I am not J.K. Rowling, and I do not own Harry Potter (although I do own a copy of all the books and movies), and am certainly not making any money off of this. I'm writing this purely because I enjoy it, and I hope you do too.
A Sirius Matter
Chapter 39 - Snogging in the Rain
Despite his preference that the summer go on forever, Harry couldn't help but smile when he saw the sign that read, `Platform Nine and Three Quarters,' and said it would be departing at eleven o'clock. He and Hermione had passed through the barrier together holding hands and continued walking toward the scarlet engine while Sirius appeared behind them. It was decided that in the event that Voldemort attacked the platform, Hermione's muggle parents would be a liability that someone would have to protect, and they decided not to risk creating that problem, so they said their goodbyes at Grimmauld Place.
Through the smoke, the Boy-Who-Lived could see a few aurors in uniform looking around, and was sure there were more around. "I would guess that Riddle won't attack here. It would be too predictable."
"You're probably right," she agreed, "but I'm still glad we're wearing our armor under our clothes."
"Me, too." She looked around. "I still feel strange being one of the few students not carrying a trunk."
Smiling, her boyfriend suggested, "I could get my shrunk trunk out of my wallet and resize it. Then open it and take your trunk out of it and allow you to carry it. It should be pretty heavy with all those books. Then I'd re-shrink my trunk and watch you struggle with yours."
"Very funny," she responded. "I guess we'd better go to the prefects' compartment now." She squeezed her boyfriend's hand. "I'm glad Professor Dumbledore asked you whether you wanted to be prefect or not before giving the position to someone else. You did earn it."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Any chance to walk around the castle late at night with you…"
"It won't just be with me," she said while blushing. "We'll have to do rounds with whomever we're scheduled with."
"I suppose."
When they arrived at the Prefects' compartment, Harry was surprised to see the absolute worst person anyone could possibly pick as the Slytherin prefect. The idiot was sneering at him like he'd accomplished something.
"What is Dumbledore thinking giving Draco Malfoy a prefect badge?" Harry hissed at his girlfriend.
She sighed. "I don't know, but there's nothing we can do about it. That cow Parkinson is the girl prefect."
Draco suddenly started sniffing the air with an expression that he'd detected something foul. "If you're wondering what that odor is, a mudblood just walked in here."
Pansy laughed, but she was the only one. Everyone else was glaring at him. The six-foot-three Head Boy, Kenneth Towler of Gryffindor, got right in Draco's face. "You just earned yourself a detention, you little Death Eater spawn! Your daddy's friends killed my mother last summer," He grabbed the now terrified-looking Slytherin's shirt and was pushing him against the wall while Harry watched in admiration, "and I am not putting up with their pureblooded bulls…"
"Kenny!" called the Ravenclaw Head Girl, Sally Fawcett, as Draco whimpered in fear. "Let the pathetic Death Nibbler go. We can tell Dumbledore that we won't work with him. Don't strangle the little boy like he deserves." She looked around. "I'm sure none of you want to do your patrols with this piece of trash."
While the older Slytherin prefects remained silent, Pansy was too stupid to keep her mouth shut. "How can you manhandle Draco like that? When his father…"
"So you want to be on the list, too?" asked Fawcett. "Fine. Maybe we should have put in a special request not to have You-Know-Who sympathizers as prefects." Harry, along with most of the others, chuckled. "Accio, badge!" She summoned Draco's and then Pansy's prefect badge, leaving a hole in their robes. "Now get out, both of you!" Once the two Slytherin fifth-years exited, Sally turned to the others with a smile on her face. "Alright, now that that business is over, let's get this meeting started."
-
"So, there the little ferret was, crying while Ken was holding him against the wall," said Harry happily, entertaining his friends after they got back from the meeting. They'd taken the first patrol on the train so they were done with it. They all laughed, especially Ron and Luna, although they weren't sure if she was laughing about that or something in the Quibbler that her face was hidden behind.
