The next few years were some of Harry's brightest. Without having the ever-present animosity from the Dursleys, Harry was finally able to experience what a real childhood was like. From being woken up by Dan and Emma, to having a gracious breakfast already waiting for him; from being told to go to bed to receiving a good night kiss, it was all Harry could ask for in a family.

While his relationship to the Granger parents deepened, so did his relationship with Hermione.

He took his vow to give her a happy childhood seriously. From his waking moments, Harry would stick to Hermione like glue, joined at the hip. They did everything together, studying and playing. When one would get in trouble, so would the other; when one would get praised, so would the other. Hermione was as happiest as she could be. She finally had someone she could enjoy herself with, and unlike most other children, she could enjoy doing what she loved with Harry: read.

While Harry curved Hermione's desire to please authority, he also supported Hermione's endeavors into learning. Harry loved Hermione for who she was, an extremely intelligent, bookish person, and wouldn't trade her for anything else.

For these reasons and others, Hermione and Harry became fast friends, and soon enough, the best of friends.

As Dan enrolled Harry in the same school as Hermione, her experience at school was also shaped. No more was she belittled and bullied by those who were threatened by Hermione's intelligence, instead they would feel the wrath of Harry's over protectiveness.

The first case of this happening was two weeks into school.

During class, Hermione was trying to help correct a boy who was having trouble in math. Thinking that she was belittling him by acting superior, he quickly angered. Shoving her help away, he called her a know-it-all, something that for a 6 year old was very insulting. She recoiled in shock, and buried her face into her hands so no one would see her tears.

Well, Harry sure saw this. Oh boy did he see this.

As the class was let out, Harry confronted the boy in the hall.

"Hey dumb fuck, you better apologize to Hermione before I make you".

Hermione, who was right behind him when he said this, blanched at his words before she tried to stop him and direct him away. She was used to their name calling.

The boy turned around, looking confused at Harry's words, but knew that it was an insult. He had heard that it plenty of times from his older brother.

"Why should I say sorry? She was just being a stupid know-it-all. She should say sorry for being such a bookworm!" Was his hypocritical reply. Harry only laughed at the reply, before looking at Hermione who was tugging at his shirt, again, trying to defuse the situation.

"Let's just go Harry, you don't have to get mad. He just called me name, I'm used to it."

Harry bristled at her words, understanding her implied words.

"Well, you shouldn't be used to these words 'Mione. This guy is bullying you, you have to stand up for yourself or else they'll think that they can do anything to you. Trust me, it will only get worse." Saying that, Harry turned back to the boy and stared him dead in the eyes.

Utilizing a legilimency probe, Harry learned that the boy was only being mean to Hermione because he was jealous of her. Going in deeper, Harry used some light usage of Imperio to make the boy stop calling her names. A thought suddenly crossed his mind, before Harry grinned evilly. He also made it so that when he planned to be mean to anyone, he would get constipation.

Okay, maybe that was a little extreme, but he deserved it! He was hurting Hermione.

Or maybe Harry was being just a tad not childish.

Nah.

Harry left the boy's mind, learning that his name was Peter in doing so, and made a gesture toward Hermione, his meaning clear. Peter cowered a little bit, before turning to Hermione and apologizing.

Hermione beamed at Peter, accepting the apology, before clocking Harry at the back of his head for his usa of improper language. Oh well, all in a day's work.

That confrontation did leave a deep impression in Hermione's mind, as that day brought them closer together. Not only that, but rumors spread like wildfire, and soon enough everybody was talking about Hermione's over protective brother.

Brother.

Even today, 5 years after Harry was adopted, he hated when anyone called Harry and Hermione siblings. Although it was technically correct, it made Harry extremely uncomfortable as it collided negatively with what Harry was hoping for.

You see, if it wasn't obvious enough already, Harry liked Hermione. No, not liked. Loved. Harry loved Hermione. He loved her so much that he did the impossible by traveling back in time by years, not hours like Time-Turners did.

The fact that others associated Harry and Hermione to brother and sister was detrimental to the bond that Harry wanted between him and Hermione.

