'Cause I Can See You

Hermione never enjoyed her family reunions.

They were annoying events, held by her parents once every two years roughly a month or so before Christmas. She’d managed to avoid the last few, citing various excuses every time, but her luck had run out now that the war was over. At least, this time, she had Harry with her. He always attracted trouble and, sometimes, trouble livened things up a bit.

༻✧༺

A Fluffy, Funny HHr Fic written purely for my own enjoyment.

Inspired by Picnic Panic by LeQuin

Title and Chapter Titles from ‘I Can See You’ - Taylor’s Version

What would you do…

Hermione sighed loudly, gaining Harry’s attention as they walked side-by-side to Hogsmeade. He raised an eyebrow at her downturned expression.

“What is it?”

Hermione sighed again, “I got a letter from my parents this morning. They want me to ask Professor McGonagall for permission to go to my family reunion next week.”

“What’s so bad about that?”

“My family is rather... insufferable,” she explained, “They’re very set in their ways and traditions. The fact that I turned down my opportunity to attend St Ellis’ School for Girls in favour of Hogwarts automatically makes them assume I’m either stupid or mad. And because I can’t tell them the truth about Hogwarts, there’s nothing my parents and I can do but grin and bear it.”

“It sounds awful,” Harry agreed, nodding, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Hermione smiled wistfully, “Well, it would be rather nice for you to come with me, but I’m sure -”

“Of course I will,” Harry interrupted.

Hermione blinked at him in surprise, “Really? I mean, are you sure?”

“You agreed to marry me, Hermione,” Harry smiled and reached down to squeeze her hand on which rested her invisible engagement ring, “When that happens, your family will become mine. I may as well meet them sooner rather than later.”

Hermione shook her head happily and grasped his hand in return. “No one even knows we’re engaged yet, Harry, but you make a good point. I’ll owl my parents about it when we get back and then we can ask Professor McGonagall for permission tomorrow.”

Harry grinned broadly. Hermione laughed and they ended up spending a remarkably peaceful afternoon in the village that day.

༻✧༺

When they got back to the castle, Hermione made good on her promise and sent an owl off to her parents, asking if she could bring Harry with her.

The rest of the evening was spent in their private common room - a perk of being head boy and girl. Hermione sat quietly in Harry’s lap, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck while they discussed the reunion.

“What are we going to wear?” Harry asked abruptly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, is it a formal occasion? A casual one? Must I wear a suit and tie or come in jeans and a t-shirt?”

Hermione thought about it for a minute.

“Somewhere in between, I think,” she replied, “A suit and tie is too much, but a pair of relatively smart slacks and an open-collared shirt should do nicely.”

Harry nodded, “I’ll organise something.” He looked down at her, “What will you wear?”

His fiancée shook her head, “I’m not sure. A cocktail dress, I think, but I’ll have to find one.”

“I’ll get one for you.”

Hermione looked at him sceptically, “Do you even know my size? My style?”

Harry grinned, “I’ve known you since we were eleven, Hermione and I’ve been dating you for two years. Of course I know your size!”

Hermione shook her head, “Alright. But it had better be something modest - something that doesn’t show too much skin. Nothing from any of your boyish fantasies.”

Harry rolled his eyes, “Do you really not trust me to pick out a dress for you?”

She sent him a withering look but Harry just laughed.

They headed up to bed a few minutes later, each quietly wondering what the next week would bring.

As Harry lay in bed that night, he thought overall he’d learned about Hermione’s family that day. So, they thought her stupid, did they? Well, he’d show them how very far from stupid his Hermione was. He’d make sure of it.

༻✧༺

The next morning, at breakfast, Hermione received a reply from her parents. Harry watched her face as she read the letter, her lips breaking out into a broad grin.

“They’re delighted you’re coming!” she announced cheerfully, “To be honest, I think they’re glad there’ll be someone there to break the tension.”

She turned and cast her gaze over to the staff table at the front of the hall, looking along until she found who she was searching for. Without saying anything, she stood up and headed towards them, Harry following behind her.

