As it turned out, the Granger family was living in Kent, quite a long ride from Surrey, where the Dursley home was. Vernon wasn't happy to drive there, especially not for Harry, yet the Grangers had been good clients for many years. It wouldn't do to offend them by way of declining their daughter's invitation. He drove there once, before finding a train connection that was speedier and not too expensive, not that he could complain of the price since getting the monthly payments for the boy.
As soon as they arrived that first time, Hermione took Harry to her room. She set him on the chair at her desk while she sat on her bed. "Now, spill it!" she said, focusing her eyes on his.
Harry felt lost in a delightful chocolate heaven for a moment, before gathering his wits and concentrating on what he was asked. He was still reluctant to tell her much, though.
"I've had some very weird things happen when I was smaller. I remember one day, trying to get away from some bullies, I suddenly found myself on the roof of the school. It took the fire brigade to get me down safely."
"When did that happen?"
"I was about six, in first grade."
"And what happened to the bullies?"
"Nothing. They had not been able to do anything to me, so there was nothing to punish them for."
"That's not fair!" she exclaimed.
"Life's not fair," he said, sounding even to himself more mature than he really was.
"What about you?" he prompted.
"Oh, I've already told you about the books. There was also a time I was stressed to finish some homework as I wanted to see a science program on TV. Suddenly my pen started writing by itself as fast as I could think. I've never finished homework faster."
"Wow! I can't even imagine this."
"Yet you summon a book from your library while at the ball. I don't think I could have done such a deed."
"How do you know?"
She smiled. "You did that, didn't you?"
He lifted his hands in surrender. "Yes, I did. I was not interested in talking about football or other sports, so I thought I could read a bit. I only wanted a small book, to fit in my pocket."
"So, where's that manor of yours?"
Harry shrugged. "I really don't know. I've never been there, neither was my aunt, but she knows my mother liked it there, especially due to the large library."
"So, your parents, were they magical like us?"
"I think so. I know my mom went to a special school up north, while my aunt couldn't go there. She said I'll probably be invited to that school when I turn eleven. You too, I believe."
"So, we have to wait for more than a year?"
"I think so. Do your parents know about your special talent?"
"I'm sure Mom knows, although it only confuses her. She has probably told Dad as well. I don't think they keep anything secret from each other, and not much from me either."
"Did you tell them about me, I mean... being magical?"
She smiled at him, making his heart flutter for no reason he could think of. "I think Mom suspects it, but she said nothing to me. I don't have many friends, none – really, so she is very glad that I've found one. You are my friend, aren't you?"
Harry could feel her deep fear of losing his friendship along with her insecurity about her looks. "Would I come all the way from Surrey to visit you if I wasn't your friend? Besides, you're the most beautiful girl our age that I've met. I enjoy looking at you, even if we don't talk.
Hermione's face turned as red as a tomato. She covered her face with her hands, mumbling "You're embarrassing me!"
Harry came immediately at her side and hugged her in a friendly manner. "I'm your friend, Hermione, and you shouldn't get embarrassed by compliments, especially when you deserve them."
It took Hermione some time to calm down and uncover her face, which was still slightly rosy. She enjoyed being hugged, though. It wasn't the same as her parents' hugs. They used to hug her every day. It was different in ways she could not understand, yet it felt even nicer.
"Why did you say we should not speak there, at the ball?" she finally asked.
"There are ancient laws protecting the magical world. You've probably read about witch-hunts in many places, all over the world, only a few centuries ago, haven't you?"
She just nodded.
"Well, non-magical people tend to loathe and fear Magic. I know my uncle does, for sure. He only started to tolerate me after I managed to control my magic enough to prevent any accidental magic from happening. Fear may cause people to act irrationally. It's much safer if the non-magical know nothing about the magical world. It's a bit more difficult with families where some are magical and some not."
"Like your mother and your aunt?"
Harry was a bit confused. He knew he didn't say anything explicit, and yet this girl deduced what he hadn't said. She must be very smart. This only made him like her more. "Yes. My aunt and her husband know about the magical world because of my mother and, well, me."
"What about your cousin?"
"I'm not sure. He may suspect something, but he has never asked me about this. I don't think he asked any of his parents either."
They continued hugging, as their conversation went on. It took them a long time to disengage the hug. Neither seemed to want to stop it, but eventually, they were called down, as the long drive home needed to start.
Hermione came for a visit two weeks later. She was enchanted at the sight of the magical books Harry had, and even more by his ability to summon any book he had in mind. "Can I try it?" she asked.
A few minutes later she had to admit failure.
