Story Title: Time, Interrupted
Chapter Title: Friends
Author: Madm_05
Rating: Strong PG-13/T
Chapter Word Count: 5,292
Date: 13 July 2006
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everyone else from Potterverse belong to JKR.
Chapter Three: Friends
"I don't think I would like having to live here." Hermione stated, looking up at the house before her.
"I agree," Sirius said, cringing. "It's so, I don't know, uniform."
"Boring," Hermione said. "The word you're looking for is boring." She looked back at the house. There was nothing fascinating about the house before her. In fact, it was almost an exact replica of all of the houses on the entire street. Each house was the same all along Privet Drive, and Number 4 was no different. "Are they expecting us?"
"Nope!" Sirius said cheerfully. "Come on, Hermione. Let's get Harry and get out of here. If we're gone too long, Remus will have puppies . I'm actually surprised he let you come with me to get my godson." Hermione smiled in agreement. Her new guardian was a bit overprotective.
They walked up the drive, Sirius in a suit he had transfigured from a set of robes, and Hermione in a pale blue muggle dress retrieved from her house shortly after Remus, or Papa Remus as she called him now, became her guardian. The last four days had been some of the longest days in her life, first losing her parents, the trial, then two days to make Grimmauld Place a little more welcoming and empty her old home of things she wanted to keep before Remus sold it. The money, he said, would go into a Gringotts vault for her to have after she graduated from Hogwarts.
Now, on the fifth day, Sirius knocked on the door, waiting patiently for someone to answer. Hermione looked to her left and saw a pair of green eyes peeking through the window before they vanished. Only the movement of the curtain told her anyone had been there.
Several moments passed before Sirius knocked again. Suddenly the door swung open, revealing the fattest man Hermione had ever seen in her life. "Can I help you?" He asked, his large mustache had bread crumbs stuck in it and twitched as he spoke.
Sirius cleared his throat. "Yes, I need to speak with you, if you please, in private. It concerns a young man in your care by the name of Harry Potter."
The overly large man began to twitch. "Well, please come in. So sorry, I didn't catch your name. What was it?"
"Sirius Black.," he replied with a forced smile, stepping through the door. "The charming young lady beside me is Hermione Granger." Hermione smiled tightly and gave a small curtsy.
"Welcome," he said, his tone slightly suspicious as he watched them walk into his home. "My name is Vernon Dursley. Petunia, my wife, is in the kitchen just now, but she'll be out soon. Now, I believe you wished to speak to me concerning my nephew?"
"Vernon," a tall, horse-like woman began, stepping into the room. "Who is-- Sirius Black!" She shrieked, stumbling back, a look of terror on her face. "Vernon, get away from him! He's a murderer!"
Hermione ignored them, knowing Sirius could straighten out the situation. Where was Harry? She had seen him only moments before, and now… her eyes fell on the cupboard under the stairs and she felt a tingling sensation. Of course. Harry had told her he didn't get Dudley's second room until he started getting his Hogwarts letters. Harry was in there, she could feel it. Her eyes narrowed. That cupboard certainly didn't seem very big. Hermione tried to control the anger rising with in her, but the sight of Harry's cupboard, knowing he was inside, was too much for her. A vase sitting on a shelf shattered.
"Hermione," Sirius sighed as the room fell silent, the Dursleys watching Hermione as a small wind began to whirl around her. "You really need to work on that."
The young girl glanced at him and began to walk towards the staircase. "I can't help but notice you have a lock on the cupboard under the stairs. It makes me wonder-- if it is obviously not there to keep someone out, is it to keep someone in, perhaps?" Without another word, Hermione drew back the bolt and opened the door.
Inside, laying on his side, was Harry Potter. As the light from the room fell over him, he jerked up and looked at her in fear. How could this be the same Harry? He was… so small and so afraid. She had never seen a boy so small and skinny before-- he looked as though he would break if she were to embrace him.
Seeing his fear, Hermione smiled warmly, offering her hand to him. "Hello," she said, keeping her voice low and soft. "Would you like to go for a walk with me while the grownups talk?"
Tentatively, Harry reached out and grabbed her hand and let her pull him from his cupboard. "Sirius," Hermione said, as she guided him towards the family room. "I'm going to go for a walk with Harry and tell him a few things, while you explain to his aunt and uncle what has happened recently, okay?"
