Big Surprises, Small Packages

“HERMIONE!” Harry Potter shouted at the top of his lungs. He growled in frustration after the last batch of thunder rolled away, leaving only the deafening sound of the rain pelting the foliage around him. He took another deep breath and just as before, thunder boomed overhead as he shouted for his best friend.

Feeling rather disgruntled, he stalked off in the direction he thought he’d seen her run. Care of Magical Creatures always held its surprises and today wasn’t an exception. The class had started off enjoyably until Malfoy and his goon squad had made their grand entrance. He and Pansy Parkinson whipped their usual repertoire of pseudo-intellectual insults at the group of Gryffindors, most directed at Harry, Hermione and Ron.

Harry couldn’t, for the life of him, understand why the Slytherins would take the advanced version of Hagrid’s class. He, Hermione and Ron remained in their friend’s class because they wanted to see him succeed as an instructor. They hadn’t counted on the prince of Slytherin and his cronies to continue as well.

The class period started uneventfully, the considerably smaller group traveled into the Forbidden Forest to the paddock where Grawp was normally encamped only to find, to everyone’s horror, an actual Chimera. Harry remembered Hermione gripping his arm as if her life depended upon their continued contact when something occurred to him; Hermione’s boggart was the Chimera, not failing a test.

Hermione wasn’t the only frightened student present, Malfoy seemed to have wet himself and Goyle lost all color in his face. Crabbe and Pansy were already halfway back to Hagrid’s hut and Ron just stood there with a gaping mouth.

Everything went to hell after the introduction to the dangerous creature. As soon as the thunderstorm hit, a bolt of lightning struck the chains holding the Chimera down and knocked Hagrid unconscious. According to their professor, the Chimera instinctively hunted the one who was most terrified of its presence. With the weakened chains and the beast frantically trying to rid itself of its metal prison, the weakest links snapped, granting its freedom.

Harry suddenly felt Hermione’s lessened grip and when he looked to where she was he grimaced at her retreating backside. She was so overcome with fear that she’d shot off randomly into the forest and didn’t see that Grawp had knocked the class’ subject unconscious. Using his wand, he realized that she was running straight for the Acromantula nest in the middle of the forest and as the rain began to fall, he followed after her at a run.

A flash of lightning and a deafening boom of thunder woke him from his memories of the past few hours and he pushed onward through the underbrush, trying in vain to call Hermione’s name. He couldn’t believe his luck when the rain began falling harder than it already was and a tremendous wind struck up from nowhere. He moved quickly to a nearby rock wall and found a semi-dry cave behind an outcropping of bushes.

With one last look around, he sighed and climbed through the small opening to a blood curdling scream.

“GET AWAY!” Hermione shouted in a terrified, shrill voice. She blindly began kicking at the face of her best friend who was just able to block a nasty hit to his head.

“HERMIONE!” Harry shouted in response. “Calm down! It’s me!”

His voice seemed to snap her out of her hysteria and with trembling hands reached down to help him into the cave, which was more damp and cold than Harry had thought.

“Harry, I’m so sorry,” she whimpered as he sat beside her. He felt a warm trickle slide down his temple and cheek. “Let me clear that up,” she said tenderly and waved her wand over a gash in the side of his head.

“Why didn’t you just tell us that the Chimera is what you’re most afraid of?” Harry asked after she’d mended his wound. “Grawp stopped it before it got out of control...”

“I-I didn’t know,” she said sheepishly. “I didn’t say anything because I really didn’t think Hagrid would bring one into class...”

“You did seem worried that he’d get his hands on one after the Skrewts...” Harry said with a shrug.

“How could you have known?” she asked quietly.

“Are you ok now?” he asked, changing the subject. “Do you think we could get out of this cave and back to the school?”

“I think so,” she admitted. “I’m sorry, Harry, I feel so ashamed...”

“Why should you feel ashamed at meeting your darkest fear head on?” Harry asked concernedly. “Did you think I looked at a Dementor and got over my fear of it just like that?”

“No...”

“Then you shouldn’t expect yourself to get over this fear,” he said consolingly, stifling a cough. “Come on. Let’s get back to the school and into some dry clothes.”

Harry exited the cave first followed by Hermione who was immediately blown back against the cliff by the force of the wind.

“YOU LOOKED FOR ME IN THIS?!” she shouted over the roar of the wind, covering her head with the hood of her cloak. Harry simply nodded and took her hand. They fought against the gale force winds and with the help of their wands, stepped onto the school grounds once again. Harry sent up several streams of sparks in different directions before pulling Hermione towards the castle.

“WE’LL LET DUMBLEDORE KNOW WE’RE BACK FIRST!” he shouted hoarsely over the wind and thunder as they half-trotted, half-stumbled to the steps of the castle.

Harry looked up in surprise when he saw Hagrid running down the corridor towards him. “What are you doing in here?” he asked testily as the half-giant reached them.

“I thought yeh might ‘ave turned around when the storm got bad,” Hagrid said apologetically. “’ow are yeh, ‘Ermione?” he asked concernedly.

“I’m fine, Hagrid,” she said quietly. “Chimera terrify me,” she said in barely a whisper, “sorry I ran off...”

“There’s no reason ta ‘pologize,” Hagrid said concernedly. “Get on up ta the hospital wing, Harry, yeh two look like yeh could use a pepper-up potion.”

Harry nodded, too wet, tired and cold to argue. Hermione followed after him as they climbed the stairs and made their way down the corridor to Madam Pomfrey’s domain. It didn’t take him long to take the potion and the two friends were on their way back to Gryffindor tower.

“I think I’m going to go straight to bed,” Harry wheezed as they climbed through the portrait hole. “Are you going to be alright, Hermione?”

“I will be, Harry,” she said with a hug. “Thank you for coming after me, I’m sorry you had to...”

“Don’t apologize, Hermione,” Harry said after clearing his throat. “There was no way I was going to let you wander around the forest on your own. I’m really beat, I’ll see you in the morning, ok?”

Hermione nodded and watched Harry skulk up the stairs to his dormitory. As soon as he sat on his bed, he slumped to his side and fell asleep.

“Harry, wake up, mate...” Ron said gently as he shook Harry’s shoulder. “Wake up... you’re going to be late for breakfast.”

With a groan and a stretch, Harry sat up and looked around the room groggily.

“Why are your clothes all wet, mate?” Ron asked as he finished tying his shoes. “Don’t tell me those are the same clothes you wore yesterday!”

Harry nodded that he had then as quickly as his aching muscles would allow, he stripped and dressed in a dry school uniform. He felt dizzy as he stood up so he shook his head slightly to clear it. Harry instantly regretted the motion when it felt like something the size of the castle smacked him upside the head.

“You don’t look so good, Harry,” Neville said concernedly as he helped his friend steady himself.

“I’ll be fine,” Harry croaked. “Just sore from running after Hermione and my throat’s raw because I was shouting for her. Just need some breakfast.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay in bed?” Neville asked. “I can tell the professors that you’re sick...”

“I’m not sick,” Harry said with a wince. “I just need to get some food and something to drink.”

Neville didn’t push the matter further and with a clap on Harry’s shoulder left for the Great Hall. Ron filed out next with Harry taking up the rear. He stumbled into the common room and found Hermione sitting patiently in one of the couches. She looked up when he entered the room and a look of concern crossed her face.

“I’m fine, Hermione,” his raspy voice said before she could say anything. “I just need something to eat and drink...”

“Are you sure?” she asked as she stepped up to him.

“I’m sure,” Harry said with a slight smile. “Besides, there’s that project in potions that I can’t miss...”

“Try to take it easy today,” Hermione said as they descended the stairs towards the Great Hall. “I’m sorry you had to–”

“Will you please stop apologizing for that, Hermione?” he said exasperatedly. “I wasn’t about to let you wander the forest... It could have been raining daggers and I would have gone after you.”

Hermione smiled softly and nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered as they took their customary seats. To his friends’ relief, as soon as Harry had some food in him and downed two glasses of pumpkin juice, he looked much better. To Harry, however, looks were deceiving. He knew he was coming down with something but having something to eat did give him a bit of an energy boost.

It wasn’t long until they were in Transfiguration and he had no problems with their assignment. Neville’s new wand seemed as temperamental as his old one and somehow he ended up transfiguring Harry’s shirt into a skirt and a complicated counter involving a doll had to be used to return it back to normal.

“The use of the doll was pure genius!” Hermione crowed as they made their way to charms. “It seemed like a last resort option to me, but Professor McGonagall went straight for it! Brilliant!”

“Who would have thought that a girl’s toy could be used in a counter-curse in Transfiguration?” Ron asked with a shake of his head. “I was even surprised that she had a non-transfigured version in her desk!”

“Of course she’d have one on hand!” Hermione countered. “You can’t just use one that used to be a dinner roll or a scroll lying about, the actual article has properties a Transfigured version doesn’t!”

Harry, however, had tuned out his friends’ bickering as he was still feeling flushed with embarrassment. He still couldn’t believe he was stuck in front of the entire class with a frilly, lacy mini-skirt over his shoulders like a poncho.

“Harry, are you still embarrassed about that?” Hermione asked quietly as they took their seats in Professor Flitwick’s classroom. “At least Malfoy wasn’t there or he wouldn’t let you live it down.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Harry said with a shrug. “I’m still not happy about it. I’ll be ok.”

Hermione smiled softly at him before they turned to their assignment for the day. It was all review for Harry and Hermione, thankfully for him. He was starting to feel a bit groggy again and couldn’t wait until lunch. They were working on reducing candlesticks to the size of matches and the pair made short work of their task and turned to help those who were sitting to either side of them.

Ron became impatient when his candlesticks would only shrink at one end, leaving a ridiculous looking piece of wax sitting on his table. He began fanning his wand around wildly in a tantrum and his wand slipped from his hand. Harry sneezed just then, forcing his glasses to the tip of his nose and recoiled when he was struck in the eye. Ron turned towards his grumbling best friend who had his hand pressed over his face.

“Harry, I’m sorry, mate!” Ron blurted as he snatched his wand from the floor. “You should see Madam Pomfrey about that!”

“You’d think my glasses would keep things from poking me in the eye,” Harry said through gritted teeth and excused himself from the classroom. “I’ll see you guys at lunch,” he announced to Hermione and Ron before he left the class.

Madam Pomfrey fixed him up quickly and gave him another pepper-up potion after she’d poured a green, translucent potion in his injured eye. She pronounced him well enough to go to lunch just as the bell sounded and Harry skulked to the Great Hall.

“Honestly, don’t you listen to the pronunciations?” Hermione grumbled as Harry sat down. “It’s ree-DO-cee-oh, not ree-do-cee-OH!”

“Drop it, Hermione,” Ron squeaked from a tiny mouth that he was having trouble fitting any amount of food into. “I used too much polish on my wand and it slipped when I cast the spell properly, but the bloody wand slipped from my hand and hit me in the mouth!”

Harry’s mood alleviated somewhat at the squeaky tirade Ron was going through and before he knew it, he was laughing quite hard at his friend’s predicament. Hermione had tried to keep from laughing as well, but she was leaning on the table with her hands over her mouth trying to hold back her mirth.

“IT’S NOT FUNNY!” Ron squeaked irritably, eliciting even more laughter from the other Gryffindors and soon some of the other students who had overheard his tantrum. “Fine!” he spat with the frustrating voice of a chipmunk and without another word, got up from the table and stormed out of the Great Hall.

“We really should apologize to him,” Harry said with a laugh.

“It serves him right,” Hermione snorted with a wide smile on her face. “If he’d keep his temper things like this wouldn’t happen!”

Harry shook his head and grabbed a few pieces of fruit. “I’m going to apologize... he didn’t laugh when Neville’s spell backfired.”

“That wasn’t nearly as funny,” Hermione said as she wiped tears from her eyes. “But you’re right, let’s go find him.”

It didn’t take long to find their mutual best friend. Ron was walking out of the infirmary with a normal mouth and after apologies were offered, Harry and Hermione found his voice had returned to normal as well. The redhead continued to glare at his two friends, but eased up considerably when they reached their next class.

“Only two classes, Harry, we can get through potions without a problem then it’s Quidditch practice,” Ron said, trying to sound cheery.

“Do you see the weather out there, Ron?” Hermione said in disbelief. “It’s just as bad, if not worse, than yesterday!”

“We’ve trained in worse weather,” Harry said dismissively as he set out his things for the next hour and a half.

Snape swept into the room, acting his normal self, and waved his wand in front of the blackboard. “Begin,” he said curtly and slumped into his chair where he turned his attention to a thick sheaf of parchment.

“An exploding potion?” Hermione whispered with wide eyes and looked nervously to Neville.

“I hope you’re not thinking of helping Mr. Longbottom, Miss Granger,” Snape said maliciously without looking up. “Though I enjoy taking points from Gryffindor, I think it would be far more entertaining to see if our wonder klutz can do this without killing us all...”

Hermione glowered at the potion master as she began measuring her potion ingredients. Harry thought it wise to follow in Hermione’s footsteps and reread the instructions several times before actually working on his potion. This was one thing that he didn’t want to mess up.

The entire class walked on eggshells during the double period when around Neville. Even Snape and Malfoy kept their distance and their comments to themselves, which surprised Harry.

He looked into his cauldron and his mood brightened considerably when he noticed the potion was the exact color and consistency it needed to be for proper marks. He ducked under the table to retrieve a flask when he saw a purple flash out of the corner of his eye. He winced, waiting for the explosion to come, but when nothing happened he looked around to find everyone filling their flask with their end product.

Nobody moved from their seats until Neville, who was tiptoeing to the front of the room carrying his flask as if it were about to go off, set his assignment on the desk with a sigh of relief.

“You do realize it’s inert in its final form, Mr. Longbottom?” Snape said with a sneer plastered on his face. “Five points from Gryffindor for not reading the instructions.”

