Unofficial Portkey Archive

Harry walked out of Dumbledore's office in something of a daze. He stumbled and fumbled his way down the spiral staircase and headed back towards the Griffindor common room. Muttering the password to the Fat Lady he kept his eyes focused on some distant point.
"How rude!" she sulked but allowed him passage.

Ron and Hermione were arguing, again.

Harry put a hand to his head. Ruffling the messy strands of his fringe he glared at them both.

"...I didn't say Harry should run away" protested Hermione, wringing her hands.

"As bloody good as" countered Ron "You don't realize-"

Both of them became aware of him standing at the entrance to the room.

"...how great a game wizard's chess is..." finished Ron lamely.

"Hi Harry" said Hermione brightly "What happened with Dumbledore?".

Harry felt a great weariness overtake him. "The same as ever" he said "Voldemort is back, the Ministry don't believe it, the Order of the Phoenix seems to hate me...what else?" he pondered. Oh yeah, apparently they were getting somewhere until their Chief of Archives went missing..."
Harry took in their blank faces.
"Probably means as much to you as it does to me" he said, lifting up his hands hopelessly.

"The Order of the Phoenix are pretty bright Harry" said Ron encouragingly, "I'm sure they'll sort it out".

"Hmmmm" said Hermione.

"Yeah well..." Harry floundered. "Yeah well. I'm going to bed"

He walked out of the room in a daze towards the boys' dormitories.

"It's still daytime Harry" whispered Hermione.

"He's really cracked this time" said Ron.

"Ron!" chastized Hermione

"You know what I mean!"

"EVERYONE knows what you mean Ron!"

"Oh give over Hermione! I just mean...Well, think how you'd feel if you were Harry. Thanks to something he barely remembers he's the only hope of the wizarding world...at 16!"

Hermione took this in. "He's not alone in this" she said determinedly.

"I know that. You know that. I don't think Harry gets that."

"Shhh" she said as they heard footsteps outside the room.

Harry re-appeared at the door.
"It's still daylight" he said.

"Yeah, mate" said Ron, straight-faced. "You utter thickhead!"

"Guess I am" said Harry, seeing the funny side and starting to chuckle.

"You two are so childish" said Hermione haughtily. "I'M going to bed"

Harry and Ron looked at each other bewildered. Had Hermione just made a joke?

"Oh come on" she teased "that was funny!"

They had a quiet moment of giggles before the sound of footfalls could be heard again outside.

Dean, Seamus and some of the other Gryffindor boys stormed into the common room. As the portrait door swung shut, Harry could just about hear the Fat Lady complaining about their muddy shoes.

"Where have you been?" he asked them taking in their filthy appearance.

"Checking out the Quidditch pitch" Seamus said. "Didn't you hear?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances and then shook their heads.

"Dumbledore says that Quidditch is back on this year!"

"You're kidding!" gasped Ron "McGonagall said that there weren't enough staff to supervise."

"Who cares mate!" shouted Dean happily. "Let the games begin."

'Yes' Harry thought to himself, once more buoyant with the cheer of his friends 'let the games begin!'

**

The next morning Harry and Ron sat together at breakfast. Hermione had bolted down a few pieces of toast and run off to the library ("some of us still want to learn").

"Hermione's different this year." Said Ron confidentially, taking a mouthful of cereal.

"Yeah."

"No, Harry, she's different."

"I said 'yeah'" he said bewildered.

"She made a joke!"

"I was there" said Harry, frustrated.

"Just saying it's odd" he said chewing vigorously.

"We should get her a nice present" thought Harry aloud, thinking of her birthday in a few days time.

Ron was gaping at him, flecks of half-chewed cereal clung to his teeth.

"Shut your mouth Ron" said Harry in disgust.

"Sorry" he said "but what are you on about? We don't get Hermione a 'nice present'. We get her a book. Every year a new book. This year it's a spellbook remember? It's like a tradition. We get her a book, she reads it and for two days we don't hear her bossing us about. Win win."

Harry smiled. "I know but maybe we could break tradition this year."

"Go wild" said Ron sarcastically.

