A Fantastic Year

Jo Bob

Rating: PG13
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 18/09/2007
Last Updated: 06/10/2007
Status: completed

The war is over. The side of good is victorious. Follow our hero Harry Potter as he strives to live like a "normal" bloke in what is hopefully... A Fantastic Year.

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AN: Hey everyone! The feedback on my first piece was incredible! I can’t thank you guys enough for the positive comments. Now I understand how inspiring getting a single review is! I actually wrote this fic before my first one. (Chapter 37 – Epilogue) However, even though I’ve completely written through the entire number, there are still a lot of mistakes to be caught on my part. I will do my best to post on a regular basis, however, since I have yet to locate a beta, I feel that I owe it to all of you to go through everything again to maybe catch some final mistakes. And of course, if you have any ideas for where I could take this, I’d be glad to hear (read!) them! Even though this is “finished” doesn’t mean that it’s completely done. There’s always room to improve and to take this story in completely different directions! I hope that it all flows together alright. If you spot any problems that I may have missed, don’t hesitate to point them out! As always, comments and suggestions are warmly welcomed! Thanks a lot, guys! Cheers!

Spoiler Alert: This story was started a while back. Before Deathly Hallows was released, believe it or not. However, it was completed after the seventh book was released. I actually took a break from writing in order to finish reading the Harry Potter series. Since I had the entire plotline planned out before I wrote it, this shouldn’t spoil anything for the book. I make no guarantees though! Please read at your own discretion and my apologies for any unintentional spoilers. Honestly though, if you haven’t read the seventh book, why are you reading Harry Potter fanfictions?

Disclaimer:I claim nothing in the Harry Potter universe. That is all the weavings of the fantastic J.K. Rowling! The only thing I own is this version of the plotline which I sincerely hope isn’t accidentally copied from something else I’ve read!

A Fantastic Year

I

A sallow Halloween moon hung ominously in the air above a vast barren wasteland. The sky was painted a murky grey—not quite dark, yet not quite light either—that oppressed everything beneath it and enveloped the land in a chilling blanket. The few wispy clouds that floated into the foreboding atmosphere were swiftly dispelled by the cutting wind that swept the battlefield. The field of Godric’s Hollow had been devoid of other life in every meaning. The only movement was the brush of light dust as insistent winds swept the ground, depriving it of the nutrient rich soil that was essential to life, and the collapse of age old supports that must have held a house at one point in their history. The contours of the ground implied a vast explosion of energy in the past, one that cleared the ground of grass, shrubs, and trees outright. A ring of torrential magical energy seemed to engulf the entire premise.

This was the battleground that Lord Voldemort had chosen for his crushing attack. And it was in this arena that a collection of valiant Aurors—wizards and witches alike—would make their last stand against the Dark Lord. Bright flashes of light streamed back and forth between the two masses as the intense battle raged on. Having fought since dawn, both sides were conceivably exhausted, but the sheer quantity of Voldemort’s army was beginning to gain on the handful of talented Aurors. The small procession of freedom fighters was slowly losing ground as witch after wizard was killed by a crippling curse or Unforgivable.

Harry Potter wiped sweat off of his scar-bearing forehead and quickly glanced behind him to see his best friends Ron and Ginny Weasley fighting behind him. Noticing a burst of light to his left he quickly shouted, “Protego!” effectively deflecting the emerald ray. Turning back to his friends, he shouted “I have to go to find him! Stay here and hold your position! I have to end this now or we will all die!”

Ginny glared scathingly at him, “No, Harry! You’re not getting rid of us like that! We’re going with you. We know the consequences.” Ron nodded supportively at her side.

Harry scowled and let out a frustrated sigh, “I don’t have time to argue with you guys right now! I am not trying to push you two away to protect you. I have to do this because I’m the only one that can fight him. Please, Ginny, Ron, stay here and hold our position while I go, I’ll be right back.” Harry tried to smile but it didn’t quite come out.

“You better come back, mate,” Ron said threateningly, “or else when we win this, I’ll come to your grave, dig you out and kill you again for leaving us! Don’t think that I won’t.” He said, trying to make light of the situation.

Harry smiled, “Have faith in me guys,” he looked again at his best friends, “I will come back!” He then turned around and dashed into unknown. Ron and Ginny did not have long to watch their friend depart as a burning-red hex flew in their direction. The two siblings barely dodged out of the way in time.

Knocked back to their senses, they looked meaningfully at each other, “For Harry,” Ron said and Ginny nodded solemnly. The pair moved together and worked in cohesive harmony to dispatch their targets.

“Petrificus Totalus!”

“Incarcerous!”

Overhead, two figures flew resourcefully on brooms while hurling charms, hexes, and curses—as well as patented ‘gag’—down upon the army of Voldemort. Ron and Ginny waved at their wacky brothers Fred and George who returned the gesture before continuing on their rampage.

“How about R’s?”

“Exactly what I was thinking, dear brother of mine.”

“Reducto!”

“Rictusempra!”

“Riddikulus!”

“Reducio!”

“Touché! I believe we are tied in this one.”

“And how would you know?”

“I can’t think over anymore.”

“Agreed… Let’s say we go on to S’s…”

Elsewhere in the battlefield, Harry had since found Voldemort’s location and was pursuing him avidly. The dark wizard, however, did not seem to want to be found which was greatly frustrating the young wizard. “Stupefy” He shouted and incapacitated yet another Death Eater that got in the way. He leapt to the right to unceremoniously avoid an ocean blue beam of magic from connecting with him, looking back at where it hit the ground he only saw the lingering steam from where a chunk of the earth had been vaporized. Glaring avidly at the offending minion, Harry flicked his wand and shot out a pallid shaft of light that knocked out the target. Having trained his entire teenage life for this day, Harry was not about to let a random minion detain him from his ultimate destiny. Glancing around again, he spotted the evil leader and pounded off again.

Ron and Ginny continued fighting and watched in horror as their friends and peers fell to the ground lifelessly after being tormented by the Crucio curse or blasted by an Avada Kedavra. It was all nearly too much to bear. Ron gasped and jumped when he saw Luna Lovegood fall after being hit by a blazing red bolt of magic. “Luna!” Quickly, he rushed to her side, Ginny following behind him closely while watching his back.

“Is she alright?” Ginny shouted over the rumble of the battle.

“Aguamenti.” Ron quickly muttered and doused Luna’s brow with a splash of cool, revitalizing water.

Luna’s eyes fluttered open weakly, “Don’t die, Ronald…” was all she got out before falling back into unconsciousness.

“Luna!”

Ron brandished his wand to revive her, but before he could cast the spell, Ginny stopped him, “I think she’s seen enough, Ron. Let her rest.”

Ron nodded before hastily casting some healing magic over her just in case. A soft sky-blue light emitted out of his wand and remedial magic leapt nimbly into her body. “Don’t die, Ronald? What is that supposed to mean? She’s the one that’s unconscious!” Ron muttered.

The break was short-lived as the duo was quickly knocked back into reality by the screams and yells of their companions and enemies. They returned to the frontlines to defend their very right to life!

Harry finally caught up to Voldemort. The Dark Lord’s back was turned to him, but it seemed as if he was expecting Harry because all of the Death Eaters around the two stepped back to form a tight dueling ring. “Voldemort!” Harry shouted to gain his attention. Slowly and dramatically, the evil wizard turned to face a determined Harry Potter.

“I’ve been expecting you, Potter.” Voldemort drawled calmly.

Harry resisted rolling his eyes, “Enough with the clichés, Voldemort. The time to determine our destinies is now! I will not stand down while you murder and slaughter countless innocent people.”

Voldemort laughed before answering, “That is the price that must be paid for the new world that I envision creating.”

Harry was confused, “New world?”

“Yes, Harry. Are you surprised? That has been my whole intention from the very start of my campaign. Imagine, Harry, a perfect world. One where there are no more wars, where everyone respects and likes everyone else. There would be no more competition over such brainless things such as money or power. Everyone would live in harmony. You see, Harry, you really know nothing about my intentions or me, what you have heard already has been corrupted and twisted until I seem like an evil person.”

Harry was frozen in shock, “I—I see through your mind tricks, Voldemort. You are inherently and completely evil.”

“I know why you are hesitant, Potter,” Voldemort answered, “it must be difficult for you to grasp all of the wonderful ideas that I have laid out. Join me, Harry Potter, and the two of us could oversee the grandeur of a perfect world where everyone is the same…”

Everyone is the same…

‘You’re daft, Ron!’ Ginny said as she hurled a chicken leg at her brother.

‘Oh shut up! You know it’s true.’ Ron said countering with a flick of his carrot-casserole laden spoon.

‘No, no, no! I refuse to acknowledge that the Canons are better than Puddlemere. It’s been ages since the Canons have won anything substantial for crying out loud!’ Apple pie catapulted.

‘Oh don’t worry, Ginny, they’re just prepping for a huge comeback—the greatest in all of history! I know it for sure.’ Ron grinned, ‘This pie is good.’

Harry, having wisely stayed out of the brawl shook his head, ‘You two are absolutely insane!’

‘Hey now, Harry,’ Ginny reprimanded, ‘just because we’re siblings doesn’t mean that we must think on the same wavelength and agree on everything. Not everyone is the same…’

Harry, finally shaken from his reverie, looked at the Dark Lord again, “That is where you are wrong, Voldemort. The world would not be perfect when everyone is the same! In fact, that would be the opposite of a perfect world. I cannot imagine a world without my two best friends constantly bickering and arguing. It just wouldn’t be the same, and I am positive that the sentiment is shared throughout the world. It’s time to end this!” Flourishing his wand, Harry launched a jet of purple light at his enemy. Voldemort whipped out his wand and erected a quick shield charm, averting the blast.

“Crucio” Voldemort shouted.

“Protego!” The shield came up but Voldemort’s curse blasted through it like a bomb to a toothpick structure. Searing hot pain lanced through Harry as he dropped to the ground writhing. Voldemort grinned wickedly above him. Quickly focusing his mind, Harry expanded his focus throughout his whole body and with a tremendous heave, he thrust the curse off of his body and gained his balance again. “Impendimenta!” he shouted, but the curse missed.

“Inflego tergum” Voldemort yelled. There was no beam or ray of light, however, Harry felt a massive body of energy collide with him knocking him back several feet.