Harry felt his blood boil as he reached for his ladle and dipped it into his cauldron.

“Ron, is tomorrow Easter?” Hermione asked, shaking Harry’s shoulder gently.

“Hermione, I’m trying to fill my flask...” Harry whispered. “Tomorrow’s not Easter and I’m not Ron, are you alright?” he asked as he turned to the confused look of his best friend. “Hermione?”

She glanced at him in confusion before she dumped a large pile of crushed beetles into her cauldron. “It still needs something,” she said irritably then reached into her bag.

Harry had just finished filling his flask when Hermione stood suddenly, a look of triumph on her face. “I found it!” she said excitedly and quickly chopped her afternoon snack into small pieces. Before Harry could stop her, the apple bits were unceremoniously dumped into her cauldron.

“Hermione, what are you doing?!” Harry hissed as he grabbed her hands.

“The Christmas goose won’t be ready without the apples, Harry!” she said in frustration. “Let go so I can put it in the icebox!”

“Professor Snape, there seems to be a problem,” Malfoy crowed from his normal seat across the room from Harry. Harry looked up to see a satisfied smirk on the Slytherin’s face and a finger pointed to Harry and Hermione.

“What seems to be the problem, Potter?” Snape hissed as he closed in on the struggling friends.

“Something’s wrong with Hermione, she seems to think she’s making a Christmas goose,” Harry said as Hermione finally pulled her hands free.

“Professor Snape wasn’t invited to our party!” she hissed at Harry.

Snape quickly waved his wand and his normal pallid face lost even more color. “Someone’s cast a Confundus Charm on her,” he hissed angrily, his eyes flashing dangerously at Draco Malfoy. “How long has she been like this?”

Harry tried to answer but just as he’d opened his mouth, the bubbling contents of Hermione’s cauldron exploded, covering the three of them in a thick, paste that smelled like apple butter but had the wrong consistency.

“What just happened?” Hermione asked in confusion, her hair slick with the drool-like paste that was supposed to be her potion. Realization dawned on her and she leveled an angry glare on the blonde Slytherin.

“MALFOY. OFFICE. NOW!” Snape bellowed. “Miss Granger, it pains me to do this, but you may make up your attempt during detention tonight after dinner while your friend Mr. Potter joins you in cleaning up this mess. DISMISSED!”

Harry and Hermione stalked out of the room after cleaning up their work area. They both made a beeline to the showers in their respective parts of their dormitory and found themselves at dinner shortly afterwards. Detention was cut mercifully short when it was apparent that Snape couldn’t stand the sight of both of them by themselves.

The bad luck of this particular Friday the thirteenth at an end, allowed Harry a chance to get to practice somewhat on time. Hermione took her normal spot in the Gryffindor stands, bundled against the wind and rain while Harry went up with the rest of his team in another grueling training session.

“Everyone stop by the Hospital Wing for a pepper-up potion,” Ron ordered as they trudged back to the castle in the increased downpour. “We don’t need you getting sick two weeks before the match with Slytherin!”

Harry wiped at his increasingly red nose as he and Hermione trudged up the hill to the front doors. He coughed rather loudly and Hermione turned to him in surprise.

“Harry?” she asked concernedly as he turned towards her.

“Whad is id?” he asked curiously. “Oh, by dose is clocket...” he said with a shrug. “Da bebber-ub botion will bake id bedder...”

“I hope so,” Hermione said with a frown.

They went straight to Madam Pomfrey who was flitting from teammate to teammate issuing potions to each and every one of them. She looked up to see Harry and Hermione enter and with a roll of her eyes, she walked over to Harry with a tray that held a goblet.

“Really, Mr. Potter, you’d think that two of them would have kept you from getting ill, it looks like the third is going to be the charm. After you finish this, you are to go straight to your room, change into something warm and dry then go straight to bed!”

“Yes Badab Bobfrey,” Harry said with a sniffle. He tossed back the offered potion and felt his sinuses clear almost immediately.

“That’s better,” he said with a deep breath and a cough. “Ugh, I think some of that bad potion went up my nose,” Harry said with a grimace as they left the infirmary.

Hermione looked at him concernedly when he wobbled on the stairs and without asking permission, draped his arm over her shoulder for support. “I’ll help you,” she said in a Molly Weasley tone of voice that told him not to argue and the two of them made their way to Harry’s room. Once there, he followed orders, and went straight to bed after changing into dry pajamas. As soon as his head hit the pillow his eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep.

Harry was out of bed bright and early the next day feeling worse than he had in a long time. He stood and as soon as his eyes focused on the light streaming in through his bedroom window, he let loose a great sneeze that threw his glasses from his face and woke the others from deep sleep.

“Bloody hell, Harry!” Ron growled from his bed. “You scared the life out of me!”

“Sorry,” Harry said through his congestion as he retrieved his glasses and slipped them on his face. They immediately slid down the bridge of his nose and he rolled his eyes in frustration before he got dressed. “Rod, I’b goink to da hosbidal wink...” he said, feeling pitiful in his current state. “I dote feel well...” At Ron’s irritated grumble, Harry left the room.

As long as he could remember, Harry truly despised his cousin’s oversized hand-me-downs and he growled in frustration as he adjusted the sleeves of his shirt and slouched slightly when he realized that he had to roll his pant legs up as well.

Hermione looked up from her book when Harry slunk into the room, looking more miserable than she’d ever seen him. “I guess you’re not feeling any better?” Hermione asked, her voice laced with sympathy.

Harry shook his head but smiled appreciatively at her concern. “I’b goink to da hosbidal wink...” he said irritably.

“Want me to go with you?” she asked with a slight smile.

“Dat would be gread,” Harry said, mustering a smile as she put down her book and stepped up beside him.

“You don’t have to slouch, Harry,” Hermione said with a slight laugh. “It’s not as if you’re dying or anything.”

Harry chuckled slightly and drew himself up to his full height after they’d climbed through the portrait hole and started on their way. “How’s dat?”

“You could stand up straight and not tease me,” she said with a laugh as Harry’s face became illuminated by a shaft of light from a window. Hermione reached into her pocket and withdrew a handkerchief before Harry could sneeze.

He took it just in time as he let out a roar of a sneeze again. “I’ll just keeb dis,” he said with a laugh and pocketed the soiled cloth. He grumbled when his sleeves slipped further down his arms and he quickly rolled them up again.

“Harry?” Hermione asked cautiously as he went to work on his pants.

“Whad is it?” he asked as he stood and looked her in the eyes.

“There’s something strange going on... why are your clothes so baggy?” she asked nervously.

“Dere by cousin’s,” he grumbled as he turned towards the staircase. “Dey were da first dinks I could fid...”

“Since when did Dudley go to Hogwarts?” Hermione asked as she reached for his shoulder. “And why am I eye level with you?”

“Are you still udder da Codfuddus Charb?” Harry asked with a smirk but it quickly disappeared when he realized that Hermione was right. “What da bloody hell?!”

“We better get you to Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione said nervously. “Other than the fact that you seem to be shrinking, I don’t know what the cause is or how to fix it...”

“Let’s ko...” Harry said in irritation when he noticed his shoes were too big for his feet. “Could you shreek by shoes?” he asked quietly and waited for Hermione to resize his shoes to fit his feet. “Dank you.”

The two of them hurried as fast as they could through the halls without drawing attention to themselves. Harry was happy that it was a Saturday and he didn’t have any classes to deal with, leaving him the weekend to try and figure out what was going on. They were just about to the Hospital Wing when Harry let out a series of loud sneezes. He looked up from wiping his nose and realized that he was now shorter than Hermione by a full head.

“Let me refit your clothes, Harry,” she said hurriedly and with a few waves of her wand his clothes fit him normally once again. Well, as normal as his current condition seemed to allow.

“Dank you,” he said softly as they reached the door to find Madam Pomfrey fretting over a few students who seemed to be soaked to the bone.

“Miss Granger, you can take that first year to the end bed,” the school nurse said absently as she rushed goblets of pepper-up potion to the cold and wet students.

“Um... Madam Pomfrey, could we have a private word please?” Hermione stuttered as the nurse walked by them without a second look.

“What is it, Miss Granger?” she asked impatiently then noticed the scar on Harry’s forehead. “Go to my office and don’t touch anything!” the nurse said hurriedly and ushered the two towards the door before heading back to her previous tasks.

Harry sat miserably in one of the three chairs in front of the nurse’s desk and Hermione took one of the others, casting a quick glance at Harry.

“What?” Harry asked quizzically at her look. “I dow dis is weird, I’b sorry if it’s disconcertink...”

“No, it’s not that,” Hermione said quickly.

“What is it den?” He asked, turning to face her properly.

Hermione looked up with guilt written all over her face.

“Oh, doe,” Harry said with a slight shake of his head. “Dis iddn’t your fauld!”

“You don’t know what my potion did to you, Harry,” she said quickly. “I wasn’t in my right mind when I brewed it!”

Harry shook his head and walked over to his best friend. “Don’d worry aboud id,” he said soothingly. “Id’s probably somedink Badab Bobfrey can fix...” he said as he took her hand and smiled consolingly. He reached for his hanky and sneezed loudly once again, shivering slightly when he felt his body shift under his clothing. “Dis is stardink to ged irritadink...” he grumbled as Hermione shrunk his clothes once again.

“What seems to be the... oh, my!” Madam Pomfrey said as she stepped into the room and closed the door. “Mr. Potter, is it me or have you actually shrunk since I last saw you?”

“You’re dot imadindink dinks,” Harry said dryly. “Id starded dis mordink.”

“Drink this pepper-up potion, at least you’ll be able to speak normally,” the nurse said as she handed him a goblet which he drank down immediately.

Harry sighed in relief and blew his nose before taking a breath. “That’s better,” he said with a sigh. Madam Pomfrey opened the curtains to her windows and retrieved her wand from her apron before returning to the seat in front of Harry. The light that streamed in the room struck him in the face and he sneezed several times again. Each time, he got shorter and shorter with each bellowing release of air.

“Harry, stop sneezing!” Hermione said anxiously as she knelt to her best friend’s side.

“I can’t,” he said irritably as he blew his nose. “Whenever I’m sick, bright... ahh... light... ahh... makes me SNEEZE!” Harry finished with the loudest sneeze he’d let yet.

“HARRY!” Hermione yelled in surprise as his clothes pooled to the floor. Hermione began to panic when she looked through the folds of Harry’s shirt and found his glasses, which had remained their normal size throughout his morning ordeal, and she looked up to the exasperated sigh of Madam Pomfrey.

“Why am I not surprised?” the nurse huffed as she pulled out a magnifying glass. “Mr. Potter, you’re probably blind as a bat right now but you can hear us just fine. Try to climb to the top of your shirt, the neck-hole to be precise, and I’ll see what I can do to transfigure your clothes to your new height.”

“New height?” Hermione asked with surprise.

“Mr. Potter has contracted a rare form of influenza,” the nurse explained dryly. “The only people known to have it are those who live in Lilliput.”

“LILLIPUT?!” Hermione yelled in disbelief.

“Yes, Gulliver the Gullible stumbled across the country during his travels,” Madam Pomfrey explained as she examined Harry’s clothing.

“I’ve read the stories, I never knew they were true,” Hermione said as she slumped to the floor. “Does this mean he’s permanently an inch high?”

“No, he’s half an inch,” Madam Pomfrey said dismissively. “Ah, there you are,” she said with a slight smile. “Leave it to you to catch such a rare strain of the flu.” With a wave of her wand, Harry’s clothes shrunk slowly down to his size. He struggled with the changing fabric and was eventually clothed normally and tying his shoes. “Quick now, up into my hand,” she ordered and Harry did as he was told. “You’d catch your death if you were on the floor too long...”

“Are you ok, Harry?” Hermione asked as she shrunk his glasses to fit him, along with his wand. She set them gently next to her diminutive friend and frowned at the look on his face.

“DO I LOOK OK?” his voice squeaked from his tiny body.

“I know, it’s not normal,” Hermione said quietly, “I’m so, so sorry, Harry.”

“STOP APOLOGIZING!” Harry’s tiny squeak of a shout retorted.

Hermione nodded, a look of concern and sadness crossing her face.

“I DON’T MEAN TO YELL, BUT THAT’S THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN HEAR ME!” he squeaked in his best attempt to console his friend.

Hermione nodded but the sad look still remained on her face.

“Well, we have some good news,” Madam Pomfrey said with a sigh. “You won’t shrink any more than you have, but the bad news is you’ll be stuck this way for as long as your flu symptoms remain.”

“What can we do to get him back to normal?” Hermione asked determinedly.

“The same thing that you do for a normal flu victim,” the nurse replied as she filled out some paperwork. “Fluids, food, and plenty of bed rest are in order. You’ll also need to keep him warm, this castle is rather drafty and setting him on the floor will mean his death. Warming charms won’t work with his diminished surface area...”

“HOW LONG?!” Harry shouted irritably from his place in the nurse’s hand.

“Calm down, Mr. Potter,” Madam Pomfrey said in a huff, her breath was strong enough to knock him over. “Oh, so sorry,” she said apologetically. “If you’re serious about recovering it’ll be one, maybe two weeks. It could be longer if you don’t watch yourself.”

“TWO WEEKS?! I HAVE A MATCH AGAINST SLYTHERIN IN TWO WEEKS!” Harry’s squeak bellowed from the nurse’s palm.

“You won’t be playing Quidditch if you don’t calm down and rest, Mr. Potter,” she retorted evenly. “You’re too small to withstand the wind, let alone trying to catch the snitch!”

Harry grumbled and sat down, sulking angrily at his bad luck. He was rather happy that the two women didn’t hear what he’d said during his grumbling. Harry looked around the room and shook his head. He couldn’t believe how many times he wished he was this tall so he could escape the Dursleys’ house when he was younger. Harry pictured the many adventures he’d have in their garden as he made his way across the perfectly trimmed grass and through to a world of adventure in the underbrush.

