Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, so there!
A/N: OK, finally. Sorry it took so long. I could have split this chapter also, like I already did twice before but I really wanted Harry's birthday to be Chapter 13. So, at least you'll get a nice long chapter out of this one: twenty pages... yikes! I expect we should be back to regular lengths next chapter. Of course, now that I've just said that, I'm sure it just became one page longer... Better stop while I'm ahead.
You may notice that I borrowed a certain scene from a certain book, though I fixed it so that it was actually believable... heh heh...
And finally (yes, finally). There are some song lyrics in this chapter. I wouldn't call it a songfic... just a fic with a song. I put the credits at the bottom to give you a chance to recognize it first.
Chapter 12. The Weeks that Followed, Episode III: The Quidditch Captain is Named.
"Well, I'm going to start going through some of my books and see if I can find a name I like for my new owl," Hermione said, finishing in a sing-song voice. After she returned to her room, Harry looked at his O.W.L.s one last time, just to make sure it was still true. He had passed. He could continue in his plans to become an Auror.
Tucking his letter into the desk drawer where he had put all of the thank you letters from his friends and their families, Harry turned around and gave a quick glance at Hedwig's empty cage.
"Good luck girl," Harry said to the empty cage. "I hope you get along. I'd hate it if we had to leave if you didn't," Harry said sadly.
Feeling better now that he knew he had passed his O.W.L.s (Well, at least the ones I needed to, as Hermione said, he thought to himself), Harry decided he would return downstairs. The talk show was still there waiting for him.
As he walked down the stairs, he could not help but grin broadly; Hermione had beat him downstairs and once again reclaimed her favorite seat. Harry settled in the loveseat and began to learn about the fascinating world of married men who cheat with their best mate's sisters. He turned the TV off after about a minute and went and got one of his school books to read. Anything was better than watching that.
Several hours, and many thick, heavy books later, Hermione had finally chosen a name for her new owl. As she searched, she had created a list of a dozen or so possibilities. Slowly crossing them off one by one, she was finally left with one. Turning to Harry with an excited look on her face, she held up the piece of parchment in her hand and showed it to him. He couldn't read it at the angle she was holding it.
"Metis," she proudly announced.
Harry smiled slightly. "Let me guess. The god of knowledge, or something like that, right?" A surprised Hermione looked down at the sheet of parchment and then back up at Harry.
"Greek, actually," she clarified, still looking very proud (though for some reason he wasn't sure if it was from the name or his guess). "A minor Greek deity, the goddess of wisdom and prudence." Harry smiled; it was the perfect name for an owl belonging to her. Hermione huffed. "First wife of Zeus and mother of Athena... and they call her a 'minor deity...'"
Hermione then turned back to Harry. "So, what do you think?" she asked eagerly.
Harry thought about it for a moment. It certainly wasn't a name he would have chosen for his own owl. But that was the point: Metis was Hermione's owl, not his. She seemed very happy with the name. As far as Harry was concerned, that was all he cared about.
"I think it's perfect," he said honestly.
"Really? Oh thank you, Harry. I'm glad you like it," Hermione said very excitedly. "I've always wanted an owl, but I never got one since I knew I wouldn't be able to take it with me. I can only bring one animal to school, and I could never leave Crookshanks at home," she said with a slightly disappointed look.
Her face then brightened. "But this will be perfect! I can take Crookshanks to school with me and leave Metis at home. That way, Mum and Dad will be able to write me whenever they want to. I know they'll just love her."
"OH!" Hermione gasped. "That just gave me a great idea on how to tell them about her." She stopped for a moment, obviously planning something before continuing. "Anyway, the first time I wrote them with Hedwig, they mentioned how impressed they were by her. They were used to school owls by then, but seeing her fly in majestically, they said it was just different somehow." Hermione appeared quite breathless when she paused for a moment.
Harry suddenly remembered the owl that delivered his results. "Hermione? The owl that delivered my results was a snowy also. In the last five years at Hogwarts, I've seen very few snowy owls. I've seen three today. Hedwig, Metis, and the one that delivered mine. Is there anything special about them?"
"No... and yes," Hermione replied unhelpfully. "No, in the sense that they're simply uncommon in this part of the world. They usually live in a much colder climate. Yes, in the sense that the Wizarding Examinations Authority has a whole parliament of snowy owls to make deliveries. They use them to create an image of impartiality, kind of like how Muggle judges usually wear black."
Hermione then gave Harry a critical look. "Though I suppose I should question that impartiality, what with some students getting 10.8s and all." Harry knew there was a smile lurking beneath.
"Yeah," Harry retorted, grinning, "well, when they put you on trial, I'll be sure to mention your Protean Charm, OK?"
"Thanks," Hermione said unenthusiastically, to which Harry gave her his best imitation of an Umbridge grin. "As for not seeing many of them, it's not surprising really. At most, there'd be two at school: one each for a sixth and seventh year student. And that's assuming they both weren't already bringing another animal. I'll have one, and I'll be leaving her at home," she explained.
"Oh, that makes sense," Harry agreed. "So, what's this plan of yours?" After Hermione explained it, they both agreed to not mention their O.W.L.s if possible until Metis returned. They hoped that would be tonight or tomorrow, since Hermione still needed to know what kind of cage to get.
That evening, Dan and Emma came downstairs after changing clothes. They both looked slightly uneasy. Dan remained standing at the foot of the stairs, his arms folded; Emma sat down next to Harry.
"So," Dan started uncertainly, "not that I'm jumping to any conclusions, but does anyone want to tell me what happened today upstairs?" he asked seriously.
Harry and Hermione immediately looked at each other, blushing slightly as they remembered everything that happened. Fortunately, even if they omitted a certain part of the story, it was still embarrassing enough that the blushes were justifiable.
Several minutes later, Hermione had finished recounting the memorable events, omitting the parts about Metis and the state in which Harry found her. Dan and Emma looked very relieved; Dan was close to laughing as he imagined Harry kicking in the door (now it seemed funny). After Emma eagerly asked them to bring their O.W.L. results down so she and Dan could "share in their accomplishment," Harry and Hermione started to head upstairs.
As Harry walked by him, Dan suddenly put his hand on Harry's shoulder, stopping him. The mirth from only a moment ago had evaporated; Harry could see that there was something else in his eyes. He couldn't tell what it was, whether it was fear or concern or worry. Whatever it was, it was something that certainly wasn't happy. Dan gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze.