“Good morning, Professor McGonagall,” Hermione greeted, brightly, once she and Harry had reached the table.

The headmistress smiled, bemused, “Good morning, Miss Granger, Mr Potter. How can I help you?”

“My parents are holding a family reunion next Saturday,” Hermione explained, “I just wanted to ask permission for Harry and me to attend, as well as leave the castle this afternoon to go and make a few purchases in preparation. It starts at 10:00 on Saturday and we should be back no later than 17:00, probably earlier.”

McGonagall looked pensive for a moment before she nodded briefly. 

“That seems quite alright,” she agreed, “You are adults, after all, and Order of Merlin holders. I’m sure you can look after yourselves.”

She smiled before shooing them away with her hand, “Now begone with you. I’d like to finish my breakfast.”

༻✧༺

“Where are you taking me?”

Harry sounded just as amused as he was confused as Hermione dragged him along a busy London pavement. 

They’d completed their weekend Head duties earlier that morning and, as soon as she’d been able to, Hermione had enticed him into some warm Muggle clothes, led him down the path through the grounds to the gate and then apparated both of them to London.

Where exactly in London they were, or why they were there, Harry didn’t know. Hermione had mentioned something earlier to McGonagall about going shopping for provisions, but Harry didn’t quite know what she meant. What did one bring to a family reunion? Gifts? Food? He’d never actually been to one himself, obviously, so Harry really wasn’t sure what they needed. It was amusing, however, to see just how happy Hermione was, after her great reluctance to go just the previous morning. 

“We are going,” Hermione announced, brusquely, “to buy clothes.”

“Clothes?” Harry was surprised, “As in multiple items? Why do we need more than one outfit?”

Hermione turned her head and sent him a look that had him regretting questioning her.

“You never know what may happen,” she replied, “Besides, someday you just might be thanking me.”

She continued to lead the way down the road until they stopped before a large building with a deep green facade.

Harrods.

Harry sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon.

༻✧༺

By the time they returned to Hogwarts later that evening both Harry and Hermione were utterly exhausted, but it was a good sort of exhaustion.

They’d had, despite Harry’s expectations, an absolute blast at Harrods. They’d gone around every department and browsed everything until they’d eventually reached the clothing section. Once there, they’d split up - Hermione heading to the men’s section to pick out some outfits for Harry while he did the same in the women’s. At first, he’d been a bit out of his depth, but eventually found a few things he thought would look fantastic on her.

When they met up again, Hermione had somehow managed to procure a private fitting room. They took turns trying on the various outfits the other had picked out for them - some more ridiculous than others - and had fun striking silly modelling poses while the other watched. They’d had to pause a few times just to catch their breaths, they’d been laughing so hard.

Ultimately, they’d bought all the outfits - even the stupid ones - simply for the sentimentality of it - and Harry’s more than substantial bank account paid for it all.

All in all, Harry thought it was a great day. He just couldn’t wait to see Hermione’s family’s reactions when they saw her in the dress he’d chosen.

༻✧༺

Emma Granger was not a stupid woman by any means. Nor was she blind.

It was clear to her that her daughter was in love with her friend Harry and he with her, though why they didn’t act upon it, only God knew.

The pair of them had been best friends since their first year at Hogwarts and had stuck together through thick and thin. Despite her reservations about the wizarding world and magic in general, one thing she would always be grateful for was that Hermione had Harry. She was sure she would never find a couple more suited to one another than they were and, for the life of her, she could not understand why they were not already together. But, she’d promised Hermione that she wouldn’t get involved in her love life unless there was a serious issue, and a promise was a promise.

That was why she was going to let her bring the boy to the family reunion - after speaking to Dan, of course. That and she thought Hermione could use some support. Emma loved her sister and her parents, she really did but they could be so stubborn! Just because Hermione didn’t go to St Ellis’!