“Harry, did you hear what the nurse said?” Hermione asked patiently.

“HOW COULD I MISS THE BOOMING VOICE?” his squeaky voice retorted as a slight smirk crossed his face. “WHO’S GOING TO WATCH AFTER ME THEN?!”

Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration before she sighed. “I am,” she said softly as her cheeks took on a rather pink hue.

“I’ve given you permission to stay in the girls’ dormitory for the duration of your sickness,” Madam Pomfrey said with a warning edge to her voice. “Miss Granger volunteered to look after you and knows the rules concerning this unique situation.”

“You would have known that if you’d listened, Harry,” Hermione said softly as she held out her hand. “Go ahead and climb on over, I won’t drop you.” Harry looked up to his best friend skeptically but reluctantly climbed into her hand.

“One good thing about all this?” the nurse said with a lopsided grin. “We’ll be saving money with food and other supplies...”

“HA! HA! HA!” Harry squeaked from Hermione’s upturned palm. He wasn’t actually upset about the situation at the moment. Hermione’s hand smelled far better than the nurse’s and was much more soft and warm. He settled himself down for the ride to Gryffindor tower and propped his head on his hands.

“Make sure he’s kept warm and follow these care instructions,” Madam Pomfrey said as she handed over a piece of parchment. “I know it sounds like I’ve just given you a pet, but you’re going to have to treat him as one until he can return to normal...”

Hermione looked to her miniscule friend and smiled softly. “I’ll make sure he gets better,” she said quietly and turned towards the door.

“Madam Pomfrey!” someone shouted from the main room. Before the nurse could react, the door swung open and hit Hermione full on, causing the hand that was holding Harry to violently jolt upwards.

“HARRY!” Hermione yelled in surprise as he unceremoniously flew into the air. She heard his squeaky scream as he arched overhead then her eyes went wide when she felt something small slip through the neck hole of her blouse.

“No!” Madam Pomfrey shouted when Hermione went to slap her chest. “That’s not a bug!” Hermione’s eyes went even wider as she turned around and slowly unbuttoned her blouse.

Harry couldn’t believe what just happened. His best friend was supposed to make sure that nothing would happen to him and the next thing he knew he was sailing through the air and into her blouse. Even though he was blushing furiously, there wasn’t much he could do at his size so he climbed to the top of her lace bra. He was panting from the exertion when he realized just where he was and felt the blood leave his face. Though he knew exactly where it went to, the heat Hermione was exuding here made him groggy.

A new sensation rumbled through his body then, not a violent shaking, but a soft, calming throb. Harry could swear that he heard his heart beating in his ears, but after a moment, realized that it was Hermione’s. With the comforting lull this brought him, along with her warm, soft skin, he found that he couldn’t keep his eyes open and drifted off to sleep.

Harry woke up a few hours later to Hermione’s gentle prodding. “Harry, it’s time for your medicine,” she whispered softly.

“I’m alive!” he squeaked groggily.

“I’m sorry about that,” Hermione said evenly.

“I know it wasn’t your fault, and I didn’t intend to fly down your shirt!” Harry shouted in return. “I wish I didn’t have to shout to talk to you!”

“I know,” Hermione said with a soft look.

“I won’t tell anyone what happened, ok?!” Harry shouted in what he hoped was his best reassuring voice.

Hermione nodded and smiled softly. “Take your medicine,” she said again and pointed to a goblet his size on the table. Harry picked it up and drank it down, sighing afterwards.

“How are we going to handle this?!” He asked as he started to pace on her desk. “I can’t sleep in your bed... you could crush me in your sleep!”

“I’ve been working on that while you slept,” she replied with a blush. “I’m still working on it, but how’s this?” Hermione asked as she set what looked like a bucket on the table.

“What is it?!” he yelled as he regarded the object she’d set on her desk.

“Open the door,” she replied with a smile.

Harry walked over to the bucket and found the door she was talking about. He looked up to her then opened the small door and stepped inside. His eyes went wide when he saw the miniaturized version of the Gryffindor common room. The only difference was a bed across from the fireplace.

“You don’t have to shout to talk either,” Hermione said excitedly as she looked in through the top. “I’ve enchanted it so that you can talk normally and I’ll hear you through this modified extendable ear!”

Harry laughed appreciatively as he looked around. “Is the fire real?” he asked as he walked to the fireplace.

“No, it’s just an illusion but I have a modified heating charm blowing warm air into the room,” she explained as Harry walked around then sat in his favorite chair.

“If I didn’t know this was a copy, I’d say I was sitting in the real thing!” He smiled up at her gigantic face. “The chair even feels like the real one!”

“I hoped you’d like it,” Hermione said with twinkling eyes. “I’ve already shrunk your things, well, everything but your broom. I didn’t want to do anything that might damage it...”

“I can’t fly it anyway,” Harry said glumly.

“You’ll be back to normal soon, Harry,” Hermione said softly as she propped her head on her hand. “We can’t shrink your food, but I’ve talked with Dobby and he’ll send whatever we want up here. I’ll just have to cut pieces of what you want for you.”

“Thanks for all the work and help you’re giving me, Hermione,” Harry said softly.

“It’s the least I can do, Harry,” she said with a slight blush. “I know, it’s not my fault, but I still feel partly to blame... I don’t know what that potion I brewed could do... I don’t even know what I put in it!” she hissed in frustration.

“I know you babbled about Easter and then you chopped up an apple and put it in the cauldron,” Harry said sympathetically. “It’s so strange to talk to a giant version of your face,” he grumbled under his breath.

“I know it’s frustrating, Harry,” Hermione said softly, smiling slightly when he winced. “I told you I can hear what you’re saying...”

Harry suddenly let out a cough and sighed when the fit ended. “I think I should get some more sleep,” he said as he looked up to her concerned face. “Are my pajamas in my trunk too?” he asked as he crossed the room and opened the shrunken luggage.

“I got them,” she said as she levitated a pitcher of water and a mug to his bedside table. “Drink some water,” she said softly. “Let me know if you have to go to the loo. I couldn’t make a working one for you...”

Harry nodded then remembered that she wasn’t in the same room with him. “Oh, sure,” he said with a yawn. He laughed when he found a miniaturized bed warmer in his bed that was keeping the blankets warm and toasty for him. “I even get a bed warmer!”

“I tried my best,” Hermione said with a slight laugh. “I’ll wake you up before tea so you can take your next batch of medicine and get something to eat, ok?”

“That sounds great, Hermione,” Harry said with another yawn. “What a way to spend a Saturday, huh? Looking after your tiny friend...”

“I don’t mind, Harry,” she replied softly.

Harry smiled as he drifted off to sleep once again.

“Let me sleep longer...” Harry moaned when his bed shook. He rolled over and buried his head in the pillows when the bed shook again. “Hermione, I’m tired, let me sleep a bit longer!” Harry groaned irritably.

His eyes went wide when a rumbling purr invaded his miniature room and he scrambled to his feet when his bed tipped to its side.

“HERMIONE!” he yelled, hoping she’d hear him but he had to duck when a large, ginger paw caught him in the back. He growled in pain as one of Crookshanks’ claws scratched him and Harry quickly tried to shrug out of his pajama top. “CROOKSHANKS!” Harry screamed desperately as the half-kneazle plucked him out of the mess of his blankets. “GOOD KITTY!” he shouted as he finally squirmed out of his pajama shirt. Harry looked around wildly and made a mad dash for Hermione’s book bag.

“Harry?” Hermione called into the room, her eyes going wide at the scene unfolding before her eyes. Her cat was sniffing eagerly around her bag and something small and white was dangling from his mouth. “CROOKSHANKS, NO!” she screamed and dashed across the room. Hermione picked up her cat and pulled the bloody shirt from his mouth. “NO! HOW COULD YOU?!” she screamed angrily at her cat. “Harry...” Hermione whimpered as she turned over his torn and bloody clothes in her hand.

“HERMIONE!” Harry squeaked from her bag.

“Harry?” she said confused and turned around to see a shirtless, bloody Harry Potter crawl from her book bag. Without thinking, she snatched him up and ran all the way to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was easily able to mend his scratch, which would have been fatal if left unattended. “I went to the loo and when I came back, Crookshanks...”

“He’s going to be fine, Miss Granger,” Madam Pomfrey said soothingly. “You got him here in plenty of time.”

“I’m afraid that I’m going to get him killed...” Hermione whispered as she picked up the sleeping Harry as gently as she could, her unshed tears finding release in the relief that he was going to be fine.

“Just put a top on the house you’ve made for him,” the nurse said with a soft smile. “The sleeping draught should last all night and I’ve already mixed his next dose of medicine into the potion, so you don’t have to wake him until morning.”

“Thank you, Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione said softly as she regarded her sleeping friend. “Wouldn’t it be safer...”

“I can’t watch over him at that size here,” Madam Pomfrey said consolingly. “I’m sure you’ll do fine...”

Hermione sighed and nodded. “Goodnight,” she said as she left the infirmary. It didn’t take her long to return to her room where she righted everything that Crookshanks had knocked over in Harry’s makeshift house. She lay him gently in his small bed then quickly fashioned a lid for the small room, making sure there were plenty of air holes so Harry wouldn’t suffocate.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” she whispered sadly as she carried the bucket shaped room to her bed and set it firmly against the headboard. After crawling under covers, she sighed, realizing how close she came to losing her best friend that night and fell asleep staring at the cylindrical container she’d fashioned for him.

Sunday was relatively relaxing for Harry. Hermione had made sure that Crookshanks was out of the room while the two of them studied in her bed. One of the rules she had to follow was to keep the curtains around her four-poster closed whenever Harry was out of his room, and they were reading by wand light at the moment.

“I spoke with Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore while you were sleeping this morning,” Hermione said as she looked up from her Arithmancy charts. “They understand what’s happened and couldn’t think of anything that would help.”

“What about the Engorgement Charm?” Harry asked as he looked up from his miniature chair. He still felt rather strange talking to a colossal version of his best friend, let alone from a now dollhouse version of his common room.

“Actually, after Crookshanks attacked you, I asked Madam Pomfrey to try one,” she replied with an apologetic look on her face. “She did, but nothing happened, whatever was in my potion could be blocking it...”

“I don’t think it was your potion, Hermione,” Harry said exasperatedly again.

“What else could it have been, Harry?” she fumed as she slammed her book shut in frustration. The wind and the jolt to the bed knocked Harry out of his chair leaving him sprawled out on her duvet. “Oh, I’m sorry!”

Harry climbed back into his room and righted the chair. “It’s ok, Hermione, please stop apologizing!”

Hermione looked to her hands nervously but nodded. “Would you like to get out for a bit?” she asked after a moment. “It’s warm out, maybe we could take a break down by the lake?”

“Won’t it look strange to have you carrying a dollhouse outside?” Harry asked quizzically. “How many people know of this?”

“Only those we’ve talked about,” Hermione replied softly. “Ron doesn’t even know...”

“Well, we’re going to have to tell him at any rate,” Harry said thoughtfully. “Why don’t the three of us go down to the lake? We can tell him then...”

Hermione smiled slightly, but not the kind of smile Harry liked to see when she levitated a hat to him. “Wear this when we’re outside and I’ll be able to hear you,” she explained softly. “I’ll give Ron one of the extendable ears so he can hear you through the hat...”

Harry pulled the knit hat over his head after he’d bundled up in his heavy woolen cloak. He smiled as Hermione offered her hand and he climbed into her palm. “You could put me in your outer pocket,” he said with a laugh. “Just put a box or something in there so I can look over the top.”

Hermione left the room with Harry sitting in her pocket as he’d requested. He had a hard time seeing her face, but she seemed a bit more relaxed than having to carry him around in her hand.

“Hey, Ron, would you like to go down to the lake?” Hermione asked with a wave of her hand. She was careful not to wave too hard for fear of jostling Harry around too much.

“Sure, let me grab my cloak,” Ron returned as he bolted up the stairs. They climbed through the portrait hole and soon found themselves out on the school grounds, squinting into the light. “Hey, as long as Harry isn’t here, I was wondering what you were doing next weekend...”

Harry’s eyes went wide when he suddenly remembered what Ron had said in his sleep the previous summer at the Burrow. He’d completely forgotten that’s how he found out Ron had a crush on Hermione and just as it did then, it bothered him to know his best friend’s feelings.

“Ron, I have to talk to you about Harry,” Hermione said quickly.

“Oh, did he ask you to go to Hogsmeade already?” Ron asked in a huff.

“What?” Hermione asked, bewildered. “No, it’s something completely different...” she explained hurriedly.

“What is it? Are you two already dating?” he snapped unexpectedly. “You could have bloody told me!”

“Ron, no, we’re not dating,” Hermione said as she pulled out the modified extendable ear. “Put this in your ear.”

Ron looked at her like she’d gone mad, but did as instructed. “Well, what’s this for?”

“So you can hear me without me having to shout,” Harry said evenly as he poked his head out of Hermione’s pocket.

Ron’s eyes grew larger than the golden plates they ate off during their meals when he saw the miniature version of Harry Potter. “What in the bloody hell?”

“I caught the Lilliputian Flu,” Harry said dryly. “Whenever I sneezed, I shrunk, and now I’m stuck at this height until I’m over it.”

“But what about training?” Ron bellowed, forgetting that Hermione had yet to answer his questions about the following weekend. “We have a match against Slytherin in two weeks!”

“I know, Ron,” Harry deadpanned, “but there’s nothing I can do! I have to rest and let the flu take its course or it might last longer...”