As such, for the next 5 years, he did everything in his power to ensure that nobody, especially Hermione, saw them as siblings. It was an obsession. People learned soon enough that calling them brother and sister was one of Harry's major triggers. Harry would get very mad, and confidently state that he was adopted and Hermione and him were best friends.

Dan and Emma found this weird, but accepted it as something a child who had lost his entire family did.

The fact that when they asked Harry why he didn't want to be considered a brother to Hermione and he blushed brightly before giggling went neglected. Statutorily neglected.

Still, Emma found this sweet and smiled at him while Dan would narrow his eyes and mutter something about "boys trying to take away my princess".

While most found his anger strange, to Hermione, it didn't matter one bit. In fact, she preferred to have a best friend over a brother, as a brother would be "very annoying". So, when someone would ask her about her brother, she would say she didn't have one, but she did have her best friend Harry.

This was all in Harry's favor, as Hermione's parents slowly stopped trying to view Harry as their son and Hermione's brother, but rather as a sweet and intelligent child that was best friends with their daughter and just happened to stay there.

Of course, we can't talk about the going-ons during the next few years without talking about the biggest change in Hermione's childhood.

The knowledge of magic.

It was Hermione's eighth birthday when Harry decided it was the opportune time to tell her. To introduce her to magic.

As Harry thought back to that fateful day, he winced at how he went about it, admitting to himself that he could have done it better.

You see, Harry went in with his usual Gryffindor-ish self. What I mean by that is that he knocked on Hermione's door, and as he went in, he cast a wandless locking charm on the door and a silencing charm on the room, before turning to the curious Hermione.

And casted a simple Wingardium Leviosa

On Hermione..

No one could blame Hermione for her sudden scream, not even Harry who considered himself lucky that he had put out those charms. Gently lowering a still screaming Hermione to the bed, he canceled the charm. It did nothing to stop her screaming.

Walking up to her, he hugged her to calm her down. It worked, as she stopped screaming and reciprocated the hug more fiercely, still scared of finding herself floating again. Once Harry deemed Hermione calm again-or at least not scared shitless- he backed up but held his hands on her shoulders.

Grinning, Harry continued his introduction with a, " Hey, did you know you can do magic?".

Hermione only looked at him for a second, before fainting, her back landing softly on the bed.

Harry grimaced. This could take a while.

— — —

Over the next few hours, Harry explained to Hermione all about the Wizarding World, of magic in ways that she could never believe existed, of mythical and wonderful creatures, of customs and traditions, of a wonderful school where other magical kids went for seven years to learn magic when they turned 11. All of this and more.

Hermione took like fish to water, absorbing knowledge at an incredible rate, and sponging up more. This led to Harry teaching Hermione Occlumency, and accompanying that, Legilimency. Occlumency was easy enough to practice. All Hermione needed to due was clear her mind and envision a place where she could store and protect all of her knowledge and thoughts. Hermione being Hermione, turned her mind into an enormous library. Normally, teaching a child would be impossible to their inability to focus and become tranquil, something that Hermione was able to do due to her maturity. By now, Hermione would successfully be able to detect any probe on her mind, and might be able to hold off an attack from the likes of a master like Snape for long enough to stop eye contact. She still wasn't at Dumbledore and Voldemort level, but she would be. Harry would make are of that.

Legilimency was harder to teach than Occlumency. only because of Hermione's moral compass. She didn't find it right to peek into anyone's mind, as that was an extreme invasion of privacy. Harry was able to convince her though. Just barely. His justification was that Hermione would be able to know the results of her test much earlier. Once he explained it like that. Hermione accepted it, although she was very reluctant to do so. 'Oh Hermione, never change'. Her progress with legilimency wasn't nearly as far as it was with Occlumency, but she knew enough to get surface thoughts and to enter the most rudimentary protected minds. It was the most he would get from her.