"Like I said, sometimes trouble comes looking for you," Dan said unevenly. For some reason, Harry could tell that he wanted to say "Thank you" but just couldn't. Harry nodded a silent "You're welcome." With that, Dan nodded back and then slapped Harry on the back a few times, the last one pushing him up the stairs to fetch his O.W.L. results.
After passing their letters around twice, Emma finally asked about the owl mentioned in Hermione's letter. Harry was impressed with how easily Hermione shrugged it off, saying that she didn't bring it down with her and that she would show them later (which was true), as if it were something like her prefect's badge.
After dinner, Dan and Emma, tired after a long day of surgeries, tried to relax a little by stretching out on the sofa, each on one end; Harry and Hermione shared the love seat. The four of them spent the rest of the evening sharing their proudest moments from their academic careers (as well as some not so proud): Harry and Hermione at Hogwarts, Dan and Emma at their schools and universities.
Metis returned from Professor McGonagall the following morning. She had sent a very short reply saying that it would be more efficient for her to visit in person, due to the number of questions Hermione had asked, as well as the fact that final class selections still needed be made. She also evidently wanted to speak to each of them about "additional matters."
As promised, Professor McGonagall arrived that afternoon at precisely 1:00, though in a manner neither Harry nor Hermione were expecting; she knocked on the front door. As they opened the door, they were greeted with a most unusual sight: Professor McGonagall dressed sharply in a woman's business suit. Behind her in a chauffeur's uniform was Nymphadora Tonks. Her hair was jet black underneath her driving cap; Harry almost didn't recognize her. Parked in the Grangers' drive was what Harry recognized as a Ministry car.
After letting them in, a series of greeting handshakes went around.
"Miss Granger, Mister Potter. It is nice to see you again," their Head of House greeted them in as warm a voice as either of them could remember hearing her use.
"Wotcher Harry, Hermione! I agree. It's great seeing you two again," Tonks concurred. "You're both looking well," she said, allowing her gaze to linger on Harry a little longer than she did with Hermione. "I hope your holidays have gone smoothly."
"I had a slow start," Harry admitted after Hermione nodded in reply to Tonks, "but, as the song goes, I got by with a little help from my friends." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hermione smile shyly and look down at the floor. Tonks and Professor McGonagall looked at Harry confused. "It's a Muggle song. I saw it on the telly the other day."
"Well Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall started sharply, "I do hope you haven't spent all of your time in front of, what do they call it, the 'moron box'?" she finished with a neutral face. In her case, that probably meant she was slightly amused.
"'Idiot box,'" Hermione corrected her. "And you'll be happy to know that Harry and I both finished our homework last week."
"Indeed?" Professor McGonagall responded, surprised. Harry saw Tonks behind her with an exaggerated look of shock on her face. "Well, then you'll both be happy to know that you'll soon have more homework to occupy your time. You are moving into your N.E.W.T. years, after all."
"Yes, we know," Hermione quickly replied. To Harry's surprise however, it seemed to lack the enthusiasm he normally heard in her voice when she talked about homework. Maybe she enjoyed homework-free time too.
"So Tonks, to what do we owe the honor?" Harry asked.
"Ah. Today, I'm just a driver," Tonks replied modestly. "Well, maybe a little more than just a driver," she said winking as she pulled the handle of her wand out of her uniform pocket enough for Harry to see, then re-pocketing it.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Tonks," Professor McGonagall called, "please excuse us while I attempt to address all of Miss Granger's inquires." She and Hermione then went upstairs, closing the door behind them (well, as much as it would since the latch was still broken).
"So Harry, how's your summer been? Really?" Tonks asked quietly now that they were alone. Harry realized that this summer must have been difficult for her as well; she was Sirius's cousin, after all. Harry sighed and sat down on the sofa.
"Honestly? It was horrible the first few weeks," Harry conceded. "But then, as I mentioned, someone helped me, and it's been better since then. 'Life goes on,' they told me afterwards. I still miss Sirius a lot, but he's gone now. I can't change that. All I can do is go forward. I've been doing my best to live again." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath.
"How are you doing?" he asked her.
Tonks looked down at her feet. "Better now," she said. "Not so much earlier," she said sadly. "He was my favorite cousin when I was growing up, you know. I was only about seven when he went to Azkaban, but I still remember how kind he had been to me." Tonks stopped for a moment to enjoy a fond memory.
"It sounds like you had a slightly better time of it than I did," she continued, sounding slightly envious. "Old Rufie dragged me down to the healers at St. Mungo's. They wouldn't let me leave until I had 'come to terms' with what had happened. Everyone there wanted to talk to me about it, but no one wanted to talk with me."
Tonks chuckled sarcastically. "It took a while," she said as she looked around the Grangers' living room. "Remus has been helping me a lot." A slight smile played across her face as she mentioned his name, while at the same time inspecting the television remote.
Harry suddenly remembered what Hermione had told him about Professor Lupin moving out of Grimmauld Place when Percy came back. It wasn't possible, was it?
"So, where is Moony living now?" Harry asked with a slight grin on his face. "I heard he moved out when Percy came back."
"Oh, he's in a flat in my building," Tonks answered easily. Harry smiled; how long had it been since his former professor had a real job, and therefore rent money?
"I see, and what's the going rate for a flat these days?" Harry asked with a weighted voice.
Tonks eyed Harry suspiciously, and then turned slightly pink. "OK, fine! He moved in with me! But don't get any ideas mister! It's not what you think! He's sleeping on the sofa!" she defended. "We've just been talking, sharing stories about Sirius. It was hard for him too." She still seemed a little embarrassed though. Remus may have been on the sofa, but Harry suspected there might be a little more than what Tonks was saying, at least from her side. Harry smiled and nodded.
"It's a good thing they've got you holed up in some undisclosed location, Harry," Tonks quipped, still a little defensive. "Can you imagine the headlines if they had put you in some interesting living arrangement?"
Thank God for the Fidelius Charm, Harry said to himself. Professor McGonagall had to have told Tonks that she was driving to Hermione's house to meet both her and Harry. Here Harry was, in said house, sitting comfortably on the sofa as if it was his favorite seat in the world (which it was), and it never even occurred to her, a trained Auror, that he might actually be living there.
Hermione had explained to Harry early on that this Fidelius Charm was different than the one protecting number twelve, Grimmauld Place. That charm literally hid the knowledge of the location of Order headquarters. Since Hermione's house was in the middle of a Muggle neighborhood, surrounded by neighbors who were accustomed to seeing a house there, Professor Dumbledore had to be a little more creative.