"I don't have any classes this afternoon" said Harry "Neither do you" he added as perpetually forgetful Ron began to burrow around in his robes for a timetable. "Lets go into Hogsmeade and have a look around."

"You're suggesting we illegally sneak out of school to wander around in the town of Honeydukes?" said Ron in mock-fear.

"Pretty much" said Harry "although I'm pretty sure they're sticking to Hogsmeade."

"I'm in" said Ron. "You're a bad influence on me!"

"Rotten to the core" agreed Harry happily. He was relieved to have something to think about that stopped him replaying the conversation in Dumbledore's office.

**

Harry and Ron met in their bedroom after lunch and hurriedly threw on their outdoor robes. Harry got out his cloak of invisibility.

"Brrrr Harry. This winter is going to be miserable" whinged Ron.

"Oh shut up and get under the cloak, I can still see your left arm!"

After a series of comic writhings they managed to secure themselves from view and made their way towards the secret passageway. One small scare for Filch's cat later, they were on their way.

"Harry?" asked Ron.

"Yes?"

"What on earth are we going to buy for Hermione?"

"I don't have a clue" he replied honestly.

"What about something that looks like a book?" suggested Ron.

"Maybe."

"Or one of those secret books that are hollowed out inside?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"Or book-ends?"

"Hmmm."

"Or we could just BUY HER A BOOK!" said Ron carefully emphasizing the last words of the sentence.

Emerging into the deceptively bright winter sunshine after they'd made their way up the stairs, Harry looked around.

"All clear" he said. "Right, where do you want to s-...Ron?" He looked about wildly, concerned, until he saw a ginger head disappear into Honeydukes. "RON!" he yelled. Turned in the direction of the sweet-shop, a deliciously chocolatey aroma hit him smoothly in the face. "Wait for me!"

Ten sweet-filled moments later and Harry and Ron stumbled back out onto the street. Ron's pockets were weighed so heavily with sweets that he was having to secure the waistband to avoid embarrassment. Harry had watched Ron carefully picking out the longest-lasting sweets to make his money go further and had been hit by a severe pang of reckless guilt. Loading several bags with sweets he knew Ron loved, he'd pretended to dislike them after purchase. Seeing Ron's happy, if chocolate-smeared, face had given Harry a much needed boost.

"So" mumbled Ron through a mouthful of chocolate frog, "ready to go back?"

Harry shot him a look.

"Oh right" he said downcast, "we have to go solve Harry's brain-teaser - what looks like a book, will please a girl who likes books but isn't a book..."

"Ron...." Started Harry warningly

"Ok, ok" he said, holding up his hands in surrender.

Harry was looking up and down the street. He loved Hogsmeade. More than any Muggle town he had ever known there was a real sense of community. He smiled at a witch walking along the opposite side of the road, leading a little girl by the hand. Immediately he wished he hadn't. Her eyes met his, he smiled, she smiled and then she saw the scar. Recognition was instant and in her wondering gaze Harry felt the powerful rays of responsibility sweeping across his forehead. In a flash he was back in Dumbledore's office, the Order of the Phoenix representatives measuring up his worth.

He came back to reality with a jolt aware that Ron was tugging violently on his sleeve.

"Har-ry" he was calling. "What did I miss?"

"Huh?" said Harry "Oh, nothing."

This time as he scanned the street, he took in what his brain didn't want to see before. That several of the shop windows were boarded up, that litter was blowing freely through the once pristine streets, and that those very streets were practically empty. If Hogwarts was running on skeleton crew, then Hogsmeade was barely alive at all. A few last bastions of normality, like Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks were still open. Even if the Ministry wasn't accepting it, the wizarding community knew something was afoot. On a nearby bench he could make out the faint outline of a Dark Mark. It looked like Muggle spray paint so Harry wasn't unduly concerned - he didn't think that Voldemort went in for urban art.

"It's horrible isn't it" said Ron fervently. "It's the waiting that's awful..."

"I don't know Ron" said Harry sadly "the waiting might be all we have left."

"What are you saying?" said Ron wide-eyed.