Her thoughts were interrupted when her husband, Dan, came into the kitchen and headed straight for the pot of coffee she’d made a few minutes earlier, yawning loudly. She knew that he shared the same views that she did, both about their family’s general pig-headedness and about their daughter’s love life. 

Hermione was definitely a daddy’s girl and had had Dan wrapped around her finger from the moment she was born. It was from him that she’d inherited both her rather wild mane of brown hair and her great enthusiasm for learning and reading.

Emma smiled bemusedly at her husband while he took a large gulp of coffee, his bed hair clearly as bad as his daughter’s.

“We got a letter from Hermione this morning,” she said, causing him to turn to her swiftly with unbidden curiosity, “She wants to know if she can bring Harry to the reunion.”

Her husband’s eyes widened quite dramatically and it was all Emma could do to keep from openly laughing at his expression.

“Really?” he asked, “Are you sure? Is she bringing him as a friend? A boyfriend?”

Emma shook her head, “A friend, I’d assume. She didn’t say otherwise.”

“Damn,” he cursed.

Emma smiled and patted him on the arm, “Cheer up. There’s still plenty of time. And who knows? Perhaps this reunion will stir up the feelings they don’t know that they have?”

༻✧༺

For Harry and Hermione, the week seemed to fly by. Before they knew it, it was Saturday and the couple was upstairs in their private quarters helping one another get ready.

Harry had decided to go along with Hermione’s suggestion of a black shirt, black slacks and black shoes. Thanks to some corrective surgery he’d undergone after the war, glasses were no longer necessary and he’d managed to finally find a way to partially tame his hair so that it looked more purposely ruffled and less of a bird’s nest. All in all, he looked extremely sexy and Hermione had no problem telling him so.

Harry had chosen a deep crimson cocktail dress for her with a relatively low neckline, but still modest enough for Hermione’s sensibilities. She’d paired it with a matching pair of heels and a small amount of makeup. She’d used some Sleek-Easy’s on her hair again - as she had at the Yule ball - so that her brown locks fell to her shoulders in soft curls. Harry had no problem telling her how good she looked.

In fact, she looked so good that he’d had to steal five minutes to give her a good snog. By the end, they’d both been rather breathless and Hermione had had to reapply her lipstick while Harry wiped the original application off his own lips. The delay had put them slightly behind schedule, but not drastically. The pair gathered their coats and Hermione’s magically-expanded handbag - red, to match her dress - and made their way through the castle towards the gate.

It was still relatively early, as they wanted to arrive to help Hermione’s parents set up, but a few students were walking about. Heads turned and mouths dropped when they caught sight of the normally uniformly-clothed head boy and girl looking like a couple from a movie. Rumours spread for days afterwards, but none were ever confirmed.

Finally, Harry and Hermione made it to the school gates, a few flecks of snow beginning to fall softly around them. Harry grinned at her and, with a slight twist, apparated them both silently to the reunion venue.

༻✧༺

Emma Granger looked up with a frown when she heard a knock on the door. No one was due to arrive for at least another hour. Perhaps it was one of the hotel staff?

For the reunion, they’d rented out a small dining room at a nearby hotel and hired their chefs to do the catering. After trying to have the reunion at their own home a few years earlier, she and Dan had agreed that the extra expense involved was worth it.

Beside her, Dan stepped forward and opened the door to find out who it was, Emma only a few steps behind him. When they saw who it was, it was a great effort to keep their expressions neutral.

Hermione stood there, with Harry beside her, looking absolutely stunning. Harry, too, was dressed to the nines and looked every bit as if he’d come out of one of those fancy cologne advertisements.

“Hermione!” Dan exclaimed, half in question, half in greeting as he waved them inside the room, closed the door and wrapped his daughter in a hug, “Don’t you look beautiful.”

Hermione flushed, “Daddy!”

“It’s true, love,” Emma teased, before turning her attention to the boy she hoped would one day be her son-in-law.

“Hello, Harry darling,” she greeted, pulling his head down to kiss him on both cheeks, “It’s so lovely to have you here. We’re so pleased Hermione invited you.”