"It wasn't that funny," said Hermione, although it was obvious that she was trying very hard to avoid laughing.
"Truthfully," said Harry, "that should be done every time someone like Malfoy uses that word. Imagine how many people would stop acting like that if it weren't tolerated."
"Well, well, well," came Draco's familiar sneer from the doorway. He was wearing a fresh, non-ripped robe. "It looks like we found the mudblood, half-blood and blood-traitor compartment." He was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, who chuckled at his statement, but that didn't stop everyone in the compartment from laughing out loud. "Why are you laughing?"
While pulling out his wand for show, Harry answered, "Because they know what I'm about to do to you."
Draco smirked. "If only you knew what the Dark Lord is going to do to you and Hogw…Whaaaa!" At that moment, Draco's body began to expand the way Aunt Marge had a few years before. The buttons on his jumper and pants popped, and the band of his expensive watch broke while his bodyguards watched in confusion. Realizing what Malfoy had implied, Hermione performed legilimency on Draco, finding out that he had been told by his father that Voldemort would attack Hogwarts before Christmas, but not when. When she began seeing Malfoy's fantasies, she exited his mind to see the boy's feet were leaving the floor. Hermione performed a banishing spell on him so he'd float into the hall. Then the other two Slytherins, along with the broken watch, were banished into the hall behind their alpha and the door was closed and locked magically.
"He was serious," declared Hermione with a concerned look on her face.
Harry grinned. "You mean when he said, `Whaaa?' Yes, I think he was seriously scared."
She rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "I meant about Riddle."
"He's always after me," said Harry with a shrug.
"I think Hermione meant if he was going to attack Hogwarts," said Luna with a dreamy voice from behind the Quibbler issue she'd been reading the whole time.
"What?" asked Harry, who hadn't been paying much attention while he was concentrating on blowing Malfoy up.
"He bragged the Dark Lord was going to do something to you and Hogwarts," said Ginny.
"It would make sense," said Neville. "The Ministry's located there as well."
"If he can manage it, I don't think he'd have any serious problems after overpowering Hogwarts," said Ron. "It's got Dumbledore, Vehosia, and Harry in one place."
"I read his mind. His father told him that Riddle is attacking Hogwarts before Christmas, but didn't tell him exactly when." Hermione looked worried. "But what about the students?"
"He doesn't care how many kids get killed in the process," said Harry sternly. "He didn't mind trying to kill me at one-year-old."
"But they'll keep the kids safe if that happens," asked Neville. "Won't they?"
"They'll try, but it won't work," said Harry grimly. "He likes to kill the people he considers defenseless. The teachers will try to evacuate us, and cut their potential army in half. They won't realize that if that battle is lost, there'll be no place for the kids to go and be safe. Then they'll have to fight without the adults. It's better to unite now - at least the students that can fight, maybe fourth year and up - and increase our chances."
Hermione took on an excited expression. "What if…well, maybe…if only…What if those who would want to fight in case of an attack organized and practiced fighting …maybe even came up with a battle plan for defending the castle?"
Ginny's eyes went wide. "You mean, like an army? Not just the dueling club that Sirius runs."
"Exactly," said Hermione. "Although that might be a good source for membership."
"Dumbledore wouldn't approve," said Ron miserably.
"He'd say we're too young," added Neville.
"What if," said Harry, looking each of them in the eyes in turn, "we keep it a secret from the teachers, even Sirius?" They all gasped. "Then, when Riddle attacks, we present our plan and demand to be able to fight for our world."
Hermione beamed at him with pride, although she looked a bit nervous. "That sounds perfect, although it is against the rules…but this is about our survival."
"Perfect," said Harry. "Now all we need is someone to lead it. Any suggestions?" All of them, even Luna, were now staring intently at him. "What?" he asked, oblivious to their meaning.
-
"I still think you're all mental if you think people are gonna listen to me," said Harry to his friends as they shared a carriage on the way to Hogwarts.