Hermione, however, had beaten the Headmaster to it. While he was considering different options, Hermione innocently asked if they couldn't simply use the spell to hide the knowledge of where Harry was staying. After chuckling and making some comment under his breath about the minds of children, he immediately began to make preparations to cast the charm to work exactly as Hermione had suggested.
This way, it didn't really matter whether they were in their own house, or even at the aforementioned Holiday Inn; since Harry was staying with Hermione and her parents, the location of wherever they were was secret. It was still advantageous to remain on Broomhill Road, however. Since Professor Dumbledore couldn't hide the house, he cast a number of charms to protect it. After all, if a Death Eater just happened to stroll into the Grangers' living room, he or she would've been able to see Harry; they just wouldn't have known he was living there.
While he was sure the Fidelius Charm would prevent him from actually telling Tonks that he was living there, Harry still wanted to avoid saying anything else he might regret, so he simply answered her question directly. "Yeah, actually I can. I've been no stranger to the Prophet's headlines over the years. So, care to share any of Moony's stories about Padfoot?" Harry asked with a grin.
About half an hour later, Harry and Tonks heard Hermione and Professor McGonagall talking as they walked down the hallway towards the staircase. Harry looked up as they descended the stairs; his Transfiguration teacher was wearing her usual strict appearance.
"Well, Mr. Potter. The door has been repaired, and I do say that I shall have to talk with Professor Flitwick about a refresher course in unlocking spells. I seem to recall Professor Dumbledore telling me that Miss Granger had mastered that one back in first year. Isn't that correct, Miss Granger?"
"Yes, Professor," she agreed eagerly as she smirked at Harry from behind McGonagall's back. If Hermione was thinking what he thought she was thinking, then they were both remembering how they found a three-headed dog behind the first door she unlocked.
"Now, Miss Tonks. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to Mr. Potter for a few minutes," Professor McGonagall said.
"Ah, perfect!" Tonks exclaimed. "I wanted to talk to the person who put the old man in his place! I heard in passing," she said, casting a nervous glance at Professor McGonagall, whose lips pursed together tightly, "that someone actually questioned one of his decisions, and, quite forcefully I hear," another nervous glance, "convinced him to alter his plans. Rarely happens, or so I'm told," Tonks finished with a satisfied smile.
Professor McGonagall sighed lightly. "That's the last time I talk to you while we're driving, Nymphadora Tonks," she said. "In fact it's the last time I go driving at all. If it weren't for Albus's apparation and Floo wards..."
Tonks cringed at the use of her first name. "Fine, now we're even," she said. Hermione and Tonks then went upstairs to give Harry and Professor McGonagall some privacy.
"So, Mr. Potter, how are you feeling?" she asked as she sat down on the sofa. "I take it your current environment is an improvement over your previous." Harry looked at her uncertainly as he sat down in the love seat. "Miss Granger wrote me a letter explaining the situation and had Albus deliver it to me when this was all arranged," she said as she waved her hand vaguely around the room.
"Things are better now than they were. 'Life goes on,' Hermione told me," he repeated again, "and that's all I can really do now, go on living." It was the second time this hour he said it, but it did seem a little easier this time.
"Well, I said it last year, and I'll say it again: I'm glad you will at least listen to Miss Granger." Harry wasn't sure about it, but there appeared to be a trace of a smile on her face.
"So, Mr. Potter, down to the business at hand. I received a copy of your O.W.L.s. I must congratulate you. A 10.8 is quite an achievement, particularly considering who you had for an instructor last year." Harry could hear the disdain in her voice.
"Here is a partial timetable of your classes next year," she said, pulling a piece of parchment out of a pocket in her jacket that wasn't there earlier. "That is, of course, assuming you wish to continue in your plans to become an Auror. As you can see, you still have several openings that need to be filled," Professor McGonagall said, tapping each of them with her wand, causing them to glow bright red.
She said she had a copy of my O.W.L.s, Harry thought to himself. She knows I got an 'E.' Since she made no mention of it excluding him from N.E.W.T. Potions, he decided to do as Hermione suggested and not worry about it.
"Please make your selections and send them back with either Hedwig or Metis as soon as possible," Professor McGonagall requested. "Several of this year's N.E.W.T. courses have not been finalized yet, so I will send your book lists and homework assignments as soon as they are ready.
"I understand that you will be in Diagon Alley on Friday, correct?" she asked cautiously. Harry nodded. "All of the class details should be in place by then. If they are, and you have made your selections by then, I will have your book lists delivered to you there." Harry knew which 'there' she meant. "If not, I will send them to you by owl.
"There is one other matter I wish to discuss with you," Professor McGonagall said, pulling something out of another pocket. "As you may or may not know, with the removal of our previous Headmistress, all of her punishments have been canceled. It is therefore my privilege to inform you that your Quidditch ban has been rescinded."
Harry's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He could play Quidditch again!
"You will have to tryout again, I'm afraid," Professor McGonagall interjected. "I will not interfere in the internal structure of our House team. I am quite certain, however, that you will regain your position as Seeker. That being said, it brings up a related matter.
"The Gryffindor Quidditch team is in need of a new captain," she explained. "This obviously is a position of great importance. It is not a role to be accepted lightly. Do you know of anyone who would be willing to accept such a position?" she asked with a genuine smile on her face. Harry looked down at her hand which she had just opened in front of him. Resting on her palm was a small golden badge, the image of a broomstick and Snitch embossed on it.
Quidditch Captain! She was offering him the position of captain! It was what he always wanted. Wasn't it? He knew that part of him had always thought how cool it would be to be captain of the team. But now that the badge was literally staring him in the face, was it really what he wanted? Was he really up to the job?
Harry had always been Seeker. It was the only position he ever played. While it was true he had been in every game (if you excluded injuries, attacks, and lifetime bans), he rarely actually watched his own team play, even in practices; he was almost always chasing after the Snitch. Over the last five years as a spectator in the stands, he had actually seen the other three Houses' teams play more than his own. He knew their moves better than he knew Gryffindor's. If he was honest with himself, all he really knew of how his own team played was what was written on the blackboard.
He knew enough about Quidditch strategies in general to be able to answer all of Hermione's questions about what just happened when they were watching the other Houses, or to be able to follow along with Oliver Wood or Angelina Johnson's game plan diagrams. But to actually be the one designing those game plans? That was an entirely different matter all together.