Harry blushed lightly, “I’m glad to be here too, Mrs Granger.”

“No, no, no, we’ll have none of that. You’ll call me ‘Emma’ or nothing at all. Do you understand?”

Harry smiled, “Yes… Emma.”

She patted him on the hand, satisfied, then led him over to greet Dan while she said hello to her daughter.

“Why on Earth are you here so early?” she asked.

“We thought we’d come and help set things up,” Hermione replied, looking around the room, “but it looks like you already have things sorted out.”

Emma nodded, “Yes, the hotel did most of it. Although there are a few tables we'd like to shift. I'm sure Harry wouldn't mind helping Dan with that?”

Harry, who had turned to her at the sound of his name, shook his head, “Of course not. Just let me take off my coat. It’s rather warm in here anyway.”

He shrugged off his coat and placed it on a spare chair then helped Hermione out of hers. Emma watch as her daughter turned to smile brightly at him.

They really were completely and utterly blind. But, hopefully, they’d begin to see things differently throughout the afternoon.

Soon enough, the tables had been moved to their preferred positions, thanks to Harry and Hermione’s efficient wand-waving. However, there was still about half an hour until anyone was expected, so the four of them sat down,  poured themselves each a cup of tea and chatted aimlessly for a bit before there was another knock on the door.

They got up. Harry moved to stand beside Hermione, who had begun to fiddle with the hem of her dress anxiously. He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. He smiled reassuringly. Hermione took a deep breath and steeled her expression, raising her head defiantly as if preparing to come face-to-face with a firing squad.

Inwardly, Harry grinned. It was time to put his plan into action.

…if they never found us out?

Hermione’s family, it seemed, had congregated outside until everyone had arrived so that they all came in at once. Harry eyed them all, sizing them up and deciding upon impressions.

Hermione had told him, earlier that week, a bit about each of her relatives - enough for him to try and put a name to a face.

There were about 12 guests there in total, he guessed, excluding himself, Hermione and her parents. As they came in, no one seriously noticed them. A few cast their gaze their way but didn’t come up to say hello. Eventually, Hermione became tired of being ignored and strode forward to greet them herself, taking Harry by the hand and pulling him alongside her.

“Aunt Susan,” she said, “How lovely to see you!”

‘Aunt Susan’ turned, a reply beginning to form on her lips, but it died when she saw her niece. Everyone had stopped, dead still, to look at Hermione with shock evident in their eyes. They then spotted Harry and it simply seemed to deepen. Harry could imagine what they were thinking and smirked inwardly.

“Hermione!” Aunt Susan exclaimed, managing to find her voice, “How you’ve grown! I almost didn’t recognise you.” She turned her attention to Harry. “And who’s this?”

“My name’s Harry Potter, Ma’am. I’m Hermione’s friend from school.”

At the mention of the word “school,” Susan’s expression of interest turned sour.

“Oh,” she said, disdainfully and said nothing more. Hermione squeezed Harry’s hand, doing her best not to let her expression drop. 

Soon enough, Harry had been introduced to almost all her relatives  - except for Emma’s sister, her husband and their two daughters.

“I’m Rebecca McCarthy, Emma’s sister,” she turned and gestured to two girls a few years older than himself and Hermione, “These are my daughters, Dominique and Annabeth.”

The girls smiled brightly at Harry, gazing at him with intense, dark eyes. Their expressions caused him to shiver slightly and Hermione grasped his arm with both hands in an effort not to punch her cousins.

“Richard McCarthy,” the husband greeted, “M.B.E.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at the addition but didn’t outwardly change his expression. He certainly didn’t like the man’s attitude. 

Beside him, Hermione seemed to be going through some sort of epiphany. The grip she had on his arm tightened and her breath stopped for a moment. Harry watched as her gaze turned to steel.

With the same expression and lilt to her voice, she said, “Hermione Granger, C.B.E.”