“Incendio!” A stream of fire erupted from Harry’s wand, lighting the Dark Lord’s cloak aflame. Then he quickly followed up his spell with another, “Impervius.” This effectively blocked off all of the water charms that were cast.

Voldemort glared menacingly at Harry before muttering, “Totus terminus.” which extinguished the spells affecting him. “Clever, Harry, but it is finally time to end this. I’m sure you know what curse I’m about to use on you.” Time stopped for Harry as he watched his lifelong nemesis cast:

“Avada Kedavra!”

The time had come. This was the moment the Harry had spent his life training for. Calling up the wonderful memories he had at school with his friends and peer, Harry focused his entire being on the feelings of love and joy. “Subsisto Absolute!” Harry shouted. A large, opaque dome of protection rose around Harry. The flashing jade beam crashed against the enigmatic fortification before completely dissipating.

Voldemort suddenly crumbled to the ground. “What sorcery is this? My power—it is all gone!”

Harry released his spell and pointed his wand levelly at the evil wizard. “The reign of Voldemort, the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Tom Riddle, is over.” Rapidly flicking and swishing his wand about, Harry formed a complicated pattern before directing his wand at Voldemort for the last time, “Goodbye, Tom. Signumis Fatum!” A pure, unblemished white ray of light pierced Voldemort through his middle and his fake body promptly exploded. His spirit was ejected from the body and brutally captured by the ancient magic.

A piercing scream exploded throughout the field and all of the fighting stopped. “I… will never be forgotten…”

The battle was over. The Death Eaters having lost their leader all fled while the Aurors quickly reacted and began to round them up. The sky—as if on cue—began to brighten as the morale-raising sun crept up over the horizon. Suddenly, a weight seemed to have been lifted off of the land. Harry stared transfixed at the spot where Voldemort had had been just a moment before. “No, you will never be forgotten…” then he collapsed onto the ground with the call of his friends in his ears.

~<>~

Regaining consciousness, Harry glanced around quickly to find himself in a clean white room, complete with white curtains, a white comforter, a white pillow, and white sheets. Rolling his eyes to himself, he heard the whispers of his concerned friends from through his bed curtains. “If I had a guess… I’d say I was in the hospital…again.” He wondered aloud to himself.

All of the talking immediately stopped and the drapes around his bed were thrust open as he was assaulted by Ron and Ginny. Ginny sat up from hugging him and slapped Harry. Ron’s eyes widened in surprise, “What was that for, Gin?”

Ginny grinned tearfully before embracing Harry again, “Sorry, Harry, but you gave us a right scare there. How could you be so inconsiderate as to faint on us! We thought you were dead!”

Ron laughed, “Yeah Harry, how could you even think about falling unconscious after defeating the most feared and powerful wizard in history.”

Harry smiled a genuine smile, “I’m glad it’s all over guys. How is everyone else?”

“Most everyone else is alright. We lost a lot of people though…” Ron trailed off.

“Luna’s alright though, after Ron saved her!” Ginny winked at her brother whose face turned scarlet.

“Luna, eh?” Harry smiled, “Nice work, mate. Anyways, how long have I been out?”

“Just a week, we were all expecting longer though, but you heal pretty fast.”

“A week!? How?”

Suddenly, Madam Pomfrey bustled into the room. “Ah! I’m glad to see you’re awake, Mr. Potter! Welcome back to St. Mungo’s.”

“St. Mungo’s?” Harry asked, “We’re not in Hogwarts.”

“No, Harry, your injuries had to be treated here.”

“Why are you here though?”

The Healer huffed before replying, “I wasn’t about to let those brainless Ministry Healers have at you. You would’ve been confined to your bed while they had you practicing your fine motor skills by signing rotten papers that you don’t even half understand!”

The trio laughed at this, “Thanks Madam Pomfrey.” Harry added gratefully, “When will I be out of here?”

“You seem fine now. So I should be able to release you. But you used a fine great deal of magic at the final battle. I would refrain from any strenuous magic work for the next couple weeks—but knowing you, I don’t know why I bother suggesting! Just your practical class work shouldn’t be too stressful on you—assuming that you do return to school.” Ron, Ginny and Harry raised their eyebrows, “You’re a hero now, Harry, if you wanted, you could probably do nearly anything you could want.”

Harry looked to his friends before replying, “I’m definitely going back to school! I finally have the chance to be a normal teenage boy, and I’m not giving that up for anything!” Ron and Ginny smiled, relieved, while Madam Pomfrey nodded.

“Alright then! I will let them know that you are up and I’ll have everything taken care of for you, Harry. You may go. I expect to see you again sometime in the next couple weeks.”

Harry grinned, “I’ll see what I can do about that, ma’am.”

The trio promptly flooed back to The Burrow before they could get swamped by reporters and interviewers. Landing back in The Burrow, Harry barely had time to brush off his robes before he was enveloped in a bone crushing hug by Mrs. Weasley. “Hi Mrs. Weasley! Agh—I can’t breathe…”

“Come on, mum,” Ron groaned, “Just because Voldemort didn’t kill Harry doesn’t mean you should take up his job!”

Molly Weasley glared at her youngest son before releasing Harry to go embrace her other children. “I was just so worried about you, dears. I’m glad that it’s finally all over.”

“I am too. Thanks again, for letting me stay until Hogwarts starts again!” Harry grinned.

“I’m so proud of you, Harry for deciding to return to school! That was a very mature decision.” Molly said, glancing at Ron who just rolled his eyes.

“Harry!” a loud exclamation came from the stairs. Fred and George bounded down to greet their friend. Their heads were heavily bandaged and it gave the twins a comical look. Harry looked at them questioningly.

“Ah, these?” Fred asked pointing at the bandages.

“No worries, we just got ah—”

“Careless!”

“Right! That’s the word.”

Harry laughed, “Nice work at the battle guys, I saw what you guys were doing.”

“Anything to be of service—”

“—To the grand ol’ Harry Potter!”

“We thought it would lighten up the mood—”

“—Considering how serious everyone was! Everyone deserves a good laugh.”

Molly intervened here, bustling past the twins into the kitchen, “Why don’t you all go into the living room to recall those—exciting—memories.”

The friends all grinned at each other before they made their way into an adjacent room. A nice warm fire was growling—as opposed to roaring—gently in the hearth and the squashy beige chairs actually added to the room’s “homey-ness”. The five teenagers settled themselves into the couches around an oval coffee table. There they entertained each other with jokes, stories, and whimsical tales of what could be.

“And so,” George said while Fred continued,

“We tell them that,” the brothers look at each other and grin widely, “What they’re drinking isn’t tea—but it rhymes with that!” they announced in perfect unison. Harry, Ron and Ginny burst out in laughter!

“Oh my goodness!” Ginny exclaimed with Ron rolling on the floor.

Harry stopped laughing long enough to ask, “Did those Ministry Monkeys, as you call them, still let you open the new shop after that?”

“Well, that’s an approval letter we’ve been waiting on since that day.” George said with a wink.

“Well, it’s not our fault. The application guidelines specifically said that the Examiners as they’re called enjoyed a good joke and an entertaining idea. I don’t even know how you could get more ‘entertaining’ than that, though!” Fred added.

“How is it that your shop is actually open then?” Ginny asked, she quickly kicked a laughing Ron. Ron got up with tears streaming from his eyes—but nobody thought that those were from pain.

“Let’s just say that we know some high up people that owe us their lives.” George answered mysteriously.

With that, Fred and George got up and the two shook Harry’s hand again, “Congratulations again, Harry. We’ll see you around—maybe the next Hogsmeade visit! Be sure to visit! We have a ‘World Savior Discount’!”

Harry rolled his eyes and waved as Fred and George Weasley apparated out. Harry looked at his smiling friends, and by the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen, it became obvious to him that he would have a fantastic year.

AN2: I hope you enjoyed that! Again, comments are appreciated. I you guys don’t really like this, then I see no reason to continue so let me know if I should continue posting! As a random fact that popped into my head, I was listening to Nobuo Uematsu’s Sairin: Kata Tsubasa no Tenshi (One Winged Angel) while typing the battle scene. So… I’d like to credit wonderful Mr. Uematsu for inspiring everything!

AN3: Wow! Sorry to be doing this to you. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how to center text here at Portkey. Nothing I’ve tried seems to work. Thanks again!

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AN: Hey everyone. Thanks to the people that reviewed. I’d like to apologize for not making it clear that this fic was AU. I received some concerns about the whereabouts of Hermione. Have a little faith and patience with me. Everything will work out (hopefully!) in the end! In fact, hopefully, the first word in this update will alleviate some of your fears about Hermione be absent from the story! Notice, this is still In-Progress and not labeled Completed so please try not to jump to conclusions too quickly. Regardless, I’ll try to do a better job on keeping everyone on the same page. Not too much else to say. I hope you all enjoy this!

Spoiler Alert: There shouldn’t be any spoilers just yet. This chapter was written well before the release of Deathly Hallows so everything should be good. If you’re still not dong reading though, get to it, buddy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the fabulous world and characters envisioned by J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own in this would be the plotline as well as any characters you may not recognize. Enjoy!

II

Hermione waved goodbye to her aunt and uncle as she boarded a large plane in the bustling city of New York. Having heard that the Dark Lord had been defeated, Hermione’s parents back in Europe had transferred her from her magical school in the States to Hogwarts. She had gone to the American school because of all of the problems that had arisen within the last century—what with dark wizards and goblin uprisings; just because her parents were both Muggle—non-magical—didn’t mean that they didn’t demand information about the magical world from Dumbledore when he came by to brief them. They only wanted what was best and safest for their only daughter. Hermione was excited to go to her new school. The only part she wasn’t looking forward to was the attention that she knew she would have to endure for the first few weeks as all new students did. Hermione had never had any close friends before—who needed them with wonderful books—so she wasn’t too worried about having to make friends, in fact, it wasn’t even one of her priorities. Hermione firmly believed that school should be focused only on schoolwork, not social standings and all of that other nonsense.

As soon as the young brunette girl sat down comfortably in her seat, she pulled a book out of her bag. It read Watership Down on the cover, but only she knew that the book was actually Hogwarts: A History. She had wanted to know everything about Hogwarts before she got there, so the entire book was already fully memorized in the confines of Hermione’s mind. Not only had she memorized that book, but already she had learned and stored every bit of material from all of the year’s textbooks into her brain. It happens when one reads the same tome four times through, cover to cover. As the standard tutorial that occurred on long flights began, Hermione flipped the page and settled herself deeper into her chair as she read contently. So focused was she on the book, she didn’t even realize that the plan had taken off until it was well in the air already. Of course, all the better for her—considering her avid fear of heights.