Ron grumbled something incoherent and kicked at a large stone that plopped into the lake a short distance away. He suddenly stood straight and a wide smile crossed his face. “I’ve got an idea!” Ron said with a laugh. “Do you remember that Quidditch game I have, the one with the miniature brooms and the league scale pitch?”

“Ron, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Hermione said quickly.

“Why not?” Ron hissed. “The pieces are about the right size, they might be a little worn, but they still work! It might be a better way to train him than if he were with the team on the pitch!”

“If you want Harry to get better, he’s going to need rest!” Hermione retorted. “If you tire him out by keeping him training, his body won’t recover!”

“He needs to train!” Ron barked back at her. “He’s trained when he was sick before...”

“Ron!” Harry growled as the redhead slapped his hands over his mouth.

“Oh, I already knew that!” Hermione hissed at Harry. “Who do you think was watching from the stands? Grawp?”

“From this standpoint, you two make Grawp look like a Garden Gnome,” Harry chuckled from Hermione’s pocket.

Hermione couldn’t stop the grin from sliding in place and she looked down at her diminutive friend. “Sod off, Harry!” she said in faux irritation before she and Ron began laughing a bit harder.

“Ron, go ahead and have your mum send the game here,” Harry said after they’d calmed down. “We can at least try training that way, if it doesn’t work or is too dangerous, we’ll just skip it.”

“Harry, you need your rest,” Hermione said quietly.

“I’ll get rest,” he replied reassuringly. “But I can’t just study and sleep all the time. It’s warmer in the castle and it won’t rain, so what could it hurt?”

Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation when it was clear she couldn’t dissuade Harry and Ron from their plan. “Just be careful,” she said evenly. “Now it’s time for lunch and your medicine so we should head back in.”

“Where’ve you been staying, Harry?” Ron asked as they trudged back up to the castle. “I didn’t see you in the room and your stuff is gone...”

“He’s staying with me,” Hermione said quickly, trying to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks. “Madam Pomfrey asked me to watch after him.”

Harry noticed the increased heat streaming off of her body and the way she’d slightly altered the truth for Ron. He slid back down into a sitting position and waited for them to return to her room.

“Well, I can take over from here then,” Ron said as they stopped in the empty common room.

“Take over for what?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Watching Harry,” Ron said matter-of-factly.

“What?” Hermione looked at him crossly.

“He very well can’t stay in the girls’ dormitory,” Ron explained with a shrug.

“He’s following the rules and we have the permission of Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall,” Hermione said absently and turned towards the stairs.

“But–”

“But what?” Hermione asked irritably. “Do you think you can shrink his medicines down to his size? Or keep an eye on him?”

“I can do that easily!” Ron retorted hotly.

“I guess your success in Transfiguration on Friday proves that,” Hermione retorted.

“GUYS!” Harry shouted, causing the two of them to wince at the volume. “Listen, I’m not some toy for you two to fight over!” he said angrily. “Ron, I’m going to stay with Hermione because everything’s already there... I’d like to go put on my pajamas and lie down for a bit, you two go on and get something to eat, I’ll be fine!”

“Harry...” Hermione said softly.

“Everything will be fine, Hermione,” Harry reassured her. “We’ll try your Quidditch game when your mum sends it to you, ok, Ron?”

“Sure, Harry,” Ron said evenly. “I’ll see you later.”

Harry shook his head and slumped against Hermione’s chest as she walked up to her room and let him down to the scale model of their common room.

“Don’t be mad, Harry,” Hermione said softly as she sat on her bed.

Harry threw off his cloak and began to undress so he could get some rest. He reached up and grabbed the hat she’d made for him then set it in his chair. “I’m not mad,” he said evenly as he slipped under his covers. “Why’d you lie to Ron?”

“I didn’t lie to Ron,” Hermione said defensively.

“You said that Madam Pomfrey told you to watch me, as I recall, you volunteered,” Harry said softly.

“Well, you know how he is,” Hermione retorted, “he’d take it the wrong way and get angry about it.”

“So are you going to go to Hogsmeade with him next weekend?” Harry asked out of the blue, catching Hermione off guard.

“What?” she asked stupidly. “We always go together, you’ll be with us...”

“That’s not how he meant it, Hermione,” Harry said quietly.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said dismissively. “I’ll be back with some food for you, are you sure you’ll be ok?”

Harry rolled his eyes and pulled his covers up to his chin. “I’ll be fine,” he whispered. “Go and get something to eat...”

“Ok, I’ll be back soon...” Hermione said slowly.

Harry waited until he heard her close the door then rolled on to his back. He let out a cough and cleared his throat while he wondered why it disturbed him so much to see that Ron really did want to start dating Hermione.

It was dark when Harry opened his eyes again and felt his stomach growling incessantly. He slipped his glasses on and threw his bathrobe over his shoulders before walking to the fireplace and slumping into his chair.

“Are you awake?” Hermione asked quietly from the top of his room.

“Yeah,” Harry said sleepily. He looked up to see the lid come off and a few plates of food glide gently onto the table beside him.

“Take your medicine first,” she said softly as a pitcher of pumpkin juice and two goblets floated down next. Harry took the potion and started work on his meal for the evening in silence. It was quiet for a while, the only sound the flipping of pages from one of Hermione’s books.

“What are you reading?” he asked after a few minutes.

“Hogwarts, A History,” she replied quietly.

“Hey, are you alright?” Harry asked when he caught a hint of sadness in her voice.

“I’m fine,” she lied. Harry could hear the hurt and he couldn’t stand it when Hermione was upset.

He got up and walked to the door to his bucket house with the knit hat in hand and opened it slowly to see Hermione’s red, puffy eyes flicking over the pages of her book. His heart fell at the thought of her crying and he walked over to her. “Hey,” he shouted, startling her somewhat.

“What are you doing out of your house?” she asked quickly as she pulled the curtains shut around the bed.

“What happened?” Harry shouted when she didn’t turn back to him. “Can Ron hear me when I use the hat?”

Hermione shook her head. “The hat only works when you’re close by,” she replied with a shrug.

Harry slipped the hat on his head and sighed in relief. “Lay down so I can look in your face and not crane my neck.”

Hermione let out a loud sigh, but did as she was told. She was careful not to lie on Harry and he sat down on the pillow in front of her face.

“What happened?” he asked concernedly. “Was it Ron?”

Hermione closed her eyes and a tear squeezed out onto her cheek as she nodded. “He thinks we’re running around behind his back,” she whispered. “He wouldn’t listen to a word I said.”

“Was it because of next weekend?” Harry asked quietly, secretly hoping that Hermione didn’t want to date Ron.

“Partly,” Hermione said softly, sniffing back a tear. “He doesn’t like that I’m watching you... doesn’t think it’s ‘proper’!” she said as she rolled her eyes.

“It’ll be ok,” Harry said quietly then smirked slightly. “It’s not like I can snog you in your room or anything...”

Hermione shook her head and let out a soft snort.

“I know you want to laugh, just picture it...” he goaded as he saw the corner of her mouth turn up.

“How can you do that?” Hermione asked after a moment. “How can you make me feel better even after Ron and I fight?”

“It’s a gift,” Harry said with a smile. “I’m going to go back to sleep, ok? Don’t let anything he said make you feel bad.” Harry crossed to the wall that was Hermione’s face and kissed her cheek gently. “Get some sleep, things will be better tomorrow,” he said with a soft pat.

“Goodnight, Harry,” Hermione whispered just as he’d opened his door.

Harry turned around and smiled again. “Night.”

There wasn’t much left for him to do but crawl back into bed and go to sleep. He watched his dirty plates float out of the room and smiled up at Hermione when she looked in to check on him. She smiled softly back and replaced the lid before he fell asleep.

To say that people were nervous Monday morning would have been an understatement. When Hermione arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, she was suddenly accosted with questions concerning the whereabouts of Harry Potter. Nobody had seen him all weekend and word had gotten around that his belongings had gone missing.

Hermione looked to Ron for support but he seemed to still be angry with her for the previous evening so she glanced up at Professor Dumbledore. Luck was on her side when he’d stood and addressed the student body.

“I’m sure you’re all curious to the whereabouts of one of your fellow students,” he said loudly after everyone calmed down and looked to the professors’ table. “He will return to us in time but he is currently away for the time being. His whereabouts cannot be divulged for his safety and I ask you all to be patient. Please, enjoy your meal.” With that, he sat down and returned to his conversation with Professor Snape.

“So they didn’t tell you where he went?” Ginny asked in a whisper as she sat next to Hermione. “Not even Harry?”

Hermione smiled apologetically and shrugged. “Sorry,” she said feebly and began to eat quickly. “I need to get to the library,” she announced, grabbing a few pieces of toast and fruit before hurrying out of the Great Hall.

“Looks like it’s going to be an interesting two weeks,” Harry said from her pocket.

“For you or for me?” Hermione asked with a slight chuckle.

“Both!” Harry retorted with a laugh.

Hermione found it hard not to smile, but she amazed herself and was able to keep her face straight until she sat down at her favorite, out of the way table. She looked around quickly then pulled the miniaturized house she’d transfigured for Harry and returned it to its normal size.

“Quick, before anybody sees,” she hissed quietly and held her hand up for him to climb into. Harry scrambled out of her pocket and she set him near the door to his portable home.

“This is handy,” he said as he opened the door and stepped inside. He sat at a new table that Hermione had placed inside as she levitated bits of food to him.

“Ah, look, the mudblood has a pet!” an irritatingly familiar voice drawled at the end of the row of shelves.

“Sod off, Malfoy!” Hermione growled as she replaced the lid on Harry’s room.

“Aww, is the poor widdle mudbwood upset? Is her widdle gerbil angry?” Malfoy mocked as he stalked closer. Crabbe and Goyle weren’t very far behind and Pansy Parkinson remained at the end of the bookcase, smirking at Hermione.

“If you really want to lose your hand,” Hermione growled menacingly, “go ahead and put it in the box... I don’t think Hagrid specified that it should only eat toast and ham...”

Malfoy let out a laugh that indicated he wasn’t about to fall for her trick and reached to snatch the box from the table. Before his hands could touch the sides, however, the lid flew off followed by a burst of flame.

“What in the bloody hell?!” Malfoy shrieked as he jerked his hands away from the container. His face paled when a loud, screeching sound came from inside. “Do you have a dragon in there?!”

“It’s not a dragon,” Hermione said angrily, though a bit shaken, as she slapped the cover back on the top. “It’s illegal to care for dragons privately!”

“What was it?” His face was still white as he leaned in cautiously for a closer look.

“Hagrid wouldn’t tell me,” she said in her trademark business tone. “Something about a Skrewt, a hippogriff, and a fire newt... I’m studying it for extra credit.”

“A... a hippogriff?” Malfoy stuttered as he took a step back.

“Something like that,” Hermione said with a shrug as she levitated more pieces of toast into the box through a crack in the lid. “It doesn’t seem to like meat that’s already been slain, but the toast goes in ok...” she said nonchalantly as she filled a bowl with a reddish liquid and shrunk the bowl down before sending it into the box as well.

“What was that?”

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t eat meat that isn’t alive, so I have to feed it blood...” she bent over the box, cooed inside and smiled at the laughing Harry. He caught on to her ruse and used his wand to amplify the sound of an animal that seemed to be happy.

Hermione closed the lid once again and looked up at the four Slytherins that seemed to have gone even whiter in the face than Malfoy was normally.

“Is that even legal?” he asked quietly.

“It’s not a dragon and I’m not slaughtering animals to feed it,” Hermione shrugged as she pulled out her Arithmancy book. “I’ve been assured that it’s not illegal to study a new creature...”

Harry couldn’t help himself and decided to have a bit of fun with Draco and his groupies. He transfigured the duvet on his bed so it was scaly with patches of hair and engorged it so it was about three times its normal size. He let out another magically induced roar and blew the top off with a bout of flame.

“Hermione, it’s growing...” he whispered to the room before levitating the scaly, fur-covered duvet to the opening.

“Oh, I think the box is too small for it now!” Hermione exclaimed excitedly on cue just as the beast began to breech the top of its container. “Oh, I hope I cured it of its meat eating tendencies!” she said quickly before putting on her dragon hide gloves. Hermione looked to see the four Slytherins had run before letting out a laugh.

“Did they run?” Harry asked with a laugh as Hermione moved the transfigured blanket out of the way.

“I don’t know,” she replied with a snort. “When I looked a second ago, there was nobody here!”

Harry returned his duvet to normal before finishing his breakfast. “Blood?” Harry laughed loudly after he drank the potion he’d been taking twice a day to combat his flu symptoms.

“You started it with those flames and roars...” she said with a grin as she replaced the lid and helped Harry back to her pocket. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t tell Professor Snape!”

“Well, we should talk to Hagrid as soon as we can,” Harry said with a chuckle.

A/N: As you've seen, the title changed. This was the original title, I was just too tired to remember the phrase: Big surprises come in small packages. :) Well, I posted this a day early, because I'm going to be VERY busy over the next couple of months. I thought everyone should deserve the next chapter after all the wonderful reviews! Don't hate me because of the ending... There's still a few more chapters left (1-2, maybe 3...)
-Curt

Hermione made the trek to Hagrid’s hut as soon as she had enough free time. The half-giant laughed at her antics and told her he’d go along with the ploy. Though, at Harry’s request, she didn’t tell Hagrid about Harry’s condition. They both knew how talkative their large friend was and the fact that Harry was the size of a large ant would be too tempting if any of his many enemies were to find out.

Classes the rest of the day were rather boring by Harry’s standards. He’d taken a nap during Hermione’s Arithmancy class and had quickly nodded off in History of Magic as well. Everything else was a blur as he tried to listen from the sanctity of Hermione’s pocket.

Lunch and tea went by without incident when Hermione didn’t go to the Great Hall, instead, she remained in her room where Dobby eagerly brought enough food for her and had used his House-Elf powers to shrink Harry’s meals to size.