The whole room went silent at her announcement. Her parents’ eyes were wide with shock. It seemed she hadn’t told them that little tidbit. Harry, meanwhile, shrugged slightly and decided ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’.

“Harry Potter,” he said, “K.B.E.”

Jaws dropped further. Harry was sure Richard would implode from the sheer force of his thoughts.

“What?!” Gordon, Susan’s husband, questioned.

“You heard us,” Harry replied, stubbornly.

“But-but how?”

Harry smirked, “That’s just want happens when you help defeat the terrorist threatening the entire country.”

Dan and Emma blinked at him. He-he couldn’t mean Voldemort, could he? Just what was Harry up to?

“But you’re only 18!” Franklin Kenwood, Emma’s father, exclaimed.

“He was trying to kill me,” Harry explained, “I wasn’t exactly going to let him get away with it.”

David, Dan’s father, narrowed his eyes, “I think you had better explain yourself, boy.”

Casting a glance at Hermione, who nodded in agreement, he gestured for everyone to sit down and began to tell a modified version of his life story.

“The school Hermione and I attend,” he began, “is rather unique. It’s a school for the so-called ‘gifted’ and they don’t accept just anyone. Hermione is intelligent enough to get in and I am a legacy student, as both my parents and grandparents had gone there before me. We met on the train on the first day. I’ll admit we weren’t friends at first, but we managed to get things together in the end.”

“A forest borders the school,” Hermione continued, “which is home to all sorts of dangerous creatures. There are protections in place to prevent them from getting in but, somehow, that Halloween, a wolf managed it. I didn’t go down to dinner that night as I’d had a bad day and went for a walk on the grounds. The wolf found me there. Harry, by that point, had heard about the wolf and realised that I wasn’t at dinner, so he went to look for me. He found me about to be mauled to death by the wolf and I don’t remember what he did but he somehow managed to knock it out and save me.” She smiled, “We’ve been friends ever since.”

“That doesn’t explain why the terrorist was out to kill you.” Helen, Dan’s mother, protested.

“As I mentioned,” Harry continued, “my parents also attended the same school. They eventually got jobs in the government and were the ones to expose this terrorist and his organisation. Seeking revenge, he came after them. I was just over a year old when he came to our house and killed them. He tried to kill me too but was interrupted. He disappeared that night and wasn’t seen for years. He returned in our 4th year, still seeking revenge. He kidnapped me and tried to kill me, but I managed to escape.”

“Then, at the end of our 6th year, our headmaster was murdered by an agent he’d planted in the school - one of our professors. Harry and I knew that we couldn’t return, so we went on the run. I’m sure you’ll remember that my parents went to Australia for a while?”

Everyone nodded.

“I sent them away to protect them,” she explained, “by then, the terrorist had overtaken quite a bit of the government, so we didn’t know who to trust.”

Harry nodded, “We spent most of last year on the run, trying to find a way to defeat him. Eventually, we were forced to return to the school as one of the things we needed was there. That’s where he found us.”

“A battle broke out,” Hermione explained, “I won’t go into detail as it was quite gruesome but, ultimately, Harry was able to defeat him.”

Harry elbowed her, “Couldn’t have done it without you.” Hermione rolled her eyes, “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Wait, wait, hold on a second,” Richard protested, face screwed up with the effort of trying to understand what they were telling him, “You’re telling me that two 17-year-olds saved our country from a terrorist?”

“Yes,” they replied in unison.

“And were knighted for it?”

“Well, Harry was knighted,” Hermione replied, “but I do have a C.B.E, yes.”

Her parents blinked at her.

“When did this happen?” Emma asked, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Before we went back to school,” Harry responded, “It was all kept under wraps, as the Queen didn’t want the news that a terrorist had infiltrated the government coming to light. Hermione didn’t tell you because she’s embarrassed by it.”

“Harry!” Hermione slapped him on the arm.

“What? It’s true, isn’t it?”

She rolled her eyes at him. Around them, her family was still gaping at them with wide eyes.