~<>~

Several hours, and about 314 pages later, Hermione’s flight landed safely in London. Hermione, having fallen asleep was roused from her slumber by a kind elderly man to her right. Rubbing her eyes quickly, she thanked the gentleman, stuffed her book into her bag and hastily left the plane. Hermione hated flying! Exiting from an ascending corridor, the young witch arrived at a bright and busy airport. It took less than a moment before the sharp girl located her parents—they were waving energetically. Hermione smiled and ran right into the waiting arms of Robert Granger, her father.

“Dad! I missed you so much! I’m really glad to be back!”

“Welcome back, sweetheart.”

Hermione then released her father and turned to her grinning mother, Jane Granger, “Mom! It’s so good to see you again.”

“Hi, darling! Let’s get you back home. You have a couple days with us before your new school starts!”

“Yeah, I can’t wait!” Hermione grinned. Stopping by the baggage claim, the family picked up her bags before heading to the car and a long drive home…

~<>~

“9¾!? Mom, are you sure that you have the right ticket? Who in their right mind would have a Platform 9¾?”

“This is definitely the one we were sent by Dumbledore.” Ms. Granger answered.

“Don’t worry, dear, we’ll find it.” Robert said consolingly.

“Hey Ron,” Harry pointed out a family that was obviously lost in the train station, “I think they’re probably looking for the Platform. Let’s go help them out.”

Ron laughed, “I’ll leave that to you while I hold a compartment for us, see you later.”

Harry rolled his eyes, left the Weasley party, and approached the family.

“Excuse me,” Harry said politely. After receiving the attention of an older couple and who he assumed to be their daughter, he continued, “I couldn’t help noticing that you looked lost.” He smiled and glanced at a cart laden with trunks and an owl cage, “but you aren’t by chance looking for Platform 9¾ are you?”

“Oh wonderful!” the women exclaimed, “You can show us where it is?” Harry nodded. “Excellent! I’m Jane Granger, this is my husband Robert and this is our daughter, Hermione—say Hi, dear.”

“Hello, pleased to meet you—…” Hermione trailed off with an extended hand.

Harry quickly took her hand and shook it firmly, “Oh, right, Harry! Nice to meet you too, Hermione.” Harry glanced at her hand and blurted out, “Your hands are really soft…”

Harry froze and blushed. Mr. and Ms. Granger shared a look and Hermione giggled lightly, “Uh, thanks, Harry. I wish I could say the same for you though.”

Harry rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously, “Well, why don’t I show you the platform now before I make an even bigger fool of myself.” The group laughed and followed Harry until he stopped in front of a pillar, “You just walk straight into this pillar, and you will end up in the platform.” All three Grangers looked incredulous at the prospect of running into a pillar.

“This isn’t some kind of joke is it, young man?” Robert asked suspiciously.

“Oh no, sir, I’m absolutely serious, watch…” Harry glanced quickly around, and after he was satisfied that no one was looking, he winked at the family and disappeared into the pillar.

“My goodness, you really do walk straight through that thing,” Jane gasped.

“Come on, let’s go.” Hermione said. She took a deep breath before she ran straight into the pillar. Suddenly, all was black! Then the next moment, Hermione and her cart with her parents tagging along were thrust into a different landing. A train whistle blew which drew their attention to the majestic Hogwarts Express. The old train still gleamed pristinely in the morning light and smoked puffed lazily out around the first car.

“I’m glad you made it” Harry said from nearby as the train whistle blew.

Hermione smiled gratefully at him before turning to her parents. “Well, I suppose this is where we let you go.” Robert grinned. Hermione hugged her parents, “Have a good rest of the year, honey.”

“Thank you again, Harry for showing us the way here,” Jane said.

Harry grinned, “I’m happy to help, Ms. Granger.” Looking towards Hermione, “Shall we go?”

Hermione nodded and turned back to her parents for the last time, “Bye! I’ll see you over Christmas Break or sometime soon!”

“Have a good year!”

“Don’t stick to your books so much, make some friends!” Harry grinned at this.

“Be sure to write or owl often—whatever it is.”

Harry took a hold of Hermione’s cart and wheeled it over to a pile of other bags while Hermione followed him. “Your luggage will be taken care of.” Harry explained. The whistle blew again and Hermione followed him onto the train making sure to look around and marvel at the assortment of odds and ends on the train. “So, you’re obviously new here. But you look too old to be a first year.” Harry said conversationally.

“Oh, that’s right. I’m in seventh year, but I’m transferring to Hogwarts from the United States.” Hermione answered.

“Oh! That explains a lot. I’m also in seventh year, by the way.”

A pretty girl passed by the two and waved to Harry flirtatiously, “Hi, Harry.”

Harry smiled politely, “Eh, hey there, Vanessa.” Harry and Hermione found and empty compartment and made their way in. The low whistle sounded one final time before the train began to move. The rhythmic chugging started slowly, but quickly sped up making the sound a dull whir, most likely muffled by magic.

Hermione chuckled, “You’re obviously very popular with the ladies at Hogwarts, Harry!”

Fiddling with his shirt, Harry laughed it off, “Aw, I wouldn’t say that.”

“Oh, honestly, Harry! Did you see the way she looked at you?”

Harry laughed again and shrugged, “So, do you have any questions about Hogwarts that I could answer?”

“Oh, I know everything already. See, as soon as I found out I was transferring, I stopped by the bookstore and picked this up,” Hermione pulled Hogwarts: A History out of her bag “It’s quite fascinating. Hogwarts sounds so exciting!”

Harry grinned, “Oh trust me, it is! So, I take it you’re a rather bookish person? No offense, of course!”

Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded, “I’ve never had too many friends… But I don’t really need them if I have my books to keep me company.”

“I think that books are really important too—but it’s also just as important to socialize sometime. It’s what normal people do, isn’t it?” Harry asked curiously. This, however, would be a valid question for him considering how “normal” his life was!

“I suppose so.” Hermione replied slowly, “School should be about school though. Everyone makes it into a big social contest. And that makes people think that if they’re popular in school, then they are successful in it as well. I really hate how that mentality makes grades seem so insignificant.”

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, “I get where you’re coming from, Hermione. But honestly, I think that socializing is part of the school experience, and you can’t appreciate all of school unless you understand both parts adequately.”

Hermione gave a small smile, “Well, I’ve never had anyone to argue about this with before, so I suppose I’ve never thought of it that way. I’ve never had many friends though.”

Harry laughed, “I wouldn’t call it arguing—more like friendly banter!” he said with a wink, “and I find it hard to believe that you don’t have tons of friends, you seem to be a charming, sweet, and—” Harry stopped short. He was about to say “beautiful” but the mere idea of it confused him. He wasn’t familiar with these feelings.

“And what, Harry?” Hermione asked softly.

Harry blushed again, “Er…and intelligent!”

Hermione smiled, “Thank you, Harry. You’re definitely the closest I’ve ever had to a friend before. And I think I like having a friend… Perhaps I will give this socializing thing a try here at Hogwarts.”

Harry inwardly gave a relieved sigh that she bought his cover up, “Well, Hermione, I’m proud to be one of your first friends!”

The two new friends lapsed into a serene silence, each glancing at the other periodically. Harry was trying his best not to stare at the bushy, brown-haired witch in front of him and settled for fleeting glances while focusing on the scenery through the open window. Hermione was sorely tempted to pull out one of her large, thick books out to read, but decided that it would completely ruin the mood and she was happy for Harry’s company. Finally, she resorted to simply looking around the compartment.

Harry saw the trolley pass by through the window and quickly got up. Hermione looked up at him questioningly. “The sweet cart! I’ll get something for us!”

Hermione smiled at the sentiment but protested anyways, “Oh no, Harry, you don’t have to. You see, my parents are both dentists…”

“Oh, come on, Hermione! Live a little. It’s alright to splurge every once in a while.” Harry said with a smile. Hermione eventually nodded in consensus which made Harry grin again. He stepped out of the compartment and got the attention of the kind-looking woman that was tugging it along. Hermione saw him confer with her for a little bit before pulling a vast supply of candy and chocolate into his arms. She was confused when it seemed that the woman refused the money and noticed Harry force several Galleons into her hands. Harry was obviously rich too!

Harry returned to see Hermione smiling interestedly at him. He dumped the pile of sugar into the spot on the chair beside her while he took a seat near her. “That was rather interesting,” Hermione commented offhandedly.

“What?” Harry asked innocently.

“Why wouldn’t she take your money?”

Harry immediately got flustered and started stuttering, “Er… Well, you see… Uh… I don’t know?”

Hermione laughed, “I see. By the looks of things, you’re clearly very rich as well. Is that why girls throw themselves at you?” Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry was plainly uncomfortable and he fidgeted anxiously while answering, “It might be part of the reason…” he said quietly and disdainfully.

Hermione nodded in understanding and didn’t push the matter. Harry smiled at her gratefully and she grinned in return. “Ooh!” Hermione squealed, “I haven’t had a chocolate frog in absolutely ages!” Harry watched in amusement as Hermione tore the wrapping off of a container and tore the poor, enchanted, savory, frog into pieces.

“Help yourself, we have plenty!” Harry smirked.

Hermione blushed, “I just really love chocolate!”

“I noticed.”

~<>~

15 boxes of chocolate frogs, and 9 boxes of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans later, Hermione seemed to be sated. She grinned cheekily at Harry whose eyes sparkled mirthfully. Harry saw the magnificent castle of Hogwarts rise out of the mist from through the window and pointed excitedly, “That’s Hogwarts!”

“Merlin! It’s even more beautiful than in the pictures!” Hermione exclaimed. The wondrous castle sat atop marvelous rolling hills and its spires shot unending into the distant sky. The train curved around and the Quidditch pitch became visible. Three shining poles stood proudly bearing their respective rings on opposite sides of the oval arena. The train finally slowed down and came to a stop in front of a gloomy forest with a quaint little hut nearby.

“That’s home.” Harry grinned.

“It’s incredible! I can’t believe I’m actually going to school here!” Hermione squealed.