Sirius nodded, his eyes on Harry as if he were seeing a ghost from his past. Taking in Harry's condition, he looked torn between going to his godson and terrorizing the Dursleys. "Yes, you do that," he said darkly, turning a fierce glare on the quaking Dursleys.
Still holding Harry's hand, Hermione pulled him outside just as she heard Sirius snarl at the Dursleys for their treatment of his godson. "Well, that could have gone better," she rolled her eyes. "So, do you want to go to the park where we can sit and talk?"
"Who are you?" Harry asked weakly.
"Oh!" Hermione mentally kicked herself-- she'd forgotten Harry didn't know her. She secretly hoped he'd forget that she knew there was a park here in Surrey. "How rude of me. I'm Hermione Granger. The man I came here with is Sirius Black." She grinned widely. "We've come to take you away from here."
Harry stopped walking for a moment as his eyes glazed over. "T-take me away? Are you my family? Why did I have to stay with my aunt and uncle for so long? Are you my sister?" He asked excitedly.
Hermione laughed. "Yes, we're taking you away. You'll have to come back and visit your aunt and uncle for a few weeks every summer, I guess, but you'll be leaving here soon. We are sort of your family-- Sirius will explain all of that to you later. Sirius will also explain why you had to stay here for so long, and no, I am most certainly not your sister." He looked ready to speak again but Hermione cut him off. "Take me to the park, and I'll tell you everything I can, okay?"
Harry nodded his agreement and set off for the nearby park, pulling Hermione with him with more strength than she had thought he had. There was a glimmer of hope shinning brightly in his eyes and his mouth was curved into a smile of excitement. Generally, Harry avoided the park like the plague because Dudley and his friends were always there, but he'd gladly go to the park for a while if it meant he could leave Privet Drive.
Once they reached the park, Hermione moved towards a small, unoccupied bench and sat down. Harry immediately sat next to her, waiting for her to tell him what she had promised.
"Well, as I said, I'm Hermione Granger. We're going to be sharing a house. The man I came with is Sirius Black--he's your godfather." She smiled. "He and I have come to take you away from here to our home, Number 12 Grimmauld Place."
"Are you his daughter then?" Harry asked, looking at her strangely. "You don't look like him."
Hermione forced a smile. It was still hard to think of her parents. "No. No, I'm not his daughter. I just live with him and Papa Remus--that's Sirius' best friend. Sirius and Papa Remus were friends with your dad when they were younger-- they'll be able to tell you all sorts of things about your parents."
"Really?" He said excitedly. "I've always wondered what my parents were like before the died in the car crash. Will my godfather be able to tell me what they looked like? Or does he have any pictures?"
Hermione felt a pang in her chest. There were so many lies to overcome. "Yes, I'm sure Sirius has pictures somewhere. But Harry," she bit her lip. Should she tell him? Yes, she decided, he would be angry with her later if she didn't. "There is more to your parents death than you've been told. I can't tell you what happened-- it's not my place. Sirius will tell you later, and I know I keep saying Sirius will tell you, but it really isn't my place to say anything. But you must know that it would take more than a car crash to kill your parents. I mean, they were two of the most powerful witch and wizard in the magical community, and--"
"Witch? Wizard?" Harry asked, wide-eyed. "What do you mean? Magic isn't real, it doesn't exist…does it?" He seemed slightly nervous.
Hermione sighed as she nodded. She hadn't meant to tell him that much. "It would have been easier if Sirius had told you, but I can explain some of it to you. Yes, magic is real, and I can prove it." She looked around to make sure no one was watching and saw a stick laying on the ground. "Watch that stick over there," she said. As Harry did as he was told, Hermione concentrated and pulled up a feeling of desperation-- her desperation for Harry to believe her-- and focused her magic to make the twig levitate.
Harry gasped excitedly, still watching the floating branch. "Can you show me how to do that?"
Hermione laughed again. "We'll see. I'm still teaching myself to do it right now, but I'll try and teach you when I know exactly what I'm doing, okay?" Harry nodded happily. "You can't tell anyone, though. You can't talk to anyone about magic unless they are a witch or a wizard-- people who don't have magic shouldn't really know."
Harry nodded again, his eyes brimming with happiness. "Am I a wizard then?" Hermione nodded. "Wow. I get to leave, I found out I'm a wizard…this is a great day!" He grinned. "Thanks for telling me, Hermione."
She shrugged. "No problem, Harry. What are friends for?" Harry sat very still, staring at her. "What's the matter?" Hermione asked, concerned.