“Is there anything else we should know about that you haven’t told us?” Dan asked, swallowing thickly.

Harry diverted his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. Hermione blushed and stared at the floor.

“Hermione?”

“Um?”

Dan looked firmly at Harry who flushed.

“Uh, Hermione and I have been dating since 6th year,” he admitted, “and I asked her to marry me back in August.”

“You what?!”

Emma was astounded. All this time she thought her daughter was blind but she’d been dating Harry for 2 years! And she was engaged to him!

Around them, Hermione’s family had gone silent, completely shocked.

“You asked Hermione to marry you?” Dominique asked.

Harry nodded, “Yes, I did.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’?”

“Well, she’s rather plain and boring, if you ask me. Why would you want to spend the rest of your life with her?”

“Dominique!” Rebecca exclaimed, “How could you say such a thing?”

Harry meanwhile glared mutinously at the girl he was sure had verbally abused and belittled Hermione all her life. Annabeth, who was seated beside her sister, shuffled sideways to try and avoid the fury she was sure was about to be unleashed.

“Hermione is ten times the person you will ever be,” Harry growled scathingly, “I don’t know who you think you are, but you’re nothing special. I’ll bet you’re terribly insecure. That’s why you and your sister have always ridiculed Hermione, right? You’re jealous of her. You always hated that she was better than you and acted out over it. Even now, you can’t stand to think that she has more than you ever will. You disgust me.”

He rose abruptly and stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked silence behind him. Hermione, wide-eyed and rather pale, hurried after him.

She found him standing just outside the hotel, breathing heavily with clenched fists, staring blankly out into the night. When she placed a gentle hand on his arm, he jumped slightly in surprise and turned to look at her.

As he turned, Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest, breathing deeply.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I didn’t mean to go off at her like that. She just said all those dreadful things about you and I couldn’t help it. They’re not worth the air you breathe, ‘Mione. How dare she?”

Hermione shook her head, a grin beginning to spread across her face, “You don’t need to apologise to anyone, Harry,” she replied, “It was brilliant! You were brilliant! All those things you said about both of them were completely true. How on Earth did you know they’d treated me like that?”

“When you look at them,” he responded, “it’s never in the eye. Not that I’d blame you for that. I certainly wouldn’t want to look through the windows into their souls.”

Hermione threw back her head and laughed.

“I’ll never forget the expressions on their faces! They looked as though they’d faint right there on the spot!”

“Well, if you’d like, I can arrange a pensieve and some popcorn for a movie night. Being a ‘sir’ must count for something.”

Harry’s comment served to make his fiancee laugh even harder and, soon enough, only the arms they had wrapped around one another were keeping them from being sprawled on the ground.

༻✧༺

Once they’d suitably recovered, the couple made their way back into the hotel room to find that, aside from Hermione’s parents, the rest of the combined Granger-Kenwood family had left. The elder Grangers were sitting, looking mildly shell-shocked in two of the hotel’s plush armchairs but both looked up at the pair’s entrance.

Hermione immediately went over and hugged her father warmly, “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you, Daddy,” she said sincerely, “With the war going on, no one even knew we were dating. Harry didn’t want anyone coming after me to get to him and, once it was over, we had become accustomed to the privacy. Please don’t be angry with us.”

Dan blinked in surprise, “Angry? Why would I be angry? I’ve been waiting for the pair of you to get it together ever since you wrote about a boy saving you from a troll when you were twelve!”

It was the couple’s turn to be surprised.

“You-you have?” Harry spluttered.

“That’s right,” Emma agreed, nodding, “Although why you couldn’t have waited until graduation to get engaged I have no idea. You’ve gone and lost me a pot with the neighbours.”

“You were betting on us getting engaged?!” Hermione cried, “With the neighbours?!”

“Well, yes. Who else was I suppose to talk to about it? I can hardly go and discuss you with my mother or sister, can I? Mrs Albert, Mrs MacAllistair, Miss Jones, Mrs Geoffrey and I meet every week for tea and gossip-mongering. I thought you knew that.”

