They didn't spend much time at Gringotts. Harry took his Lord Potter ring from his main vault and gave Hermione her Lady Potter ring. They only took a glimpse at the large vault, leaving a thorough exploration of it for another time.
Harry also took a bottomless money bag, as suggested by his account manager. He was still too young to use a credit card in a muggle environment, though.
"We need to do some shopping now," Hermione told him. "You need a new wardrobe, fit for a person in your position."
Harry didn't mind. He had no experience in shopping, never being allowed to buy anything. Now he was free to do as he chose and money was no problem. Yet the best part of it was being with Hermione, enjoying her laughter and her frowns, enjoying the way she cared for him and also being able to pamper her with a few presents.
They spent a short while at Madam Malkin's, buying several sets of robes of the highest quality, some of which were bearing the Potter house crest. Hermione suggested that a full magical wardrobe was needed, and Harry bought shirts, trousers and even shoes to complement it. He also insisted on buying a similar wardrobe for Hermione, bearing the Potter crest as well.
They soon left for Muggle London, and Hermione led the way. They visited Harrods, where both bought a complete wardrobe, for both formal occasions and casual wear. Harry also insisted on having lunch there.
Hermione was not satisfied yet. "You need a better pair of eyeglasses and we should not neglect our muggle education. I want us both to be able to attend university after school."
They visited an optician store. Harry needed new glasses, it was found, as his old pair was not giving him the sharpest view. Hermione chose two much nicer frames to be fitted with the lenses.
She then took him to a bookstore. Harry chuckled internally. It was so like Hermione to seek answers in books, yet she was right, he had to admit. They could use some muggle education for making a better future.
By the time they left the bookstore, where they asked for their purchase to be delivered to the Granger house, it was almost dinner time. They just walked around hand in hand, looking to the rest of the world like two teenagers in love, stopping occasionally at a shop window and just having fun being together.
"Where would you like to have dinner?" Harry asked.
"I don't really care. We're near Soho, where there are many restaurants. Any of them will do."
A few minutes later, Harry spotted a cluster of restaurants. He identified Chinese, Thai, French, Italian and Indian restaurants. "Fancy any of them?" he asked.
"Hmm... The Indian may be too spicy, as you're not accustomed to the taste, and I'm not sure if the other oriental cooking may not be too strange for you. We shall have more than enough French cooking soon, so I choose the Italian."
Harry enjoyed dining out and enjoyed the Italian food, but he enjoyed Hermione's company most of all. They dined leisurely, talking softly, holding hands, and even kissing a bit between servings.
They watched a romantic comedy at a nearby cinema after dinner. By the time they arrived back at Privet Drive, the Dursleys were already asleep.
\/\/\/
Hermione ate her breakfast pensively the next morning. "What do you want to do today?" she asked.
"I thought you had a plan already," he teased her.
"I do," she admitted, "Several, in fact, but I want to adjust them according to your wishes."
Harry gave it some thought. "Well... Maybe we should check my vault and see if there's anything interesting there. I'm sure we may find several books of interest, but I'm not sure what else."
Hermione's eyes lighted at the mention of books. "Sure, that could fill our morning and then we may go to a matinee in one of the theatres."
"Followed by another Italian dinner?"
She smiled. "Why not? But we should come back earlier than yesterday. Your cousin seems eager to talk with you and we really need to sleep some more. We are still not done with growing, I believe."
"Yes, we should go to bed earlier," he agreed, yet his tone was very suggestive, making Hermione laugh.
Still, dining out can become a lengthy affair. By the time they came back, his aunt and uncle had already retired. Dudley was still waiting for them in the living room, barely keeping his eyes open in front of the TV. When hearing the door open and close, he shook himself awake and rose to greet them.
"Had a nice day?" he asked politely.
"Quite," Harry answered. "We had some business at the bank first. It looks like my parents stored all the important books there. You can imagine how long it would take to sort them out. Then, after lunch, we did a bit of shopping, went to the theatre and then to a restaurant. How was your day?"
Dudley grimaced. "Not as nice as yours. I visited Polkiss – his mother is very ill. I thought I could cheer him up, but it almost ended the other way round. I then played a bit at my computer and heard Mum and Dad arguing. Then I almost fell asleep here before you came."
"You wanted to talk with us, didn't you?" Hermione asked.