Harry laughed at her enthusiasm, “Well, let’s find where you need to go.” He got up and offered her his hand which she took with a smile. The two walked out of their compartment and filed in behind the throng of students that were pushing to get out. Harry, spotting an older witch, nudged Hermione, “Go talk to that lady over there. She’s Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts. Tell her about the transferring and everything and I’m sure she can tell you where to go.” Harry pushed her gently in the proffered direction.

Hermione turned around and smiled at Harry, “I had a great time with you today, Harry. Hopefully we’ll see each other around.”

“We will. Don’t worry.” Harry said with a kind smile. He watched the girl walk away until he was jostled out of his thoughts by the moving crowd. Giving the girl of his thoughts one last look, Harry turned to continue on to the carriages.

“Harry!” Harry whipped around. He saw his two best friends Ron and Ginny approaching him.

“Where were you, mate? We thought you missed the train!” Ron cried out. Harry noticed Ginny glance at him knowingly and wink. His eyes widened and he knew that Ginny must have seen him. But he also knew that she wouldn’t tell Ron—yet.

“Er… I got caught up by some other people.” Harry said weakly.

“Ron wouldn’t have noticed if you were there anyways,” Ginny smirked, “He was too busy basking in the glory and recounting the story of being your best friend to a mob of pretty girls.”

Harry rolled his eyes and laughed, “Ron! Didn’t you like Luna?”

“Sure I do! But what can I say? All of the ladies want me!” Ron grinned.

Ginny smacked his head for that comment, “If you plan to have anything with Luna, you better change your attitude. She’s in my year and she is a really nice girl, so you better not hurt her.”

“Yeah, yeah, guys.” Ron waved off the comment noncommittally earning himself another whack, from Harry this time.

“Seriously, Ron. I think the girl really likes you, so you’ve got to stop acting like an insensitive git all the time.” Harry grinned, Ginny laughed, and Ron glared at his friends good-naturedly as the trio climbed into the carriages.

Hermione hesitantly approached he rather elderly lady that Harry pointed out. The older witch was in dark forest-green robes and held herself with obvious authority as she overlooked all of the students. When she noticed a timid student beneath her, she looked down with a kindly smile, “How may I help you?”

Hermione blushed and glanced around quickly—in case people were making fun of her—before looking up at the teacher, “Erm… I was told by—well, I was told that I should talk to you. See, I’m transferring to Hogwarts from the United States, and I was told to speak with you about my situation.”

“Ah! We did receive your reply letter. You must be Ms. Granger. I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and the Transfiguration teacher. Come right this way, we’ll have you sorted and introduced to the school! I’m sure the students will be thrilled to find that we have a transfer student.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Hermione followed Professor McGonagall up the path to Hogwarts and up the steps into the castle itself. The interior of the castle was beautiful. The air had a cultured feel and the ornate walls were decorated brightly with floating candles and massive portraits that that seemed to be portals to another world. The high ceiling seemed to reach up endlessly and ancient staircases groaned as they shifted. Hermione gasped in delight at the magnificent sights before exclaiming, “I’ve never seen such a beautiful place before! My old school was nothing like this!”

McGonagall gave a pleased smile before explaining, “Hogwarts was the very first magical school ever established. But I’m sure you know the details, assuming that the records we have of you are correct, Ms. Granger.”

Hermione blushed and nodded. She was lead to a statue in the wall were McGonagall clearly spoke, “Bubble Gum”, seeing Hermione’s raised eyebrow, the professor explained, “Headmaster Dumbledore has an affinity for candy, particularly foreign kinds. Hermione noted this as a peculiar fact about the legendary wizard and proceeded up the stairs that appeared.

“Albus, I have brought Ms. Granger up. I trust you can handle sorting her while I make sure the other students are settled.” Professor McGonagall announced.

Professor Dumbledore looked up from a glass ball distractedly, “Oh, yes, Minerva, I can handle it. I will be out as soon as I sort Ms. Granger here.”

Minerva left the room and Hermione crept farther inside, gazing wondrously at the marvelous room. Portraits of the past headmasters greeted her jovially and thousands of random knick-knacks and gadgets hung on the walls or lay scattered throughout the tables in the room. Hermione looked questioningly at the ball that Dumbledore was fiddling with, “Is that a Remembrall, Professor?”

“What? This?” Dumbledore asked motioning at the object in his hands, “No, no. It’s just a glass ball I picked up on my way through London. I saw it in the store window and it seemed to jump out at me.” The old wizard chuckled reminiscently, “It surprises me how efficient muggles can be! Muggles, fascinating creatures with their makines and all.”

“I think you mean, machine, professor. At least that’s how it’s supposed to be pronounced.” Hermione said hesitantly.

“Oh, you’re right, aren’t you, Ms. Granger. Their rules of spelling are indeed rather complex, it surprises me that even they can remember them all! Anyways, to business. Hermione Granger, allow me to introduce you to the Sorting Hat.” Dumbledore then held up a raggedy old hat. It was a faded grey color and horribly wrinkled.

“I’m sorry, professor, but it just looks like an old—” Hermione started.

“Who are you calling old here? Me? Or the guy holding me up?”

Hermione jumped back startled. Dumbledore laughed heartily and said, “I will put this hat on your head, and it will decide what house you will end up in.”

Hermione stood tensely as Dumbledore approached her with the old hat. After setting it lightly on her head, the tall hat seemed to contemplate for a moment before it spoke, “Yes, yes, you’re very sharp indeed. You would be an excellent addition to Ravenclaw. Then again, you’re also fiercely loyal to the few friends that you can make so Hufflepuff would be an excellent choice as well. What are you thinking, young lady?”

“A—actually, I don’t really know. See, the only person I know is named Harry—I don’t think I ever caught his last name… What house is he in?”

“Harry, eh… I imagine I know which Harry you speak of and he’s a Gryffindor. Hmm… yes, you would also do well there. You are brave and willing to step up for what you believe in. Yes, indeed, I think I will say—Gryffindor!”

Hermione smiled as Dumbledore removed the hat from her head. “Ah, wonderful, Ms. Granger! May I take this moment to officially welcome you to Hogwarts! Let’s get out of here now, I shall introduce you to the rest of the school and announce—well, I have some other things to announce and Minerva will have my head if I don’t get down there soon.” He gave Hermione a sly wink before leading her out of his office.

In the Great Hall, all of the students were situated comfortably at the tables waiting for Dumbledore to make his announcements and for the first Hogwarts feast of the year to begin. Friends sat together and talked of fantastic breaks from school and relaxing family visits now that Voldemort was vanquished for good. Amicable laughing filled the hallway. Harry sat next to Ron, and across from him sat Ginny. Ron was moaning loudly about how hungry he was and how he wished Dumbledore would get on with the speech.

“Obviously, Ronald, Dumbledore can’t make his speech if he’s not even there! Has your hunger clouded your vision?” Ginny wondered aloud. Indeed, Dumbledore was not yet in his seat at the front of the hall.

“I imagine he’ll be here soon. Don’t worry, Ron, you’ll make it, you have for six years now.” Harry patted his friend on the back.

Clapping started from the ranks of witches and wizards as Dumbledore took his spot. He was gently leading another witch to the podium. “Finally,” Ron muttered, “Who’s that, Dumbledore has there?”

Harry’s face broke into a smile when he recognized the nervous girl being lead to stand in front of hundred of her own soon-to-be peers. Dumbledore gazed around the hall before clapping his hands to gather everyone’s attention. With a breath, he launched into his welcoming speech, “Welcome back to Hogwarts everyone! This year has been indeed one of the most exciting school years that I’ve seen in my entire career here at Hogwarts. We fought, and won a most terrible war. I’d like to take this moment to recognize and thank all of our lost loved ones now—for without them, victory would not have been possible.” Silence reigned over the hall for the duration and everyone bowed their heads to think back to the people that they had lost over the course of the war. The quiet was only shattered by broken sobs that wracked the bodies of those affected the most. Dumbledore looked up and continued, “Let us not dwell on the dark past though, rather let us look forward to a bright future that we have created for ourselves. The price of this future was terrible, but now our children and the generations to follow will only have the Dark Lord Voldemort as a memory rather than a looming threat; in that we should rejoice. Now, I will take this time to introduce to you a brand new student here at Hogwarts. She is a brilliant young woman whom I am sure all of you will come to know as an excellent role model.” Harry felt himself smile at this, “Also, this young witch is in the 7th year, transferring here to Hogwarts all the way from—” Dumbledore paused for dramatic effect which made several students throughout the hall laugh, “The United States!” Harry immediately started clapping for his friend and quickly, the entire hall shook with the combined applause. After the ovation ceased, Dumbledore continued, “Hermione Granger transferred from the Americas where she used to go to school. Please show her the very best that Hogwarts has to offer and she informs me that she would also be delighted to answer any questions to the best of her ability so feel free to ask.”

Harry felt Ron nudge him from beside him commenting, “It’s a shame they didn’t send a better looking girl over here from the States.” He said offhandedly with a sly wink, “I heard they make them pretty fetching over there.” Harry glared at him harshly and elbowed him while Ginny kicked him underneath the table, “I didn’t say she didn’t look nice—it’s just we could do so much better, eh, mate?” Harry didn’t bother replying.

“It is now my pleasure to announce that Hermione Granger has been sorted into… Gryffindor House!” Applause erupted from the Gryffindor table and Harry felt himself flush. Hermione watched the multitudes of students stare at her as she made her way down to the Gryffindor table. She grinned as she sat down and shook the hands of the people around her.

The attention of the students was quickly shifted back to the headmaster as he waited patiently with a smile, “It gives me even more joy to escalate the fun a little farther! I am most happy to be officially announcing at this time that Hogwarts, this year, will have a Christmas Ball!” The entire student body burst instantaneously into giggles and whispers. Many of the girls smiled excitedly with sparkling eyes while the guys tended to just roll their eyes and give nervous laughs. With a familiar twinkle in his eye, Dumbledore finished off, “This school dance will happen right before Christmas break which gives everyone about two months to work out the ‘fine details’” Dumbledore winked, “Now, without further ado, let our—second—Beginning of the Year Feast begin!”

Delicious delectable food appeared magically throughout the whole hall and the students dug in heartily. Ron quickly had his plate piled high with all the matter of edible treats and began to tear through his meal. Harry and Ginny glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. Ginny also gave Harry a pointed nod indicating that he had a bit of explaining to do. Harry smiled and the “later” message was received. Piling their plates with more reasonable amounts of food, they tucked in.