As Hermione never had the most powerful magical core, he didn't expect her to be able to do much wand less magic. On that front, she surprised him. Not only was she able to cast a wandless and silent stupefy, she was also able to cast a wandless accio charm. The latter would be the most useful, as she could use it to retrieve her wand if it was taken from her. The stupefy would be a nasty surprise, but wouldn't work past the first time, as she wouldn't have the element of surprise anymore.

She could of course, cast simple charms such as Lumos and a locking charm, but most wizards and witches could do that if they applied themselves.

As Hermione's 11 birthday rolled in, Harry was sure she was the most powerful and experienced first year in, perhaps forever. Well, second most powerful, but Harry didn't count. Harry is cheating. For all of Hermione's intelligence. she never once questioned how Harry knew what he did. Harry assumed that she would ask later, and if she was ready, he would tell her the truth.

For now though, Harry, Dan and Emma were preparing to surprise Hermione with a wake-up Granger family, minus Hermione of course, met right outside her bedroom door. Grinning at each other, Harry prod the door open, casting a wandless silencing charm while Dan and Emma weren't looking; tipped toed to her bed and counted to three with his fingers,

Grinning sharply, Harry begun with a very loud, 'SURPRISE!" before jumping onto her bed. Hermione woke with a start, sharply sitting upright, an action that caused her and Harry major pain as she hit her forehead with his.

Wincing and rubbing her head, Hermione couldn't help but grin in happiness as she enveloped a still whining Harry with a crushing hug, stopping his complaints as he gently, but just as fiercely, hugged her back. After a long pause, she disentangled herself from Harry-making him pout- and went on to hug each of her parents.

The rest of the morning went on in the same fashion; the whole family having fun as they goofed around. Soon the time came for presents. And after a hearty breakfast, they situated themselves around the living room. Harry sat closely next to Hermione in a loveseat, while Dan and Emma sat across from them in a longer couch. Hermione's first presents were from both Dan and Emma. As Hermione tore into the box with clear enthusiasm, Harry kept an eye on the windows for a certain owl. It was time for that after all. Hearing a gasp next to him, he looked over to Hermione as she revealed a thick book from the mangled box. She clearly enjoyed the present, as her eyes and face lit up in obvious wonder. Harry smiled again; that look is what he worked hard for; why he kept on living. Hugging her parents again, Hermione sat back down, clutching the book to her chest before placing it at the small table on her right.

Hermione looked over expectantly at Harry, who only smirked mischievously, before retrieving his birthday present. It was a small black leather box, it's professionalism shown in the craftsmanship. Gently opening the box, Hermione let out a gasp at what she found inside.

A beautiful and ornate necklace, with a sapphire stone in the middle, rested within. As Hermione reached in with a shaking hand, Harry explained what it was.

"I looked up birthstones and found that yours was sapphire, so I ordered a necklace from this jewelry place that is quite well known and-oof"

Harry was cut off by Hermione who leapt out at him and hugged him for all that he was worth. Harry grinned slightly, returning the hug. After another long pause, Hermione backed away, and with a blazing face, leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on Harry's cheek, before pulling away and dragging her mom to put on the necklace. Harry was left there, stumped, with a stupefied face and a cheeky grin. Dan was also surprised, before his "dad mode" activated to accost Harry for getting kissed by his daughter.

"Now listen here young man. I don't care who you are, but you cannot simply…"

His response was ignored by Harry as he was still in dream land. Giggling slightly, the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs woke him up, and Hermione once again came running into his arms, giving him another hug.

"Ohthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! This is the best, most amazing present ever!" Squealed Hermione. Harry laughed a bit at her rapid fire words, before responding, "You're welcome Hermione. I should only give the most beautiful girl in the world the most beautiful necklace ever right?" His smooth reply only caused Hermione to blush even deeper, who began to look like a raw tomato.

Hermione opened her mouth to reply before a loud 'hoot' filled their ears. As one, the Grangers looked over to the open window, only to be shocked at finding a large owl resting on the ledge, a large, bound paper tied to it's stretched out leg.

While the Grangers were too busy being bewildered by the nocturnal bird, Harry smiled lightly.

'The time has begun'.