A/N: Here's more...enjoy and review!
Chapter 15: Meeting Sirius
For the next week, Harry and Hermione stuck together. Ron ignored them for the most part, but he'd throw a nasty look in Harry's direction every once in a while. He noticed during Herbology the day of his falling out with Ron that his amulet was glowing. It hadn't stopped since. Harry told Hermione that Ron was angry because of the letter, which made her angry because Ron was angry over something so trivial. Harry figured that Ron would get over Hermione soon enough and would start talking to them again. Then he would tell Hermione the real reason why Ron was acting like such a prat.
Both teenagers anxiously awaited their meeting with Sirius on the seventh. Until then, they struggled along with their subjects. Arabella Figg was a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but they wished for Remus Lupin, the teacher from their third year, to return. And although Harry had thought that he didn't like Divination because of Professor Trelawney, he was much mistaken when he didn't even like the lessons that Samuel Blackwell gave-- even though he didn't mind not being told every 10 minutes that he would die a horrible death. He wished miserably that he had followed his gut instinct earlier that summer to drop the couse and take something else like Arithmancy.....with Hermione.
Hermione. That was another thing that had been on Harry's mind for the past few days. He sometimes would let his mind wander off onto the most random thoughts and they would come around to her. He didn't know what to do. Harry definitely hadn't felt like this before-- not even with Cho. Could they just be becoming better friends? He also knew that if anyone said anything, Ron would never speak to him again and he would be short a best friend and on bumpy ground with the one that was left. He was torn.
As the weekend approached, they looked forward to a break to do homework and to seeing Sirius.
***
Saturday, September 7th dawned cold and gray. Harry met Hermione down in the common room and they went to breakfast together. They quietly discussed whether or not they thought McGonagall would let Harry switch courses so late. When Ron entered the Great Hall, both averted their eyes quickly so as not to cause any trouble. To their complete and utter surprise, the first thing that made them look up was Ron.
"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked quietly.
"Sure," Harry said warily. Ron eyed Hermione.
"In private, please?"
Harry looked at Hermione and shrugged. With a last look at Ron and a great 'huff', she stood up and walked over to Lavender and Parvati and sat down.
"What?" Harry asked curiously.
"Okay, look. Last year I realized that I really liked Hermione. But now I realized what I was feeling. It was a confusion of my emotions. I'm going to say it. I love Hermione. Yes, love. But not love like you think I mean it. Love like I love Ginny. Siblings, friends, best pals. I would never want anything to happen to her or anyone to hurt her. So now that I have my feelings sorted out, can we be friends again? Am I forgiven?"
Harry stared gape faced at Ron. He had no idea that he was this sensitive.
"Yes, I forgive you. I don't know if Hermione will. She thinks you're upset about us burning that letter from Snuffles and a real prat at that."
"Yeah I did overreact about that. What was in that letter anyhow?" Ron asked. At Harry's look, he finished, "Wait-- never mind. I don't wanna know."
"I do have one question-- how did you figure out all those feelings things?" Harry queried.
"Lavender. Besides, I didn't want to interfere with fate..." he said dramatically, " I think you and Hermione would be perfect for each other." Harry shook his head.
"Please don't start up. I already get enough from Dean and Seamus." The two boys laughed and stood up. After they shook hands, they motioned for Hermione to come over.
"So, have you finally decided to speak to us again?" she sniffed.
"Yes, I have," he replied nervously.
"Good, I'm glad." She threw her arms around him and gave him a hug. He patted her back and released her. They sat down and ate breakfast together. Just as they were about to leave, Dumbledore clapped his hands to make an announcement.
"Next weekend, on Saturday, third years and above will be permitted to go to Hogsmeade village."
Cheers went up from each table. Hogsmeade was one of the only all-wizarding villages in England. It had all these great shops such as Zonko's Joke Shop and Honeydukes, which sold hundreds of different kinds of candy. And the Shrieking Shack was thought to be one of the most severely haunted buildings-- Harry, Hermione and Ron knew better than that. So everyone was excited about it.
When the three friends exited the Hall, they wandered about the school for about thirty minutes and then at Hermione's insistance, they headed back to the common room to finish their homework.
"Can we stop by the kitchen first? I'm starving!" Ron complained.
"Ron, we just ate breakfast half an hour ago!" Hermione exclaimed, astonished.
"That's a long time! Come on, let's go!" Ron headed down towards the kitchen. They reached the hallway with the paintings of food.
"Hurry! I'm famished!" Ron said eagerly, as he reached up to tickle the pear.
***
A few minutes later, they entered the common room, Ron eating his way through creams and tarts and pies that he had convinced them to help him carry. They began to work on their homework. After they were done, Hermione began to study for O.W.L.'s, ("But they're months away!" Ron protested) and Harry and Ron played about five rounds of chess, all of which Ron beat Harry's pieces to a pulp. Then lunch came.
"Great, I'm ravenous!" Ron said. Harry and Hermione were a few steps behind him and they both looked at each other and cracked up.
***
Later that evening, when everyone had gone to bed, Harry and Hermione slipped out under the Invisibility Cloak.
"Who's there?" the Fat Lady called.
Harry stifled a laugh and the two forged ahead.
When they reached the portrait of Dreg the Dragon Driver, Hermione whispered the password and it swung open. They stepped in quickly and shut the door. Tossing the cloak on a nearby chair, they collapsed side by side to wait for Sirius to appear.
The room was beautifully furnished. The upholstery on all the furniture was a brilliant emerald green and it beautifully complemented the woodworkings, which were as silky and smooth looking as chocolate. So absorbed were they in looking around the room that neither of them noticed him until he spoke.
"Hello, Harry, Hermione," Sirius said. His head wasn't sitting in the fire but he himself was there, looking worn down and ragged.
"Hello, Sirius," they both replied.
"As you know I have come to give you instructions, and I don't have a lot of time. So here we go. This room is for your private use whenever you need to practice what you have been taught. No one but you and Dumbledore know of this room. And me of course. This is also where you will receive training. Every other day at 8:00 pm you will come and be taught by Arabella Figg to hone your skills. Every once in awhile, after you have been taught the basics, you will be called upon by the Order to help us with your knowledge, for our powers can only go so far to save us fromVoldemort. That's about as far as I'm supposed to go with this. Arabella-- Professor Figg to you-- will tell you more about your ancestry in your first lesson. Are there any questions?"
"Yes. What exactly makes us so powerful? Harry's only fifteen and I will be in a few days. How can we be more powerful than you if we've only had five years of training?" Hermione asked.
"I can't tell you exactly about the powers you possess, mostly because I don't understand them fully myself. But, I can tell you this. Being powerful doesn't only come from training. It comes from the mind and soul of the wizard. Not very many people have as special minds and souls as both of you kids do. The Order has been researching the powers that you possess... Dumbledore will probably call upon you shortly with more information. Now I must leave. And Hermione, here's a present from me for your fifteenth birthday. Harry make sure she doesn't open it till next week."
"Okay, Sirius," Harry replied, taking the gift from Hermione and tucking it into his robes. He and Hermione hugged him and he waved, touched a bookcase and then was gone.
"I thought you said no one could Disapparate inside the grounds, Hermione."
"I thought so too." With that they put the cloak over themselves and went back to the common room.
***
When they got there, Harry folded the cloak and they stood there for a minute.
"It's been a good day," Hermione said.
"Yeah," he said.
"Well, good night."
"Good night," he called as she headed up the stairs.
He climbed the stairs, deposited the cloak and her gift in his trunk and went to sleep.
***