~<>~

Dinner was a fantastic task for Hermione. She had never even heard of some of the dishes, yet she was eager to try everything! She became acquainted with many of the people in her house and was able to answer several questions about life in the States.

“Are the boys over there cute?” Lavender Brown asked.

“Cute? Er… well, actually, I really don’t know about that. I’ve never really had time or an interest in boys when I was still there.” Hermione answered honestly.

“Not interested in boys!” Parvati Patil gasped from beside Lavender. Many of the students sitting around laughed genially. Dumbledore, seeing as the students were all done eating dismissed the hall with a smile. “Wait, where do I go?” Hermione asked.

“Just follow the other Gryffindors up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.”

Hermione nodded her thanks and started to make her way to follow the mob of her house peers. On her way, she accidentally bumped into two boys. Turning to apologize, she instantly noticed Harry. He smiled at her widely and opened his mouth but the red-headed boy next to him beat him to words. “Hey! Watch where you’re going, new girl.” Harry smacked his head and glared at his friend.

Hermione’s eyes instantly narrowed after hearing him and she retorted carefully, “And who are you to act so important.”

Rising to the challenge Ron replied, “I just happen to be the best friend of the Harry Potter.” He nudged Harry and Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise, “And I’ll have you know that he saved the wizarding world!”

“I know who he is,” Hermione said slowly. She regarded Harry carefully. He looked panicked and looked into her eyes apologetically.

“Shut up, Ron!” Harry muttered quickly, “Er… don’t worry about anything, Hermione, sorry for bumping into you. Er… we should probably go,” Harry said quickly and started to drag his red-headed friend away.

“Wait, Harry!” Hermione called out, “Can I talk to you?”

“Why would he want to talk to you?” His friend asked tauntingly.

Harry looked skyward in desperation and pushed Ron on towards the stairway, “I’ll talk to you later, mate, go.”

“But, Harry—”

“Ron, just go. It honestly can’t hurt.” With that, the boy left glancing back multiple times. When he was finally gone, Harry turned to me.

“Erm… Sorry about, Ron, there. How can I help you, Ms. Granger?” Harry asked nervously.

“Well, Mr. Potter… Why didn’t you tell me that you were Harry Potter? I should have seen it coming though… I mean, how many boys are named Harry?” Harry opened his mouth, “Don’t answer, that was rhetorical question.”

“Hermione, I can explain,” he said desperately.

“Please do, Harry. I find it odd that we became friends, but it didn’t even occur to you to tell me that you were the Harry Potter.”

“Would ‘it slipped my mind’ work on you?” Harry asked innocently.

Hermione gave a small smile, “If you had any chance with that before, it’s gone now.”

“Okay, fine. Look, I really wanted to tell you, Hermione. I really did. But—I guess I just got caught up in the feeling of being normal with you. I’ve never had a normal day in my life, trust me on that. And I just really liked the way you treated me.” Harry sighed, “I didn’t want you to treat me differently.”

Hermione’s eyes softened immediately and she felt guilty for getting upset, “Oh, I didn’t realize it was that, Harry. I’m sorry for jumping on your case, but I thought that you didn’t trust me with that vital information, or that you were trying to get a cheap laugh off of my ignorance. It never occurred to me that you didn’t want that kind of attention. I promise that I will not treat you any differently than if you were any other Harry. We’re still friends, right?”

“Of course,” Harry smiled gratefully, “I still haven’t told you all of my secrets… But then again,” Harry stopped momentarily, “there are things about me that no one knows. Perhaps with time, I might open up more to you, we’ll just see what happens.”

Hermione nodded in understanding and walked past Harry, heading towards the stairs. When she reached the foot of the staircase, she turned around to find Harry in a daze, “Harry, do you think you could show me the way to the Gryffindor Tower? I’m afraid I’ll get lost if I’m on my own.”

“Your hair smells really nice!” Harry blurted out. He blushed immediately and nodded to her before walking quickly past her. Hermione just smiled and followed the bewildered boy.

~<>~

“There we go, Hermione. Exactly 265 step. We were lucky,” Harry grinned, “If just one stair had shifted, then we probably would ended up taking more, probably 358 or something.”

“And how do you know this, Harry?” Hermione inquired.

Harry laughed, “When you’ve lived in Hogwarts for 6 years, you just get to know these things.”

With that said, Harry said the password and the Fat Lady swung her portrait open for the two to climb through. They were greeted with a crowded common room. Apparently, the other seventh years had decided to throw a party before classes officially started tomorrow. “And our man of the evening as arrived!” They heard Ron shout as he got up on a trembling table, “Let us all welcome, the one, the only, Harry Potter!” Wild cheering erupted from the excited party-goers.

Harry held up his hands embarrassedly, “Guys, guys.” He shouted until everyone settled down again, “Let’s not forget Hermione Granger!” He laughed and jumped to the side so Hermione was in the spotlight. Cheers rumbled through the masses as the party carried on. He looked towards Hermione and the two shared a small smile before joining in energetically in the festivities.

Harry was sitting comfortably on a couch near the fire when Ginny plopped down comfortably next to him. Harry knew it was time to spill. Everyone else was too busy having fun to notice them and they wouldn’t be able to hear anything anyways.

“So, Harry,” Ginny started, “I saw you and Hermione in a compartment together on the train earlier today. What’s going on between you two?”

“There’s nothing really going on,” Harry answered.

Ginny rolled her eyes, “I think it’s pretty obvious to me that you like the girl, will you admit?”

Harry blushed intensely, “Actually, I don’t know. I think I might, she’s a really sweet, nice, and pretty girl. I wouldn’t stand a chance with a girl like her anyways.”

Ginny scoffed, “Come now, you’re Harry Potter! You’ve taken on Voldemort himself!”

“Actually, I think I’d prefer taking on Voldemort again over a girl.” Harry joked.

Ginny just rolled her eyes, “It’s pretty clear to me that you really like her! I think you should go for it! You, more than anyone else, deserve to be happy.” Ginny said with a warm smile. Harry grinned back before looking over to where Hermione was conversing merrily with her fellow Gryffindors. As if sensing his gaze, she turned to look towards him and the two shared another small smile.

~<>~

AN2: Haha, I hope you guys don’t mind reading a rather clichéd storyline. I’m just trying to get used to writing though. It’s been absolutely ages since I wrote something that wasn’t music! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Things will start to pick up and I’ll try to update regularly. As always, comments and suggestions are warmly welcomed and appreciated. Cheers!

3. untitled

AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for sticking with me this far! All reviews and reviewers are greatly appreciated! I hope you enjoy this chapter! As always, if you’re feeling benevolent, review!

Spoiler Alert: There still shouldn’t be any spoilers until further along in the story, so no worries (hopefully!).

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you might recognize from the Harry Potter series. And that’s a rather interesting coincidence because I do not own the Harry Potter series either!

III

Harry and Ron trudged tiredly to their first class of the morning several days later. Even having a couple weeks under their belts, it would a few more days before they grew accustomed with waking up early in the morning every day, going to the laborious classes, and immediately hitting the books to study for tests and to write out five-foot essays. Not to mention, for these boys, that Quidditch season had begun. Their lives were a whirlwind of activities which they doggedly scrambled to keep up with.

“What do we have this morning?” Ron asked with a large yawn.

“Well,” Harry joined in on the yawning, “I believe we have Professor Flitwick this morning for charms.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Ron said, “I think I like that class.”

Harry smirked, “Too tired to remember, Ron?”

The only reply he received was a grunt. Harry just laughed and dragged his friend into class. He sat next to Ginny who was already in a seat and pulled Ron into his chair. The red-haired boy immediately collapsed onto his desk and began snoring.

“Should I wake him?” Harry asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Ginny rolled her eyes at his antics, “Just let him be until Flitwick gets here. Anyways, how are you doing?”

“I’m alright, a wee bit tired,” Harry answered automatically.

“Well you better wake up and get active, Harry,” Ginny leaned in, “I heard that someone was going to ask Hermione out. You need to ask her before this other bloke does.”

“Someone else wants to ask her out? Why—” Harry trailed off as Hermione walked into the room. Her stance was confident and awake as she strode into the room. She smiled briefly at Harry who just stared at her before taking her seat at the front of the classroom. Immediately she pulled out a book and began reading. “Never mind,” he muttered, “I know why someone else would, she’s beautiful.” Harry whispered.

Ginny giggled, “She’s in school robes, Harry. No girl can look beautiful in those.”

“She can, definitely.” Harry nodded with finality.

“Well, still,” Ginny prodded, “You really ought to ask her to Hogsmeade. It’s coming up this week so now would be the perfect time. We can’t let someone else beat you to her.”

“I—I don’t know. What if she says no?” The way Harry said it, no would be the only conceivable answer.

Ginny rolled her eyes, “Just think about it, Harry.”

No more was said because class began. A large throng of students swathed in green marched purposefully in the room. They silently moved to takes their seats on the right side of the room.

“Good morning, Potter.” A familiar voice spat out disdainfully.

Harry slowly turned fully around in his chair before nodding, “Malfoy.”

He strutted to the front of the room, right to where Hermione was sitting. Harry made to rise out of his chair but Ginny held him firmly in his seat, “Let’s watch how this plays out.” With that, she slapped Ron over the head to wake him up and settled back into her seat.

“You’re in my seat, Granger.” Draco Malfoy announced loudly.

Hermione looked up slowly from her book, “And who do I have the pleasure of meeting now?” she asked, emphasizing the word ‘pleasure’ sarcastically.

“I don’t see the need to introduce myself to the likes of you. Is it not obvious to you which of us is in the higher class?”

“Oh it’s obvious to me, but I’m not sure if we share the same definition for ‘class’.” She answered coolly.

Draco looked at her carefully, “I do believe my definition is correct. I come from one of the oldest of pureblood families. It is apparent to me that you are nothing but a filthy little Mudblood. Now get out of my seat.”

The entire Gryffindor side gasped at the word and Harry jumped up, “Take that back, Malfoy! You helped our side in the war! Why are you still saying all of this rubbish?” Ginny and Ron quickly pulled him back into his seat.

“You can’t make it so obvious that you like her!” Ginny hissed in his ear.