They had all unanimously insisted that he lead the group they were discussing, much to his surprise. Even Luna had said, "The nargmites are circling your head, which means you're a great leader."
Stifling a laugh, Ron had shown support for his girlfriend by adding, "You can't argue with the nargmites."
"A lot more people look up to you than you realize," responded Hermione as they continued riding the thestral-drawn carriages.
"Only to see my scar," he commented, earning a snort from Ron.
"I mean it, Harry. A lot of people admire you."
"But will they really listen to me?"
Taking a deep breath, Hermione said, "There's only one way to find out. We'll start to spread the word in the Gryffindor common room tomorrow and take it from there. Where do you think we should meet?"
Harry immediately declared, "The Room of Requirement should be perfect!"
-
After the feast, where the new students were sorted and Dumbledore reminded the students to stay away from the parts of the castle that the Ministry was using, Harry and Hermione led the new Gryffindors to the common room, where his girlfriend immediately began talking to the people who had been members of the dueling club last year. She shared with them Malfoy's words and their suspicions about an attack on the castle. Most of them agreed that they didn't want to hide in the dormitory while their world's fate was decided, and wanted to be part of the resistance and help come up with a battle plan. Those that were close friends (or more) with people outside of Gryffindor agreed to help spread the word discretely about their first meeting, which was planned that Friday night.
-
The next evening, the Head Boy and Girl, Kenneth Towler and Sally Fawcett of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw respectively, walked into the Headmaster's office.
"Good evening, Mr. Towler, Miss Fawcett. Have a seat. Would you like a lemon drop?" He indicated the bowl that had been full every time either had been in that office, which wasn't very often.
"No, thank you," said Kenny while Sally shook her head.
"Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. "I understand that there was a problem with a few of the new prefects on the train."
"Exactly," said Sally. "We want Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson replaced."
Dumbledore's eyes widened. "I had heard that rumor, but never expected that you would be so willing to dismiss someone so easily. Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves."
"The first words out of his mouth at the meeting were calling Hermione Granger a mudblood," said Kenny passionately. "He obviously has embraced You-Know-Who's philosophy - the same one that got my mother killed."
"He's made a mistake. I'm sure that he'll apologize," he replied calmly.
"No!" demanded Sally. "He has been using that term openly since his second year. Everyone on the Gryffindor Quidditch team heard him call Hermione that then, and no teacher did anything about it." Dumbledore looked shocked that she knew that. "We asked people in Gryffindor about him, and then asked some of the professors about his behavior in class and his grades. We wanted to know what he'd done to earn a prefect badge."
Dumbledore swallowed.
Kenny said, "Professor McGonagall told us that his grades in Transfiguration are mediocre at best, and that the only thing he excels at is causing trouble, usually by spouting off his prejudiced nonsense, and all the other professors agreed. In fact, the only teacher that ever said anything nice about him is Snape, and he doesn't teach anymore."
"Professor Snape," Dumbledore corrected him.
Sally continued, "The only class he ever got good grades in was Potions, but Professor O'Brian proved that he was a cheater in her first potions class, and she suspects that the finished potions he and a few others had with them were brewed by Professor Snape."
"She may suspect it, but it hasn't been proven," defended Dumbledore.
"He's actually done worse in that subject for the past year than any other since he can't cheat anymore," added Kenny.
"To put it simply," said Sally, "he hasn't earned his prefectship, and no one feels safe patrolling with that Death Eater wanna-be. I believe that he would use the opportunity to attack Hermione and any other muggle-born he patrols with."
"And then Harry Potter would murder him," added Kenny.
"We also think that he'd use his privileges to help You-Know-Who. Most people believe that he will try to attack Hogwarts this year," said Sally. "The castle houses his three most likely targets - you, Minister Vehosia, and Harry Potter. If Draco's father has any way of communicating with him, or has already given him orders, he adds to the danger."
Dumbledore sighed. "I can see that you really have thought this out. What do you have against Miss Parkinson?"
"She's Draco's girlfriend, and defended him at the meeting," said Kenny.