“I wish it were that easy for witches and wizards,” Hermione said with a grateful smile. “Food tends to lose its nutritional value when we attempt to shrink it.”

“House-Elves have many talents, Miss Granger Madam,” Dobby said with a toothy grin. “But Dobby has to return to the kitchens, Winky has been naughty and dipped into the butterbeer again! I hope the meal is to Mr. Harry Potter’s liking?”

“He says it is and thank you, Dobby,” Hermione said with a wide smile. “He has to shout to be heard normally and if he wants to improve his health, then he shouldn’t shout.”

“Dobby understands,” Dobby said with a flourish of a bow. “May Miss Granger and Mr. Harry Potter have a good evening,” he added before snapping his fingers and disappearing from view.

“I’m so glad that Professor Dumbledore pays him,” Hermione said with a smile. “I wish he paid him more though, he does great work... They all do.”

“Dobby talked the professor down, remember?” Harry piped in after taking a long pull from his pumpkin juice. “Your heart’s in the right place, Hermione.”

“But?” she prompted as she looked in on her miniscule best friend.

“But nothing,” Harry replied with a shrug. “You’ve got a big heart and one day, I think your ideas will make an impact. It’s just going to take time and patience...”

Hermione smiled widely at his words as she rested her head on her hand. “Thank you, Harry,” she said after a moment of watching him eat. “You’re the first one to say anything nice about S.P.E.W....”

“Well, the timing was a bit off and you wanted instant results,” Harry said after swallowing what he’d just been chewing. “You’ve grown since then and I’m sure you don’t expect freedom and wages for House-Elves to happen over night anymore.”

“I was a bit impetuous, wasn’t I?” she asked with a snort of laughter. “I guess I’ve grown a little...”

“You’ve grown a lot,” Harry said after pushing his plate away. “Ron and I on the other hand... I’ve done the inverse and Ron seems to be where he’s always been,” he added with a chuckle. Hermione laughed with him and sat back when he motioned he was going to change.

“Let me get your medicine ready, Harry,” Hermione said after she’d levitated the remains of his nightly meal from his table.

“Ok, I’m just going to get ready for bed,” he said then yawned loudly afterwards. He’d just turned down the bed when his a goblet floated to his bedside table. “Ugh, well, here we go again...” he said as he drank down the contents of the goblet. With another yawn, he slipped under the covers and whispered a tired goodnight to his best friend.

“Goodnight, Harry,” Hermione said softly as she replaced the cover to his box and set it on her bed.

“Harry? Harry where are you?” Hermione called into the empty room.

Harry watched helplessly as the giant version of his best friend got to her knees and began scanning the floor intensely. He called out her name, but she didn’t hear him and crawled farther away from him.

Harry ran after Hermione as quickly as he could, but he found that the legs of someone a half of an inch tall didn’t get him very far. Hermione, however, seemed to move away from him at an enormous pace and quickly left him behind.

“HERMIONE!” Harry shouted as he was gently nudged awake.

“Are you ok, Harry?” Hermione asked sleepily. “You were calling out my name in your sleep.”

“What? Oh, I just had a bad dream, that’s all,” Harry said groggily. “Sorry if I woke you...”

“What was it about?” she whispered quietly.

“You were looking for me, but I was too small for you to see,” he said with a shrug. “Just a regular nightmare I guess.”

“As long as I have my extendable ear, I’ll be able to hear you, Harry,” Hermione said with a caring smile.

“I know,” he said with a smile of his own. “Why don’t you go ahead and go back to sleep? I’ll drift off again eventually...”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Harry said nonchalantly. “I have bad dreams all the time; it just takes a few minutes for me to get past it and back to sleep again.

“If you need anything, go ahead and wake me, ok?” Hermione said with a yawn.

“I will, get some rest.”

“Night, Harry,” she said tiredly before replacing his roof.

“Night, Hermione.”

Harry found that he couldn’t fall straight back to sleep like he wanted to so he grabbed a blanket and sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace. He had to admit that spending so much time with Hermione wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it might be. True, they spent a great deal of time in the library like they did during Ron's tantrum during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but that was Hermione and Harry didn’t want to change a thing about her. He got up from the sofa with a sudden urge to see her face and opened the door to his small house. He smiled slightly when he found her facing him and he moved his favorite chair to the door so he could sit and watch her sleep for a bit. Before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep with the door open, curled into a tight ball in his favorite chair.

“Why was your door open?” Hermione asked concernedly with a hint of evenness to her voice. “What if Crookshanks had found out?!”

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep with the door open—”

“And you were sitting RIGHT in front of it!” Hermione continued in a huff. “Do you want to get better? The draft could have frozen you to death!”

“Hermione, calm down,” Harry said frustratingly. “Ok, so I wasn’t thinking!”

“You got that right—”

“Hold it right there, Hermione,” Harry said as his anger started to rise. “I’m alive, I got one of the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had and everything’s going to be fine! There’s no need to get angry over it all now.”

“What if I’d lost you, Harry?” she asked somewhat taken aback by his outburst.

“You didn’t,” Harry said comfortingly. “You’ve shrunk my wand down for me, Hermione. I can take care of myself... listen, why don’t we just put this behind us and go to breakfast?”

“Dobby will be here in a few minutes,” Hermione explained as she finished getting ready for the day. “I’m not going down to the Great Hall.”

Harry shook his head as he slumped into his chair. “If you keep skipping the meals there, questions are going to start flying...”

There was a knock at the door and Harry instinctively looked in that direction but cursed to himself when he remembered his predicament. He heard Hermione leave her table and close the curtains around her bed before opening the door.

“You are here,” Ginny said in relief. “We were worried when you didn’t come down for breakfast, is everything ok?”

“Everything’s fine, Ginny,” Hermione said with an exasperated sigh. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You’ve been skipping meals...” Ginny said concernedly. “It’s Harry, isn’t it?”

“WHAT?” Hermione asked in surprise, her eyes glancing to her sealed bed.

“Come off it, Hermione,” Ginny said with a soft smile. “I know you miss him...”

“Ginny, I’m fine,” Hermione said quickly as a blush started creeping up her cheeks. “We’ll all see Harry soon enough.”

Ginny sat on the edge of Lavender’s bed and looked at Hermione curiously. “Do you know something?”

“No, I don’t,” Hermione said with a shake of her head as she sat down and continued getting ready.

“And you don’t miss him?” Ginny asked skeptically.

“Ginny...” Hermione said with a sigh. “Of course I miss him!”

“You sure aren’t acting it, Hermione...”

Hermione put her brush down and turned to properly look at the young Weasley. “Everything’s going to be fine, Ginny, I’m not worried...”

“What if he’s fighting You-Know-Who right now?” Ginny asked in frustration. “What if I... we don’t see him again?! I don’t know if I can handle that, Hermione!”

Hermione smiled kindly and sat next to her friend. “He’s not fighting Voldemort, Ginny,” she said reassuringly as she placed an arm around the younger woman’s shoulders. “He’ll be back, just like Professor Dumbledore said.”

“How can you be so sure?” Ginny asked quietly as she rung her robes in her hands.

“I have faith that Harry will be back soon enough,” Hermione said with a soft smile. “I miss him too, Gin, I really do.”

Ginny looked to her friend and smiled wanly before standing to leave. “Are you coming down to breakfast?” she asked with a curious glance to Hermione.

“No, I’m going to stay here and read some more,” Hermione replied, pointing to her open Ancient Runes textbook. “Dobby has made sure that I get my meals...”

“Ok, I’ll see you later then,” Ginny said warily before leaving the room.

Just as she closed the door, Dobby appeared and left breakfast before disappearing with a bow. Hermione smiled at the enthusiasm Dobby possessed before she retrieved Harry’s box and set his breakfast on his miniature table.

“What was that all about?” he asked as he sat down to eat.

“Ginny just misses you, Harry,” Hermione replied as she nibbled on a sausage. “I don’t think her crush has gone away...” she added in a somewhat disappointed whisper.

“Well, she’s going to be upset to find I don’t feel that way for her,” Harry said with a sigh. “I really don’t want to face hurting her... she’s like my sister...”

“Oh?” Hermione asked with a bit of surprise to her voice.

“You know that, Hermione...” Harry said with a soft chuckle. “I fancy someone else anyway...” He dropped his fork and quickly cleared his throat. “Tell you what, I should get some rest, why don’t you leave me here and go on to class without me?”

“You fancy someone else?” she asked inquisitively. “And I’m not letting you out of my sight, Harry, you know that!”

“I know,” Harry said quickly. “But I don’t think you need to watch over me every hour of every day, Hermione.”

“Speaking of which, it’s time for your medicine,” Hermione said with a tender air to her voice. “It’s no trouble at all, really, and who is it that you fancy?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Harry said with a sigh, “she doesn’t feel the same way... I think she’s already fallen for another bloke.”

“Do you know for sure? Do I know her?”

“All the indications are there and it’s really not important,” Harry said before busying himself with his morning dosage of potion. “We should get going then, before you’re late to class.”

Hermione looked at him crossly before helping him to her pocket. “We’re not done talking about this,” she said as Harry’s house was shrunk down and placed in her bag.

“I think I’m going to take a nap,” Harry retorted as he felt her heart pound through her blouse. He couldn’t tell her that it was her he fancied. He couldn’t tell her that he rather enjoyed being so close to her every day. And he certainly couldn’t tell her that he loved to hear her heart beating next to him or that he felt content when the heat of her body kept him warm. So instead, he pulled the blanket he’d brought with him over his small body and laid his head on the pillow that accompanied the blanket.

Harry had fallen asleep on several occasions that day, but kept waking up when Ginny began interrogating Hermione or Ron once again. Each time she asked them, the two would deny they knew where Harry was and Ron had blown up at her at one point.

“I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS!” Ron bellowed at his younger sister. “Quit asking, Gin!”

“Neither of you are acting like you normally would with him gone!” Ginny accused the two of them. “If you know anything, tell me! I’m his friend too.”

And so it went through most of the day. Harry had gotten rather tired by time Hermione went up to her room before tea-time and let him into his house again.

“I’m so knackered,” Harry moaned as he slumped into bed, fully clothed.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t sleep, Harry,” Hermione said quietly as his evening meal and potion floated down to him.

“It wasn’t your fault,” his muffled voice returned from the pillow. “Ginny just won’t take a hint.”

“She’s smarter than to believe what the headmaster said,” Hermione said with a shrug. “Go on, take your medicine and eat, you need your strength.”

“I’m glad Ron is talking to you again,” Harry said as he got out of bed.

“Me too,” Hermione said softly. “I hate it when we fight... and thankfully, he dropped the whole Hogsmeade issue...”

“Thankfully?” Harry asked with a hint of surprise. “You don’t want to go with him?”

“Honestly, Harry, I thought you knew by now that I don’t like Ron that way...” Hermione said as she rolled her eyes.

“But I thought... with all the fighting...”

“We were attracted to one another? That you tease the ones you like?” Hermione rattled off quickly. “Ron’s not teasing me, Harry, he enjoys irritating me. I don’t want to date anyone like that, ever.”

Harry sat in dumbfounded silence. Hermione didn’t fancy Ron? This was news he didn’t quite expect. If it wasn’t Ron, then she must be pining for Krum... He thought glumly. She’s always writing to him...

“And before you start thinking about him, no, I don’t fancy Victor either,” Hermione snapped unexpectedly. “He’s just a friend!"

“Ok...” Harry said cautiously. “Why are you mad?”

“I didn’t mean to snap,” Hermione said with a sigh. “You must have been asleep when Cho asked about you...”

“Cho? Why on earth would she want to know about me?” Harry asked incredulously.

“It looked like she was rather worried for you...” Hermione said in a business-like way.

“Wow, I haven’t given a thought to her since she walked by our Hogwarts Express compartment last summer...” Harry said around a mouth full of mash.

“You haven’t?” Hermione asked quietly. “I know you changed after that summer...”

“I did fancy her,” Harry said with a sigh. “But it feels like ages since then. “I couldn’t handle her jealousy anyway. Besides the fact that she is probably still comparing me to Cedric...”

“I’m sorry I brought it up, Harry,” Hermione said with an apologetic smile as she looked in on him. Her face went red when she caught him in nothing but his boxers and she hurriedly backed away before he saw her looking at him.

“It’s ok,” Harry said, oblivious to the slight intrusion, “um... could I ask you a favor?” he asked shyly after slipping into bed.

“What is it?” Hermione asked quizzically as she removed his dirty dishes.

“Could you rub my back?” he asked timidly. “I sort of miss that...”

“I don’t want to crush you, Harry,” Hermione said worriedly.

“I’ll be ok,” he said reassuringly. “I trust you won’t...”

Hermione frowned slightly before reaching into his box and gently placed her finger on his back. “Is that too hard?” she asked tentatively.

“That’s fine,” he replied sleepily. “Thank you.”

Hermione smiled, though he couldn’t see it, as she gently rubbed his back. She was rewarded with soft snores coming from her best friend and gently replaced the box’s lid then set it on her bed.

Hermione woke to the sounds of Harry gasping for air and whimpering like a frightened child. Without thinking she looked around to see if Crookshanks was attacking him again and when the ginger cat couldn’t be found, she peeked into Harry’s house. She found him thrashing under his blankets, face down in his pillow. Hermione jumped when he screamed out, but didn’t wake from his deep slumber.

Worried, she tried calming him down with gentle whispers and when that didn’t seem to work, she tenderly rubbed his back again.

Almost immediately, Harry calmed down, as if he were a small baby that was being cradled by its mother. Hermione smiled softly at her friend as he snuggled into his pillow and sighed contentedly, a small smile forming on his tiny face.