“Well,” Hermione said quietly, “If you’re so childish as to resort to name-calling, then I think I will leave.” She got up slowly and started moving to the other side of the room only for the blond Slytherin to add insult to injury and trip her harshly. Hermione fell with a thud on the ground and Ginny had to restrain Harry from leaping up again.”

It was then that the short Professor Flitwick entered the classroom, seeing Hermione on the ground, he hurriedly moved to help her up, “Are you alright there, Ms. Granger?”

“Oh yes, thank you. I—tripped.” She said simply and moved to the Gryffindor side of the room to sit in the front. She pulled a quill and parchment out of her bag and sat ready to listen and take notes.

“Good, good. Welcome back, class. Today we will be working on the Everlasting Ice Charm. What do any of you know of this?” Hermione’s hand instantly shot up into the air. “Yes, Ms. Granger.”

Hermione took a breath before launching into her rant, “The Everlasting Ice Charm, as its name suggests is a charm that creates ice that will never melt. The incantation is Glacies Eternus and this ice can only be ‘melted’ by a strong cancelling spell such as Finite Incantatum—”

While Hermione was taking another breath, Professor Flitwick clapped, “Very good, Ms. Granger! Five points to Gryffindor—”

“Furthermore,” Hermione continued, “The Everlasting Ice Charm is an advanced way of practicing magic control because we are dealing with ice which is inherently solid rather than fire or water which are far more pliable. Practically, this charm can be used to extinguish almost any sort of fire without the use of water. It is also a quick way—though costly in magic—to produce ice if one needs it immediately which is especially useful in conjunction with the healing techniques that involve ice. This spell is very costly on the caster because of the magical stamina it takes to create ice that does not melt, however, if casted under strict moderation, the caster may only be slightly sore if they feel anything at all after casting.” Hermione smiled pleased with herself while the entire class—including Flitwick—gaped at her.

Ron leaned over and whispered to Harry, “Whoa… I’ve never in my entire life seen someone as smart. Shouldn’t she be in Ravenclaw?” Harry didn’t respond. Ron laughed, “I wouldn’t even consider dating her,” he said to no one in particular, “She’s definitely bad news.”

“Well done, Ms. Granger, well done!” Flitwick exclaimed, clearly very happy, “Another five points to Gryffindor. Well, seeing as Ms. Granger here stole my job as teacher,” Hermione blushed, “Why don’t all of you start practicing this spell. Be careful though, or you might totally exhaust your magical supply. Remember, Glacies Eternus. You may all begin.” With a wave of his wand, bowls of magical fire appeared in front of all of the students. Exclamations of the spell could be heard throughout the class as everyone attempted to master the difficult charm.

Harry quickly mastered the spell—not as quickly as Hermione, of course—and turned to help Ron, but when he saw that way that Ron was waving his wand around, he opted out and decided to help Ginny first. “Need any help, Gin?”

“Nah, I think I almost got it. It looks like Ron needs more help,” she answered with a smirk.

“Do you see what he’s doing, Ginny?” Ginny looked over to look and made a distressed face at what she saw, “Exactly.” Harry nodded with a pained look.

~<>~

Class passed by rather quickly for Hermione Granger. Already having studied the spell, the young witch already had the charm mastered and spent the class re-reading another textbook. The only interruption was a large explosion from behind here. She found out that Ron Weasley, Harry’s red-haired friend had somehow managed to blowup the fire—how that’s even possible was beyond her, but she didn’t doubt his magical… skills. After class ended, Hermione quickly packed her notes, her book and started to make her way out of the classroom. She ignored the harsh goading that she received from the blond Slytherin Harry called Malfoy earlier. Hermione had only made it a short ways into the hall before she was stopped by a hand on her elbow. She whirled around to find Harry staring at her. Hermione smiled sweetly, “Harry! You startled me!”

“Sorry, Hermione, erm… can I talk to you?”

“Of course you may. What’s the matter, Harry?” He seemed to be suffering from a lot of internal turmoil. Little did Hermione know that Ginny’s advice was really having an emotional impact on the usually confidant teenager.

“Erm… Well, I guess I just wanted to say that, er…” Harry blushed, “You’re really smart,” he blurted out. He turned a brighter red and gave her a lopsided smile. Hermione grinned widely at the compliment. “Not that I didn’t know—sorta,” Harry continued, “I already knew that you did a lot of reading, but I didn’t know you were that brilliant! You got Gryffindor ten points in just five minutes, nice.”

“Thank you, Harry.”

As Hermione moved to continue walking down the hall, Harry decided to hope for the best and ask. “Wait, Hermione!”

Hermione stopped again, “Yes, Harry?”

“Erm… I just wanted to ask you—”

“Hermione!”

Hermione turned again and came to face another tall boy with glasses standing before her. “Can I help you?” She noticed his green robes with obvious distaste.

The boy held out his hand and Hermione shook it carefully, “Hey, I’m Nicholas. Sorry about Draco earlier, I had nothing to do with it, I swear.”

“Swearing is rude,” Hermione answered evenly.

Not at all taken aback the blond-haired boy continued, “Well, you’re really smart and I truly admire that. There aren’t that many honestly intelligent people in this school,” he glanced quickly at Harry, “and I often find myself lacking a companion of similar intellectual stamina. Anyways, I’m just wondering if you’d like to go with me to Hogsmeade with me this weekend.”

Harry stared wide-eyed as the boy asked her the exact question he was about to endeavor upon. He glared nastily at the Slytherin and mentally willed Hermione to decline the offer. He waited anxiously for her answer. Hermione took a step back in surprise. No one had ever asked her out before and the way this boy did it was very flattering. He was fairly good-looking as well and seemed genuine about the offer. Hermione quickly analyzed the situation. Not coming up with anything pressing, she looked Nicholas in the eye. He looked expectant, “I’d love to.” Hermione smiled sweetly.

Nicholas’s eyes gleamed at his success. He quickly thanked Hermione before rushing off. Harry looked downcast at the ground. He looked up when Hermione released a big sigh, “Wow! No one’s ever asked me out before, Harry. Nicholas seems to be quite nice as well; I wonder why he’s in Slytherin. I’m getting on so much better than I ever expected socially here at Hogwarts, isn’t it wonderful, Harry?”

Harry forced himself to smile, “Of course, Hermione! I wouldn’t be lying if I told you I was surprised it hasn’t happened before.”

“What was it you wanted to ask me before we were interrupted, Harry?”

Harry’s speeding train of thought suddenly derailed. There was no way that he could ask her out now; he would have to accept his defeat. “Oh, er… I was just wondering what your next class was,” he quickly lied even though he already had her whole schedule memorized. She had a free period where she would go to the library to study and do homework, and then she had lunch as her day went on.

“Oh, I don’t have a class right now. I was planning on going down to the library to study a little and get started on that essay that Professor Flitwick assigned. You should probably get to work on it as soon as possible, Harry. It’s due next week, you know.”

Harry smiled and nodded weakly, “Yeah, probably. Erm, well, I’ll let you go. I have Potions next, so I better get going.”

“Ooh, right, Professor Snape won’t be happy at all if you’re late. I’ll see you later, Harry.” Hermione hurried down the hall towards the library. Harry stared dejectedly after her. Ginny appeared behind him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright, Harry?” she said softly, when he didn’t answer, she carried on, “I’m really sorry you know, I really am. I could tell that you really liked her.”

“Yeah. I should listen to you more often, Ginny,” Harry said and tried to smile.

Ginny rolled her eyes, “Well, I’ll have you know that I wish I wasn’t right this time. You really deserve to be happy for once. Are you going to be alright? Ron’s probably down in the dungeons already waiting for us. We should go before we’re late and Snape kills us. Don’t worry, Harry, things will get better, and I won’t tell Ron.” Ginny hurried off down the stairs before the staircase shifted and Harry made to follow her, but he heard uproarious laughter in the opposite direction. It sounded very much like ‘Slytherin laughter’, so Harry threw caution to the wind and moved closer to hear. Pulling his invisibility cloak on, he donned it before creeping behind the howling Slytherins. He noticed Nicholas and Malfoy instantly.

“So, you’re going out with that Mudblood now? Why ever would you do something as demeaning as that?” Malfoy asked.

“Why, to get to know her better of course,” Nicholas answered with a laugh, “Much better. I’m thinking I can get into her knickers after just two dates.”

Malfoy laughed, “Wanna bet on that? Why would you be interested in her knickers anyways?”

“It’s a bet. And trust me, the smart ones tend to ‘work’ the best, I’m very well-experienced in that!”

The two continued discussing the finer details of the bet leaving a frozen Harry behind. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. He pulled the cloak off slowly in his shock. Then a wave of anger quickly washed over the boy. He wanted nothing more than to run down the hall and beat those two prats into the next dimension. He was knocked back to his senses by a nearby portrait. “You should warn her!”

“Hermione!” Harry gasped, “You’re right.” Harry nodded to the figure in the picture. He would have to do it after class though, he was already late, and he’d be lucky if Professor Snape didn’t boil him in his own steaming cauldron. Even though Snape also fought on the light side of the war, he didn’t like Harry any better. Harry fled down the opposite direction again down towards the dungeons.

Harry burst into the dungeon, drawing the attention of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students, and also Professor Snape. “So kind of you to join us,” he drawled, “But I will have to take off ten points from Gryffindor. Just because you saved the world does not give you the license to do whatever you wish, Mr. Potter. If you will take your seat now, please.”

“Yes, professor,” Harry said with a bowed head. He was still breathless from the run as well as from the shock if what he just learned. He knew that he couldn’t keep it to himself. As soon as class was over, he decided that he would confide in Ginny, (the more understanding of his best friends) swallow his pride, and ask for help. If it could help protect Hermione and help him figure out his own feelings, he was willing to do it.

~<>~

The class dragged on endlessly, but Harry was able to earn back five of the points for accurately answering a question that Snape posed. The potions professor wasn’t too bad now that he did not have to fool Voldemort into believing that he was on the dark side. When class ended, Harry stuffed his books and notes into his bag before rushing out of the classroom and standing by the door, waiting.

“Why were you late, mate?” Ron asked curiously.

“Oh, eh… I took a detour on the way to class and it was longer than I expected, no big deal.” Harry answered quickly.

Ron nodded in understanding, “Let’s get to lunch, I’m starved!”