"And she gets even worse grades than him," added Sally.
"And she has made it clear that she is a sympathizer to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's cause, just like her boyfriend and his bodyguards."
"And to make it clear to you, Headmaster," Sally added, "We will not work with Death Nibblers. If you refuse to replace them, then you'll need to new Heads."
"Not only that," added Kenny, "but many other prefects, as well."
Dumbledore looked older than ever before as he took a deep breath. "I shall consider your suggestion. You will have my decision by the end of the week. Until then, both Mr. Malfoy and Miss Parkinson will be suspended of their prefect duties. You are dismissed."
-
The week went by too quickly, by Harry's reckoning. All the teachers were the same as the previous year, including Sirius, who reopened his dueling club. Dumbledore did follow the Head Boy and Girl's wishes and gave the fifth-year prefect positions to Slytherins who weren't known to be Voldemort sympathizers like Draco and Pansy. In this case, they were Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass, both of whom were civil toward the others, if not particularly friendly. All the prefects felt safer patrolling with them than their predecessors, but Harry reminded Hermione not to drop her guard around them either.
-
Before the Boy-Who-Lived knew it, almost half of the students fourth-year and above were gathered in the Room of Requirement for their first meeting. Everyone was talking together in groups. Angelina Johnson had even reminded Harry of the Quidditch tryouts the following morning.
When he felt everyone was there, he walked up behind the small podium that the huge room had provided and cleared his throat. Nobody but his girlfriend, who smiled at him, noticed. He put a sonorus charm on his throat and spoke up.
"Attention, everybody." They all ended their conversations and began staring at him. He could now feel several golden Snitches flying around in his stomach - or were they Bludgers? His ears were now pink. "Yes, well, thank you for coming. As you know, the reason we're here is because we believe that Hogwarts is going to be attacked soon. Dumbledore and the Ministry are both here, so we feel it is too tempting of a target."
Someone wearing Ravenclaw robes yelled out, "You're here, too, and he seems to always be after you."
Glancing down for a moment, Harry took a deep breath and answered, "Yes, you're right. There's a reason for that. A prophecy was made before I was born that basically says that I've got to be the one to finish him if he's going to be finished." Everyone gasped. "That's why that coward tried to kill me as a baby. Tom Riddle, which, by the way is Voldemort's," most people gasped. "real name. Yes, I know that it's taboo, but if he could get in here, he wouldn't be waiting for someone to mention his chosen name. However, if it makes you feel better, I'll call him Riddle. The point is that I have to handle him personally, but I'm sure they'll be plenty of Death Eaters for the rest of you to handle.
"Anyway, if he attacks, we believe that the teachers will try to get us to hide away while they fight Riddle. We would wait while our fate is decided by others. If he wins, then we'll all be killed or enslaved. I believe that we can help increase the odds of that fight in our favor, and we can stand united with the teachers and the Ministry, whether they want us there or not, and we CAN make a difference!" There was an unexpected burst of applause. He actually smiled at this.
"We want to join together and train, and become Hogwarts' Army, and show Riddle that he can't scare us anymore!" There was more applause. "We've come up with a few different ideas of fighting groups that we can divide up into, and would be happy to hear more ideas. We'll train at least once a week in each of these divisions. The wonderful thing about this room is that it can accommodate as many groups as we can come up with. This is what we have so far…"
Harry went on to explain the ideas that he and his friends had come up with for defending the castle that they didn't believe the adults had thought of yet. They were met with enthusiastic support, and the people decided which group they wanted to be part of, and the next meeting was arranged. Hermione insisted that everyone that wanted to be a part of the group sign a document that she made for the meeting.
-
"You were really great," said Hermione in the common room after the meeting. "The way you carried yourself, and talked to us. You really inspired confidence."
"The question is if it'll work. I don't want to lead them to their deaths." He sighed. "Do you really think…"
"Yes, I do. I believe that our plan is sound and that with your leadership…"
"You're more of a leader than I…"
"You are a born leader," she said passionately. "I know you don't like it, and all you want is to be ordinary, but you are an extraordinary leader, an extraordinary person. You refuse to wait around doing nothing while others plan your destiny. You took control of your life last year."