"Sure!" Dudley seemed to change his attitude. He looked more pensive. Harry couldn't really understand, as he had never seen Dudley in such a mood. "You see, since going to Smelting I had some time to think on my own, without my parents' influence. It eventually occurred to me that the way we were treating you was not normal. I don't think you are a freak, as Dad says, and it doesn't look right to treat you so differently than they treat me. I think they should have raised us more like brothers. They may prefer one over the other, as I've read it happens sometimes, but they should have still tried to treat us both about the same."
Harry felt surprised and wasn't sure about what to say, but Dudley had some more. "I've also found out how it felt to be bullied like I used to act with you. At school, during the first year, I was just a firstie, a nobody, whom older students used to bully. This made me think about how you, and other children I didn't treat nicely, felt. I wonder why my parents even allowed me to act that way and didn't stop it as soon as they knew of it. Anyhow, I need to apologize to you. I was just a stupid boy at the time and knew no better. I hope I'm a bit smarter now. I hope you can forgive me and that we can become like brothers, the way we should have been from the start."
"That's really mature of you," Hermione noted.
Harry smiled. "I think we can leave the past alone and just make sure we have a better future. I forgive you for the past and hope that you won't need to apologize again."
Dudley smiled reluctantly. "Thank you, Harry, but I'm not sure I'm smart enough not to make mistakes that I may later regret. I'm trying really hard, though."
Harry patted his shoulder. He was actually surprised to find that he'd already grown to be the same height as Dudley. "That's better than most people, I believe. Keep going that way and we can become really close."
Dudley smiled. "Well, I think somebody is eager to get you into bed. It's not nice of me to keep her waiting, so I wish you both goodnight."
Harry watched pensively as Dudley climbed the stairs heavily. He really liked this new Dudley. Maybe they finally had a chance, he thought.
\/\/\/
Fleur arrived early the next afternoon. She knocked on the door and even used the doorbell, but got no response. She could use some magic to get in, but she didn't think it would be right, even if nobody saw her. Evidently, nobody was at home.
She sat dejectedly on the lawn, wondering what to do next.
It was almost an hour later when Dudley arrived. He couldn't possibly ignore the attractive young woman. "Who are you?" he asked.
Fleur stood up, making her perfect figure more visible. "Hello, I'm Fleur – a friend of Harry. Do you know where he is?"
Dudley shrugged, although his eyes were almost planted in her generous cleavage. "He left home early with his wife and only said not to wait for him with dinner. You may leave him a message, unless you'd like to wait and keep me company."
Fleur tried to hide her disgust at the idea. Although physically bigger, Dudley looked like an overgrown fat child to her, while Harry was already a young man. "Can you tell him to expect my call near eight in the morning? He doesn't leave that early, I believe."
"I'll tell him, but you should better call a bit later, after my father leaves home. He's already stressed about Harry living here with his wife. No need to add to his stress."
This piqued her interest. "Aren't you affected as well?"
"Well, I'd like to have a girl to be with, like he has, but I'm not yet ready to get married, not for quite a few years, I think."
"So, you think he's too young to have a wife?"
Dudley shrugged again. "He seems to like it, so maybe it is good for him. It looks like they really love each other very much."
"Well, I'll call him a few minutes after eight. Please tell him."
Dudley nodded, noticing how shapely the young woman was. He wondered what she wanted from Harry, though, knowing he was already married.
A blink of an eye later she wasn't there. Dudley just shook his head, thinking that if he didn't know about Magic, he would have thought it was only a dream.
Harry wasn't surprised, and both he and his wife knew Fleur, yet none seemed inclined to talk about her.
Dudley woke up late, as usual, the next day. His mother was not home and he didn't see Harry either. He served himself breakfast – just cereals and milk, not knowing how to make anything else. He was finishing his meal when he heard Harry's door open and some voices. A moment later he saw Harry coming down the stairs, hugging both his wife and the French woman.
Trying to hide his surprise, he smiled at the three, adding, "I see you've found them."
Fleur's smile almost dazzled him. "Sure! I need him at least once a week, and I want even more."
Dudley wasn't sure he understood correctly. Was she... No! Harry wouldn't cheat on his wife. And she was with them! But then, what else could she mean? He just smiled back, not sure he could say anything.