"F-friends? Are we friends?" He asked quietly, almost as he were afraid of what she would say. Hermione could see he was nervous, but she could also see he was hopeful Inwardly she cursed the Dursleys for their treatment of Harry. Had he been deprived of everything as a child?
"Yes," she forced herself to smile brightly. "Of course we're friends!" Hermione pulled him into a tight embrace, trying to fill that single hug with everything he had missed in his youth. When she felt him tense, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek and drew back. "I'll always be--"
"Yuck! My freaky cousin was kissed by a girl! I hope he gets sick and dies from it. I know I sure wouldn't want to be kissed by some girl-- they're gross." A voice yelled loudly.
Harry and Hermione whipped around and saw Dudley Dursley standing in a group of snickering boys. "Yeah, girls are gross." One of the boys echoed.
Hermione quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sure your mothers would love to know that you think they are gross. Why don't you go tell them?"
The boys were struck silent and shifted uncomfortably. "They're our mum's. They're not gross, only girls are." Dudley snapped.
With a sigh, Hermione rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak. "Leave her alone, Dudley." Harry said darkly. Hermione shuddered-- he had spoken in the same tone that the Dark Harry had spoken after he had killed Snape. "Leave my friend alone."
"Friend?" Dudley sneered, oblivious to how angry Harry was. "Who would want to be friends with a freak like you?"
Suddenly Harry looked unsure. "Harry's not a freak, and I'm happy to say I'm his friend," Hermione replied defiantly, straining to keep her anger under control. It wouldn't do to use magic where she could be seen by muggles.
Harry puffed out his chest a little. "Not as smart as you thought, are you Dudley?"
"You mean he actually thinks?" Hermione asked Harry, her voice light.
Harry laughed. "Not often. Let's go Hermione." With that he stood and took Hermione by the hand, leading her away. "Do you think Sirius will be done talking to my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon?" He asked, excitement in his voice.
Hermione couldn't help smiling again at his obvious eagerness. She was glad to be able to meet Harry before he had begun to suppress all of his feelings as he had in the other timeline. "I'm sure he's had more than enough time to explain everything to them. All we'll have to do is gather your belongings, and then--" Hermione suddenly found herself on the ground, a sharp sting on her knee. A quick glance as she sat up revealed it was cut on a rock and was bleeding.
"You're such a stupid girl," Dudley sneered as he stood over her, Harry's head locked under his arm. "I'll teach you not to be friends with freaks like him." A few of Dudley's friends grabbed hold of Harry, cheering Dudley on.
Hermione felt her panic and anger rising. She couldn't do magic, not now-- it would get her into even more trouble than she already was. The last thing she needed was the Ministry investigating Remus for not being an adequate guardian and allowing her to perform magic in front of muggles.
Dudley grabbed hold of her hair and pulled hard. Determined not to make a sound, Hermione bit her lip. As quickly as Dudley had grabbed her, he let her go and hit the ground with a thud. Harry had broken loose and hit Dudley square in the jaw, knocking him away from her. Grabbing her hand, Harry pulled Hermione up and took off running for Privet Drive.
Panting, the pair reached their destination just as Sirius stepped through the door. "Harry, Hermione! I was just coming to find you so--" he broke off. "What happened?" He demanded, looking at Hermione's scraped knee.
"I fell," she said quickly.
"Hermione told me you're my godfather, then Dudley pushed her and pulled her hair. I punched him." Harry supplied.
Sirius laughed. "Was it a good shot?" Harry grinned and nodded. "And you Hermione, lying? I'll have to tell Remus." Sirius mock threatened. "Well, come on, then. You need to get packed, and then we need to get home before Remus has puppies."
Entering the house again, Hermione volunteered to help Harry gather his belongings together, not that she thought there would be many. When she was helping Harry gather his clothes, he tapped her on the shoulder. "Yes?"
He squirmed a little as he gathered his clothes from the rest of the laundry. "I was… I was just wondering why you lied earlier-- about Dudley hurting you."
Hermione snorted. "I wouldn't have lied if I had known Sirius would be happy about it. I thought I was keeping you out of trouble by making it seem like nothing happened. It didn't work out like that."
"You were going to lie for me?" He asked, his quiet voice awed.
She set her hand on her shoulder. "Of course I would Harry. You're my friend. I'd do anything to help you." I've done just about everything--I've lied, stolen, led overgrown toads into the Forbidden Forest…the list goes on, she added silently. She looked down at what she was holding, realized it was a pair of underwear with a brown stain, and tossed them back into the pile of laundry with a yelp.