"With your help," he added. "And Sirius' as well."
"Yes," she said, blushing at the mention of her name. "Now it's time for you to help all of us students take control of our destiny instead of waiting for our `protectors' to be murdered."
"I hope we can do it."
"I know we can," she said before kissing him soundly, effectively clearing away his doubts, along with the rest of her boyfriend's thoughts.
-
Harry woke up the morning of Hermione's sixteenth birthday excited. He remembered how splendidly things had gone the year before, and was hoping for a repeat performance. He wanted everything to be perfect all day, because he had something very special to give her at dinner, which he'd arranged to be elsewhere than the Great Hall.
He was at the foot of the stairs holding a bouquet of roses to wish he girlfriend a, "Happy Birthday," as soon as he saw her.
The birthday-girl smiled brightly at her boyfriend as she continued down the stairs. "Thank you." She kissed him soundly before taking the roses from him. "Ouch!"
To Harry's dismay, Hermione had grabbed the roses in such a way that her finger was stabbed with a thorn and was now bleeding. He looked panicky as he said, "I'm sorry." He pulled out his wand and she allowed him to perform a quick healing spell on her. "I'm really sorry about that, Hermione."
"A lot of people remove the thorns to prevent that from happening," she commented, but upon seeing how penitent he looked with his eyes downcast, she said, "That's alright. The roses are beautiful. Let me just put them in water and I'll be right back."
As he watched her return up the stairs, he smiled. Things hadn't gone as smoothly as he'd wanted, but it wasn't so bad. It could be worse.
-
After their morning workout (and subsequent showers), the young couple made their way into the Great Hall for breakfast. They sat together at the Gryffindor table with Ron, Neville and Ginny, and were busily eating when the mail arrived. Among the first owls in the Great Hall was Hedwig, who was carrying a small paper bag tied to her leg. She flew straight to Hermione and held out her leg.
She smiled as she untied the package from her boyfriend's owl, and found that, like last year, it contained a present from her parents, as well as a new present from her boyfriend. What Harry had gotten her was a stack of pictures of them from the previous year.
"I, er, thought you might want to add them to that photo album," he told her.
"They're wonderful," she said as she was looking at a photo of them dancing at the Yule Ball.
Suddenly, there was a thump in front of her, and the pitcher of pumpkin juice spilled over, filling Hermione's plate, lap, and presents with its contents. She let out a small shriek, drawing attention from other Gryffindors, who began laughing at her. Her ears turned pink. Harry, in the meantime, looked devastated. "It's okay," she said calmly, although it was obvious that she wasn't happy. "I can fix them…"
That's when a small orange shape on the table in front of Hermione, dripping with pumpkin juice, began to ruffle its feathers, getting the offending liquid on all five friends, but none as badly as Hermione, whose face was now dripping with the juice. They could all hear laughter from other Gryffindors down the table, including Fred and George. To her dismay, Ginny recognized the creature as, "Errol!" the Weasley family owl.
Ron added, "He's got a letter."
Hermione saw that the bird did indeed have a dripping wet letter tied to its leg, which it was now holding out toward her. After wiping her face off with a napkin, she cautiously untied the parcel, and was able to read the first few letters of her name from the envelope. She tore open the wet envelope, and managed to determine that, "It's a birthday card from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."
"That was…nice of them," said Harry. "Just too bad they sent it with Errol."
"Yeah," said Hermione, half-heartedly. "It's the thought that counts, isn't it?" She turned to Ron and Ginny. "Don't tell your parents what happened. I don't want them to feel bad." They nodded and Hermione quickly cleaned herself and then Errol with her wand. She even managed to save the pictures and her parents' present as well, and resolved to open it alone. She'd confided in Harry after much coaxing that her mysterious present from the previous year was a box of `fancy undergarments that her mum picked out.' That was enough to get Harry to blush and never ask again. He figured that it was best if she opened up the gift in private this year as well.