“Yes, I know that, but I didn’t realise you were talking about me!”

“Your mother just loves to talk about you, dear,” Dan added, grinning, “More specifically, she loves talking about you getting together with Harry. I’m sure they’ll explode on Tuesday when she tells them you’re engaged.”

Hermione groaned and buried her face in her hands.
“That ashamed of me, are you?” Harry teased.

Hermione swatted him on the arm but without much enthusiasm.

Emma stood from her seat and went to collect her coat from the coat rack, her husband following behind her.

“Why don’t we finish this discussion at home, where it’s more comfortable?” she suggested.

The young couple nodded and followed her example, slipping on their coats before the group headed out into the car park to collect the Grangers’ car. 

༻✧༺

Once they were snuggly settled on the couches in the Grangers’ living room, serious discussions began.

“So, Mum,” Hermione began, “How much was on Harry and I getting together?”

“In total, about 1 000 pounds. As I said, I had you down for graduation. Miss Jones lost last week. She had you down for Valentine’s Day.”

Hermione gaped “1 000 pounds!”

“You’re worth much more than that to me, ‘Mione,” Harry sniggered.

Dan laughed, “How are you planning to tell everyone?”

The couple glanced at one another.

“Well,” Harry said, “We did have a few ideas…”

༻✧༺

Ron couldn’t believe it. After eight years of work, stress, near-death experiences and general turmoil, the belated Class of ‘98 was finally graduating from Hogwarts. With NEWTs passed and failed, Graduation Day had arrived and, with it, came a day of ceremonies and speeches.

He, along with the rest of his class, we seated upon rows of chairs in the Great Hall. The house tables had been removed to make space for the parents. Somewhere behind him, he was sure, his mother sat with tears in her eyes while his dad comforted her.

The thing that really amused him, however, was the fact that, because Harry and Hermione were the Head students, they had to give speeches. He’d been teasing them about it for weeks and had begged them to tell him what they were going to say. They’d steadfastly refused to tell him anything and had hidden conspiratorial grins behind passive expressions.

Now, the time for the speeches had finally arrived, as McGonagall announced them to a round of applause and cheers from the crowd. In the front row, Emma Granger had her camera ready and poised to capture their reactions.

Harry and Hermione strode up to the dais side-by-side and turned to face their audience.

“Good morning Professors, parents and, of course, the belated Hogwarts Class of ‘98,” Hermione began, “It will be of no surprise to anyone that, as with most things these last eight years, Harry and I have decided to give our speeches together.”

“Helps save time, you know?” Harry commented with a grin, gaining a few laughs. Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Our years have been particularly special.” she began, “We started as the smallest group since the war with Grindelwald in the forties. The taint Voldemort had left despite his supposed death was still evident. Prejudice was rife and we were only eleven years old. We had no idea of what was to come.”

“For me,” Harry continued, “every year had its subplots and deadly threats. I was never given the opportunity to be a normal kid whose only worries were completing homework and passing tests. Someone was always out to kill me and, most of the time, it was Voldemort.”

“Things blew up in our fourth year,” Hermione took over, “Harry was entered into the Triwizard Tournament against his will and few were willing to believe him. It all came to a head in the Third Task. Harry was kidnapped, a fellow student was murdered in cold blood and Voldemort was resurrected. Harry barely escaped with his life. The ministry refused to believe the truth and he was labelled a liar.”

“The following year was the worst,” Harry stated, “and I’m sure you’ll all agree. Umbridge ruled with an iron fist, leaving many scarred both physically and mentally.”

“At the end of the year,” Hermione continued, “It was finally revealed that Voldemort was, indeed, back from the dead. Harry was a hero again in the public’s eyes, despite the scorn he’d faced the year previously.”

“Sixth year was tense,” Harry said, “The threats weren’t as obvious and there were many dark plots going on in the background. However, for me, there was one bright spot in the darkness.” 

