Chapter 7: The Crystal Ball
Hermione, Ron and Harry had got dressed early in the morning and were rushing around the Weasley's kitchen trying to find something edible for a quick breakfast.
"You know," Ron said with his mouth full of toast. "This is the earliest I've ever got up. Out of
school that is."
"Get used to it," Harry grinned swigging down some fresh pumpkin juice.
Hermione walked quietly down the stairs, trying not to step on anything that would instantly blow up. You never knew what the twins would leave lying around for some unsuspecting victim.
"Morning," she greeted cheerfully and sat down at the kitchen table. Picking up the pitcher of pumpkin juice, she poured herself a glass. "Who's house first?"
Ron swallowed his toast. "The Manor first. We can floo straight there, no messing around with The Leaky Cauldron's system."
"They really have to clean the soot out of there," Harry commented, placing a cooling charm on the pitcher. "But, the Manor has some floo warding charms up. We'll have to Apparate to the little cottage on the North Sea bank. Shouldn't take us five minutes to walk from there."
"A cottage?" Ron asked, looking up from his nearly devoured breakfast. "A massive Manor and a cottage? On the North Sea Bank?"
Harry shrugged. "It's an old work cottage. Sirius' dad used to do some woodturning and stuff down there before he retired. It's a nice old cottage. Furnished and everything just needs a woman's touch."
"Sounds nice," Hermione commented, stealing some bacon from Ron's plate. "Looks like you've got yourself your own little hide-hole Harry."
The three flooed to the old cottage, using Harry's special floo powder, which granted them access to the Marauder Manor's floo network.
Hermione was the first to land. A safe landing, upright and on her feet before Ron came crashing through the fireplace and tumbled her forward, landing flat on her face.
"Soddin' twit," she mumbled standing up and brushing some soot from her backside and front.
"Sorry love," Ron smiled apologetically and kissed her on the cheek.
He stepped back momentarily to look around only to be hit by Harry stepping out of the fireplace. The two banged heads.
"Ow," They echoed each other rubbing their foreheads.
Harry clambered out of the wrought iron fireplace and looked around. Apart from the soot in front of the hearth everything was clean and tided.
"Have you spent some time down here?" Hermione asked, appearing from one of the doorways.
"Just a few days," Harry picked up one of his books from the desk and placed it back in the bookshelf.
"I can tell," Hermione grinned. "It has the distinct 'Harry' feel to it."
Ron had disappeared into the kitchen, probably to find something to eat. It was a welcome absence. He'd been whinging all morning about not being able to Apparate after getting his licence.
"I have a distinct 'feel' then?" Harry asked chuckling. "Sirius just thought it would be nice if the cottage was lived in. It was getting very lonely on it's own."
"Why don't you move in then?" She replied picking up another of his books and thumbing through it quickly, trying to find a page that grasped her attention.
Harry wondered if she could read it at light speed by now. She probably got enough practice in and out of school.
"I might just do after Merlin's," he looked at her. Even the back of her head, which was all he could see presently, was beautiful. Then it dawned on him that he really was pathetic pinning away for her…but then he realised that she was doing exactly the same for him.
Cliché's are life's way of poking fun at you.
"Want to join me?" He asked. He suddenly felt stupid but the words had just tumbled from his mouth. Stupid idiot words that he had no control over.
He watched her sigh. Her shoulders sagged a little and her arms crossed in front of her. She played mindlessly with one of the stray pieces of hair that had fallen down past her ear.
She turned around to look at him and leaned against the old oaken desk. Surprisingly, she was smiling. It looked like a happy smile but with Hermione, one could never really tell what that actually meant. Her brain worked in mysterious ways.
"I wouldn't mind that," she smiled lovingly. "But I'll be at Hogwarts remember?"
To add a bit of comic relief to the intense moment, Harry hit his forehead with the ball of his hand.
"You know, I completely forgot," He grinned. "I completely forgot that my best friend will be away from me for months at a time!"
The two laughed as Ron walked in with a sandwich in his hand. Whatever the sandwich was, it was dripping what looked like spaghetti sauce over the '24 Hour' clean floor.
"I won't be that far away," Ron managed taking another bite of his hideous concoction of a sandwich. "And besides, this place has four bedrooms! Room for all of us!"
Harry and Hermione just looked at each other.
Something told them that Ron hadn't quite got Harry's meaning.
"I still say Apparating would have been easier," Ron complained as the three walked up to the Marauder Manor.
"But Splinching Ron," Hermione countered. "You're not very experienced in it and Splinching could
be a possibility. It's a risk I'd rather not take."
"Aww," Ron smiled. "Is that cause you love me so much?"
Hermione stiffened a little. She looked at Harry. He wasn't looking back. She breathed a sigh; and did it all within a second then replied, "Something like that."
She received a playful punch on the arm from Ron, and an almost inaudible sigh of relief from Harry.
~)*(~
The large Manor seemed to loom over the three. It wasn't massive but it wasn't exactly small either.
"Bloody hell," Ron gazed at the large stone manor. "Buckingham Palace or what?"
Harry laughed. "Not quite, Ron. The Queen doesn't live here."
"Yeah," Ron stifled a chuckled. "She lives with Mr and Mrs Granger."
The two boys laughed whilst Hermione threw them both death glares. "Hardy flamin' har."
"Wow!" Harry laughed. "Miss Granger used imperfect grammar!"
That only fuelled their laughter. Hermione walked ahead of them.
"That's Professor Granger!" She called as she disappeared behind a hedge.
Harry used his multitude of keys and door charms to open the huge doors. A simple 'Alohomora' charm couldn't have broke it in a million years.
"You think you've got enough security on it?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow at the huge oak doors.
Harry sighed. "When you see doors like these, do you think it's to keep something out?"