-
The morning went by alright, and soon they were eating lunch in the Great Hall. Hedwig flew to Hermione and dropped a package in front of her. She opened it and found a dress. She unfolded it and examined it. It was emerald green with gold trimmings. The dress was low-cut and sleeveless. Hermione kissed Harry on the cheek.
"Thank you," she said, standing up and holding the dress against her. Ginny looked at her with surprise in her eyes. "What's the problem, Ginny?" She said nothing. Hermione found the label which revealed the size.
"Extra Large!?! HARRY JAMES POTTER! Do you think I need an Extra Large dress? I'm only a medium size! Do you think I'm fat?"
People in the hall began laughing. With tears in her face, Hermione ran out of the hall. Harry, looking mortified, ran after her.
-
Hermione was refusing to talk to Harry, no matter how much he begged her to, shouting apologies at her as she stayed ahead of him. She went to her dorm and continued crying until Ginny came in.
"Come for a good laugh, have you?" Hermione asked.
"No, I have not. Harry explained everything to me, since you won't speak to him. He told me that he guessed a size, but he specified a number. Apparently, he asked Lavender Brown what size she thought you were and ordered the dress size to match."
"But there was no need for him to get Extra Large!"
"He didn't mean to get you Extra Large. He doesn't know anything about women's dress sizes. He's used to wearing those hand-me-downs from that pig cousin of his. How do you think he's going to know the right size? There is no point in asking you for it because it would ruin the surprise. What do you think he's going to do - take Polyjuice Potion and pretend to be you in order to get the right size?"
"No," Hermione replied. She seemed to be calming down a bit.
"He tried his best. It's the first time he's ever ordered women's clothing and he has learned from his mistake. Remember, you are a witch and you can adjust the size by magic. Or, teach me the charm and I'll sort it out for you."
"I didn't think of that." Hermione put on the extra large dress as she told Ginny the charm. She raised her wand and cast the spell. The dress changed size until it was a perfect fit.
"There, that should do it," said Ginny. Hermione stepped in front of a mirror and admired herself. "You should go downstairs and show Harry the dress."
She sighed. "I guess I should apologize to him." Ginny simply nodded as her friend walked down the stairs.
-
Harry was sitting on a chair in the common room with his head down. He was miserable. All that time he'd spent looking through catalogues of women's dresses was for nothing. He thought he'd picked out a perfect dress. "That's the last time I'll ask Lavender for help," he grumbled to himself. He heard footsteps on the girls' stairs, and looked up, expecting to see Ginny coming down to tell him that Hermione still wouldn't speak to him. They'd been up there a long time, and he was glad that they didn't have any classes until Ancient Runes, which didn't start for another hour.
Instead, he glimpsed the loveliest creature he'd ever seen. He stood up and walked toward Hermione, who was looking down at the stairs. "You look beautiful. You must have fixed it. Ginny said you could." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I made a mistake, but I wasn't trying to…"
"I'm sorry, too," she cut him off. "I over-reacted. I know you wouldn't purposely insult me, and you were trying to do something nice, and I do like the dress."
"It looks good on you."
"Thank you," she said, and then kissed him softly.
"Could you wear it just before dinner?" he asked. "I've…got some plans, and I'd like it if you were wearing it."
-
"Where are you taking me?" Hermione asked as Harry led her by the hand out the entrance hall onto the grounds. He was wearing his dark green suit he'd bought the previous summer. It had been expanded slightly to account for his growth since he'd gotten it. He'd thought about blindfolding her, but would never do that while Voldemort lived. It was too much of a risk for her to get attacked while blindfolded. As a result, he was just having her simply follow him. He'd only told her that he wanted to take her for a walk. He was not looking at the overcast sky as he patted the small box in his pocket. "It's almost time for dinner, and I'm starving."