She looked at him and couldn’t help but wonder what he’d been dreaming about. Voldemort, she decided straight away and a sad look crossed her face now that she finally understood what Ron meant by Harry’s dreams. She’d always wondered why he didn’t seem rested most of the time. Her redheaded best friend told her that Harry rarely slept and the dreamless sleep potions were having less of an effect on their mutual best friend.

Her heart went out to him as she watched him sleep and she wished he was back to normal size so she could hold him properly. After a few minutes of gentle circles being drawn on his back, she withdrew her hand and covered his house once again.

Just as her head went back to her pillow, she heard Harry start to thrash once again. “Oh, Harry,” Hermione whispered before removing the lid for the second time. She frowned when she saw him running in his sleep and tried to calm him once again by rubbing his back.

The results were almost immediate, except this time, Harry laughed happily in his sleep. “I caught you!” he mumbled happily. “I didn’t think you’d find me, Hermione...”

“Not that dream again,” she said softly.

“I was so afraid that you’d leave me behind...” he chuckled nervously before pursing his lips and kissing the pillow. “I know you do,” he mumbled in a voice that Hermione had never heard come out of him before. “I love you too, Hermione.”

Hermione’s eyes went wide with surprise. Did Harry just say what she thought he said? She looked at the now motionless form of her best friend and quickly withdrew her finger from his back. It was a good thing she’d done so when she noticed her hand was trembling, though from shock or excitement she couldn’t tell.

“Harry...” she whispered, still stunned by what she’d heard and with a silent gasp, she noticed that he began to stir at what she assumed to be a whisper. Without thinking, she quickly and quietly replaced the lid to his box then, carefully, slid back to her pillow and shut her eyes.

Harry looked around his room blearily, the dream he’d just had was frighteningly realistic. Though, for some odd reason, he felt that Hermione was there with him. Gingerly, he slid his glasses before his weary eyes and looked around. “Hermione?” he whispered tentatively to the darkness of his makeshift home. When he woke enough to realize that she couldn’t have been in the room with him he chastised himself.

Harry stretched and let loose a silent yawn before folding himself under his warm covers once again, intent on returning to that dream he’d just been having. Several minutes of tossing and turning convinced him that his wishes wouldn’t come true so with a sigh, Harry pulled himself from the bed and wrapped himself in a blanket.

Now fully awake, Harry trudged towards the enchanted pitcher that Hermione had created for him earlier that day. He smiled as the cool, clear liquid poured into his goblet and after downing the refreshing iced water, trudged towards his favorite chair. Something gave him pause, though, as he reached the midpoint of his path and he glanced at the door that led to Hermione’s bed.

Changing his course, Harry smiled slightly when he looked in on the sleeping form of Hermione now, quite literally, the girl of his dreams. He watched her sleep for a few moments as the dream came crisp and clear to his mind.

“Harry!” Hermione squealed in delight as he chased after her on an unnamed beach. She was wearing a one-piece bathing suit that still caused his jaw to drop even though it revealed little more than her long legs and smooth back.

Harry laughed as he sought to fill his arms with the elusive girl in the golden bathing suit. Though far from a snitch, she was proving very difficult to catch. Just as his arms came close enough to encircle her, Hermione would laugh and duck from his embrace. Before he knew it, she was running in a completely different direction.

So it was for several minutes, Harry would reach out, Hermione would dodge, and both would smile, laughing joyously as they continued their dance about the white sands.

Something had happened just as Harry was almost able to catch her once again. A sudden pressure landed square in the middle of his back and, though soothing, forced him into the sand with a grunt. Hermione stopped running away from him and immediately turned towards the fallen Mr. Potter.

“Are you ok?” she asked softly, reaching out a hand to his back and softly rubbing her hand in broad, slow circles.

Harry smiled and without warning wrapped his arms around her waist before pulling Hermione down on top of him. She squeaked in surprise then playfully slapped his shaking chest as he laughed heartily.

“I caught you!” Harry laughed happily as she straddled him. “I didn’t think you’d find me, Hermione...”

“I could never lose you, Harry,” Hermione said with a gasp of breath. “No matter where you are, I’ll always find you...”

“I was so afraid that you’d leave me behind...” he chuckled nervously as they inched together and their lips met. He marveled at how soft and moist the lips of his best friend were.

“I could never leave you behind, Harry,” Hermione sighed happily as they broke apart. “I couldn’t... because I love you, Harry.”

“I know you do,” he whispered lovingly. “I love you too, Hermione.”

Harry crossed his arms as he felt the pink stain of his blush warm his cheeks. He gazed at her longingly, knowing full well that someone as wonderful as Hermione could never return his feelings. This realization caused his smile to falter and as if in answer to his unvoiced fear, Hermione rolled away from him. Not wishing to stare at the building-sized back of Hermione’s head, Harry heaved a sigh and slowly closed his door. Within a few short seconds, he slumped into the plush confines of his original destination and fell asleep.

Hermione, however, was fighting to control her rapidly beating heart. She couldn’t hold her face steady under his hypnotic gaze. Harry’s eyes seemed to penetrate to the very center of her heart and the feelings she’d glimpsed on his tiny face were more than she could have wished for.

Harry loves me? The happy thought echoed in her head as soundly as if she’d squealed the realization in a cavernous chamber. She could feel the heat in her face as her heart seemed to increase its cadence behind her breast and she had to roll away from him before she revealed her secret.

Hermione’s eyes were wide and glistening with unshed tears of joy, she’d always thought herself too plain for Harry to even consider. She was no Cho Chang or Fleur and even Ginny had become far more attractive than Hermione thought she could ever be.

Why would he? A nagging voice broke into her delirium of happiness. Why would Harry even think of bookish Hermione when he could have anyone he wanted? Hermione fought against her hidden demons, her doubts and misgivings, and found sanctuary in the words she’d just heard come from the very lips of Harry himself. Not only did his inadvertent declaration come to her rescue, but the sight of him kissing his pillow, which she assumed was her, cemented her resolve to fight those inner fiends of doubt.

Hermione’s enhanced senses caught Harry’s sigh and the closing door. Then, after a few more seconds, his deep, even breathing floated to her making it sound as if he was lying next to her in bed.

Slowly, Hermione turned back to the box, her heart still pounding fast enough to win a horse race had it been a thoroughbred. She blinked away the moisture in her eyes and resigned herself to a night of restlessness. Careful not to jostle the house she’d painstakingly created for Harry, Hermione slid out of bed to get ready for the day.

“Mum said she’ll send the Quidditch game by Owl Post tomorrow!” Ron said around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “We’ll be able to train without a problem after that!”

“Ron, keep it down!” Harry hissed from the sanctity of Hermione’s pocket. “Do you know how many people there are around here?”

Ron looked around and smiled sheepishly at Hermione. “Sorry, just excited...”

“Honestly, Ron!” Hermione said in mock irritation. “Please keep your mouth closed when you eat!”

Ron looked at her strangely for a moment and her kick to his shin helped him catch on. “Right, right...” he mumbled around a bite of sausage.

“Have you heard anything from Harry yet?” Ginny asked semi-forcefully as she took his vacant seat. Hermione and Ron looked at her incredulously for a moment.

“How many times do we have to tell you, Gin?!” Ron growled in irritation. “We don’t know where he is!”

Ginny still looked unconvinced at Ron’s Xeroxed answer. “I still don’t believe you,” she said with a suspicious glare at her brother. “There’s something going on here and I’m going to find out!”

Before either of them could stop the fiery, young redhead, she stood and strode from the Great Hall seemingly hell bent on her destination. Hermione excused herself shortly afterwards and rushed to her first class of the day.

Harry, however, had taken the opportunity to snuggle as closely as he could to her without jumping down her blouse again. Within a few moments, his potions began to take effect and he dozed off as Professor Vector began the day’s lecture.

“Ginny, we’re just going out by the lake to talk, ok?!” Ron barked in an attempt to hold his younger sister at bay. “You can even see us from the tower, if we’re not there in five minutes, then you can assume we’re with Harry!”

Ron turned indignantly towards the portrait hole and stormed out of the common room with a huff. Ginny glared after him then turned her infuriated gaze upon Hermione. The older witch just shrugged and followed swiftly after her best friend, leaving Ginny alone in the common room.

“She’s too bloody nosy!” Ron bellowed as he stalked across the grounds towards the lake. It was unseasonably warm this afternoon and several groups of students were enjoying the break in the rainstorms that had been wracking the area recently. The sun was shining merrily behind wisps of cotton-like clouds and the birds were singing in chorus from their treetop concert halls.

Ron stopped abruptly at the edge of the lake, stooping down to pick up a few pristine skipping stones. With all the grace of a raging gorilla, Ron hurtled the first stone over the surface of the water, admiring the thirteen or so hops the flattened projectile successfully attempted on its journey.

“She’s smart, Ron,” Hermione said calmly as she leaned against their tree. Harry, Hermione and Ron spent many a warm afternoon in this spot. The boys blathering on and on about Quidditch while Hermione pretended to read most of the time. Neither of her best friends had caught her shyly glancing up at Harry from behind the large books she'd bring with her. She couldn't help but secret her eyes in his direction, especially when a gust of wind would catch his clothes and tousle his hair even more than what it was normally.

“You’re doing a good job of acting, though,” Harry said with an unseen appreciative nod. “I didn’t know you had it in you... you’re usually useless when it comes to lying.”

“Sod off, Harry,” Ron grumbled, though the smile on his face belied any true anger he felt towards his best friend.

“Keep it down!” Hermione hissed as she looked around them quickly. “You can’t just go spouting off his name like that!”

Ron grunted an apology of sorts and sent another disk-shaped stone dancing across the water. “You know, you’re going to have to get over your dislike of Quidditch, Hermione,” Ron said with a sigh as he pulled up a patch of grass next to the tree.

“What? Why?” Hermione asked, looking down at him with mild irritation on her face.

“The game needs two players,” Ron explained as if he didn’t hear her irritation at all. “Individual pieces can be charmed to move about independently, such as the seekers or the keepers, but only one piece per team. You can think of the game as a sort of non turn-based version of wizard’s chess, only with the rules of Quidditch in force.”

Hermione sighed and plopped onto the grass next to Ron. “Why didn’t you tell me about the two player requirement earlier?”

“You would have fought tooth and nail to keep it back at the Burrow,” Ron said with a shrug. “He needs to train, Hermione, and at his size, he can’t. We can’t lose to Slytherin next week!”

“I do need to train, Hermione,” Harry said quietly, startling the two of them for a moment.

“You scared me!” Hermione said, resisting the urge to clap her hand over her heart. “I almost forgot that you were there!” Hermione didn’t need to see or feel him to realize he’d just winced at her words. “Oh, Harry, I’m sorry... I didn’t mean it like that...”

“I know,” Harry whispered.

“Mate, you were quiet, that’s all,” Ron chimed in at the look of hurt in Hermione’s eyes. “You have to admit that having you live in her pocket is rather unusual...”

“HE’S WHAT?!” Ginny screeched from behind the two friends causing them to really jump.

“Ginny! Quiet DOWN!” Hermione hissed immediately. She looked around the area in panic and tugged the youngest Weasley to the ground in front of them.

“How long have you been there?!” Ron seethed, his face going rather red as he glared at his sister. “What did you hear?!”

“I heard enough!” Ginny whispered harshly back. “Now what’s this about Harry living in your pocket?” she asked with a glare at Hermione.

“A... a pet...” Hermione mumbled as her face blushed to a deep pink.

“Come off it, Hermione,” Ginny said coolly. “I know you were talking about Harry!” she whispered conspiratorially afterwards. Her eyes went wide as the idea sunk in. “How is Harry living in your pocket?” she asked in a barely audible whisper.

“Ron, give her your extendable ear,” Harry said with a resigned sigh. “She’s obviously not going to leave the two of you alone now...”

Ron grudgingly pulled the modified prank device from his ear and handed it to Ginny. “Put this in your ear, Gin,” he said gruffly. Ginny looked at him warily but did as he commanded.

“H-Harry?” she asked tentatively.

“Hi, Ginny,” Harry said with a sigh. “Sorry we’ve been keeping this from you, but not even Ron knew about my condition until very recently...”

“Y-your condition?” she asked, taken aback. “What’s wrong?! Are you going to be alright?” Ginny asked in a panic, she calmed immediately when Hermione placed a soothing hand on her arm.

“Look at Hermione’s left-breast pocket,” Harry said as he waved to the shocked girl.

“You’ve shrunk?” she asked wide-eyed. “But how did this happen?”

“I botched a potion—”

“Hermione did not cause this,” Harry said determinedly. “I caught a rare strain of the flu,” Harry explained before Hermione could stop him. “The Lilliputian Flu to be exact.”

“Harry—”

“You didn’t cause this, Hermione!” Harry said with a frustrated sigh. “Please stop blaming yourself for this...”

“Why are you living in Hermione’s pocket?” Ginny cut in before the two of them could continue their argument.

“I promised to look after him,” Hermione said as a blush crept to her face.

“Yeah, she made a dollhouse for him and everything,” Ron said sarcastically, looking away from the two witches.

“Ron!” Hermione rebuffed in irritation. “I thought we put that behind us?!”

“We did,” Ron said with a sigh, “but that doesn’t mean I have to like it...”

Hermione hid her face in her hands as she let out a sigh.

“Ignore him, Hermione,” Harry said with a sigh of his own. “I guess he still can’t get over me staying in your room...”

“You’re WHAT?!” Ginny hissed suddenly, her face also going red.

“I have to keep an eye on him...” Hermione explained quietly. “He could die from exposure if he didn’t have someplace warm to stay,” she said before clearing her throat. “Its very dangerous for him to wander around without someone to look after him... Crookshanks almost...”

“He didn’t, Hermione,” Harry said quietly.

“What happened?” Ginny and Ron asked as one.

