Chapter 2: One of Them
The girl with silky, wavy, dark brown hair rubbed her sparkling silver-blue eyes as she tried to stand up. She was experiencing a migraine, probably because of the spell Harry used on her, which was an obstacle to make her stand up. She rubbed her temple in a counter clockwise direction and tried to open her eyes. She blinked twice to see that he red-haired friend was approaching her.
"Hannah, finally, you're awake." Ginny greeted her brown-haired best friend.
"About time too, I'm really up to killing a specific person for causing me this ultra hard migraine. Where is he anyway?"
"Are you talking about Harry? He's just finding a place to rest his back since he carried a very heavy girl all the way up to this place, wherever this place is." Ginny replied mockingly.
"Very funny, Ginevra." Hannah laughed.
"I told you not to call me that." Ginny said as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"Call you what? Ginevra?"
"Now, that is it! You come back here!" Ginny said as she trailed after Hannah.
"Make me!" Hannah said childishly.
*~*
"Hermione?" Harry repeated.
"That is my name, and for someone like you, it's really a hard name to pronounce so I bet that, that is a great accomplishment for you."
"What do you mean by that? I mean, I'm the third smartest student in Hogwarts. Next to you and Hannah."
"Well, in my own opinion, that is a great surprise with me because a popular like you doesn't pay attention to their studies. So, if you don't mind Mr. Potter, I'd rather be here alone."
"You do know that you don't own this field." Harry remarked.
"I do think that this is a meadow." Hermione recalled.
"Field, meadow, what's the dif?" Harry asked.
"The difference is a field is used to grow crops and feed animals while a meadow is a large piece of land with grass growing in it." Hermione snapped.
"Well, you seem to know absolutely anything." Harry whispered but still Hermione heard it.
"Of course because unlike you, I still need to make my parents proud of me."
Harry flinched at the statement that Hermione made. His emerald eyes were blazing in anger and fear which made Hermione back away. She looked at her feet and her head was full of regret, fear and pity. She knew that Harry no longer had parents. She looked up to see that emerald eyes were only a few inches across her chocolate brown eyes. At that sight, she back away as soon as she can.
"Hermione Jane Granger, I do agree that I no longer have parents to make proud of but I still have a godfather that I will love to be proud of me." Harry snapped angrily.
"Look, I'm really sorry of my sudden outburst. It's just that, people think that just because I'm a Mudblood, I don't have a clue about the Wizarding World so I'm here to prove them wrong." Hermione apologized.
Just when Harry is gonna reply, it was cut off by an ear piercing scream.
*~*
Hannah ran and ran as the girl a year after her age trailed after her. Hannah finally reached a big tree with lavender-colored flowers. She was immediately attracted to it and approached it carefully. She carefully walked through twigs and rocks and when she reached about a few feet forward the tree, its roots grabbed her feet and the branches her hands. She screamed at the top of her lungs which caught the attention of the sleeping Draco, Parvati, Lavender, Cho, Ron, a running Ginny and a pair of bickering seventh years which are known as Harry and Hermione.
"Help me!" Hannah screamed which awoke Draco, Parvati, Lavender, Cho & Ron.
"Hannah, where are you?" Ginny shouted as she ran in circles in panic.
Harry and Hermione rushed to follow the scream. The others stood up and rushed to follow it too. When they reached the tree where Hannah was trapped, Hannah was already screaming hysterically.
"Hannah, hold on there." Harry shouted. "What kind of tree is this anyway?"
"This is the Thiolonthian Tree. Thio means danger and Lonthi means death." Hermione explained.
"DEATH?" the others chorused.
"Yes, death. If we don't move fast enough, she will die in suffocation." Hermione explained further.
"We have to move then, I won't allow that I will lose my best friend to a tree." Harry said as he withdrew his wand.
"Harry, avoid being in contact with the tree because it will get your DNA and it'll be hard for you to retrieve Hannah."
"Why don't you come with him, Hermione?" Ginny suggested.
"Yes. You seem to know all about the plant anyways." Cho agreed.
"Come on, Hermione." Harry offered a hand and Hermione took it as she withdrew her own wand.
"The plant, unlike most plants, is afraid of water. It will prevent it from making in contact with us." Hermione explained.
"Well, that's not a problem. Aguamenti!" Harry cast as Hermione followed.
The two of them dodged branches and roots as they tried to make contact. Harry grabbed Hermione when she almost made contact with a dangling vine close to her.
"Harry, thank you so much!" Hermione thanked.
"Hermione, we need to get through this together."
"Harry, duck!" Hermione shouted which Harry followed.
"Wow that was a close one!" Harry told Hermione.
"Hannah is really suffocating. We have to hurry or else it'll be too late."
"Harry, Hermione, help me." Hannah said softly.
"Hannah, just hold on and we're gonna get there." Harry shouted as he helped Hermione get up. "What do we do now?"
"Well, we have to destroy the heart of the tree. But it's risky, there are many vines surrounding it."
"Risky is my middle name." Harry smiled which Hermione returned.
"Harry, when you reach the middle, just cast the Aguamenti charm and it will release Hannah."
"Be careful down there, Hermione. I can't afford having you hurt."
"Harry, go! Hannah collapsed already so… please, just cast the spell!" Hermione shouted when she made contact with the plant. She was held upside down from the ground.