"Nothing"

Harry felt the chains of responsibility dig into him.

"I don't know what's going to happen. That's all."

"Come on" said Ron. "Lets get this over with"

The two of them wandered in comfortable silence down the street. Then they saw it together. Harry froze, Ron's face moulded into a mask of pure fear. They had not seen this coming.

"Has that always been there?" asked Ron in dread.

'What Every Witch Wants' stood threateningly to their left. Big windows displayed all manner of witchy things and neon lights promised faithfully that every witch's need could be catered for.

"We're going to have to go in." said Harry determinedly.

"Please Harry. I can't. We'll hate it."

"I'm going in".

Harry strode towards the sparkling shop front before he could change his mind, dragging a protesting Ron with him.

**

Inside the shop was comparatively busy. Witches wandered all over the store with wicker baskets brimming with girly things. Open wardrobes lined the wall to their left, which displayed racks of clothing disappearing Narnia-like into the distance. An entire corner seemed devoted to make-up and glittering jewellery that dazzled as it caught the shop lights. Trinkets were positioned throughout every aisle, enchanted to jump into the path (or basket) of anyone walking past. Harry and Ron stopped agog. A gilded mirror to their right questioned irritably "Are you boys done staring?"

Suddenly a tall witch glided into view.

"Can I help you?" she asked imperiously, looking down her nose at the boys.

Silence.

The witch cleared her throat.

Harry nudged Ron, Ron nudged back. "We're looking for a birthday present for our friend" Harry said timidly.

"She is a girl" added Ron enthusiastically.

"Hmmm" said the witch, somewhat softened by their politeness. "A present can be a very personal thing. Perhaps you'd better wander and see what jumps into your path."

It was only as Harry took a step forward and a small silver carriage clock jumped onto his foot that he realized she was being literal.

Harry felt like he'd been wandering this shop for hours. He and Ron had wasted at least 30 minutes trying to get to the end of one of the everlasting clothes rails in a wardrobe. They'd failed. His feet were beginning to hurt, both from the walking and the jumping knick-knacks.

"This is hopeless" said Ron, fighting with a small doll. "No" he said firmly and booted it back to the sidelines.

"Maybe we should..."

"Get a book" supplied Ron eagerly.

Harry sighed. "Maybe we should get a book" he agreed.

Their walk to the bookshelves was impeded by a maze of underwear racks which sent Ron the colour of his hair. The display seemed to rise up and engulf them so that whichever way they turned they were confronted with lacy bras and pants.

"What the-" said Ron frustrated.

"It's a trick" confided a tiny porcelain bear jogging after them. For every five steps it covered a centimetre so keeping up with the boys had been quite difficult. "They hope you'll start buying this stuff in an effort to get out."

"Hmph" said Harry and pushed his way forcefully through one of the displays.

"Harry?" called Ron as he followed.

"What now?" Harry asked, fed up with the shop.

Ron leaned forward and with a small cough removed a bra draped over Harry's shoulder.

"Oh" said Harry. "Thanks"

**

Finally free Harry and Ron headed towards the bookshelves at the back of the shop. A glass counter to the left drew their attention as they passed.

"That's it" gasped Harry.

"What's it?" said Ron, and looked around in fear of further underwear.

"No, in there" pointed Harry.

In the case was a delicate filigree silver heart on a chain. The heart was tiny, no more than 2 centimetres in diameter but the craftsmanship was exquisite.

"I agree" said Ron, though Harry couldn't help but feel that he was agreeing so that they could finally leave.

"An excellent choice young sir" said the witch behind the counter. "Ancient lore tells that this heart acts as a cage to hold evil spirits away from the wearer"

"I think we all need one of those" said Harry wryly.

"Will sir want this gift-wrapped?" asked the witch.

"Oh yes please" they replied in unison.

A small sum later - well, for Harry who had insisted on paying - and the deed was done.

Finally exiting the shop both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Next year..." started Ron.

"Oh she's getting a book" cut in Harry matter-of-factly.

**

Please review, I'll probably be inspired to write faster…What will Hermione think of the necklace?