Hermione glanced up at Ron, realizing he didn’t know about Crookshanks’ attack on Harry. She sighed miserably as her vision became cloudy. “C-Crookshanks scratched him badly. I was in the loo and when I came back, I found his shirt in Crookshanks’ mouth... I thought he’d eaten him...”

“Hermione, it’s ok...” Harry cooed quietly, cursing silently that he couldn’t hold her at the moment. “You got me to Madam Pomfrey with plenty of time to spare...”

“That’s horrible,” Ginny gasped quietly.

Ron glared at Hermione, the tips of his ears matching the rest of his face. “Do you see why I should have been watching him?” he growled. “Besides, it’s improper for you to keep him in your bed!”

“It’s the rules, Ron!” Hermione hissed back. “He has to be behind my curtains whenever he’s in the room and I can’t watch him directly!”

“RON! CALM DOWN!” Harry shouted at the top of his lungs. Hermione and Ginny both covered their ears as his voice boomed magically into their skulls. Ron turned his glare on the boy who just squeaked at him. “Sorry,” Harry said apologetically after he’d realized what he’d done.

“Warn us next time!” Ginny hissed as she stuck her finger into her ear, trying to clear up her hearing.

Ron took the extendable ear and put it back into his own. “Mate, come on...” Ron said pleadingly. “It’s not proper for you to be staying in her bed...”

“Ron,” Harry said softly. “I’m not sleeping in her bed... I’m sleeping in my own bed with walls that block me from even seeing Hermione.”

“But, Harry—” Ron said quietly.

“No buts about it, Ron,” Hermione cut him off as she pressed a hand to her throbbing head. “Madam Pomfrey, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall all know where Harry is and they’re the ones who set the rules...”

“Ron, think about it...” Harry said with a sigh. “Can I possibly do anything there? The only time I see Hermione is when she looks in on me...” he smirked to himself and let out a slight chuckle. “Besides, it’s not like I can snog her or anything at this size... it’d be like trying to kiss Hogwarts’ gates!”

Despite the seriousness of Ron’s demeanor, the last comment caught him off guard and he snorted a laugh. Hermione found it rather infections as did Ginny and soon the four of them were laughing rather hard.

“I never thought about it that way,” Ron said after he’d calmed down a bit.

“What did he say?” Ginny asked, realizing that she’d fallen into laughter with the other three without a clue as to why the tension had changed so rapidly. Hermione whispered what was said into her ear and the laughter began anew.

After retrieving Ron’s listening device, Ginny smiled once again. “So, this is why you were skipping meals and spending all your free time in your room...”

“Not all my free time,” Hermione said with a grin. “Someone has to tutor your brother so he can pass his exams...”

Ron shrugged as if Hermione’s statement summed up everything his life revolved around, besides, as everyone knew, Quidditch.

“Do you know how long you’ll be stuck like this?”

“About another week and a half,” Hermione said, covering up the happiness those words brought to her.

“What about the next match!? How will he train?” Ginny asked suddenly. “I mean, he’s too small to try out in the wind and everything...”

“I’ve got that covered,” Ron said with a smile. “Remember that old Quidditch game that Bill gave me when he left home that first time?”

Ginny nodded as she realized the implications. “He could play seeker in that instead...” she said with an impish grin. “I call him on my team!” she blurted quickly to the astonished look on Ron’s face.

“No bloody way!” Ron barked.

“Ron, think about it,” Hermione said with a grin of her own. “If you’re running the other team, and he’s one of your players, do you think Ginny could keep him fully on his toes? You’re the captain; you could easily set up the plays...”

“Though I don’t need him on my team,” Ginny said with a smirk at Harry, “I’d still like to focus on the other players... I’m tired of being seeker...”

There was suddenly a low growl coming from Ron that caused the other three to glance at him quickly.

“Sorry, it’s about time for tea, isn’t it?” Ron said with a grin as everyone got to their feet.

“I’ll see you two later,” Hermione said with a wave. “Dobby is bringing dinner by and I don’t want it to get cold!” Without looking back, she hurried off towards the castle, the two Weasleys not far behind.

“Hermione, is there anything wrong?” Harry asked from his small table where a golden platter filled with roast and mash was quickly being reduced to just the platter.

"No, nothing's wrong... why do you ask?” Hermione replied from just outside, working on her meal as well.

“You’ve been rather quiet today... anything happen?”

Hermione shook her head, though he couldn’t see the motion. “Nothing’s happened,” she lied. Hermione was thankful that Harry couldn’t see her at the moment because one look in her eyes would have told him everything.

“Oh, ok,” Harry said quietly as his evening medicine floated down to him. “I think I’m going to get ready for bed.”

Hermione waited a few minutes before looking in on him, she’d wanted to catch him in his boxers again, but the nagging guilt in the back of her head kept her from indulging herself.

“Harry,” she whispered softly as she moved his box to her bed. “Remember the other day... when... when we were talking about who you fancied?”

“I do,” Harry said quietly, fighting to keep his heart from racing. “Why do you want to rehash that?”

“I-I just wanted to know...” Hermione began with a shaky voice. “Do I know her?”

“Hermione—”

“Well, can you tell me what she looks like? Will you tell me anything at all?” Hermione persisted.

Harry sighed in defeat. “You really want to know?” he asked quietly and looked up at Hermione’s gigantic face as she looked in on him. She nodded and he glanced away. “Well, she’s beautiful, caring, and has a wonderful sense of humor,” Harry said, missing the hurt look in her face. “She’s got the most wonderful eyes and I can’t get enough of the smell of her hair...”

“That’s nice, Harry,” Hermione almost choked out but was able to keep her smile. “Keep talking, I’m just going to lie down...”

Harry sighed and shook his head. Was he imagining the hurt look in her eyes? Those same deep brown pools that radiated such warmth? Harry climbed out of bed and went to his door after grabbing his enchanted hat. It never failed to amuse him that Hermione always had his entrance facing her, but when he opened it, he noted that she wasn’t facing him.

“Hermione—“

“You shouldn’t be opening your door,” she said quietly. “What if Crookshanks finds you? What then?” Hermione tried to make the wiping of her eyes look like she was stretching but Harry would have none of it.

“Hermione, what’s wrong?” he asked tentatively. “Please look at me...”

She hesitated for a moment but did what she was told.

“Why are you crying?” he asked softly, leaving the safe confines of his house and walking over to her pillow. Harry climbed up the soft surface so that he was directly in front of her face.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said softly then sniffed.

“It does to me,” Harry said quietly. “I hate to see you upset, Hermione...” he cooed softly as he tried to wipe the Quaffle sized tear from her enormous cheek.

“Who is this girl you fancy,” she asked bluntly.

Harry sighed and hung his head. “I can’t tell you,” he admitted with a whisper.

“Why not?” Hermione asked with minor irritation.

“Hermione,” Harry said softly, “I can’t tell you because I don’t want to ruin our friendship...” Unable to handle her gaze, he turned to go back to his house but a large, hand-shaped wall blocked his path.

“Nothing could ruin our friendship, Harry,” Hermione said in barely a breath.

“It would if you didn’t fancy me back,” Harry said with equal clarity.

“How could it be me?” Hermione asked, taken aback. “You said she was beautiful!”

Harry turned around and looked at her as if she’d gone mad. “You are beautiful, Hermione,” he said incredulously. “Just look at yourself!”

“I do every day,” she said quietly. “I see frizzy hair, plain brown eyes, and a freckled lump of a girl... How can you think that I’m beautiful?”

Harry looked into her eyes and saw the self doubt swimming there freely. He smiled softly, reassuringly at her and wished again that he was his proper size so he could kiss her. “Yes, you have bushy hair,” he conceded. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful... Your eyes are anything but plain, Hermione. I could get lost in them easily and I have. They’re deep, dark, and when the light hits them just right, they shine like pools of chocolate.” Harry walked slowly towards her and reached out a diminutive hand to caress her cheek. “And I’ve always adored your freckles,” he said with slight laugh. “There’s nothing about you that is plain in any way... Your heart is so full of love, ambition, compassion, and excitement. You’ve grown into a pretty woman but it’s everything you’re made of that I find beautiful.”

Harry stepped back as a rather large tear dropped by his feet, soaking the surface he was standing on. He looked up to see her frustration and sighed.

“Why do you have to be so small now?” Hermione asked in irritation.

“So, I guess you’re ok that I like you more than just best friends?” Harry asked with a slightly curious smile.

“Of course I do, you daft git!” Hermione said in a cross between a laugh and a sputter. “How can I hug you when you’re tiny?!”

“I guess we’ll have to wait, won’t we?” Harry said with a sigh but the wide smile on his face told her everything she needed to know. “I wish I weren’t this small either,” he admitted as he kissed her gently on the cheek, which he was sure she couldn’t even feel. “But things happen for a reason I guess...”

“Oh, don’t pull any of that divination bullocks on me!” Hermione said with a snort of laughter. “’Open your inner eye’, really...”

Harry laughed as well then smiled brightly up at the twinkling eyes of Hermione. “If I want to get better, I should get to bed, shouldn’t I?” he asked roguishly.

Hermione’s cheeks took on a slightly pink tinge as she nodded. “Goodnight, Harry...”

“Goodnight, Hermione,” he said quietly from his door.

It took the both of them quite some time to do so, but they eventually fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

A/N:Hey, another chapter! Sorry this isn't as long as some of you would like, I wanted to get something out there and this is the result. Good news: I've got A's in my important classes and at least a B in English (Shakespeare) so I made it through midterms well! Finals are coming up and I'll have more time during the Christmas break to write! Look for more updates then and my new story is coming along nicely :). Well, without further ado, here's chapter 6, sorry again that it's so short...

“Ron!” Ginny shouted excitedly from farther down the Gryffindor table the next morning. “Here comes Errol!”

Ron looked to the flock of owls and found his family messenger fighting against the tide of leaving birds. He shook his head in disgust and wished that Pig was large enough to carry the game his mother had sent them from home.

Errol, in his usual, clumsy style, landed haphazardly in Hermione’s cereal just after she’d poured in the milk. She looked down in irritation and glared at Ron.

“It’s not my fault he seems to land in your food each time he delivers something,” Ron said with a poorly concealed grin.

“Next time we expect him,” Hermione said heatedly as she wiped up the mess of milk and cereal from the table, “I’m moving farther down the table!”

“He can’t help it, Hermione,” Ron said as he glowered at her. “He’s old!” Without waiting for a retort, Ron quickly untied the bundle that his family’s owl had brought him. “This is it!” he said with a wide grin as Ginny finally joined them. Colin Creevey had been pestering her constantly for the past two days in an attempt to take her to Hogsmeade on a date. Ginny had been too nice to say no and with a disgruntled sigh, she slumped next to her brother.

“I’m getting tired of making excuses,” she said as she buried her face in her hands. “He’s a nice enough bloke, but I just don’t see him that way.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry for long,” Ron said with a broad smile. “This weekend you have plans with me and Hermione.”

“Did it make the trip ok?” Ginny asked excitedly, remembering why she was trying to get to her brother in the first place.

“Yeah,” Ron said with a smile. “One or two of the pieces might be broken, but we can patch them up well enough. The pitch might need some tuning since it hasn’t been played in so long.”

“Broken pieces and pitch tuning?” Hermione asked, her voice laced with concern.

“Of course,” Ron said with an impatient sigh. “It hasn’t been played in a long time and there’s a good chance that it’s out of repair.”

“Oh,” Hermione said, still unhappy with the news. “I should get to class, I’ll see you in Potions.”

“Don’t remind me,” Ron said with a groan.

“See you tonight, Hermione,” Ginny said with a smile. “I’ll show you how this game is really played!”

“Right,” Ron said with a challenging smile. “I’ll stomp you just like I always have!”

“I just let you win because it was your game,” Ginny said with a sniff of superiority.

Ron laughed aloud and Hermione shook her head in amusement as she hurried off to Ancient Ruins.

“Ginny, I always play the Scarlet Ravens!” Ron protested loudly.

“Not this time, I’m tired of playing the Puce Pumpkins,” Ginny retorted with a low growl. “Besides, Harry’s robes don’t match a Slytherin colored team!”

“Does it matter who plays which team?” Hermione asked in exasperation. “It’s just a game.”

“Yes! It does matter!” Ron said hotly. “Would you want to play Slytherin when you could be Gryffindor?”

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Hermione snapped back. “It’s just a silly board game!”

“Oh, and like Quidditch is just flying on brooms,” Ron replied vigorously.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Harry said with a sigh. “Is there anything different about the pieces?”

“No, just the colors,” Ginny said with a glare to Ron. “When you charm the piece you want to move independently, you choose the team member here,” she explained as she held up a sheet of statistics. “They play like your favorite Quidditch player then!”

“So, the only thing that’s different is when you charm your piece to act like a player on a sheet of parchment?” Hermione asked inquisitively. “Then what’s the harm in letting Ginny play red?”

“It’s his lucky color,” Ginny deadpanned before Ron could open his mouth. “Mum started knitting him maroon jumpers because of his fascination with this game.”

“She knits me maroon jumpers, not red ones!” Ron huffed. “And you wonder why I don’t like the stuff she makes for me.”

“You didn’t complain when you were six,” Ginny put in with a wicked smile. “Or seven, or eight, or—”

“I do now, ok?” Ron said snappishly. “Ok! Ok, you can play the Scarlet Ravens!”

Ginny squealed in delight as she waved the game’s wand to set up her pieces just as Ron did with his team’s pieces. A small referee walked onto the miniature pitch and the magical board game announced the players.

“IT’S THE SCARLET RAVENS VERSUS THE PUCE PUMPKINS!” the referee shouted and began calling out the rules of the game. “PLAY A FAIR GAME!”

The whistle was blown and a recorded crowd cheered the start of the game. Ginny waved her wand this way and that as her lead chaser had control of the quaffle. The announcer was calling out the plays like mad as Ron’s chasers wrested control of the board. He sped his players to the opposite end of the pitch and just as the miniature Quidditch player approached the goals, it fell from the air like a rock and bounced off the faux turf below him.