Harry dodged the whipping vines that were obstacles and instead of watering them, he burned them which worked well. He managed to come to the heart of the tree and immediately shouted the charm. When he did, the heart of the plant bursted out purple slime all over him and it released an ear piercing scream. The plant quickly dropped Hannah and Hermione. Hermione who was wide awake, winced in pain after that, she went after Hannah who had multiple scars and wounds on her body. Her clothes were slightly ripped and she looked very pale. When she started to awake, instead of wincing in pain she laughed which made Hermione confused.
"Hannah, why are you laughing?" Hermione asked.
"Because of that…!" Hannah replied while pointing behind Hermione. Hermione craned his neck to see that Harry was covered in purple slime which made her giggle.
"What? It is not funny, Hannah. Hermione, you didn't warn me about this!" Harry told them.
"I didn't?" Hermione asked innocently.
"I'm glad that you didn't." Hannah laughed.
"Let see how you react when I do this!" Harry said as he threw some slime on Hannah. Hannah managed to dodge it but it landed on Hermione instead.
"Oh, so that how it is gonna be eh?" Hermione said as she wept the slime on her face and threw it on Hannah. They kept on throwing slime at each other. They stopped when the others were already there.
"Is there a slime ball fight without us?" Draco joked which Hannah scoffed at.
"Hey, Granger is here. Oops, I mean Hermione is here. Did I pronounce your name right?" Cho asked.
"Yes. Yes you did." Hermione replied while her head is bowed.
"Well, we might as well clean this mess up. Scourgify!" Hannah cast as Harry and Hermione did.
"We were worried sick about you, Hans." Ginny said as she hugged Hannah.
"Awww... you were? Thanks!" Hannah replied.
"Why wouldn't we be? I mean, you're our second youngest. And it'll be freaky without you." Draco joked as he ruffled Hannah's hair.
"Next time you do that, Malfoy. I'll break your hand." Hannah threatened mockingly as she fixed her hair.
"You know what, you guys. If I weren't Draco's girlfriend, he might've dated Hannah now." Parvati remarked.
"If Malfoy does that, I'll crush him like a tin can." Harry angrily said.
"Come on, Harry. He's only joking." Hannah smiled.
"I know. Can't he handle a threat?" Harry joked.
The three of them laughed while Draco just shrugged it off. Hermione felt left out so she started to move ahead but she was stopped by Hannah.
"Hey, Hermione, where are you going?" Hannah asked.
"I'm feeling kinda left out here, so I'll just go."
"Not until I introduce you to my friends."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes. You have to. You helped to save my life and you risk yours just to do so."
"It really is no problem."
"Hermione, please. Do this for me." Hannah pleaded with her cute puppy dog eyes.
"What if they don't like me?" Hermione asked reluctantly.
"Then, I'll hex them. Don't they dare hurt you, you're my best friend." Hannah remarked.
Hermione smiled at the thought that someone considered her as a friend. And Hannah didn't just consider her as a friend, but a best friend like Harry. I mean she did know Hannah since their first year but she thought that she was just an extra friend but no, she treated her like a sister or a part of her family. She now knew that Hannah is the most important thing that happened to her in Hogwarts.
"Hermione, you okay?" Hannah asked.
"Thank you, Hannah." Hermione thanked as she threw her hands around Hannah.
"For what, exactly?" Hannah asked as she hugged Hermione back.
"For coming into my life and for always being there for me like that incident when the Slytherins were bullying me." Hermione choked as she cried her tears.
"Hey, all I did was a simple wart-face hex. Nothing so special about that." Hannah replied as she remember the time that Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle bullied Hermione in their 2nd year.
Hermione was walking through the halls when she bumped into Pansy. Pansy immediately bullied her and when Hannah saw that she was about to hit Hermione, she did a wart-face hex at Pansy and she got detention for a week. Hermione stood up for her and ended up in detention too.
"Hermione, you're like an older sister to me. You're very important to me."
"Yeah, how about all the other guys you are close to?"
"They're great and all but you're like family." Hannah replied.
"Thanks a lot."
"Now, let me introduce you to my friends. First of all well, your fellow Head, Harry Potter and his girlfriend, Cho Chang. And this is Ronald Weasley or Ron, one of Harry's closest friend and his girlfriend also one of my best friends, Lavender Brown. Also, here's our mysterious member, Draco Malfoy and his very shy girlfriend and also one of my best friends, Parvati Patil and my closest and most trusted friend like you, Ginny Weasley." Hannah introduced.
"Nice to meet you." the group chorused.
"Nice to meet you all, too." Hermione replied.
"Thank you again for saving our second youngest." Draco thanked as she took out his hand and waited for Hermione to shake it.
"It was my pleasure. She is my friend." Hermione smiled as she shook his hand.
"It would never be the same without Hannah." Parvati said as she hugged Hermione.
"How about we make you a popular?" Lavender suggested which Harry and the others (except for Cho) smiled at.
"That's a brilliant idea. I accept." Harry smiled which made Hannah squeal.
"I don't think it's a good idea. She's a bookworm." Cho protested.
"Cho, I'm a bookworm too." Hannah replied.
"And besides Cho, you're not the leader. Hannah and Harry are and seeing their expressions, I think that they agree." Ginny continued.
"Fine. If that's what you really want." Cho finally gave in.
"Oh no. I don't want to be much of a bother." Hermione said.
"Well, you are." Cho muttered which Hannah heard which caused her to glare at her.
"We promise you, you won't be a bother." Hannah smiled.
"Thank you for the offer but--" Hermione said but she was cut off by Hannah and Ginny's puppy dog eyes. "Oh well." She sighed.