"Dudley, please tell your mother that we're staying with my in-laws for the weekend. We'll be back Sunday evening, probably quite late," Harry told him.
"Well, have fun." Dudley didn't feel envious, yet that French chick...
Fleur accompanied them to London and spent the rest of the morning with them. She only parted when they wanted to get some lunch. She preferred the one at home over any British one.
It was quite late when they took the train from London back to the Granger home and a short taxi ride later, they reached the Granger house. Hermione's parents had already retired, leaving only a few lights on. Some light snoring was occasionally heard from their bedroom.
"Where will I sleep?" Harry asked. He knew what he wanted, but he didn't want to take any liberty his hosts might frown at.
"In my bed, of course. It's now our bed, as we are married."
"Won't your parents object?"
Hermione smiled. "Harry, they accepted our marriage and they expect married couples to sleep together. They will be upset if you sleep anywhere else."
Harry was still unsure, but he didn't want to offend either his wife or her parents. Besides, going to bed with Hermione was really wonderful.
\/\/\/
Harry woke early, as usual. He looked at his wife, who was still sleeping peacefully with a smile on her face. She was the most beautiful being anywhere, he thought. He felt his love for her grow stronger than he ever thought possible. He caressed her face lightly, making sure not to wake her up, and then got out of bed. He glanced at Hermione some more, admiring her naked body, then covered her with the light blanket, grabbed a dressing gown and left for the bathroom.
Hermione got up much later, awakened by the smell of fresh pancakes infiltrating her room. When she arrived at the kitchen, she found Harry standing at the stove, preparing another batch of pancakes with her mother watching him admiringly.
"Did you know he can cook?" she asked her daughter.
"Yes. He did that yesterday as well. He makes delicious breakfasts."
"He sure does!"
Hermione looked around. "Where's Dad?"
"He's already finished eating. He needs to leave soon. I probably need to get ready as well," her mother said, looking regretfully at the loaded breakfast table. "If he stays here much longer, it will ruin my diet," she added.
"Maybe you should make breakfast, then?" Hermione teased her.
"No way! Your dear husband surpasses me by several levels. Well, we leave for France shortly. I hope he won't need to cook there." Jean stood up, kissed Hermione on her head and patted Harry's shoulder before leaving the kitchen.
Harry finished the last pancake, turned off the cooker and brought the plate to the table, bending to kiss Hermione. "Slept well?"
"I did. I missed you at my side in the morning, though."
"I thought your parents would enjoy having a nice breakfast before going to work, and I was awake early, as usual, anyway." He sat at her side and served them both. "You took a shower before coming here," he noted.
"I didn't want my parents to smell the remains of our nightly activity. They know and they approve, but it wouldn't do to shove it in their faces. I believe you took a shower as well."
He smiled. "Sure. I don't think your father would appreciate being served breakfast with the scent of sex, especially not by me."
\/\/\/
The next two weeks passed leisurely. Hermione made sure that Harry's wardrobe was updated, did homework with him and took him to the theatre and the cinema several times. They also started going over the contents of the Potter vault, but since it was huge, they felt no urgency to finish it any time soon. Instead, they used the few sunny days to get some suntan in the backyard or at the public pool and even watched some TV along with Dudley.
They left the Dursley home a day before going to France. It was an awkward goodbye, though. Vernon tried to seem indifferent, failing miserably. He seemed anxious to get rid of Harry, and yet he also seemed reluctant to part. "Well, boy, I wish you luck wherever you go, just stay away from here," he said, before turning to leave for work, yet Hermione could swear she saw some wetness in his eyes.
Petunia didn't try to hide her mixed feelings. "I'm glad you leave to find your own destiny. I believe you'll be much happier from now on, especially with such an impressive wife as yours, as you both seem to be deeply in love.
"Do write and let me know of any important news, please. You are all that remains of my sister, you know. I loved her dearly, despite our differences." She hugged Harry tightly, not holding her tears.
Dudley acted naturally. "Good luck, Harry, Hermione. I don't expect to see you here, but I'll be glad to keep in touch, especially after I have my own home." He shook Harry's hand and gave him a manly hug. He then approached Hermione reluctantly, not sure how to act. She extended her hand and he shook hands with her as well. "Good luck," he said again.
"I'll make sure to keep you informed," Hermione promised to both Petunia and Dudley, before grabbing her husband's hand and going out, not looking back.