"What is it?" Harry asked, turning to her when he heard her cry out. Unable to speak, Hermione pointed at what she had just tossed and shuddered. She couldn't even think about having touched it. Hiding a laugh, Harry grabbed her arm and led her out of the laundry room. "I'll show you where you can wash your hands."
Hermione had washed her hands three times before Harry finished finding all of his clothes. Walking down the stairs, Harry kept chuckling quietly, much to Hermione's dismay.
"What's so funny?" Sirius asked, his face amused.
"Nothing. Nothing is funny. We should go, don't you think? Papa Remus is probably very worried. We've been gone ever so long." Hermione said in one breath, noting that Dudley still hadn't returned.
Sirius gave her a look that said he knew she was lying, but he was going to let it go. "Alright then, we should go. Say goodbye to your aunt and uncle Harry."
"Bye," he said shortly to the petrified couple and turned back to Sirius. "Okay, I'm ready," Harry said excitedly. Hermione smiled-- she had never seen Harry so excited before, but then, he had always hidden his emotions as best he could.
If Sirius took note of the lack of goodbyes from the Dursleys, he said nothing of it. Instead, he guided them out the door, hailed the Knight Bus, and ushered the two children on before anyone could take notice. Beatrice was the conductor again, but remained professional this time-- though she did stare at them quite a bit.
At long last, they arrived at Grimmauld Place. Harry looked up at the building nervously. "This is home?"
"Yes. It's a little nicer on the inside. It's been unoccupied for a few years-- since my mother died-- so it's a little run down. We'll get it fixed up soon though," Sirius replied, taking Harry's small bag of oversized clothes.
Just as Sirius reached for the doorknob, the door swung open, revealing an anxious Remus. "You're finally back! I was afraid something may have happened to one of the kids."
"Something did, but that's a story for the dinner table. By the way, we need to get to Diagon Alley tomorrow-- Hermione needs wizarding clothes, and Harry needs clothes that actually fit." Sirius muttered something unflattering about the Dursleys and turned to Harry. "Come into the kitchen, and we'll introduce ourselves properly."
"Harmony is taking a nap, Hermione," Remus said. "Why don't you go get her?"
Hermione nodded and set off down the hallway to Harmony's room. Remus and Sirius had been kind enough to help her fix it up so that it was almost identical to her old room. She smiled as she looked around. She was glad she was living with them. It still hurt to think of her parents, but knowing that Harry was with her now, and knowing that she could keep him from becoming the next Dark Lord soothed her. Harmony cooed as Hermione walked in, pulling her from her thoughts. "Hello, Harmony. Do you want to meet Harry? He's finally here." Hermione grinned as she lifted Harmony out of her crib. "Come on. Let's go visit him, okay?"
Holding Harmony in her arms, she walked to the kitchen. Glancing around, she found Harry sitting next to Sirius and across from Remus. She frowned. Harry did seem as happy as he had been earlier. In fact, he looked kind of sad. Thinking he was just uncomfortable being around people he didn't know, Hermione quickly took her seat beside him. "Harry, this is my sister Harmony. Harmony, this is my friend Harry." Harry looked surprised when he saw Harmony, but Hermione noticed he immediately seemed a bit happier.
Dinner was a pleasant affair. While Hermione alternated between taking bites of her own dinner and feeding her sister, Sirius and Remus told tales about Lily, James and the rest of the Marauders during their Hogwarts years as they ate. Some of the stories Hermione had heard before, some she hadn't. All in all, it was the most relaxed she had felt since the night of her parents' demise.
Once they were done with their meal, the subject matter turned darker. Sirius and Remus explained to Harry every dark twist in the story his aunt and uncle never told him. They told him about Voldemort, and the wizarding world's descent into dark times. They told him how his parents were betrayed by Peter Pettigrew. They told him how Sirius had been framed, and had spent the last five years in Azkaban. Sirius, Hermione knew, didn't want to tell Harry, but knew that he would resent being lied to when he did know the truth.
Harry had remained quiet throughout the explanation. He seemed unsure what to do with the information he had been given. In a gesture of comfort, Hermione set her hand over his. Looking at her, Harry smiled weakly. "I think I'm going to go to bed, Sirius, if it's alright."