Just as that happened, three of Ginny’s pieces—one being the seeker—also fell. The seeker’s broom snapped in half from the impact and Hermione gasped.

“Harry can’t play on that!” she hissed in a harsh whisper. “He’d kill himself!”

“We just have to tune the game,” Ginny said offhandedly and waved her real wand over the broken seeker. The figure and its broom reassembled as if nothing happened and Ron began fidgeting with a series of knobs along the length of the small stadium.

“Yeah, all we have to do is adjust these knobs,” Ron explained as he twisted them this way and that. “Then we’ll try again. We could usually get it working fine after a few tries.”

“I don’t like this,” Hermione said with a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Everything will be fine,” Harry said from Hermione’s pocket.

“You could get hurt on this thing, Harry,” Hermione whispered so only he could hear.

“I could get hurt playing real Quidditch,” he replied with a sigh. “Everything will be fine,” he said reassuringly then started coughing violently.

“Are you ok?” Hermione asked worriedly and helped him from her pocket.

It took Harry a few more seconds to calm down and nodded. “Just an itch in my throat,” he said uncomfortably.

Hermione looked through her bag and pulled out a vial of liquid. After filling a small goblet and shrinking it down to Harry’s size, she had him drink it down.

“Madam Pomfrey said you might start coughing and told me to give this to you if you did,” she explained. “Drink it all down.”

Harry did as instructed and smiled up at his caretaker. “I feel better, thanks,” he said.

“Right, that last run looks like we’ve got everything up and going fine,” Ginny said with a smile. She decommissioned her seeker and set the miniature broom down in front of Harry. “I had a feeling the pieces might be a bit too small for you,” she said with a shrug. “I forgot how small they were.”

“That’s fine,” Harry said as he mounted the broom. It was smaller than his Firebolt felt but he seemed fine with the reduced broom size. “This even has a cushioning charm on it!”

“It’s a pretty accurate game,” Ron said with a grin as he watched the Scarlet Ravens’s normal seeker skulk around on the sidelines. He laughed and pointed to the action figure. “Does he remind you of anyone?”

“Hey, he’s walking around like Krum does!” Harry said with a grin.

“That’s the real reason Ron loves the team so much,” Ginny said with a mocking grin.

“It was not!” Ron said with a frown and looked back toward the action figure. “Get it off the pitch, Gin,” he said irritably, “you don’t need a reserve seeker.”

Smiling wickedly, she did as she was asked and turned her attention to the now flying Harry Potter. “So, how’s the control?” she asked with a softer smile.

“Not too bad, not as good as my Firebolt but it does come close to my old Nimbus Two-Thousand,” Harry said with a grin as he flew around the pitch. “It’s a little short, but that’s ok.”

“Be careful, Harry,” Hermione said worriedly as he went into a shallow dive.

He put the broom through its paces and smiled satisfactorily as he took his customary spot above everyone else on the pitch. “I’ll be fine, Hermione,” Harry said with a quick smile before concentrating on the game.

“AND THE MATCH YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!” the miniature referee announced loudly to the recorded cheers of the crowd. “THE SCARLET RAVENS VERSUS THE PUCE PUMPKINS!”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Just get to the game, we don’t need the announcements!”

The miniature referee glared at him and cleared his throat loudly. “AS I WAS SAYING...” he started and went through the rules despite Ron’s reddening face. “NOW PLAY A FAIR GAME!”

The announcer piped in at that moment and called each play as it happened. Ginny had squeezed through Ron’s defenses and scored ten points while Ron flicked his wand irritably in an attempt to control his players. Each one shouted what they thought would be the best move to make next but Ron would have none of it.

“JUST GET MOVING!” he bellowed at the action figures and reluctantly they began to listen to his commands.

By this time, Ginny had scored an easy two hundred points when the crowd went wild. “THE RAVENS’S SEEKER HAS THE SNITCH!” the voice crowed in delight as Harry held the snitch high in the air. The rest of the Ravens tackled him in midair, locking their arms around him in a victory hug. The scene was very much akin to watching several seventh years try and give Hagrid a hug while he sat on a training broom.

Ron glowered at his team and sneered at his sister. “You were lucky because my team hasn’t warmed up to me yet.”

“As I recall, the Ravens didn’t listen to you for the longest time,” Ginny gloated as Hermione congratulated Harry.

“Right, next match,” Ron said heatedly and reset the game.

“Harry, wait until we have at least three hundred points this time,” Ginny instructed as she took control of her chasers. “And I’d watch out for the beaters, Ron will try to knock you out of the sky before you can see it this time.”

Harry nodded in understanding and grinned at Ron’s low growl. “It’s for the good of Gryffindor,” he said with a laugh and laughed harder when Ron’s face went even redder.

“I know that,” Ron said with a sigh. “I’ve been watching Slytherin practice, they’ve been paying attention to Puddlemere United’s strategies and I wanted to develop a counter-offensive.”

“You need your team to listen to you—” Ginny started but smiled when her brother cut her off.

“Enough, Gin!” he barked angrily. “They’ll listen to me now if they don’t want to end up as scrap!”

The Puce Pumpkins looked worriedly at Ron and then turned serious as the referee stepped out onto the pitch to reiterate the rules of the game. Just as before, the game kicked off with a roar from the crowds. Harry decided he’d try to lure the other team’s seeker on a wild-goose-chase just in case the game behaved like real players.

Sure enough, when he streaked to the opposite end of the pitch, the announcer became excited and the Puce Pumpkins’s seeker raced after Harry. He went into a steep dive and just as Hermione gasped, Harry pulled out and watched the action figure plow into the pitch.

“Nice one!” Ginny crowed as she concentrated on her chasers and scored another twenty points.

Harry laughed as he watched a miniature medic rush onto the pitch and check the playing piece. The other seeker shook his head and mounted his broom to the cheers of the crowd.

“I wish you wouldn’t do things like that!” Hermione said after she’d calmed down.

“I’m fine,” Harry said with a weak smile. “The game is holding up without a problem...” Just then, a golden flash zipped by his face and after a quick check at the scoreboard—which registered three-hundred and fifty to twenty in favor of the Ravens—he shot after the snitch, only to catch it right in front of Ron’s nose.

“THE SCARLET RAVENS HAVE WON THE GAME!” the announcer crowed once again. Ron’s demeanor easily took a steep downswing from there as they continued to play the game for the next few hours.

Each time he thought he’d gotten a handle on the current match, Harry would catch the snitch to win the game by an astounding lead of two to three hundred points each time.

“ALL RIGHT!” Ron barked after his fifth consecutive loss. “I’M PLAYING THE RAVENS THIS TIME!”

“Not on your life, Ron,” Ginny returned with just as much fire in her eyes.

“If you didn’t have Harry on your team, you wouldn’t be winning at all!” Ron shouted back. “It’s my turn to play them!”

“I don’t need Harry on my team to win against you,” Ginny said maliciously. “And be quiet! Do you want everyone to know where he is?” she added in a harsh whisper.

“Enough!” Harry yelled. “Look, I’m getting tired anyway so maybe we should call it a day.”

“Harry, you haven’t been able to train with us all week!” Ron whispered quickly. “Just a few more games...”

“Ron, I need to get off—” Harry started but began coughing violently once again.

“He needs his rest,” Hermione said calmly as she fished out his potion and goblet. “I think you should get some sleep, Harry.”

Harry nodded as he continued to cough when his broom gave out and he fell from the air like a brick. Ginny gasped and Ron’s eyes went wide when Hermione’s hand shot under him before he could fall a centimeter.

“Bloody hell!” Ron and Ginny said at the same time.

“When did you become seeker?” Ron asked as he watched Hermione swiftly administer the potion to Harry.

Hermione glared at him and flicked the tiny broom Harry had been riding into Ron’s chest. “Just because I don’t play Quidditch, doesn’t mean I don’t have quick reflexes,” she said icily. “I think this is the last time we’ll be using that contraption for practice,” she added with such finality that all Ron could do was gape at her.

“It’s ok, Hermione,” Harry said after he’d caught his breath again. “But I think the game is too small for me anyway.” He yawned sleepily and looked at his friends. “It was good practice though.”

“Get some sleep, Harry,” Ginny said with a soft smile.

“Yeah, you need to get better so we can hand Malfoy his bum on a platter,” Ron said with a wicked grin.

Harry chuckled sleepily and crawled into Hermione’s hand after she’d opened his box for him. “I’ll see you later.” He glanced at Ron and Ginny to make sure they weren’t watching then smiled tenderly at Hermione before she set him into his temporary home. She didn’t notice anything in the room but his face as she smiled back and closed the lid.

“I’ll just head to my room for a bit of light reading before bed,” she said with a yawn of her own. “Please keep that game away from me, Ron, I don’t want to be reminded of what just happened.”

“Hermione, nothing happened,” Ron said in exasperation. “You caught him before he could fall!”

“What if I hadn’t been here?” she asked accusingly. “He could have been in one of his dives and what then?”

Ron grimaced and conceded the argument for the moment while he and Ginny packed up the pieces and the Quidditch arena. Ginny was currently struggling with several of the pieces that were refusing to go back into their places and she let out a grunt of irritation.

“They like to be played,” Ron said under his breath as he his sister finally succeeded in packing everything up.

“As long as it’s after Harry is back to normal,” Hermione said coolly then stood with her things and Harry’s box. “I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.” With that, she turned and made her way to her dorm where she placed the circular, dollhouse representation of the Gryffindor common room on her pillow.

“So, what’s going on between you two?” Ginny asked from the doorway.

“What?” Hermione asked absently as she fished her Ancient Runes textbook from her bag.

“You and Harry, Hermione,” Ginny asked again a bit more irritated. “Should we be worried with him sleeping in your dorm?”

“Of course not!” Hermione said incredulously. “Whatever gave you the idea that there would be a problem?”

“I saw the two of you,” Ginny replied quietly. “Just before you set him inside...” she nodded towards the box on her friend’s pillow.

“Ginny, nothing’s going on,” Hermione said with a sigh. “We’re just f-friends.”

“You could never really lie when you felt guilty about something,” Ginny said hotly. “This is the second time you’ve lied to me about him! Do you think after sharing a room with you so many times that I don’t know what’s going on in your head?”

“How could you possibly know what I’m thinking about?” Hermione asked in irritation.

“For starters, you talk in your sleep. Then, when Harry isn’t around, you talk about him almost non-stop,” Ginny said as she ticked off her reasons on her fingers. “Now you’re hiding him in your room and sharing secrets that don’t include the rest of us,” she glared at her older friend at that point. “You two are dating behind our backs, aren’t you?”

“NO!” Hermione said far too quickly.

“I see,” Ginny said darkly. “I reiterate: what’s going on between you two?”

“You’re just not going to give up on this, are you?” Hermione asked as she pressed her palm into her throbbing temple.

“Not until you spill it, Hermione,” Ginny said evenly. “You’re not the only one who cares for him...”

“I know, I know,” Hermione said with a sigh. “Listen, this doesn’t go beyond this room...”

“It won’t,” Ginny said softly and looked Hermione square in the eyes.

Hermione motioned for her to sit down and after they were firmly seated on Hermione’s bed, she began telling her about everything. She didn’t mention Harry’s dream, or what she knew about it, or what he said in his sleep. But she did recount their conversations and how she’d finally worn him down and found out that he fancied her.

Ginny remained quiet through the retelling and when the story was finally over, she nodded silently. “Does Ron know,” she asked in a whisper after a moment.

“No,” Hermione replied without pretense.

“You should tell him sooner rather than later,” Ginny advised as she got to her feet and headed to the door. “Ron’s had feelings for you for a while.”

Hermione didn’t have time to respond before Ginny stepped into the hall and closed the door behind her. “What?” she asked with a miserable sigh as the news sank in. “Ron?”

Hermione sank back into her bed and covered her eyes with her forearm but snapped into a sitting position when Harry startled her.

“You know, I wasn’t asleep yet,” he said with a yawn.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Harry,” Hermione said miserably. “I should have asked you before I told Ginny everything...”

“It’s ok,” he said with a sigh of his own. “I figured it was girl-talk and that I wouldn’t be welcomed.”

“You’re always welcome,” Hermione said with a reassuring smile. “I don’t think she would have asked if she thought you were awake.”

“It’s good she knows,” he said after a moment. “I’ll have to talk to her, of course, but at least she can move on. I’m more worried how Ron will react.”

“Let’s just hope that he doesn’t blow up like he did in fourth year,” Hermione said with a groan. “I don’t think I could deal with another row like that.”

“If he even thinks he can treat you like some trophy, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind,” Harry said evenly, but the effect was dampened by another coughing fit.

“Madam Pomfrey said that when you started coughing it was a sign you were getting better,” Hermione said hopefully as she poured him another dosage of his cough-suppressant potion. “Maybe you’ll be back to normal soon and we can, you know...”

Harry sighed gratefully after he’d taken his potion and slumped back on his bed. “I know,” he said softly and slipped under his blankets. “I know, Hermione.”

She smiled softly at him before dimming the lights and stepping beyond her four-poster’s curtains. Hermione reappeared a few minutes later dressed for bed and she shimmied under her covers.

“Hermione?” Harry asked quietly.

“Yes?”

“Do... don’t you think it might be a little strange when I’m back to normal?” he asked timidly.

“It does feel a little strange,” Hermione said with a slight twinkle in her eyes. “But I think our friendship helps...”

“It does,” Harry said sleepily. “Goodnight, Hermione.”

“Sleep well, Harry,” Hermione said as a shy grin crept onto her face. “Get well soon.”

Harry’s soft snores were his reply and Hermione fell asleep with visions of a full-sized Harry Potter wrapping her in his arms.