===June 8 1992===
Harry wakes up feeling a hand holding his left hand and he opens his eyes. "Glasses."
"Here." Hermione says, putting his glasses on him. "Better?"
Harry nods, noticing that Hermione is the one holding his hand. "Where's Quirrel?"
"What exactly happened Harry?" Dumbledore asks, having just walked in.
#Flashback#
Harry walks forward and sees Quirrel standing in front of the Mirror of Erised. "I see myself with the stone but I don't know how to get it." Quirrel says.
"Try the boy." A raspy voice says.
Quirrel grabs Harry and pulls him in front of the Mirror. He presses on Harry's shoulder. "Tell me what you see."
Harry looks at the mirror. He sees himself slightly older with a slightly older Hermione leaning against him, his arm around her back, her pregnant belly pressed against him. Mirror Hermione holds up the Philosopher's Stone in her left hand, her wedding ring in plain view and puts it in Mirror Harry's pocket before kissing him. Harry feels the stone suddenly appear in his pocket.
#End Flashback#
"Then when Quirrel unwrapped his turban he had a face on the back of his head. Voldemort had possessed him. He attacked me...I'm not entirely sure what happened after that."
"When we found you there was a pile of dust near you." Dumbledore explains. "We think that the protection your mom gave you. The protection that saved your life on that Halloween saved your life again."
"And the stone?" Harry asks.
"Mister Flamel and I agreed it was too dangerous to continue to exist."
Harry nods as he reaches over for some water, noticing the gold letter. After he gets his drink he reaches over and grabs the letter. "What is this?"
"It came while you were unconscious." Dumbledore says. "I don't see any reason for you to open it."
Harry looks at the letter, seeing a red seal on it. "That's Gringotts seal."
"You need to cut yourself on the seal." Hermione says. "Open it, please."
"Miss Granger, what are you doing?" Dumbledore asks.
"I'm giving Harry advice." Hermione answers.
"How do you know how to open it?"
Hermione pulls out her letter. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner."
"Harry, I must insist that that letter remain unopened." Dumbledore says as he reaches for the letter.
Harry looks confused as he thinks to himself. 'Dumbledore is telling me not to open it, but Hermione's telling me to open it. This is confusing.' He looks at the letter in Hermione's hand, it's clearly made of the same material as the one in his. 'Hermione has a similar letter, this can't be a coincidence.' He sees Dumbledore reaching out for his letter. 'Who taught me how to unlock the door? Hermione. Who saved me from Devil's Snare? Hermione. Who solved Snape's riddle? Hermione. What has she asked for in return? Nothing but my friendship until now. Now she wants my trust.'
Harry thinks back to when they were down going after the stone, Hermione was going to kiss him good luck on his cheek. That's when he saw his opportunity, there was a good chance that he was going to die, so he moved and kissed her on the lips. He has no idea if she knows he moved on purpose, but she did kiss him back and now he woke up with her holding his hand. He decides that he's going to trust Hermione. He cuts himself on the seal, the cut healing instantly.
Dumbledore sighs as he watches Harry open up the contract and begin to read it. An owl flies in, dropping a gold letter in his hands. He cuts himself and resigns himself to reading it. "Harry.." He begins.
"Why didn't you want me to open this?" Harry asks coldly.
"I'm guessing because it wasn't official until you did." Hermione says. "Notice the last line: Authorized: June 8, 1992." She opens hers. "It just appeared on mine too."
"Miss Granger, you seem to know a lot about this topic." Dumbledore says.
Hermione grins. "What do you think I've been reading about the last three days?"
"Headmaster." Harry says with a sigh. "I'd like to discuss this whole thing with Hermione, in private if you don't mind."
"Of course." Dumbledore says. "That's your right, just know that marriage contracts can be contested." With that he walks away.
Once Dumbledore walks away Hermione pulls out her wand and casts a privacy spell. "When did you learn that?" Harry asks, surprised.
"Madam Pomfrey taught me the other day."
Hermione answers. "She knew we'd need it." She clears her throat. "I know you have a lot of questions, but I believe this will answer most of them." She hands him Lily's letter.