His godfather nodded. "Of course, Harry, I understand there is a lot for you to think about. I had Kreacher-- he's my house elf, but he's not very pleasant-- put your things in your room. Come with me, I'll show you where it is." Sirius said, standing.
"I think I'm going to go to bed too," Hermione said. "I'm rather tired myself. Do you want me to put Harmony to bed, Papa Remus?"
"No, I've got her," he said, wincing as she pulled his hair and giggled. "I'd hate to spoil her fun."
Hermione nodded, watching her sister play. "Well, goodnight everyone. I'll see you all in the morning," she smiled and turned away, heading down the hall to her room as Harry and Sirius walked behind her, talking.
Slipping into her room, Hermione shut the door behind her with a sigh. What a day! First a hectic morning-- she had shattered three dishes when she felt a bug crawling up her leg-- then cleaning followed by a quick lunch, and finally, removing Harry from the Dursleys.
Hermione frowned as she considered that no one had explained to Harry why he would have to go back to his aunt and uncle's house every summer for a few weeks. Not that she blamed them, of course-- most five year old wouldn't understand that the protection of their mother's sacrifice must be 'recharged' so to speak. So long as Harry knew that Privet Drive was technically his real home, he was safe. The question was, how could they convince Harry that Number 4 Privet Drive was his real home? She pushed her thoughts away-- these were things to consider another time.
She looked around her room sadly. It was rather empty-- she couldn't have very many things in her room with her magic acting up like it was. All of her muggle books had to be kept in the Black Library after she accidentally made them fly around the room the night before. The night before last she had set her curtains on fire, and the night before that she had shattered her windows. And so, for her own safety, her room was barren. She felt a pang at the emptiness-- it certainly wasn't as if she meant to have nightmares. She shuddered as she considered her dreams-- they always involved the Dark Harry.
With a sigh Hermione opened the drawer in her desk. Inside she kept her secrets-- there was her journal and a locket that she had taken from one of the glass cabinets on one of the upper floors. Both would have to be destroyed. The journal held too many secrets and was no longer needed-- she could now do wandless magic, and all of her previous plans meant nothing now-- the journal was dangerous to keep. Sentimentality stayed her hand-- the journal was a gift from Uncle Jack. What must be done, must be done, she reminded herself resolutely. Shaking her head, Hermione promised herself she would destroy it the next time she could do so without raising suspicion.
The locket… the locket was a Horcrux, and had to be destroyed. She had pondered how to go about it. One idea had been to write a letter to Dumbledore, telling him that Voldemort had five Horcruxes to be destroyed or he would rise again. She would tell him that Slytherin's ring was in the Gaunt House, that Ravenclaw's bracelet was in Borgin and Burkes, hidden in the back and priced at just under one million galleons, and that Hufflepuff's cup was in the orphanage where Riddle spent his youth. The locket she would send with the letter. The journal in Malfoy's possession would have to wait.
But letters could be traced, and no one could be allowed to question her.
She would have to find another way. It was the perfect plan-- if the Horcruxes were destroyed, Voldemort would never rise. If Voldemort didn't rise, Harry wouldn't lose those he loved. If Harry never lost those he loved, he wouldn't become the Dark Harry that haunted her dreams. Hermione lay down on her bed, exhausted yet dreading the dreams sleep would bring.
**Harry's Point Of View**
Harry walked with Sirius, watching Hermione as she stepped through her bedroom door. "Sirius," he asked suddenly, walking past her door. "Where is Hermione's mother? I know your friend Remus is Hermione's dad, but where is her mother?"
Sirius froze. "She didn't tell you?" He asked quietly. Puzzled, Harry shook his head no. With a heavy sigh, Sirius knelt down. "Well, Little Prongs, it's a sad story. You see, Remus isn't Hermione's father-- he's her guardian, kind of like your aunt and uncle were your guardians. Hermione's parents, well, they died a few days ago." Harry stared at Sirius, his eyes wide. "It's not my place to say what happened, really, so I'll leave that to her to tell you when she's ready, but… things were pretty bad for her-- only Hermione, her sister Harmony, and her dog Horace survived."
Harry stood quietly, unable to speak. Sweet Hermione was an orphan like he was? It wasn't right, it wasn't fair! Neither of them had done anything wrong. Why did things like this have to happen to them? Weren't theses things supposed to happen to bad people who deserved it?
"Harry," Sirius said softly and pointed to a door. "This is your room. You've had a big day, and you have another big day tomorrow-- we need to get you some clothes. Why don't you go to sleep? You'll need your strength."