In his opinion, what a Quidditch Captain really needed to be was someone who excelled at strategy, someone who had a good vantage point from which to watch the game. The only thing Harry really ever saw up in the air (other than streaks of shiny black hair back in third and fifth years...) was the Snitch.
Harry made up his mind and smiled at Professor McGonagall. "Yes ma'am, I do. With your permission, I would like to suggest as Quidditch Captain... Ronald Weasley."
Harry's Head of House seemed to be surprised slightly by his nomination; she quickly recovered with another genuine smile. "Very well, Mr. Potter. There are two conditions that must be met, however, before I can appoint Mr. Weasley as captain.
"First, I cannot allow him to be both Quidditch Captain and house prefect. Both positions require a certain level of commitment. I have it on good authority that he did not take to his position of prefect with as much enthusiasm as I or the Headmaster would have hoped."
The look Harry gave her silently asked the question he would not verbalize.
"From someone who would know," she replied, unintentionally glancing at the stairs for a moment. "In order for me to name him captain, he would first need to voluntarily give up the position of prefect."
Harry smiled. "Professor, I think if he knew his choice was prefect or Quidditch Captain, you'd have his badge before you finished the sentence." Professor McGonagall didn't allow herself to smile, though Harry could see her agreement with his assessment in her eyes.
"As I mentioned, there is a second condition that must be met as well. If Mr. Weasley does volunteer to step down as prefect, I must appoint a new house prefect. Unfortunately, this is not a position for which I can solicit suggestions. The decision has already been made.
"Before I can offer the captain position to Mr. Weasley," she explained, "the new prefect must agree to be his replacement."
"That sounds easy enough," Harry reasoned. "When are you going to ask Ron's replacement?"
"Right now," Professor McGonagall replied smiling. "Are you willing to become the new Gryffindor prefect, Mr. Potter, assuming Mr. Weasley is willing to step down?"
"Yes," Harry replied instantly, a happy smile on his face. He felt Ron truly deserved this chance to be captain. As much as he loved playing Quidditch, when it came to actually being captain, he really would rather have someone who knew strategy be captain, like Ron (if his chess games were any indication). He was content to just go out and play, and be prefect with Hermione.
"Very well, Mr. Potter. I would ask that you not mention this to Mr. Weasley. I want him to make this decision without the knowledge that you would become prefect in his place. He must accept the responsibility because he wants to, and not because he knows you will benefit as well," she explained. Harry nodded.
"Thank you. I will not bore you right now by explaining all of the duties of a school prefect. I am quite sure Miss Granger will be more than willing to explain everything once you tell her."
Professor McGonagall looked at her watch (which just happened to match her suit). "Now, you must forgive me, but I have an entire class of O.W.L. letters to finish writing." She tapped the watch on her wrist with her wand. Several moments later, he heard Tonks and Hermione coming downstairs. Looking up, he saw Tonks shaking her wrist.
"That hurt," she said, looking at an identical watch on her wrist. "I don't know whose idea these were..." she complained.
"Yours, as I recall," Professor McGonagall replied dryly to Tonks. "Well Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. I shall see you on Thursday. Again, congratulations on your O.W.L.s, to both of you," she said, then opened the front door and walked out towards the Ministry car.
"See you two later," Tonks said, bidding them farewell. When Professor McGonagall was out of earshot, Tonks turned back to Harry and Hermione. "So, Hermione. Why was your door closed when Harry kicked it in?" she asked with a devilish grin on her face. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, blushing.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll have to remember that one," Tonks said as she finally went out the front door, closing it behind her.
"Well, that was certainly informative," Hermione decided.
"I'll say," Harry agreed, though he didn't know to which part she was referring. "Did you actually complain about Ron being prefect?" he asked, unsure if he really wanted to know.
"What?" she asked as she turned to him, confused. "Well, I did mention to Professor McGonagall once that he seemed less than enthusiastic about being prefect. It was early on in the year. But no, I never actually filed a complaint or anything like that. Why? How did you know about that?"
"Oh," Harry replied, feeling much better, "she mentioned it to me... when she offered me the position of prefect," he finished, smiling.
"WHAT?! Are you serious? This is WONDERFUL! I'm so happy for you, Harry," Hermione spoke breathlessly. A few seconds later, her expression suddenly changed as though she just realized something. "But... what about Ron? She didn't..."
"No," Harry answered. He told her about his discussion with Professor McGonagall about the captain position.
"So, Ron will be captain, but only if he steps down as prefect, and only if you agreed ahead of time to take his place?" Hermione asked; Harry nodded. A large smile grew on her face. "This is going to be so much fun!"
Harry returned her smile, but looked at her quizzically. "Do you really think being prefect is fun?" he asked, genuinely unaware of how she felt about being prefect now that she had actually done it for a year. He was pretty sure he knew just how Ron felt about the all of the extra duties.
Hermione backtracked a little. "Well, I wouldn't say 'fun' exactly. It is a lot of extra work. But, you know, things like that are ALWAYS better when you're with a friend." Harry smiled and nodded. On the inside however, he was trying to figure out what, if anything, she meant by that. To him, the way she said it, it sounded like she meant being with him was somehow different than being with Ron.
That afternoon, the two of them sat together on the sofa comparing their timetables and looking at the list of classes from which they could select to fill their open time slots. Crookshanks sat between them, purring quite loudly, enjoying double attention. In the end however, they decided not to return them today. Professor McGonagall had told Hermione that a regular bird cage would be acceptable for Metis. They therefore needed to go out shopping tonight to buy one.
Before they could do that however, Hermione still had to tell her parents about Metis. She needed both owls there in order to do it the way she had planned. They decided now was as good a time as any for the two owls to be introduced (Metis had stayed in Hermione's room all day; Hedwig in Harry's).
Once at the top of the stairs, Hermione began to get nervous, even though she had been the one to convince Harry everything would be fine. "Harry, do you want to hold Metis? Since I don't have a cage yet, I'll have to carry her in. You have more experience actually holding an owl than I do. I really don't want her to be able to fly around freely, just in case things don't go well."
"Honestly? No. I really don't want Hedwig to see me holding her," Harry replied. "I don't want her to get any more jealous than necessary. Don't worry, I'll show you how to hold her." Harry offered.
After carefully demonstrating where to place her arms and hands to hold properly hold Metis (plus a couple of practical adjustments of her arms and hands once she was actually holding Metis), Harry went back to his room to "prepare" Hedwig. After coaxing her out of her cage onto the dresser, he fed her a few owl treats and stroked her head and back several times to put her in a good mood.
