Live Forever

1: Live Forever - Part 1

We see things they'll never see...

July 4, 1995

It had only been three days since Harry had returned to Privet Drive but the boring routine that he imagined he'd be following for the foreseeable future had already been established; Wake up early to pay for the Daily Prophet, scan for any news of Voldemort, wait for his Aunt Petunia to bang on his door and inform him of his chores for the day, complete said chores as efficiently and quietly possible, hide in his room or wander around Little Whinging for the remainder of the day, rinse and repeat.

The letter he'd received from Ron the prior day had been a welcome but ultimately frustrating break from the monotony as he was extremely vague about where he was and what he was doing. All he knew was he wasn't at the Burrow and that he was with other people doing things. As he sat in his rickety bedroom chair and idly played with the practice snitch he'd received last Christmas he wished he could be with other people doing things.

His early afternoon routine of hiding from his relatives was broken by the rather loud and forceful tone of his Aunt Petunia coming from downstairs...which was odd. His Aunt did her best to be as quiet and normal whenever possible. The only time she raised her voice was when something or someone magical-

Oh shit.

He quickly bounded out of the room and peered down the steps to see what was going on. His 'family' had been relatively pleasant so far and he didn't want his peaceful brooding to be ruined unless it was for something good like getting rescued from his prison or one of his-

"Hermione?" he asked dumbly as he saw his best friend calmly waiting for his Aunt to stop complaining about her presence.

"Harry!" she exclaimed happily as she spotted him at the top of the stairs.

"What's going on? What's happened?" he asked, instinctively fearing the worst.

"Nothing," she answered casually, "just wanted to pay a visit. I hope that's okay." He could tell she was quelling her typical enthusiasm and doing her best to act as normal as possible.

"It most certainly is not-"

"Brilliant!" he blurted enthusiastically, cutting off his Aunt before she could build up a head of steam. Hermione's answering smile was instantly his favorite moment of the summer.

He quickly returned to his room and grabbed his shoes, throwing them on as best as he could while stumbling his way downstairs, not wanting to subject Hermione to his Aunt for any longer than necessary.

"I was wondering if I could use your telephone?" she asked once he'd reached her and she'd given him a muted version of her typical hug. "I promised my parents I'd let them know when I'd arrived safely."

"Absolutely not!" his Aunt replied. "I won't have you people messing about with our-"

"Her parents are mugg- not magical, Aunt Petunia. They're dentists," he informed casually. "Hermione just wants to call her parents like normal people do. The sooner you let her do it the sooner we will leave."

He knew he'd said the magic words as his Aunt pinched her face in discomfort and quickly nodded before stepping aside.

"It's just through there on the wall," he supplied as he pointed toward the kitchen.

"I'll be right back," Hermione answered as normally as possible before walking normally into the other room to make her normal phone call to her normal parents.

Harry silently cheered. There was no need to provoke his Aunt if it wasn't absolutely necessary and if Hermione could pay a visit without blowing up the house or giving Dudley an extra appendage she might be allowed to come back without his Uncle pulling out the shotgun.

"She can't stay here," his Aunt spit out, "Vernon would be furious if he knew. And you'll be paying us back for any charges for her call..."

He fought back the urge to grin. "Thanks Aunt Petunia," he muttered as Hermione walked back normally from the kitchen.

"See you later," he called, pulling Hermione calmly and quietly out the door. He wondered if his Aunt had been disappointed that she hadn't been able to get properly bothered by him or his friend.

They'd made it two houses down before he burst out laughing while Hermione looked furious.

"She's awful," Hermione exclaimed, fighting back at the grin that was stubbornly trying to peek through her rage.

"You've no idea," Harry offered before calming. "Is everything really okay?"

"Yes. No. I'm not sure," she mumbled, looking thoroughly irritated.

"Well that settles it," he joked, instantly regretting it as he realized that Hermione was genuinely troubled.

"What is it?" he prodded.

"Have you eaten?" she asked. "Is there anywhere nearby to eat? There are a few options near the train station but that's a twenty minute walk..."

"There is a shopping area a few blocks away from here," he offered, gesturing to his left. "But I don't have any muggle money-"

"Great!" she exclaimed as she grabbed his hand once again and pulled him toward where he had pointed. "And don't worry about paying...it's my treat."

After their food had arrived Harry broached the topic once again.

"What's going on, Hermione? Is everything really all right?"

"Everything is fine, Harry," she answered with a sigh. "Really...it's just...the headmaster stopped by my house the other day-"

He immediately tensed.

"Everything. Is. Fine," she repeated as she reached over and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.

"He invited me to join the Weasleys for the summer...they're apparently staying with Sirius somewhere."

"Are you going on holiday with your parents?" he asked. He quickly squashed down the urge to feel sorry for himself at not receiving such an offer.

"No, they are planning a trip to Italy in a few weeks but I'm staying in England," she answered.

"Then I don't understand-"

"He asked me not to tell you anything about what we'd be doing there or where we were. That it wouldn't be safe and there was a risk that our letters could be intercepted."

Ron's letter made sense now. Apparently he was following Dumbledore's instructions. His annoyance at his friend and the headmaster was interrupted by the realization that his other friend was still talking.

"I asked him when you would be joining us and he said he didn't know. Then I asked him why we couldn't send you letters through muggle post or have a house elf deliver them and he said it was a bad idea and I needed to trust him."

She stopped to take a bite of her food before continuing. "I decided I'd stay with my parents instead and visit you every week."

Harry fought the urge to climb over the table and wrap his friend in a hug once again. "Do they know you're here?"

"It's none of their business is it?" she answered. "I'm allowed to visit my friend while he's stuck living with his awful relatives. And you're allowed to spend the day with your amazing and considerate friend."

"I'll go to this super secret hideout when you get to go," she continued, the fierceness evident in his voice. "Until then I plan on visiting you every Tuesday if that's all right. I would do it more often but it takes over an hour to get here and mum and dad are worried about me making such a long trip..."

It was more than all right. It was everything.