Putting on his scariest, flame green eyes, Harry turned around to stare Ron in his eyes. Hermione could barely keep down her laughter. Harry was a scary bastard when he wanted to be but he couldn't scare her, not in a million years.
"Or is it, to keep something in?" To add to the effect, Harry threw his head back and cackled loudly.
Hermione managed to catch Ron's scared expression before it melted into amusement, but for a moment he really looked frightened of Harry.
Ron his arm and scowled. "Evil git."
"I do try," Harry laughed as he pushed open the large doors to reveal the huge foyer.
Hermione and Ron walked in, Harry closing the doors after them. The foyer was gigantic. It had a large staircase in the centre leading up to the first floor landing. Several paintings were chatting to each other; a Knight in one painting was clipping his toenails.
Harry however, was reading his owl post, which was sat neatly on the side table by the door.
"Wow," Ron gasped, staring at himself in the marble flooring.
"Go up to my bedroom if you like," Harry didn't seemed phased by the magnificence of his house. Well, of course he wouldn't, he'd got used to it.
"Upstairs I take it?" Hermione asked, placing her hand on the pine banister.
Harry nodded. "Reach the top and it's the second on the left."
Ron and Hermione walked upstairs, Ron still gaping in amazement. Harry was following behind reading some owl post as he trudged up the staircase.
"This is huge!" Ron gaped, taking in the hugeness of the first floor landing. He stood counting the doors down either side. There were six on either side of the staircase.
"This way," Harry pointed to a dark red door.
Hermione opened the door. Instead of the room coming into view, a huge white owl flew at her, knocking her down to the floor screaming.
Harry rushed to her side, calming her down as Ron examined the white owl, which had perched herself on the staircase railing.
"She's got a message," Ron stated, unclipping the scroll from the owl's leg. The owl chirped thanks in return.
He handed the message to Harry once he'd stood. Harry unrolled the parchment and glanced it over.
"It's Sirius," Harry exclaimed, reading over the rest. Hermione leaned against the wooden railing, trying to catch her breath.
The white owl hooted, and nuzzled Hermione's shoulder as if to apologise.
"It's alright," Hermione grinned, stroking the white owl's back and head. "Just don't do
it again, okay? You gave me a heart-attack."
Harry handed the parchment to Ron. "There's a note on the back from your dad. They've spoken to the
Ministry and they're on amber alert until further notice. Sirius and Remus are staying at the Ministry in case
something happens. Mr Weasley's coming home."
"Oh that's good," Hermione sighed. "So nothing major then?"
Harry shook his head. "Only sightings. Until something happens, all they can do is station Aurors in the
areas."
"And are they doing that?" Hermione asked pulling her fingers away from the white owl's nipping beak.
"So Sirius says," Harry sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Fudge isn't being reluctant
about this one."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Figures. It's Yorkshire and London, two leading cities for Muggles and
Wizards."
Harry nodded again before turning back to his bedroom door, opening it to reveal a large golden and scarlet bedroom.
"So, no one went light with the paint then," Hermione stated crossing the bedroom to find yet another of Harry's desks. On top of this one however, was a blue inkbottle and a tankard filled with different quills including the Eagle quill she'd given him. That put a smile on her face, after all the years, he still had it.
Several pieces of parchment were strewn about the table with ink scribbles already on them. The thing that grabbed her attention though was a crystal paperweight sitting on top of a leather bound hardback book.
She picked it up and examined it. Inside was a swirling purple blackness, it looked like rolling smoke. Suddenly, a few golden letters strung themselves together forming the words 'You're A Fool'.
She was about to place the ball back down on the desk and mutter something about idiotic tourist traps when the golden words re-strung together to say 'But Give It Time…He'll Be Home Soon'.
Raising an eyebrow at the crystal ball, Hermione set it down on the desk.
"Hermione?" Harry asked, walking over to her. He touched the small of back, meaning it as a friendly
gesture but she jumped at his touch so he removed it. "Sorry. What're you doing?"
Hermione pointed to the crystal ball. "I was just looking at that. What is it anyway?"
"Oh," Harry grinned, picking up the small ball and holding it in his palm. "This, my friend, is a one
of a kind 'Thought Ball'. It tells you what you think about a subject, then the outcome of it."
He held it up to his face and peered into the smoky blackness. "It says 'You're A Quick Learner'. Now it says 'And It Will Help You In Your Profession'."
Hermione cocked an eyebrow. "So, it's a form of Divination? Completely imprecise and tells you absolutely
nothing about your real life, therefore has no idea what it's saying?"
"Was that rhetorical?" Harry asked, placing the ball back down on his leather book.
She smiled and slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Don't we have to be somewhere now?"
Harry nodded and went to his large four-poster bed, dipping down underneath it and retrieving a large black holdall.
"How many of those do you have?" Hermione asked, realising that Ron was no longer in the bedroom with
them. "And where's Ron?"
"I have three of these," Harry replied heaving the bag up onto his trunk and unzipping it. "And Ron
has gone to find food, for himself and for the owl. The kitchen big enough, he'll be in there for
hours."
Harry pointed his hand at the two wardrobes and called "Accio Jeans!"
The wardrobe doors opened sharply and out flew his deep blue jeans, which folded themselves up into the holdall. He then walked to the wardrobe and began unpacking his things manually into the holdall.
"What was the point in that display of magic?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the bed and feeling her feet rise off the ground as she sank into the mattress. "What the…"
She gripped onto the nearest bedpost and dragged herself back up to her feet then clung on for dear life.
"Harry, your mattress just tried to eat me."
Harry grinned and laughed. "It's not adjusted yet, I haven't been sleeping in it, so the House Elves don't bother to readjust it until I get back."
"Some warning signs might be good," she muttered standing up as Harry closed the wardrobe doors and zipped the holdall shut.