"I know," said Harry as he led her. "I just want to walk around the lake with you. I thought it would be romantic."
Her expression softened. "It is romantic. Thank you."
He took a deep breath as they continued walking around the lake, holding hands. "I know things haven't gone the way I wanted them to - the way you deserved them to - but I want you to know that I do love you and I am trying to make your birthday special."
"I know, Harry. This just seems like one of those…who's that?" She pointed to a small figure up ahead who was standing next to a table with two chairs. There was a lit candle in the middle of the table. Before Harry could answer, the figure came into focus. "Dobby," she exclaimed happily. He was wearing a small black tuxedo. Hermione could see and smell the plates of veal cutlet, mashed potatoes and green beans on the table, along with two bottles of butterbeer.
"Dobby is happy to be seeing Harry Potter and his Hermy," he said excitedly, "and is wishing Miss Hermy a happy birthday."
"Thank you, Dobby," she said happily.
The elf then turned to Harry. "Dobby is finished guarding the food, so now Dobby is going. If you is needing anything, just call Dobby. Dobby will be returning with dessert in thirty minutes."
"Thank you," said Harry, and his elf disappeared with a small pop.
Harry pulled out a chair for Hermione, and she sat down. She thanked him as he sat across from her. "I hope you don't mind," he said conversationally. "I wanted a nice, private dinner for just the two of us."
"It's lovely," she said, as she jabbed her fork into the veal and began to cut it. She took a bite and closed her eyes sensuously. "It's delicious," she declared and her boyfriend smiled at her.
BOOM! Thunder erupted above them as it got darker, and rain began to pour down on them both, drenching them (including Hermione's new dress) and their dinner in a matter of seconds. Harry began to swear vehemently as he got up. He removed his fake glasses so he could see properly. "It doesn't matter what I do! Nothing is working right! I'm sorry! I'm…"
Hermione cut him off with laughter. He wondered if she'd finally lost her mind. "Don't you see," she said between snorts of mirth, "the harder you try, the worse things turn out."
He found himself beginning to join in the laughter. "I wanted it to be so special," he said while laughing. "I wanted to…" He then reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, black velvet box that got drenched immediately. She looked at it and gasped. "I think we're a bit young for an actual proposal," he said, getting a bit serious, "but I thought I'd give you a promise ring." He opened the box, revealing a sterling silver band with no stone on it. It had, `Harry & Hermione' engraved on it. He looked her in the eyes, even as water dripped down their faces. "I want to show you and everyone else that I love you, and I do intend to marry you when it's the right time. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. For now, I ask that you'll wear this symbol of my love, until I replace it with an engagement ring." He took it out of the box, she silently held out her left hand, and he placed it upon her finger, and it magically sized itself. Considering what had happened at lunch, he was glad he'd placed that charm on it.
With the rain falling as it was, he couldn't tell if his beloved had shed any tears or not while he slid the ring on her finger, or when she kissed him passionately as they stood out in the rain.
They were interrupted shortly by a small pop next to them. They broke apart immediately, and Harry aimed his hand at the intruder, ready to fight whoever it was.
"Dobby is sorry Dobby isn't putting rain protection over the table," he said sadly. Even in the rain, it was obvious that he was crying. "Your meal is being ruined and it is being Dobby's fault. Harry Potter should be punishing Dobby."
It was at that moment that they both looked at the plates full of what had become soup and started laughing again. "That's alright, Dobby. You didn't make it rain. Do you think you could make us two more plates and bring them to the Room of Requirement?" Harry said. He glanced at Hermione, who nodded happily. "We'll be there in a few minutes."
"Yes, Harry Potter, sir," he responded before popping away.
Harry grabbed Hermione's hand, and they began walking back toward the castle. Harry began singing, "Snogging in the rain, just snoggi…"
"Shut up," she laughed, before walking around to kiss him once more.
They slowly made their way back to the castle, stopping every few minutes to kiss. They opened the door and walked right in, dripping all over the floor. They hadn't taken five steps inside before they heard the familiar drawl of Draco Malfoy's voice out of the nearby Great Hall. They heard him and his bodyguards walk in their direction.
