A Force of Magic [HP Jamione fanfic]

Chapter 6: Potter Manor

3rd September 1998
7pm
Black Manor – Grantham, Lincolnshire
Residence of Sirius Black, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Remus, Nymphadora, and Teddy Lupin

Hermione returned from her training exhausted. Healer Mallory had had her pouring over old crumbling scrolls on ancient potions all day and her eyes were strained. She flopped straight onto one of the large sofas in the drawing room where the floo had spat her out. She lay there for a while, just relaxing, when a cup of steaming tea appeared in her vision. She followed the arm attached to the hand holding the cup up to her gently smiling best friend's face.

"Here, take it 'Mione." Harry took a seat on the sofa next to hers, relaxing back into the cushions with a sigh, "You look exhausted."

She snorted, "Thanks. I am."

"They're working you too hard at that apprenticeship of yours, 'Mione."

Hermione just scoffed, and raised an incredulous eyebrow at Harry, "I think that's a case of the pot calling the kettle black, Potter. You think I haven't noticed how burnt out you are after a long day of training?"

"Touche." Harry said with a grin.

"How is it going, anyway?" Hermione asked, taking a large sip of the strong, sweet tea and letting the hot liquid slide down her throat and warm her from the inside.

Harry was still smiling, and it only got wider, "Really good, yeah. As you said they work us hard, but it feels like I'm helping. I love it."

Hermione grinned back, happiness and love bursting in her chest. "I'm so proud of you Harry!" She squealed, "You're going to be an amazing healer!" Harry just smiled helplessly, and they both sat there in a comfortable silence for a while, relaxed and happy to bask in it.

Just as Hermione's eyes were beginning to slip closed, the warmth from the tea, and the newly lit fire spreading through her limbs, Harry spoke up again. "So I've been thinking." She furiously blinked her eyes open again, rolling her heavy head to look at Harry. He was looking serious now, and had sat forward, his elbows now resting on his knees. She offered an encouraging hum, gesturing for him to carry on. "Well, we never knew this place existed, right?"

"Right." Her curiosity piqued, she pulled herself up to sitting, still cradling her tea in her hands.

"So, it stands to reason that Potter cottage where my parents lived wasn't the only Potter residence, right?"

She gave it a moment of thought, before agreeing, "Right."

"So there's probably another Potter property somewhere that's mine that I just don't know about because Dumbledore didn't see fit to tell me." There was bitterness in his tone speaking of Dumbledore, even though Harry had forgiven him, there was still a lingering resentment for the way he had treated Harry as a pawn.

She was now fully lucid again, and thinking hard. "It does make sense," She finally said. She tapped her forefinger on her bottom lip in thought, only stopping herself from getting up and pacing because of how achey her legs and feet were. "But how would you even begin to try and look for that?"

Harry turned and stared at her in consternation, "I hadn't thought of that." He frowned and flopped back into the squishy sofa. They both sat there for an indeterminate amount of time, trying to think of a way to discover whether there were any more properties owned by the Potters.

That's how Sirius found them when he came bounding into the room roughly half an hour later. "Merlin, look at these sad sods." They both blinked out of their reveries, and turned to look at Sirius in surprise. "What's going on in here then?" He stalked across the room to the liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle of Ogden's finest and a fine cut glass, and poured himself a few fingers.