polygamy thing."
"I know how you feel about it, Hermione," Harry said, "Your opinions of it will lead to them realizing you're in this for the long run."
"I know that," Hermione said, "And I am not afraid to admit it to them. However, it is the third thing that will be even worse than the Betrothal discussion. I – er – haven't exactly told them too much about what I've been through at Hogwarts yet. Not at this point anyway."
"Surely they know about you being Petrified at least?" Harry asked.
"No," Hermione said, shaking her head, "they know nothing about it. I was too afraid that they would take me away from Hogwarts... away from you. You heard Daddy's question in the car."
"Yeah," Harry said, "Well... alright. I'll be right beside you supporting you through the whole discussion. And adding anything I can. I can think of a few things to say."
"Thanks," Hermione said, smiling; she handed him back the bag. "Better go and unpack your things. Daddy will probably come up here, if we're not downstairs before too long. There is a desk near the window that would be a perfect spot for Hedwig's cage. Remember, we're in a Muggle neighborhood again, so..."
"Only let her out at night," Harry said, nodding.
"It will only be for a couple of weeks, Hedwig," Hermione said, smiling at the owl, who hooted at her from her cage.
Harry smiled, turned and walked across the hallway into the guest bedroom. The walls were covered with a light-blue wallpaper, the same as Hermione's own bedroom. He was beginning to understand her preference for favorite colors. The bed was as big as the one in his bedroom in the Lord's Quarters at Hogwarts. He and Hermione would fit comfortably on it during Occlumency practice. Harry's mind filled with visions at the thought of Hermione on his bed, and he shook them away for now. He walked over to the desk Hermione had mentioned and set Hedwig's cage on it. Then he walked over to the window and opened it , then opened Hedwig's cage.
"This is new territory for you, girl," Harry said, "So be careful."
Hedwig hooted and flew out the window. Harry then proceeded to pull his trunk out of the bag, as well as a few clothes which he stored in a dresser. He realized he needed to go shopping soon for some summer clothes; he certainly didn't want to wear any of Dudley's hand-me-downs around the Grangers. He decided he would send a letter to Ragnok tomorrow and schedule a date for a good time to come in and see the Healers and the harvesters. When he had that date settled, he would write to Sirius and Remus and tell them he would be in the area on that given day.
When he finished unpacking, he walked back out into the hall. From the footsteps in Hermione's room, he knew she was still unpacking. Then he heard someone clearing their throat and he jumped and turned. Dan was standing near the stairs.
"Come with me," he said, "I'd like to show you a few things."
Harry nodded, hoping he didn't show how nervous he was. He knew the man wanted to have that father-to-boyfriend talk. He followed Dan down to the bottom level.
"You can grab a couple slices of pizza if you wish," Dan said.
Harry nodded and followed Dan into the combination kitchen and dining room. Emma and Tonks were sitting at the kitchen, laughing about something. Emma smiled when she saw Harry.
"Come sit down, boys," she said, "Tonks was just telling me a few things about the wizarding world."
"Not just yet," Dan said, "I'm going to show Harry the den."
"Now, Daniel?" Emma asked, "Can't it wait?"
"When is a better time than now?" Dan asked.
"Behave yourself," Emma said, in a warning tone, "Or Hermione will have a few words to say to you."
"I promise," Dan said.
Harry placed a couple slices of three meat and cheese pizza on a plate, then followed Dan out of the kitchen. Dan opened the door under the stairway, and led him down some stairs and into a very large room. The left half of the room was much like a sitting room, except it also had a drink bar along a wall as well, There was even a billiards table and a dartboard on a wall near the bar. On the right side of the room, in one corner, there was an office like setting with a desk and various file drawers. But it was the other corner that intrigued Harry. Against the walls there were various glass cases that resembled that of a jewelry shop. On the walls above the cases, there were pictures and various other items including what appeared to be certificates and medals. Much of the room was also a weight-room, with various machines for strength exercises. There were also three hay-bales with targets set at different distances, as well as a mannequin like figure.
"Do you know what the SAS is, Harry?" Dan said, as he led the young man across the room toward the glass cases.
"They're like the elite army, sir," Harry said; he had once heard Mad-Eye Moody say that the SAS were even more terrifying than the Aurors and Death Eaters combined.
"British Special Forces," Dan said, "You'll hear a lot of people call the SAS 'Sports And Social'. I was in the SAS for roughly four years. Two of those years, I was working in medical. Some of the things I saw – well, it is the reason I changed careers and became a dentist. But it was the first two years that were the difficult part. There is training and boot camp, and then there is the Special Forces. There are a few things I am not so good at. I'll admit that right now. Automatic weapons – not my cup of tea. Pistols? I can shoot one and I am licensed to carry one. If a burglar decides to walk into my house, I am trained to shoot them if I have to. But my specialty... was knife-throwing, and to this day I am still pretty good at it."
He motioned to the glass cases, and Harry looked inside. There were several knives of all shapes and sizes beneath the glass cases. Each looked quite deadly.