"Now Hedwig, there's someone I want you to meet," Harry tried to explain. "Metis is going to be staying here from now on, so I really hope the two of you can get along." Hedwig stared at Harry with her large amber eyes and clicked her beak; he wished he knew what that meant. He could just barely hear Hermione talking softly to Metis as she walked down the hall towards his room.
"Metis is Hermione's new owl, OK?" he explained. "This is their home, we're just guests here." Hedwig blinked her eyes.
Right on cue, Hermione entered the room with Metis in her arms. Hedwig immediately turned her head to look at the second snowy owl. Her eyes immediately locked on Metis; Metis's immediately locked onto Hedwig. For several moments, each stared at the other. Any movement either made was immediately matched by the other, as though they were in some sort of staring contest where neither would let the other gain the upper hand.
"So far, so good," Harry said quietly.
After a few moments, Hermione decided there was one last thing that had to be tested for her introduction plan to work. She walked over to Harry's desk and set Metis down on it and then stepped away. Both owls were now free to move (or fight, in Harry's mind) if they wanted to.
But after all the worrying Harry had done, nothing happened. The two owls simply continued to stare at each other. Finally after about a minute or so, Hedwig must have gotten bored, or hungry, for she turned away from Metis and took off, flying out the window.
"Well, that went well, I suppose," Harry said, breathing a sigh of relief. Looking back out the window, he watched as Hedwig flew towards King George's Park. "She must be hungry. I don't think she's been out all day."
Right as Hermione began to step towards Harry's desk, Metis too suddenly took flight and headed out the window towards the park. "Oh, poor Metis," Hermione started sadly. "I don't think she's been out at all except for her first delivery," she said cheerily. "See Harry. I told you everything would be OK," Hermione finished in a very sure voice.
Harry looked at her and smirked. "Yeah, this coming from you who wanted me to hold your owl in case things didn't go well."
"Well," Hermione answered sheepishly, "you know how to hold an owl," she said, trying to justify herself.
"Uh huh," Harry said, entirely unconvinced and smiling the entire time.
"Anyway," Hermione battled on, "even if they didn't get along, even though I knew they would, it wouldn't have really made any difference, would it? After all, Metis would be in my room and Hedwig would be in yours."
"Yeah, of course," Harry said with a laugh. Idiot, he mentally kicked himself. All we would've had to do was keep them in their own cages then let them out separately. Here I've been worried all this time that I might have to leave if they didn't get along. Harry breathed a great sigh of relief now that he knew he wouldn't have to leave.
Later that evening, Hermione went upstairs to see if Metis and Hedwig had returned from hunting. Dan and Emma were due home any time now.
"Hedwig's back," Hermione called as she walked past Harry's room. "So is Metis. Are you ready, Harry?"
Harry got up from the loveseat and started to head up to Hermione's room. Halfway up the stairs, he heard a very unhappy Hermione in her room. "Ughhh. Gross. Oh, Metis..."
Harry immediately turned around and went into the kitchen to grab the roll of paper towels and some cleaner. Climbing the stairs, he called up to her with a laugh. "That's why you really need a cage with newspapers."
"Oh shut it, Harry," she called back.
After helping Hermione clean up (a task with which he was not unfamiliar), Harry began to put Hermione's plan into motion. "All right, do you remember what I told you about how to have her sit on your shoulder so you're both comfortable?" he asked her after getting Metis up on Hermione's shoulder.
"Yes," Hermione answered, not wanting to move her head any more than necessary by nodding. She slowly walked downstairs and into the kitchen, sitting down at the kitchen table in the one seat that was not visible from the living room. She then opened the book she had brought down with her and began to read.
Harry, for his part of the plan, returned to his room to wait for Dan and Emma to return home. Reading by his window, he heard their car pull into the drive about ten minutes later. "They're home," he called downstairs.
"OK," she called back.
"It's showtime," Harry said to Hedwig as he put her on his shoulder.
"Hello?" Emma called as she and Dan walked in the front door. Upon entering the house, they found the TV off and no one in the living room.
"Hello," Hermione responded. "In the kitchen."
"Where's Harry?" Dan asked as he closed the front door.
"He's upstairs," Hermione replied. "Hey Mum, Dad, what do you think about a new addition to the house?" she asked. Having absolutely no idea what their daughter was talking about, Dan and Emma started to walk to the kitchen with confused expressions on their faces.
Harry, who had been listening to the scene play out below from his bedroom door, recognized his cue; he walked to the top of the staircase once Dan and Emma had walked beyond it. He slowly and quietly came down the stairs.
When Dan and Emma entered the kitchen, they stopped immediately upon seeing Metis on Hermione's shoulder. "I was thinking about keeping her," Hermione explained. "So, what do you think? Would you mind a post owl in the house?"
Dan and Emma were now thoroughly perplexed. "You're going to keep Hedwig?" Emma asked. "What does Harry say about all this?"
"What do I say about what?" Harry asked as he stepped off the staircase behind Dan and Emma. They both immediately spun around.
"Hermione says that she's..." Dan started, but then stopped when he saw Hedwig on Harry's shoulder. Baffled, Dan and Emma walked back into the living room towards Harry. Hermione, in the meantime, stood up as soon as her parents' backs were turned and started to sneak into the living room behind them.
Seeing that she had slipped past them and was now standing between the sofa and loveseat, Harry took advantage of Dan and Emma's momentary puzzlement to walk past them. He went over and stood next to Hermione on her right. With Metis on Hermione's right shoulder and Hedwig on Harry's left (as planned), the two stood shoulder to shoulder, with their owls wing to wing.
"Mum, Dad. You already know Hedwig," Hermione started, turning slightly to look at Hedwig. "I'd like to introduce you to Metis," she said warmly, reaching up and stroking Metis's back. "She's my new owl."
"What was it you wanted to ask me about, Emma?" Harry asked again. He and Hermione stood there for several moments with large grins on their faces, both reveling in the rare moment when Hermione was able to so completely surprise them that they were both speechless (or so she said as she detailed her plan earlier). Metis and Hedwig, on the other hand, simply looked at each other; they appeared entirely uninterested in what their owners had planned.
Emma was the first to recover. She at least now seemed to accept and understand that there were two owls. "So that's your owl?" she asked uncertainly.
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Remember that owl in my O.W.L.s that I said I didn't bring down with me and that I'd show you later?" Emma nodded. "Well... Ta-da! Here she is!"
Dan began to smile as he began to piece together what they had done. Emma slowly began to smile also. "But I thought it was a pin or a badge or something like that," she said uncertainly.
