Author's Notes: Hiya, thanks for all your reviews again. ^_^ Just to answer a few questions…
1. Yes, I am English. :P
2. The whole 'Harry forgetting everything' thing… maybe it is a bit AU? I don't know. All I knows is, it wouldn't fit in with my plot if he did remember everything. ; ) Plus keep in mind that Ron's potion earned him a 'T' so I'm guessing it was a bad Age potion at that. Also note the word 'Age' not 'Aging' :P
3. There is no three. Well, I'm sure there was, but I can't remember it. It just sounds good. Oh wait! There was a number three! Yes… I know the nickname 'Mione' might be annoying to read when it's not actually Harry saying it, but the whole story is meant to be from 5 year old Harry's point of view. So as far he knows, she is called Mione.
Oh… and Fudgy Bear is real. He's my widdle Fudgy Bear that sits on my bed. *Hugs her Fudgy Bear*
Glad you're all enjoying the story, anywho. So… onwards then, chaps!
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The next day was spent outside playing chase with Ron again, while Mione sat and watched the two of them, happy again. As Harry sprinted away from Ron, surprisingly fast for a 5 year old, he turned to Mione, who was sitting peacefully on the steps and waved. When she waved back, he would beam and carry on running, leaving a disbelieving and exhausted Ron behind him.
When it was time for a break, Harry sprinted over to Mione, coming to a skidding halt next to her, where she was laid out with all of her books and papers. Innocently, he sat down next to where she was working, and looked over all of her notes. They were full of very complicated-looking squiggles that he'd never seen before, not even in school and he was in the top reading class, he was proud to admit. When he asked her what they were, her reply was that they were 'Ancient Runes' and that they were used to find out secrets and codes.
'Like a secret agent?'
Mione laughed. 'No, not quite like that, Harry.'
'Oh,' he watched as she wrote down lots of the funny squiggles, and smiled. 'You're very clever, Mione.'
She turned her head to face him with a pretty smile, her eyes bright.
'Thank you, Harry.'
They sat in silence for a while, Harry trying to keep quiet while Mione did her work. She had given him a scrap of funny paper and a pencil, which he began to draw on quietly. He decided to draw him, Mione and Ron all together, holding hands under a happy sun with him in the middle. After a while, he decided he'd finished, so he sat and watched Mione again for a while.
She was very pretty indeed, when she worked. Her brown curly hair fell over her face, hiding one eye, while the other was clearly focused on the page in front of her. Her eye lashes were long and very dark, and they framed her eye prettily. She didn't wear make up, like his Aunt Petunia did, but Harry decided that she didn't need to. He wished that Mione could look after him instead. He just wanted to be with her all the time.
After a moment of silently watching Mione work, Harry was startled from his thoughts by Ron flopping down beside him, accidentally causing half of Mione's papers to blow up and become messed up. Harry jumped backwards in surprise as the papers flew everywhere, getting caught in the wind that was heading for the lake, as Mione jumped up with a cry, trying her best to scramble after them. He knew what would happen before they hit the water, fanning out along the surface of the lake. Watching as Mione chased after them, emitting a wail of anguish as the water spread through the paper, Harry saw Ron backing quickly away out of the corner of his eye. Harry soon found out why.
When Mione had finished desperately watching her work fall into the lake, she spun around and fixed Ron with a beady, angry looking eye. Harry backed away. He didn't like it when people looked angry.
She marched over to the two of them, still looking at Ron angrily, as he too backed away cautiously. He seemed to be screwing up his face in anticipation. Harry did the same.
'Ron Weasley! Do you know how LONG it took me to write those?! Do you even have ANY consideration for the amount of work I put into that?!'
Ron backed away even further as Harry watched the two of them. He didn't like it when Mione shouted. Was it something he had done? Was it his fault? He began to cower away from the two as they started to argue. Their voices were rising and it scared him. Frightened, he started to sniffle.
Mione and Ron seemed not to notice him as tears begun to form in his large green eyes, of which fact Harry was relieved of. When he was at home, he had learnt never to let anyone see him cry. It just angered people even more, especially his uncle. He tried to stifle his sniffles and tears, but to see Ron and Mione fighting in such a way, and thinking that maybe it had been his own fault upset him quite a lot. The tears continued to fall and he could not muffle the loud sob that escaped him.
Upon hearing the subdued sob that Harry emitted, Ron and Mione froze, both staring at Harry as though he had suddenly popped out of the ground. He continued to cry as quietly as he could, though he knew he couldn't hide the fact that there were tears in his eyes. He closed his eyes as tightly as he could, willing his eyes to dry up and the sniffles to stop and bringing a shaking hand to his face he wiped his eyes on his sleeve as hard as he could, as though that could stop the flow of tears.
After a split second however, he felt warm arms around him and he looked up into Mione's kind and pretty face, which was smiling at him gently. He sniffled loudly.
'D-did-did I do so-something wrong, Mione?'
He saw her eyes widen as she brought a soft hand up to stroke his hair, much like she had done the night before. This calmed him a little as the sniffles began to stop.