Harry carefully takes the letter and reads it. "I don't remember meeting you as a toddler."
"Neither did I." Hermione says as she hands him the letter with his name in block letters. "But it was the first memory in my letter."
"You've already opened it?"
Hermione nods. "I have questions about what I saw, but I figured you'd want to see my memories first."
Harry sighs. "Go ahead and ask your questions. I have a feeling you're not going to want me to see your memories afterwards."
"So you already know that you don't have any happy memories before being told you were a wizard?"
Harry winces. "I'm not surprised." He sighs, as his voice becomes cold and Hollow. "My whole life I've been neglected and abused. I didn't even know my name until I was 5. As soon as I was able to, I started doing everything around the house, cooking, cleaning you name it. My 'reward' was whatever scraps of food they left me after they ate." He continues, tears stain his face as he pours his heart out to Hermione.
"Whenever I did something they deemed wrong I was either hit or denied what food they would give me. Sometimes both. My cousin was encouraged to get his buddies to beat me up at school to make sure that wasn't a safe refuge for me either."
"Anytime I told a teacher or police officer what was going on they'd suddenly vanish and I'd get beat for having told." Harry looks at Hermione. "Now you're probably going to disappear since I told you."
Hermione shakes her head. "I'm not going anywhere." She tugs at the marriage contract. "This may not be ideal, but from your mom's letter I think I can get you away from your relatives."
"So you've already accepted it?"
"There's a spell protecting the clause that says we have a year and a day before this becomes irreversible. I feel that if we start dating today we will have a pretty good idea of whether or not we want to continue this within a year."
"How do you know this?"
"Your mom wrote more." Hermione hands him the rest. "I really think I would have gotten along with her."
Harry reads the letter then hands her back everything. "Have you written your parents asking permission for me to stay with you this summer?"
Hermione blushes. "I had Ron send it using Hedwig. I told him to make sure he gave her plenty of treats. I hope you don't mind."
"Well, since you're my girlfriend now I have no problem with it. You can use Hedwig as much as you please."
Hermione smiles and squeezes his hand. "I thought you'd say that. I do have a condition, open the letter with my memories first."
"Are you sure?" Harry asks as he holds the envelope with his name in block letters.
Hermione nods. "It's only fair. I saw yours."
"I didn't have any, so it doesn't feel that it's fair." Harry says. "Maybe you can just tell me some of the ones you want me to know?"
Hermione shakes her head. "Open it."
Harry sighs as he opens the letter. The first memory is their meeting as toddlers, but then he is assaulted by hundreds of memories. He blushes as he sees her as a little girl running naked after a bath as he father chases her with a towel to dry her off. Her father carrying her on his shoulders as they walk to the car. Books, oh so many books. Hermione fretting over her outfit for the first day of school, wanting to impress the teacher. Many more that he couldn't describe, including events from this year including their first kiss. The memories continue right up to when he opened the marriage contract.
"I noticed that opening my contract is a happy memory for you." Harry says as he processes everything.
Hermione blushes. "You choose to listen to me instead of the headmaster, that says a lot."
Harry nods. "Thank you for making me see them, I'm just sorry I don't have any to share with you."
"We'll just have to make some."
Harry smiles as squeezes her hand. "So what are we going to tell everyone?"
"We'll tell them we're together, they don't need to know about the contract. Ron and the twins were there when I received my letter. Professor McGonagall knows, as does Madam Pomphrey. I don't think we need to tell anyone else. If it comes up then we'll decide as a couple."
"That sounds reasonable." Harry says. "You think you can undo the spell so I can get out of here?"
"Of course." Hermione says. "Oh, I nearly forgot, I have one other caveat."
"A what?"
"Caveat, means condition, or clause." Hermione says.
"Name it."
"I expect you to do better in your classes, I will not have my boyfriend or husband relying on my brains."
Harry nods. "Will you help me?"
"Of course." Hermione nods and releases the privacy spell. Pomfrey steps in. "How is he?"
"He's fine." Hermione says.
"Just ready for breakfast." Harry says.
Pomfrey nods. "Go on you two."
Harry gets up. Then he and Hermione walk down to the Great Hall hand in hand.