A slight smirk played across Hermione's face. "Well, that kinda was the idea. I had already sent Metis on her first delivery so I couldn't properly introduce you," she explained. "I wanted to wait until she got back."
"What did you say her name was again, dear?" Dan asked.
"Metis," Hermione repeated.
"Metis?" Emma pondered. "That name seems vaguely familiar," she said, looking at Dan who shook his head.
"Metis is the Greek goddess of wisdom and prudence," Hermione explained.
Emma smiled and nodded. "I knew I had heard it before. It's been a few years since Introduction to Mythology back in my first year at university," Emma laughed. She started to move forward to hug her daughter but stopped short for fear of jostling Metis.
"Congratulations dear," she cried. "We should go out and celebrate! Let's go somewhere fancy for dinner tonight," she suggested, apparently forgetting that they had gone out for Italian only two nights earlier.
"Actually," Hermione interrupted, "could we maybe delay the dinner and stop by the pet store instead? I really need to get her a cage, tonight." A small smile appeared on Harry's face.
"OK then," Dan agreed. "Let us change first and then we can be on our way. I think they close at nine." He and Emma went upstairs to change clothes. Harry and Hermione followed them up to put their owls back in their rooms (Hermione had set down a layer of newspapers on top of her dresser).
Returning downstairs, Hermione sat down in the loveseat to wait for her parents. "That went well," she said, satisfied.
"You were right. That was fun," Harry said with a grin as he sat down next to her.
"O, ye of little faith," Hermione replied, elbowing him lightly.
"They certainly seemed to like Metis... once they realized you weren't stealing Hedwig."
"Wait until I tell them that she'll be staying with them during the school year. They'll really love that," Hermione said in anticipation. "They'll be able to write me whenever they want. Before, they only could send replies back whenever I owled them first," she explained.
A few minutes later, Dan and Emma came downstairs, ready to head out. As the four of them headed down the walk towards the car, Hermione began to reveal her last surprise for her parents.
"So, you guys really like Metis?" she asked.
"Very much," Dan and Emma replied simultaneously; they looked at each other and grinned.
"Well, that's good," Hermione said as she climbed in the car, setting the bait.
"Why's that?" Emma asked, taking the bait. Hermione explained the last part of the surprise as they began to drive down Broomhill Road. Needless to say, Dan and Emma were very excited.
After leaving the pet store with a new cage for Metis (and Harry trying not to laugh at the small selection of "bird toys" Hermione also bought), Harry ended up suggesting that they should go out to eat since the night was still young. The three Grangers shared a quick glance and said they would just find something at home, and save dinner out for "another night."
Back in the pet store, Harry had set his hand in something wet and most likely disgusting as he walked by the veterinary check in counter. After returning from the loo, he found Hermione, Dan, and Emma standing together talking quietly. As soon as Emma saw him, they all stopped talking and subtly took a step away from each other. After that, hearing the way Dan said "another night," Harry was sure they had planned something for his birthday, in addition to whatever happened at Grimmauld Place.
On the way home, they drove past the home improvement center which, according to Hermione, had a very nice garden center. Still needing to get Neville a present, Harry asked if they could stop. While Dan and Emma went off to find new door hardware (Hermione forgot to mention that it had already been fixed and Dan had no reason to check to make sure it was still broken), Harry and Hermione wandered around the garden center together looking at different plants.
Finally, in the mini green house section, Harry found something that was exactly what he was looking for: a Venus Flytrap. "It's not Devil's Snare, but it's pretty wicked as far as Muggle plants go," Harry explained. As they started wandering the aisles looking for Dan and Emma, Hermione had a decidedly worried expression on her face.
"I still don't know what to get him," Hermione explained after Harry asked what was bothering her. "I didn't even know it was his birthday until you mentioned it. At least with you, I knew when it was so I had time to get it taken care of."
"'Get it taken care of'?" Harry asked with a laugh. "You make it sound like there was some big production involved."
"What? No, of course not. I just meant that I had time to think about what I wanted to get you. Oh, there they are!" Hermione suddenly said as she saw her parents carrying a new door handle and latch. She then quickly walked over to meet them; Harry had to also to catch up with her. After returning the door hardware, Dan purchased the plant for Harry. They then returned home for the evening.
The next day, Wednesday, Harry and Hermione were in the kitchen eating lunch when they were suddenly startled by a thumping noise at the French doors that opened onto the backyard.
"What does Ron feed that bird?" Harry asked as he watched Pig flutter madly around at the door, waiting to be let in. After Hermione untied the letter that was addressed to her, Pig began to zoom around the room. After a moment, Harry was able to lure Pig down to the table by holding up the plate containing the remnants of his lunch.
After Ron's tiny Scops owl decided to pass on Harry's sandwich, he hopped up to Harry's glass of water and began to drink eagerly from it. After drinking his fill, he began to fly around the room again as Hermione continued to read the letter from Ginny. Looking at his glass with distaste, Harry dumped the remaining water out in the sink and got a new glass.
Finally becoming annoyed at the constant twittering, she set down the letter and looked up at Pig. "You can go now," she said in a slightly irritated voice. "I'll send a reply later. It's no wonder Hedwig doesn't like him," she added to Harry. As Hermione got up to open the door, Harry glanced over at the letter on the table.
His curiosity getting the better of him, he began to look at the letter. Gah! For a girl, Ginny certainly has messy handwriting, Harry thought to himself. And of course it's upside down. I can't read anything... not that I'm snooping or anything, he tried to convince himself.
Harry was now so intently looking across the table, trying to read even a single word that he nearly jumped out of his chair when Hermione's hand came slamming down on the letter.
"Don't you dare try to read that, Harry," she warned him. Her face then immediately brightened. "It's just birthday stuff. You wouldn't want to read about that, now would you?" she asked with smile that just screamed "I know something that you don't!"
"Well, that depends now, doesn't it?" Harry replied. Hermione looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "Depends on whether it's good or not."
"Well, I didn't think it seemed too out of line," she said, clearly unable to contain herself. After looking at him for a few moments her grin began to get bigger and bigger; finally she had to turn around to keep from laughing out loud. That certainly didn't set Harry at ease.
I have a bad feeling about this, Harry repeated to himself. She's happy... I mean, she's been happy since I got here, according to Dan, but this... this is like... super-happy, he decided. He began to consider what might lie in store for him. There were so many possibilities that he could not focus on a single one.