Harry laughed, “Actually, I need to talk to Ginny about some homework, so you go ahead. I know how hungry you can get, mate.” Ron laughed and nodded in agreement before heading off towards the Great Hall.

Ginny walked out of the classroom to find Harry waiting for her. “Are you alright, Harry?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine, but Hermione won’t be. Ginny I really need to talk to you.”

Ginny nodded before following Harry curiously down the hall to a deserted corridor. “What’s wrong with Hermione?”

“Nothing yet, Ginny, but I just really need your help on this. I heard—something—and I don’t know what to do.” With that, Harry launched into the quick tale. Ginny listened intently, her eyes narrowing at appropriate times and she even gasped once but let Harry finish his story. “Now I really don’t know what to do. I don’t want Hermione to get hurt.” Harry finished.

Ginny looked thoughtful, “Well, besides finding out all over again how cruel and heartless Slytherins can be, I almost have nothing to say.” She looked Harry in the eye, “One thing is for sure, Harry, you have to tell Hermione. Don’t let this get out of hand.”

“That’s what the portrait said too,” Harry mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! Erm… well, I suppose I should go warn her now at lunch. The sooner the better, right?”

Ginny stared at Harry incredulously, “You can’t be serious, Harry. At lunch, everyone will be able to hear and listen. No, you have to wait to do it privately. Oh, and I don’t know Hermione very well, but don’t expect her to believe you the first time you tell her. She’ll probably blow up at you if you push it too far, but the point is, you need to tell her. Then maybe wait a bit and gather some evidence, then try again. I really don’t know what else to do.”

“That’s definitely the best plan. Thanks for listening, Ginny.” Harry smiled appreciatively.

“Anytime, Harry. I completely understand why you didn’t go to Ron for this.” She winked at him and the two headed off to lunch.

After arriving in the Great Hall, Harry quickly scanned the tables. Not seeing the girl that’s been on his mind for the past week, he quickly turned to Ginny. “She’s still in the library.”

Ginny nodded, “Now would be a good time then. Here take a muffin and give it to her. Perhaps it’ll put you in better light before everything comes crashing down. Remember, don’t push her too far, Harry.”

Harry smiled and took the muffin before rushing out of the hall again. He vaguely heard Ginny explaining to Ron why he was leaving, “Uh… Harry said he forgot his quill in the library.”

“When was he in the library today?”

“Erm… Oh, Ron! Is that lemon pie that I see over there?!”

“Ooh, where? I love pie!”

Hermione dipped her quill into her inkwell again before furiously scribbling a neat ending on her essay. “And so, it should be obvious with the arguments and evidence I have presented that Glacies Eternus is an efficient and effective charm whose positive points outweigh the negative sides by far. Perfect!” Her eyes glanced quickly over the entire four-foot essay searching for any spelling and grammar mistakes even though she expected none. It never hurt to double check. She glanced up and saw Harry entering the library. He quickly spotted her and moved in her direction tossing a muffin up and down as he would a baseball—if he knew what a baseball was.

“Hey, Hermione! I didn’t see you at lunch. I brought you a muffin.” He held out the muffin.

Hermione took up the proffered muffin with a smile, “Thank you, Harry. Good afternoon. What brings you down to the library?”

Hermione noticed him glance around quickly before sitting down closer to her. “Actually, Hermione. I, erm, wanted to talk to you about something I heard earlier.” He glanced around nervously again.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right, Harry?” Hermione placed a calming hand on his.

“Of course, Hermione. And you know that I’d never want you to get hurt, right?” Hermione nodded and Harry launched into his story, “What I’m trying to say Hermione is… well… argh… Nicholas doesn’t actually like you!”

Hermione looked shocked, “What do you mean?” she said her eyes tapered slightly.

“I mean, I heard him talking to Malfoy and he said all he wants from you is to… well, to get into your pants.”

Hermione glared at Harry dangerously, “I don’t think you know what you’re talking about, Harry.”

Harry looked around desperately, “I’m not kidding, Hermione. I know what I hear and he said that! You have to believe me.”

“I will believe whatever I choose to believe.” Hermione said, “And I’ll have you know that Nick was down here just a moment ago studying with me and we had a wonderful conversation. He was nothing but a sweet gentleman—”

“It’s an act!” Harry interrupted.

“I think you should leave,” Hermione said coldly, “I need to finish my essay, and who are you to be telling me what to believe. Good bye, Harry.”

Harry sighed frustrated and looked one more time at Hermione but she had turned determinedly back to her essay, the muffin lay forgotten on the cold table. He stood up slowly and left the library while silently deciding that he would have to keep an eye on Nicholas during their dates.

He trudged out into the hall again to find himself facing an eager girl. “Hey, Vanessa.” He mumbled.

“Hey Harry!” she said brightly. The light-brown-haired girl reminded Harry vaguely of Hermione and made him feel more dejected. Vanessa blushed before asking, “I was wondering, Harry, if you wanted to accompany me to Hogsmeade this weekend.”

The statement was said like a question and Harry was caught off guard, “Doesn’t the guy usually ask?”

“Well, you seemed so busy that I figured you didn’t have the time, so I wanted to save you the trouble.” She smiled demurely at Harry, “but if you wanted to ask, go ahead.”

Harry rubbed his neck unsurely, “Oh, sorry, Vanessa, but I’m going to be busy this weekend so I can’t join you for the day.”

Vanessa looked downcast and Harry felt really bad for rejecting her like he did, “Maybe another time.” He added slowly and mentally kicked himself when he saw her face brighten. He hadn’t meant to lead her on. Inwardly Harry groaned loudly as the girl flounced off. So much for a fantastic year…

AN2: Alright, I hope you all enjoyed that! I get the feeling when I’m re-reading that my characterizations are a little bit shallow. What do you guys think? It’ s a little late to fix it for this story, but I could watch out for it on future tales if you guys think that it’s a problem. Anyways, I’ll try to have another chapter up for you guys soon. Perhaps I can get one up tomorrow night—if not then, Tuesday night for sure. Oh, and if you’re interested in searching for it, I’ve scattered my all-time favorite number throughout the entirety of this fic so if anyone wants to have a go at looking for it, I’ll recognize you for finding it! As always, comments and suggestions are welcomed and embraced happily! Cheers!

4. untitled

AN: Hey everyone! My sincerest thanks to those that reviewed! You guys completely inspired my to put this chapter up this morning. I even woke up early for you, haha! Perhaps I can even put up another one tonight if I can find the time! As always, I’d really like to thank you guys for the support—that’s why I try to answer every single review I get. I hope the replied aren’t too long-winded! I received some concern about how overused the plotline is, and I completely understand that. I’ve read a lot of stories just like this. I hope that I can find a way to surprise you at least a little bit—even though the storyline is overused. Enjoy!

Spoiler Alert: There should be no spoilers at all in this chapter. I reread each chapter to catch mistakes and check for spoilers. If you doubt my abilities, go finish reading the seventh book and come back!

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. There are just a few small things that I did invent in this story, and it’s pretty obvious that they aren’t mentioned in the series.

IV

This week had been unusually long for Hermione. She spent most of her time avoiding and ignoring Harry who seemed desperate to get her attention. She couldn’t believe what he was saying about her date though. He didn’t even know anything about Nicholas! Finally the weekend arrived and Hermione was excited about her first date ever. This morning, Hermione was in her dorm sitting on her bed while Ginny was fixing her hair. The two girls had become fast friends through classes and also because they were in the same house and side of the dorms. Ginny turned out to be nothing like her brother Ron and Hermione got along very well with the younger girl.

“Are you excited about your date?” Ginny questioned.

“Oh yes! I’ve been looking forward to it. You know it’s my first date ever and I want it to go really well. Do you think he’ll like the way I look?”

“Of course he will! You’re beautiful, Hermione.” Ginny said quickly, “But be careful. Slytherins can be pretty nasty sometimes.”

Hermione jumped up indignantly, “Harry asked you to tell me that didn’t he!?”

Ginny stood up calmly, “No, in fact he didn’t. And I’m not saying that as his friend, I’m saying it as yours. I have prior experience with Slytherins and they’re not called sly for the heck of it.” She took a breath, “If Nicholas really does like you though, then good for you! I hope everything works out for the best.” Ginny smiled, “There, you look lovely!”

“Thanks Ginny—oh, look at the time! I better get down to the Great Hall. Nicholas asked to meet me there before we left.”

“Have fun, Hermione!” Ginny called out after the girl. Sighing distractedly, Ginny decided that she would go down to the Common Room where she was meeting Harry before he embarked on his ‘mission’—as he liked to call it.

Harry sadly watched Hermione walk out of the Common Room without even acknowledging him. He was knocked out of his reverie by an irritated Ginny, “Stop moping! You’ve done enough of that your first six years. Now before you embark on your ‘mission’ let me remind you again that you can’t let her see you spying on her at all! Even if you have the right intentions, finding out like that will only make her hate you. Do you understand, Harry?” The boy nodded grimly, “No matter what he’s doing, don’t expose yourself. Good luck, Harry.”

Harry nodded determinedly before standing up with a familiar fire in his eyes. “I won’t let Hermione be hurt.”

“Of course you won’t” Ginny smiled, “by the way, I tried to warn her again—even though you didn’t ask. She’s still not in the mood to listen.”

“Thanks for turning me back into myself, Gin” Harry grinned, “I’ll try not to mope around anymore. There’s no time for that anyways, it is time for action!” With that, Harry grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and fled through the portrait hole. Ginny followed him out leisurely. With everything going on, she definitely deserved a nice day to herself in Hogsmeade.

Harry made it down to the Great Hall where he saw Hermione and Nicholas just leaving. It became apparent that the guy was already moving in. Hermione was clutching a bouquet of pure white lilies in her hands and blushing prettily as she smiled sweetly at Nicholas. Harry grimaced before taking a deep breath, swinging his Cloak on, and following them out the grand doors outside towards Hogsmeade.

The festivities were in full swing when they arrived in Hogsmeade, multitudes of couples and groups of friends made their way through the colorful magical community. The clear and sunny sky rained glowing rays through the celebratory streamers in the sky. This was the first Hogmeade visit since the reign of Voldemort. Shop doors were wide open and inviting jolly students in to purchase their fine wares. Teachers patrolled the streets to make sure that there wasn’t any trouble, but they seemed to be enjoying the weather and atmosphere just as much as everyone else.

