Time Again (Completed)

Chapter 24

Thursday morning a rather tired Harry dragged himself out of bed and checked his watch, seven am, time to get himself ready. He wanted today to be something special for Hermione's birthday, the day she became an adult in their world.

Harry found that Hermione was right behind him as he walked to the bathroom, thoughts from the day before flitted through his mind as he watched her walk toward him, "we can share," she said as she walked past him into the bathroom, having wondered if she had read his mind he decided that sharing a bath with her seemed like one of the better ideas they had that week, even if she had read his thoughts. An hour later Harry and Hermione finally left the bathroom, Harry to cook the breakfast Hermione to get her self dressed, there was very little moaning this morning about there being no shower.

Breakfast was ready when she joined him in the kitchen, "Harry I love it here in this place, do you think if we asked Dumbledore we could come again soon?" Hermione asked as she sat down to her bacon, sausage, eggs, and beans with fresh cut bread lightly toasted.

"Well I had plans to take you over to that Muggle amusement park today, but maybe you would prefer a walk around the village, talk to the locals, get to know them better."

After breakfast and putting on their coats they left the cottage, and started for the village, it was not long before they met up with O'Keefe who appeared as soon as they passed the first cottage, Hermione wondered if the little fellow actually lived anywhere as he always seemed to pop up in the most unexpected places.

"So Harry, did you give any thought to settling here yet?" Hugh asked as they finished saying hello.

Hermione gave Harry a nudge 'It would be nice to have a place here, a place where we could escape too. I mean I always wondered where Dumbledore went in the holidays, now I'm sure if we needed to find him in the middle of the summer break I'd bet he'd be down at the pub with O'Keefe and the others'.

"Never gave it a thought, though it might be a nice idea." Harry replied

"Well every one who comes here seems to think about staying, thought you might be the same," Hugh said as he looked over toward the village tavern.

Hugh invited them to the pub even as Hermione was talking to Harry in their own special way which surprised them both, it was only a little after nine in the morning, it was much too early for drinking as far as Harry and Hermione were concerned. Declining the offer Harry mentioned that they were going to take their first full tour of the village, maybe get to meet some of the locals, the women especially as up to yet they had only met on the night of the party and there had been so many folk there they had not really had a chance to get to know anyone.

Hugh directed them toward the post office "It's where most of the women meet and do their gossiping."

"Well you can believe me, Hermione is all woman," Harry said laughing. He laughed even harder as both Hermione and Hugh turned red in the face.

"Harry Potter, you should not talk about your wife like that," Hermione said as she saw the funny part, after all it had been her idea to share a bath earlier, and to show Harry just how much of a woman she was.

"Well I'm off to see if Mcallwee is ready to open up," Hugh said as they passed the gate to the pub.

It did not take the young couple long to find the village post office, less than a hundred yards from the pub, the lane ended at the village green on the opposite side was the only shop, outside of which were set three small trestle tables around which were sat what appeared to be the entire female population of the village.