"It's Potter and his filthy mudblood! What have you been doing, shagging in the mud?"
The couple glanced at each other for a moment, and continued walking toward the stairs, completely ignoring the ferret.
"You won't ignore me, mudblood!" he shouted at their backs while pulling out his wand. They both heard him do that and pulled their wands out, preparing to defend themselves. Harry was wearing his dragon armor underneath his suit, but didn't think Hermione was wearing hers under the dress.
"Expelliarmus!" came the last voice they expected to help them. They turned to see Severus Snape catching Malfoy's wand. Harry tensed up even more than he was already at the sight of that murderer.
Draco rounded on his head of house. "Why'd you do that, Snape? I could've…"
"Cursing students in the back will get you in trouble," he said evenly, while handing him back his wand. "All three of you, go to the Slytherin dormitory. I'll deal with…the happy couple." He silently cast a Patronus into the nearby Great Hall as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle complied.
"Was that a doe?" asked Hermione, curious about the silver animal that had no doubt gone to fetch the headmaster after only allowing them a brief glimpse of it.
"Silence!" he hissed angrily. "Dripping water all over the castle is against school rules. Even if I don't have the happy privilege of punishing you myself, I will see that you…"
"Hello, Severus," said Dumbledore from behind him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Harry watched the headmaster's eyes wander around and focus on them. He could swear that his eyes focused on Hermione's left hand for a second longer than necessary. "I see. Mr. Potter and Miss Granger were apparently caught in the storm," he said calmly.
"They are befouling the castle, even as we speak." It was true that they were still dripping with water, and a puddle was forming beneath them. "They may be your favorites, but I demand that they be disciplined."
"I suppose that you are correct." He turned to them. "Ten points each will be removed from Gryffindor, and you will both serve a detention with Professor McGonagall tomorrow night." He turned to the head of Slytherin. "Does that satisfy you, Severus, or shall I have them hung by their thumbs, as well?"
"Fine," Snape hissed, and then left in the direction of the dungeons.
Dumbledore turned to the young couple and pulled out his wand, drying Hermione, Harry and then the puddle. "You should have dried yourself off when you entered the castle," he said, conversationally, with a twinkle in his eyes. "Happy birthday, Miss Granger."
"Th-thank you, sir."
"I do like that new ring on your finger. Incidentally, you both look quite nice. Good evening." Dumbledore left for his office, and the young couple went to the Room of Requirement, where Dobby had their new meals prepared.
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The next few weeks flew by with classes, Sirius' dueling club, Quidditch, personal training, and H.A. training. All McGonagall had Harry and Hermione do for detention was to magically clean her classroom, which took about five minutes. She mentioned that she didn't think getting water on the floor during a storm should be an offense at all when a simple spell will clean it up.
Hogwarts' Army was going very well, and Harry was pleased with the progress they were making. He was amazed at how the Room of Requirement was able to meet all their needs. The incredibly high ceiling that it developed for them was the most incredible part of it to Harry. The people who were with them were all eager to learn and practice their parts in Hogwarts' Army.
When the `Howler' reported a mass breakout from Azkaban during the first week of October, it served to further motivate the members of the H.A., as well as convince others to join. Harry had his remaining dragon hide turned into as many vests as he could, which turned out to be twenty-eight, which he distributed to the people whom he thought were doing the best in their training. They accepted the vests gratefully, vowing to keep them on always.
On October 30th, Draco seemed particularly smug during Care of Magical Creatures class, so Harry performed Legilimency on him, and found out the information he needed. Using charmed coins that his brilliant girlfriend had invented for communication, he called an H.A. meeting that night. He began it by saying the words, "The attack will be tomorrow."
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Please review. Thank you to those who have.
I've purposely not mentioned what Hogwarts' Army is training on so that there'll be surprises in the next chapter, which I plan to publish in a few days.
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