Well, if Hermione approves, how bad can it really be? Harry finally decided. I mean, I doubt anyone will get arrested, or anything like that. What's the worst that can happen?
Later that afternoon, Hermione asked Harry if she could borrow Hedwig to send a reply to Ginny. After he teasingly asked if she forgot about Metis, Hermione explained that, if Harry was willing, she wanted to introduce Metis to Ginny and Ron and everyone else the same way she did to her parents. He agreed and she went to go send her letter.
Later that afternoon, Hermione realized that they had forgotten to go through their class timetables to select classes to fill the openings. After about half an hour, she completed her selections, though she refused to tell Harry what they were until he selected his own.
Harry, who quite literally had given zero thought to what he wanted to do other than be an Auror, had a much more difficult time making his decisions. In fact, he didn't. By the time he had given up for the day, he had not selected a single class, though he did listen to Hermione explain all of them for much of the afternoon (he finally found out what was so wonderful about Arithmancy).
After another series of late surgeries, Dan and Emma came home tired that night, bringing with them takeaway Chinese food. This time however, they brought home four small meals, everyone getting their own favorites. Harry sampled a little of everyone else's (they told him what they were, but he couldn't remember the names now), but in the end, he decided he liked his General Tsao's Chicken the best.
That night, Harry found it very difficult to fall asleep. Tomorrow was his birthday... his sixteenth birthday. Now, if Hermione's behavior today was any indication, it meant that is was supposed to be something special. What exactly it was, he didn't know. But in the end, he trusted that she was right and decided not too worry about it. A short while later, he finally fell asleep.
The following morning, Harry awoke to a knocking at his door. It's too early, Harry complained to himself. Now that he was awake, he vaguely heard music coming from the stereo downstairs in the living room; it was too muffled though to make it out. Can't a bloke sleep in on his birthday? The knocking continued for several more seconds before Harry finally gave in. Considering who was on the other side of the door, he knew there was no point in even trying to ignore her.
"Come in," he finally said, after rolling over so his back was to her to hide himself. He was also hoping she'd get the hint that it was far too early. As she opened the door, he was finally able to hear what was playing downstairs.
Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
"Good morning, Harry," Hermione greeted him cheerfully.
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me
He could hear her go over to the window and pull back the curtains, allowing the sunlight to flood the room. "Happy birthday!" He could feel her standing over him.
"Just five more minutes," he whined, pulling his blanket tighter around him.
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
"It's already after ten o'clock, Harry," she replied in a mother-lecturing-her-child tone of voice. He listened to a short instrumental section as she went into the hall to pick up something she had set down when she opened the door.
"Ugh," he groaned. "It certainly-" His complaint that it didn't feel that late was cut off by a more primal urge that he just now noticed.
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
"Is that bacon?" he asked, inhaling deeply, then quickly sitting upright, dropping his previously coveted blanket onto his legs and lap.
I could swear there is someone somewhere
Watching me
He looked over to discover that she had brought up a breakfast tray filled with a small feast of pancakes, bacon, and orange juice.
I can feel his approach
He drew in another deep breath as he gazed fondly at the tray. Before he could do or say anything, Crookshanks jumped up on the bed and came up even to Harry, looking at the tray as well, purring insistently.
Like a fire in my blood
"Hey!" he complained to the cat. "That's mine!"
Hermione set the breakfast tray down on Harry's desk and went over to collect Crookshanks. After picking him up (and most of the blanket for he had dug into it with his claws), she took him back to her room and shut him in. While she was gone, the song was in another instrumental section. I think I like this song, Harry thought to himself as he looked back at the tray.
Right as he was about to get up to get the tray, Hermione returned to the room and picked up the tray again.
"Let's try this again, Harry, sans hungry cat. Happy birthday!" she said as she brought the tray over to him.
I need a hero
"I love you, Hermione," said Harry, sinking back in the bed, rubbing his eyes wearily.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
Hermione turned faintly pink, but merely said, "Don't let Cho hear you saying that."
And he's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
After he scooted back a little so he could sit up against the headboard, Hermione set the breakfast tray over his legs. "You don't like her much, do you?" he asked, smirking.
Looking caught slightly off guard, Hermione quickly recovered. "As I recall, she was the one who didn't like me," she said, avoiding the question.
"True, but you didn't answer the question, now did you?" he prodded her.
Trying not to smile, she simply headed back towards the door. Once there, she turned to look back. "Hurry up and eat. Fawkes was by. Professor Dumbledore will be here to pick us up at eleven. And as for Cho, I try not to speak ill of anyone..." she trailed off, implying she was about to say more.
"Yes, and?" Harry asked suggestively, eager for her to continue.
Hermione smiled, wagged her eyebrows, then turned and left, saying nothing. Harry laughed to himself and then started in on his breakfast, listening to the rest of the song.
Hero
Oh he's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
A half hour later, he had finished eating and went to take a shower. Upon returning to his room, he found that Hermione had been up to take the tray. She had also made the bed; it was the first time it was made properly since Harry had arrived.
When he went downstairs, he found her sitting patiently in the loveseat, watching Crookshanks clean his face in front of the sofa (having just been fed) as she waited for the Headmaster to arrive. On her lap was a neatly wrapped present, roughly square-shaped, several inches thick. Harry smiled; since it was from Hermione, he was pretty sure he knew what that was.
"Thanks for breakfast," he said, sitting down next to her.
She turned slightly to look at him. "Yeah, well don't get used to it. And just so you know, I expect the same on my birthday," she said smiling.
Harry laughed. "Well that may be a little difficult, seeing as how I can't get up the stairs into your room at school."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Oh well, I'm sure you'll figure something out," she chuckled.
"So, what was that song you were listening to earlier?" Harry asked.
"Huh? Oh that? It's called 'Holding Out for a Hero.' It's something I heard Mum listening to once, and I really liked it." Hermione chuckled slightly. "I kept borrowing it so often that she ended up just buying me my own CD for my birthday.
"It's funny. I'd heard her play it before, but the summer after third year, some of the lines caught my attention. Do you know which ones?" she asked.
Harry tried to remember the lines he was able to hear. One of them had caught his attention too. "Someone somewhere watching me," Harry guessed. "When I heard it, I thought about us under the Invisibility Cloak watching ourselves when we used your Time Turner."
A huge grin lit up Hermione's face as she nodded. "It's my favorite song now," she told him. Harry then asked her to play it again so he could hear the whole thing.