Harry nodded numbly and walked into the room his godfather showed him. "Harry?" The young wizard turned to his godfather. Pulling Harry into a tight embrace, he whispered, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you all those years ago. I'm going to make it up to you, Little Prongs, I promise."
Smiling, Harry replied, "thank you. Thank you for everything, Sirius."
Sirius smiled in return. "Goodnight."
"G'night." Harry watched Sirius leave then looked around his new room-- his very own room! It was empty for the most part, but he had only been there for a few hours, so he wasn't upset. Still, he had a bed, a dresser, and a nightstand-- he had never had any of these things before.
Harry sat down on his bed-- his very own bed!-- and thought about his day. It had started out horrible, since he had burned breakfast and hadn't been allowed to eat. Then he had chores, a small lunch, followed by more chores. He had thought his day was only going to get worse.
Then his salvation had come.
He had peeked out the window when there was a knock at the door. Harry had never been allowed to meet anyone, and he so dearly wanted to see someone new. The girl was the first person he had seen. He hadn't had time to look at the man-- the man he would later learn was his godfather-- because the girl had looked at him and he ducked away.
Uncle Vernon had caught him peeking and locked him in his cupboard. Harry had thought he would be in there for ages for breaking the rules. But then he had heard something break and then a girl's voice. He liked her voice, it was nothing like Aunt Petunia's-- Aunt Petunia screeched more than she talked.
Restless, Harry stood up and walked to the window. It scared him how much Hermione had come to mean to him in such a short amount of time. She was his first everything. She was the first witch he had seen. She was the first person to smile, really smile at him. She was the first person to offer her hand and help him. She was the first person to hug him, and the only person who had ever kissed him. She was the first person ever who was willing to lie for him. More importantly, she was his first friend, and that made her the most important person in the world, so far as Harry was concerned. Besides, she was the one who caught Peter Pettigrew, so she was the one to free Sirius, and if she freed Sirius, that meant she had freed him, too!
He chuckled as he remembered asking her if she was his sister. No, Hermione would never be his sister. She was much better than that. Harmony could be his sister, but never Hermione. He'd seen what sisters were like on the television on those rare occasions when he could watch for a few moments before he was noticed. Hermione was nothing like a sister.
Shaking his head, Harry walked back to his bed. He had been upset earlier when he was getting his clothes. He thought Hermione had lied to protect Dudley, that Hermione had realized he really was a freak and that it wasn't good to be his friend. Now he knew that Hermione had lied for him. Hermione didn't care about Dudley, she cared about him.
He had been upset again when Moony had mentioned someone named Harmony. Harry didn't want Hermione to be friends with someone else-- he was afraid she would like them better than him, and tell him she didn't want to be his friend anymore. But then he found out that Harmony was Hermione's sister, and that made him feel better.
Now he felt bad for not liking Harmony. She was Hermione's sister, after all, so she couldn't be that bad, and she and the dog Horace were all Hermione had left. He was glad Remus was her guardian-- he wouldn't lock her in a cupboard, and it would have been horrible if she had been locked in a cupboard like he was! Harry frowned. He didn't like that idea.
Harry began to pace. He didn't like the idea of anyone hurting Hermione in any way. She was his best friend, and she was very special. No, he didn't like the idea of Hermione getting hurt at all. He had never been as angry as he had been earlier when Dudley pushed Hermione and pulled her hair. He had never been so angry that he hit someone until today. And he knew, without a doubt, that if anyone hurt his friend, his very first friend, that he would hurt them.
Harry nodded to himself and got into bed, grinning to himself as he snuggled into his sheets in his bed in his room. Who was that wizard Sirius and Remus kept mentioning? Merlin? Yes, that was the name. Merlin have mercy on anyone who hurt his Hermione. He certainly wouldn't.
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A/N: This chapter was inspired by the Monster in Harry's chest. No, Harry is not evil. Let me explain before you flame me. Yes, this Harry is…creepy…for lack of a better word, but you have to understand where he's coming from. This Harry has felt abandoned all of his life. Then along comes Hermione, who willingly accepts and likes him for who he is. That makes her important to him, and he wants to protect her. I'll go a bit more in depth with this concept in the next chapter.
Oh, how was my first shot at writing a five year old boy? I was trying to make his thought patterns be like a five year old kid's would, but I'm not sure how I did. Not too badly, I hope.
Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and please review!
Cheers,
Madm_05