"I'm not sure if you're allowed to take books out of there. I don't think that everybody may have free access to that library. Maybe I need to give you permission first," Harry told her.
"How would you do that?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe like this: I, Harry Potter, the heir of James and Lily Potter, hereby allow Hermione Granger to summon any book from my library and keep it for as long as she needs. Now, try again."
A few seconds later, Hermione was holding a book of basic spells for children. She was so content, that she jumped on Harry, hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. That was the moment Dudley chose to come in. "Oh, my little cousin has a girlfriend!" he teased.
Hermione seemed to turn red, not knowing what to say, but Harry replied, "And what if I do? Find yourself another, as this one is mine."
Dudley started laughing heartily. "You sound like that western cowboy in the movie we watched a month ago," he said, as both Harry and Hermione joined the laughter. "Was this book the cause?" he asked, grabbing the book, which lay on Harry's bed, where Hermione had dropped it.
"Oh, not some more fairy tales! Don't you have enough of these?"
"I still enjoy stories for smaller children. We'll become adults quite soon. Why not enjoy being children as long as we can?" Hermione asked innocently.
Dudley just laughed some more, before slapping her shoulder in a friendly manner and leaving the room.
"He is really strong," Hermione noted, massaging her shoulder.
"He is, but he no longer uses it for bad things," Harry said.
"You are quite strong as well. I've seen you lift that stack of books as if it was nothing, and you also ran up the stairs as if they were an even field."
"I practice each day. I run and do some exercises in the morning and then coach and train with Dudley in the evening. It also helped me control my magic. That was actually the first book I summoned, even before I knew I was doing it." He pointed to a book.
"May I have it?"
Harry smiled. "Of course. I no longer need it. Just send it back to the library when you're done with it. You can always summon it again."
It was only a short hug, this time, before they parted, yet Hermione kept in mind the fact that Harry didn't deny the "accusation" of her being his girlfriend. Did that mean he was her boyfriend? It was too early to dwell on that, but she still felt good about it.
They continued the bi-weekly visits, becoming close friends. Hermione was also taking advantage of the new library that opened for her and was studying it as much as she could. She also surprised her parents by wanting to exercise like Harry. Her father was glad to help her and join her, as he had been doing before he met her mother.
Hermione was invited to both Dudley's and Harry's birthdays. She didn't fit too well with Dudley's friends, but being with Harry most of the time, she didn't mind it too much.
It was then that Harry decided to introduce her to Silky. He took a piece of cake to his room, followed by Hermione. "I think you should meet another friend of mine. She's usually hidden from view, but I think she will like you. $Silky, will you please come to meet my friend?$"
Hermione was surprised to see a snake coming out of Harry's sleeve. The snake stopped for a moment, smelling the air with its tongue, and then looked at Hermione, as if to evaluate her. "It's a snake!" Hermione blurted in alarm.
"Yes, she's a snake, but she's been living with me for about a year. She is my familiar, which means she's more than a pet, almost like an extension of me."
Seeing the confidence Harry had about this snake, Hermione relaxed and took a better look at the animal, which coiled comfortably around Harry's wrist. "She is beautiful!"
The snake hissed. "She says you are also beautiful, for a human," Harry translated.
"You can talk to her?"
"Yes. When she sinks into my skin we can even talk without sound. I can actually talk with all snakes, so she tells me."
Silky looked at Hermione and then uncoiled partly, moving to Hermione's hand that was close to Harry's, and coiled around her wrist, practically tying both wrists.
"Do you think she wants to tell us something?" Hermione asked.
"She only said we shall have to solve this by ourselves."
Hermione blushed. She was still too young for that, she admonished herself, but she couldn't deny the fact that she really wanted Harry to stay in her life for a long time, maybe even forever.
Hermione fitted much better with Harry's friends, who also seemed to recognize her intelligence (Or had Harry told them first?). She even stayed a bit later, helping with the cleaning.
Petunia appreciated her help very much. "I'm taking Harry to London tomorrow. Would you like to join us?"
"Yes, that would be nice."
"Then, I think you should meet us for lunch at..."
"Aunt Petunia, I think Hermione would love to visit at Diagon Alley with us. She'd already read about it in my books."
Petunia looked alarmed. "Is she..."
"She's like me, Aunt Petunia. She can read all those books."
Petunia nodded slowly. She could suddenly see this long-distance friendship in a new light. Lily had told her about most Potters finding love quite early, yet this was ridiculously early, or was it?
"In that case, we can meet at the west entrance to Kings Cross station at about ten. Who's going to come with you?"
"Mom. she likes any excuse for shopping, even though she buys very little eventually."