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you. Neville isn't coming," she told him. "Ginny sent Pig this morning. She said that Neville and his grandmother were visiting their family for his birthday, so he wouldn't be able to come. She said to tell you that Neville was sorry for missing your birthday, and that he wanted to thank you for offering to have a combined party."
"Oh, that's too bad. I was hoping I'd be able to give him his present and suggest he name it Audrey II," Harry said, remembering the movie that was on television last week.
"You still can," Hermione said, "You can give it to him when we get to school."
After several silent minutes sitting there waiting for the Headmaster to arrive, Harry began to feel very awkward. "Erm, Hermione? Before Professor Dumbledore arrives, there is something I wanted to tell you. I know I said it earlier, but I just wanted to say it one more time." He paused for a moment and looked down at his knees; he began to nervously rub his hands on his pants.
He found himself unable to speak until Hermione reached over and grabbed his left hand to stop him. She looked at him almost pleadingly, encouraging him to continue.
"Thanks. I just wanted to thank you, for all of this. I haven't even been here two weeks, and this is already more like a real home to me than I ever had at the Dursleys. I don't know if I would've been able to make it through the summer there." Harry paused and sighed. "Tomorrow is the real test. I'm glad Gringotts said you needed to come too." Harry smiled slightly. "It saves me from having to figure out how to convince you to come with me."
Hermione, who was clearly misty eyed and made no effort to hide it, squeezed his hand. "You need only have asked," she affirmed, smiling.
A few minutes later, a flash of fire in the kitchen signaled Professor Dumbledore's arrival with Fawkes. Hermione quickly let go of Harry's hand and stood up to go and greet him.
"Good day, Miss Granger. I trust the situation has improved since the last time we met," the Headmaster said, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
"It has, Headmaster," Hermione replied, very happy.
"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore greeted Harry cautiously. Neither of them had forgotten their last face-to-face meeting.
Harry walked up to him with a stern face. After looking at him for a few seconds, Harry smiled broadly. "Hello, Professor Dumbledore. Thanks for allowing me to stay here."
The Headmaster smiled in return. "Ah Harry. You should be thanking Miss Granger here and her parents for that. Me? I just handled... the logistics, that's all."
Harry cast a quick glance at Hermione. "Well, I already did, many times. But I just wanted to say it to you as well. Thank you."
"In that case then, Mr. Potter, you're welcome," Dumbledore replied. "Now, before we all get too teary-eyed in our thanks, we really should be leaving. Everyone is waiting."
Dumbledore then turned to Hermione. "But, before we do, Miss Granger, I should very much like to meet your new owl. Professor McGonagall was very impressed, if I do say so myself," the Headmaster said with a slight chuckle. "Though that might've had as much to do with the fact that in the last 150 years, you are second only to her in overall O.W.L. scores," he said, the eyes behind his half-moon spectacles twinkling.
Hermione appeared speechless. "Th- Thank you sir. I didn't know that. The letter from the exam board didn't say who that person was fifty-five years ago."
"No, I don't imagine they would. That isn't the sort of information they would distribute freely," Dumbledore explained. "I can assure you though that she does not mind you knowing. I must congratulate you Miss Granger. Quite an accomplishment."
Professor Dumbledore then turned to Harry. "And congratulations to you too, Harry. First score over 10.0 in a century and a half. Very impressive."
"You wouldn't happen to know who was the last person to receive such a score, would you, Professor?" Harry asked with a slight smile. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer.
The Headmaster looked as though he was thinking for a moment before answering. "Ah, yes. I'm quite sure I know the individual. He's probably some crazy old wizard with more gray hair than common sense, and a tendency to care about people too much. Not exactly the 'right crowd,' if you ask me, Harry," he answered. His mustache twitched slightly, unable to hide the smile beneath.
"Now, Miss Granger, if you don't mind, before we leave, I would very much like to be introduced to Hogwarts' newest O.W.L. owl."
Hermione led Harry and the Headmaster up to her room, taking Harry's present with her. Metis was sleeping contently. "Time to wake up," she encourage the sleeping owl. "We have a party to go to."
Upon seeing Metis, Dumbledore smiled and spoke softly. "Ah, a truly beautiful creature. A tribute to the breed. Have you selected a name yet?" he asked.
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Metis. I named her after the Greek goddess."
"Indeed?" Dumbledore replied. He stared thoughtfully from Hermione to Metis for a moment, his eyes twinkling merrily all the while. "Wisdom and prudence. A truly fitting choice on your part, Miss Granger. I expected no less."
Receiving such high praise from the Headmaster, Hermione blushed slightly. She then went over and told Metis that she was going visit Ginny and Ron and to follow her there. Harry went and told Hedwig the same thing.
"Well now, I do believe it is time we are off to your party, Harry," Dumbledore exclaimed once they Harry returned to Hermione's room.
Professor Dumbledore pulled out of his pocket a small golden ring. "We can't apparate or Floo from here, and I didn't think you wanted to take the Knight Bus," he explained as he held it out for Harry and Hermione to touch. "On the count of three," he began.
"One."
Between counts, Harry began to think about how excited he was. It was true that the party would be in Sirius's house, however everyone he wanted to be there would. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione fidget a little as she waited. He was sure he would be able to survive it.
"Two."
After 'two,' Hermione shifted slightly in anticipation of the familiar sensation of Portkey travel. As she did, her hand brushed against Harry's. He immediately felt a very familiar lurching sensation in the pit of his stomach. Since this was near his navel, he ordinarily would pay it no mind; he was quite used to the feeling by now, though it was no more enjoyable than it had ever been. There was, however, one inescapable fact that even Captain Oblivious could not ignore: the Portkey hadn't activated yet.
"Three," the Headmaster said, and they were gone.
A/N: Thanks as always to my beta, MapleMountain. Hey, it wasn't that I gave up searching for the pronunciation of Metis. It's that I never DID search for the pronunciation of it... I just kept searching for the name itself! Just goes to show you don't find what you don't look for... :-)
Song credit... In case anyone was REALLY paying attention to it, they might realize that I used the version by Jennifer Saunders from Shrek 2. Yes, I know that movie was years after "sixth year." But hey, Dudley got a Playstation in the summer of 1994 even though they weren't released until September 1995, so I can use this, right? :-) Sure, I COULD have used the classic Bonnie Tyler version; that CD was released in 1990. I just like the Jennifer Saunders version better. And since that's what inspired this section... This IS fiction after all, right? :-) By the way, if anyone is familiar with Jennifer Saunders from the British comedy "Absolutely Fabulous," I think she'd make a wonderful Professor Umbridge. Just my two cents...