“The major rumour going around that year was that Harry and I were having a disagreement,” Hermione said, “which couldn’t be any further from the truth.”

“Hermione and I began dating,” Harry continued, to gasps from the crowd, “We kept it a secret as I didn’t want to risk anyone going after her to get to me and, when we went on the run last year, I was glad we had.”
“You all know what happened then,” Hermione resumed, “With the fall of the ministry, Harry, Ron and I went on the run. Dumbledore had left us a mission that had to be completed before Voldemort could be killed. After months of stress and tribulations, everything came to a climax at what is now known as The Battle of Hogwarts. As everyone knows, Voldemort attacked the castle and after many hours of fighting, was defeated by Harry.” She turned her head towards him and smiled, squeezing his hand gently as he took over.

“We lost good people that day,” he said, solemnly, “many of whom should have been with us today.  It was their sacrifices that led us to victory, and they will never be forgotten.” Harry bowed his head for a moment as silence rang through the Great Hall. When he looked up again, there was a fire in his eyes and he spoke from the heart, “It is thanks to them that we are where we are today. It is thanks to them that the children of today won’t have to worry about some crazy plot to kill them every year, or have to fight against their peers, dependant only on themselves and those they trust, without having to look over their shoulders for someone trying to attack them from behind. It is thanks to them that our future’s children will know peace.”

Hermione stepped in, “The question many will be asking is, ‘What happens now?’ Well, there is still much reform that needs to take place - House Elf rights being one thing I could think of.” She smiled, “But we won’t get into that now. Suffice to say, there’s much to be done.”

Hermione paused briefly, looking around at the mixture of emotions around the room.

“Just before returning to school last August,” she continued, “Harry asked me to marry him.”

The gasp her statement drew from the audience echoed through the hall. The couple grinned madly, Harry taking notice of the smug smirks on Dan and Emma's faces, and the bewildered expressions of the Weasleys'

“Naturally," Harry continued, “she said yes. It seems she just couldn't resist my manly charms." He grinned. The audience - those who had recovered, at least - laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Yes, well, that’s debatable.” She smiled, “I do hope though, that it shows all of you that, despite what you’ve been through, it is certainly possible for you to find happiness again. So, as we embark on a new chapter of our lives, we leave all of you with the opportunity of a better, bright future that’s yours to command, and yours to live as you please.”

She glanced at her fiancé, who grinned encouragingly and reached down to squeeze her hand. Turning back to the audience, she looked around the room, doing her best to memorise the scene.

“That’s it from us,” she announced, finally, “We wish you all the best.”

With that, she and Harry stepped down from the dias and back to their seats, surrounded by the sound of applause. With the atmosphere enveloping them, Harry couldn’t help but think of all they had ahead of them - all the trials and tribulations,  as well as the joy and successes. Looking down at Hermione, who sat leaning into his side beside him, he knew that, whatever life threw at them, they would get through it - together.

End Notes:

For those of you wondering how exactly Picnic Panic inspired this, I’ll explain;

In Picnic Panic, Hermione’s mother, Helen, and aunt, Penelope, have a competitive sibling rivalry going on, and Helen doesn’t like her sister getting one over her. Also, Hermione’s uncle is mentioned to have an MBE. Hermione later tells her mother that the Queen had made Harry a Knight Bachelor. Also, Hermione’s two prissily-named cousins fawn and drape themselves over Harry, but he only has eyes for Hermione. Lastly, Harry concocts a believable cover story that shows Hermione in a better light in the eyes of her relatives.

As you have read my story, inspired by Picnic Panic, I’m sure you can see the similarities. To be honest, it was all born out of a great desire for Harry to show Hermione’s uncle just who should be called “Sir”.

Also, just as a side note for clarity - Emma’s maiden name is ‘Kenwood’ - in case some were confused over where that popped up from.

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Disclaimer:

I am not British. I did a minimal amount of research on how knighthoods work and their rankings and briefly looked into the structure of the British schooling system, so please forgive me for any mistakes I may have made.