"To this day, I train at least two times a week," Dan said, "Just to make sure my accuracy is top-notch. Much of my knowledge and skill in this came from before I was in the SAS. Back then I was a young man who thought I was the coolest guy on the planet. I would barhop various locations every weekend. I would play billiards and darts with patrons in the bars. I was very good at darts. Very accurate. One day, this punk kid thought I hustled him on a game of billiards. I got into a fight with him, and broke his jaw and busted his knee-cap. Could have gone to jail for assault, but I was given another option. Serve my country. The arrogant bloke I was back then chose one option and one only."
"The Special Forces," Harry said.
"The SAS," Dan said, nodding, "Got my ass handed to me so many times. But it made me a different man. My skills in darts helped me to become an excellent knife thrower. But because I lacked the necessary skills in gun fighting, I was given other offers. So I chose to work in the medical field. The things I saw during my time... I will never forget it. Haunted me even after I left the SAS. When I left, I had two choices. Return to being that punk kid hopping bars and playing darts, or make something of myself. But I couldn't be a doctor. I'd likely freeze up during surgery and probably kill a patient, all because of flashbacks to what I saw in the SAS. So I chose a safer route: dentistry. Changed my life in more ways than one. You're probably wondering why I am telling you this. You're also probably thinking it is to make you see just how dangerous I can be."
"I suppose so, sir," Harry said.
"The SAS changed me as a person," Dan said, "Being a dentist puts food on the table, and allows me do something with my life, and have a bit of leisurely fun along the way. But it is my wife and daughter who changed my life. And I would do anything to protect them. Something tells me we're not so different from each other."
"Sir?" Harry asked, unsure of what he meant.
"Hermione hasn't told me and her Mum much about her life amongst the wizards and witches," Dan said, "When she writes home, she talks about two things. Education... and you. I know she is keeping things from us. I know she has secrets she is afraid to tell us. She doesn't want me to take her out of Hogwarts. She can say she doesn't want to leave because she loves Hogwarts. I don't think it is Hogwarts that keeps her returning every year."
He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Harry, then he sighed and continued. "During her first year at Hogwarts, she talked a lot about you. About how you were apparently this boy whose parents were murdered by some evil wizard. The fact that you went through some tragedies at such a young age... well, it made me wonder what type of life you grew up with. Then she talked about how good you were. How you were the best friend she's ever had, and she hadn't had many. Young children, school-age children can be so petty and –well – childish about many things. When they see a girl like my Hermione who was smart and studious and the top of their class, they got jealous. Hermione didn't have very many friends before she went to Hogwarts. Characters in books were her best friends. That first letter she wrote home to me, after you became her friend... I still remember it. I remember seeing a different kind of happiness coming from my daughter's words. But I tried to deny it. I tried to deny what it really meant."
He looked up at the ceiling, then back at Harry. "Emma saw it. Emma saw what I refused to see. My little girl had a fancy. My little girl was slowly falling in love. I was no longer the love of her life. Tonight in the car, I saw the way she looked at you. I saw the way you looked at her. I saw flashbacks of how Emma and I looked at each other when we were first dating. Hermione has found the one for her, Harry. Don't break her heart."
"I promise that will never be in my intentions, sir," Harry said. "I never really grew up, knowing love. I never grew up with friends. I've found both of those with your daughter."
"You sound like a boy much older than your thirteen years, Harry," Dan said, smiling.
Harry blushed; technically he was older. He just couldn't admit that to Dan.
"But that is not surprising," Dan said, "The way you grew up requires a certain toughness. You had to learn how to survive with a family who didn't want you. Most of the time, that would scare the hell out of me. I would expect to see the same punk kid I was. Even though I was never in your shoes, that kind of scenario turns a person into – well – not a very nice guy because that is how they were raised. But you... you have a maturity about you. The same way my daughter is more mature than her fourteen years should allow. I can see why Emma already adores you."
Harry blinked and blushed. Dan smiled.
"You doubt me?" he asked. "Know this, Harry. Emma would have not told you about our struggles before Hermione came into our lives, if she did not adore you already. I think she'll be just as upset as Hermione would be if you two ever split up."
"I can't see myself without her," Harry said. "No matter what you might discover, know that I could see myself with her for the long run."
Dan raised his eyebrows. "Something you're not telling me, Harry?"
"That discussion is best to happen with your wife and daughter in the room too," Harry said.
Dan stared at Harry for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
Harry bit into a slice of pizza, thinking about what Dan said. He broke from those thoughts when he heard a thwacking sound. He blinked and looked toward the direction of the sound. A knife was sticking out of the chest of the mannequin – it hadn't been there a second before. Harry's eyes widened. The mannequin was at least twenty feet away, and the knife seemed quite embedded into the body. Harry turned toward Dan, who had a wry smile on his face.
"I could teach you how to do that," Dan said.
"Would it help with my wand accuracy and dueling, do you reckon?" Harry asked.
Dan adopted a thoughtful look. "Perhaps. I'll see what Hermione and that Tonks woman thinks. Tonks is a Cadet in the... Aurors was it?"
"Yeah," Harry said, "They fight and capture dark wizards. It might be something I want to do."
"Well then," Dan said, "Even if you don't learn how to throw knives, there is still plenty I could do that might prepare you for that kind of stuff."
"I think I could do that," Harry said, nodding.
"Excellent," Dan said, "Let's return to the dining room before my wife or daughter decides to come looking for us. I don't know who scares me more!"
Harry laughed. He was beginning to like Hermione's father. He just hoped Dan felt the same way about him.