'No, of course you didn't, Harry! No, it wasn't your fault… Ron was just being very stupid that's all, and I'm a little angry at him. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?'
Harry nodded and squeaked out a shaky 'Okay…' as Mione continued to hold him, rocking him back and forth softly, making gentle hushing noises to soothe him. As he hugged her tightly back, he spotted Ron marching back up to the castle in a huff. He could see the red of his ears even at a distance.
'Is Ron okay, Mione? Was he upset too?'
Mione turned to look at Ron as well, though her expression grew harder and more angry-looking.
'No. That's just it, Harry. He wasn't upset at all.'
'And he should have been?'
'Yes. He should have been.'
'Did it make you upset, Mione?'
She turned her attention back to Harry, and with a softened smile, she nodded.
'Yes… it did make me upset.'
At this answer Harry hugged her tighter, burying his face into her arm. He wanted to cheer Mione up again, and he did it the only way he knew how.
'Mione, please don't be upset. You're very pretty and clever, and I never want you to leave me ever. I love you, Mione.'
Gasping, Mione pulled away from Harry, her eyes wide but not in shock, Harry realised. She was touched. He had made her feel better. He didn't know how he knew it, but he was glad that he did, which made him grin broadly at her. She did the same.
'I love you too, Harry.'
With that she drew him closer again, repeating the same rocking movement as before, hugging him as tight as she could.
'You know… you might not remember this when you're grown up again…' she whispered to him, as they hugged closer, which was almost sending Harry off to sleep with the gentleness and the warmth of her body. 'But I'll love you then as well. More than you'll ever know. I hope you remember this week, Harry,' she paused, taking the chance to stroke his hair away from his face to look into his eyes. Harry blinked back at her, staring innocently into her deep brown eyes with a smile. 'because I don't think I could ever tell you face to face… when you're grown up. But I want you to know it, and I want you to remember one week of your life when you weren't bullied or teased. You deserve that.'
Harry frowned at her. He knew that at home he wasn't treated very nicely, and he hated it. He never wanted to go back to that place now that he had met Mione and Ron and Papa Dumbledore. He felt like he belonged here, in this big old castle where the pictures on the wall moved and waved at him, where things happened on their own, like clothes shrinking and dragon toys moving. He wanted to stay here in Mione's arms, where she could hold him and keep him safe.
'Mione… I don't want to go back home ever again. I hate it there.'
Her body tensed up. Gently, she pulled away from him and picked him up by his arms, sitting him softly on her lap, bringing her hands around to meet his. He held them tightly.
'I know, Harry. I know you don't like it there… '
'They hurt me, Mione. They never hug me like you do. They always shout at me and put me in a cupboard.'
'Oh, Harry…'
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Several hours later and Harry was once again getting ready for bed. He had spent a good hour outside with Mione, talking about things like what he did at home, what his favourite things were, and just listening to her teach him things about the castle. He had now learnt that the castle was called Hogwarts, and it was a school for children who could do magic things. She had told him that he was one of these children, and when he was older, he would be able to come to this school again to learn how to use magic.
Now that he was warm inside and just about to get into bed, Harry felt very tired indeed. He'd had a long day playing chase and talking with Mione, and as they had talked, the air had taken a chilly turn. Now he was sitting in bed with a glass of milk that Mione had brought him, sniffling and yawning.
'Here Harry, I've brought you something.'
Mione was sitting on the edge of his bed again, smiling and holding something behind her back. Harry looked curiously at her.
'You know you told me that you'd never had a teddy bear before?'
'Yes…'
'Well, I'm going to let you borrow mine for a while. His name is Fudgy Bear.'
From behind her back she pulled out a large brown coloured bear, which seemed to be made completely out of fluff. It's fur was as fluffy as cotton wool and around it's neck was a large brown and gold ribbon. It's face was almost covered by it's downy chocolate-coloured fur, and from underneath shone two black button eyes, which peered at Harry pleasantly. Harry immediately fell in love with it.
'Fudgy Bear!'
Mione laughed as she handed Fudgy Bear over to Harry, who instantly grabbed it and hugged it as tightly as he could. It was very soft and squishy, and he loved it.
'Now you have to promise to take good care of Fudge… you will, won't you?'
Harry nodded vigorously.
'Right, well, come on then. Fudgy Bear is very tired, and I'm sure you are too, so let's get you to sleep, okay?'
'Okay.'
Beaming, Mione held up the covers so that Harry could slide underneath again, and once he was inside, she did the familiar task of making sure that there were no gaps in his blankets, also making sure that Fudgy Bears blankets were firmly in place too. After she was satisfied that no cold air could get in at all, she stood and leaned over Harry, her hand stroking away Harry's bangs from his face. Gently, she planted a soft kiss on Harry's cheek.
'Goodnight, Little green eyes,' she whispered, as Harry's eyes began to droop so that they closed. 'Remember, I love you.'
'I love you too, Mione. Nuh-night.'