Harry followed as Nicholas helped Hermione push past the swarm of bodies into Honeydukes. Harry could only watch—albeit enviously—while Nicholas doted on Hermione, buying her delectable treats and just overall giving her a good time. He watched her squeal when she saw the large assortment of chocolate, but before she could get her hands on any, Nicholas had dragged her out of the shop. It was easy for Harry to see that the boy didn’t want to spend too much money on her. He laughed happily even though he knew that he would regret the laughter when Hermione was hurt. Watching the two go down the street into the new bookstore, Must-Have Manuscript for the Everyday Witch and Wizard, Harry casually took off his cloak and meandered over to the chocolate section to buy a fair amount of chocolate. Harry smiled to himself as he unwrapped and ate a chocolate frog. There was no reason he couldn’t enjoy himself while on his stakeout. Looking through the window of the old bookstore, he laughed at Hermione running around her favorite store. He had a bit of time, so why not stop by his favorite joke shop: Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes?

Harry walked amicably into the shop and was nearly blinded by all of the vibrant colors. Ribbons hung on the ceiling and the walls were adorned with shelves filled completely with practical jokes and gags. Having never even heard of half of the items, Harry was wary of the devices floating above his head. He took even more caution with the normal-looking items as those could be far more dangerous than the odd looking objects. The popular shop was completely full of people that were testing, watching, and marveling at the randomness of the wacky store. Harry made his way to the counter at the end of the shop, looking for Fred and George.

“Hey there, Harry!” George called out noticing the raven-haired boy.

“Oi, how’s everything going, Harry?” Fred added from the back of the shop. He came out holding a peculiar-looking object. He handed it gently to a young girl, “Be careful with that now, miss. Remember, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes cannot and will not be held responsible for damage of any form caused by products purchased at and produced at the premise. Liability is left entirely to the user for the item to be used at his or her own discretion. Physical, mental, traumatic, health, and any relating sorts of damage are not covered in our warranty. We will only take responsibility for the item in question if it is found to be defective or lacking in quality. Standard replacement rules apply: see the fine print in your package for replacement options. Er… what else? Oh, right! If you find yourself experiencing sensations, feelings, growth, deformation, ideas, major mood changes, personality flipping, or any other abnormalities, contact St. Mungo’s immediately, and please reach us by means of owl or floo—floo preferred. Have a great day!”

“You don’t expect that little girl to remember all of that do you?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Nope” Fred said simply, “but as long as we’ve said it, we technically cannot be held responsible for the mess the kids might cause.”

The twins laughed, “What brings you to our humble shop, oh generous sponsor?” George said with a bow.

“I was in the area, and thought I’d stop by to see my favorite twins.” Harry laughed.

“Oh, Harry, we’ve actually been meaning to contact you, mate. We’ve come up with the most devilishly fantastic idea ever!”

“The two of us!” When Harry looked inquiringly at them, they quickly ushered them into the back room. “It really is a brilliant little gag.”

“Or most spectacular prank ever.”

“Yep, like all of the rest rolled into one.”

“But we thought that rather than field testing it on ourselves, we’d give you the pleasure of testing it for us!” Harry looked stricken.

“Oh, no, my friend, not on yourself! But rather, is there anyone you don’t particularly like? If you get what I mean now.”

With an overdramatic manner, Fred and George unveiled their latest prank. It was a small silver orb. Harry cautiously reached his hand out for it but George quickly stopped it. “I wouldn’t touch it with your bare hands if I were you.”

Fred conjured a pure white cloth out of the air and carefully wrapped the silver ball within it. Casting a quick charm that Harry didn’t catch on the sphere, he handed the kerchief-covered ball to Harry who took it gingerly. “You definitely want to be careful with this.”

“Guys, what does this do?” Harry asked glancing at the ball warily.

“That’s the genius of it, Harry! Only the wielder knows what this orb does. No one else will be able to anticipate what comes from this little ball.”

“Harry, you are holding a Weasley Wish A Thing.”

“The W-W-A-T. Or we like to call it ‘wat’!”

“What?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Yeah, you got it! ‘Wat’!” The twins smirked mischievously at each other.

Hermione scanned the rows of bookshelves excitedly. “Magical Means of Making More, The Marauder Era, Misleading Facts, More Muffins! The Art of Multi and Repli –cation, Muggles: A Life Story,” Hermione read the titles of story after story to herself. This was where she was meant to be, surrounded by books. It is the same as being enveloped in adventure, encircled by knowledge. She quickly glanced over at her date—making sure that he hadn’t ditched her in his boredom. Hermione suddenly felt bad for putting Nicholas through this torture, but she had thought that he would enjoy this experience just as much as her for all he spoke about his love of reading. He was sitting in a chair and looking longingly outside.

He suddenly turned around and seeing Hermione look at him, plastered a smile onto his face. “Almost done, Hermione?” he asked kindly.

Hermione smiled and looked back quickly at the lines of shelves, “Ten more minutes,” she promised quickly. She could tell that Nicholas was resisting the urge to roll his eyes in a rather irritated fashion, but thought nothing more of it.

~<>~

Ten minutes later, the couple exited the large bookstore. Hermione clutched a brand new tome in her arms and gazed at it adoringly. “Where to now, Nick?”

“Well,” he grinned, “Now that we’ve been by your favorite shop, how about a little retribution?” He winked at her, “I just need to stop by the Quidditch store to pick up some stuff for the game coming up.”

The two walked serenely down the crowded street and into Quality Quidditch Supplies. Nicholas quickly sped off into the Beater section of the store and left Hermione to wander the shop alone. Hermione walked around glancing at the various assortments of broom care kits, the different balls, specialized gloves, strategy books, posters, and not to mention the broomsticks. The pretty girl looked carefully at the design of the simple flying mechanisms. Eight years ago, if someone had told Hermione that people could fly on brooms, she would’ve called them crazy. Now, she believed, but she didn’t particularly like it. Hermione wasn’t very fond of flying in any form. She didn’t even have any trauma in her past; she simply preferred to keep her feet firmly planted on the solid ground. Air couldn’t stop you if you tripped or fell. Finished looking around the store, Hermione settled herself on a bench near the door and opened her book to start the first chapter.

The Universal Rights of All Magical Creatures. By Lily Potter. Preface. The rights of magical creatures have, for the past several centuries, been neglected greatly. The first example of ‘superior-ism’ behavior by witches and wizards dates back to the ancient time of…

Harry walked distractedly to the Three Broomsticks. He had lost track of Hermione and Nicholas when they left Must-Have Manuscript, but he figured that he could just catch up with them when they came to the Three Broomsticks for a drink. He was still reveling in the interesting discussion he had with the Weasley twins. He pulled out a neat piece of paper with the instructions Fred and George had given him written out. They had told him, but he had a hard copy just in case. It was definitely an interesting conversation.

‘Harry, this little ball here can grant you one wish.” Fred explained.

‘Wait, a wish? What do you mean?’ Harry asked in shock.

‘A wish, Harry. You know, like the I wish I had a bowl of mud sort of wish.’

‘A bowl of mud? Why in the world would you want that?’ Harry asked even more confused than before.

‘Harry, listen to us. This sphere that you’re holding will grant you exactly one wish. Practically anything you could want.’ Harry finally nodded in understanding.

‘This is powerful magic, Harry. Fred and I only stumbled upon it on accident. Wishes are dangerous things to play with though as you should know, because they can often bring disaster. We’re also not sure yet as to how we can restrict these wishes to only harmless pranks and gags. That’s we aren’t sure if we should market this wondrous item. Of the 3 that we made, only 2 exist now. We used one in the initial test. It was harmless. We just wished that an apple would turn into an orange. It worked, but we’re not sure about the limitations on this.’

‘We’re being serious with you here, though, Harry. This kind of magic isn’t something to be joked around with. In fact, it’s most likely that we will destroy all of the research we have on this as well as wasting our last W-W-A-T. We thought that you deserved to give one a go though. Again, it’s very dangerous, and I think I know what you’re thinking—’

‘—Harry, you cannot bring back the dead with this. The dead are beyond the power of any magic and cannot be resurrected. And we do apologize for this not being able to bring back your parents, but you must understand that under no circumstances should you even try to wish a dead person back.’

‘What would happen?’ Harry finally asked.

‘We’re not sure exactly. This orb draws on a little bit of your magic in order to make this wish come true. Well, a little more than a bit—’

‘—as in you’ll be a wee bit sore afterwards—’

‘but we think that in trying to bring back the dead, it will completely absorb your magic trying to do that and you’ll most certainly die.’

‘Besides that one major rule, you just need to be careful that you’ve thought through what you wish for. Interesting things can happen.’

‘With what we’ve said in mind, Harry, we’ll leave you to ponder your wish.’

‘Have fun, Harry!’

‘Come back sometime soon!’

Unfolding the small slip of paper, Harry read the large exclamation within: DON’T TRY TO BRING BACK THE DEAD: HENCE THE REST IN PEACE! His hand wrapped around the cool ball in the pocket of his robes as he silently thought. He could easily wish that Hermione loved him. But Harry figured that messing with love probably wasn’t the best idea. He quickly retreated from his thoughts when he felt a presence take a seat next to him. He quickly brought his mug of butterbeer to his mouth to hide his surprise and looked over.

“Are you alright, Harry?” Ginny asked anxiously.

“Yeah!” Harry smiled, “I’m actually feeling much better. I really needed to get out I guess.”

“How’s the plan going?”

“Actually,” Harry laughed, “I sort of lost them when I stopped by your brothers’ shop, but I expect they’ll be in here really soon. Harry flagged down a waitress and ordered another butterbeer for his close friend.

Ginny smiled appreciatively, “Thanks, I really need it. I’ve been out all day enjoying myself. Actually, I was passing Quality Quidditch Supplies and I saw Hermione there.” She snorted loudly, “Obviously her date ditched her to get something. I saw her sitting on a bench reading a book!”

“That’s Hermione,” Harry laughed, “she hates flying, so I don’t really expect her to enjoy herself in a Quidditch shop.”

“I’m not even going to ask how you know that,” Ginny giggled, “You might even know her better than she does! That’s a good thing by the way—kind of creepy, but good.”

Harry blushed, “I guess that’s where they are then. They’ll probably be coming in soon.”

As if right on cue, the couple in question came in through the doors. Harry nodded to Ginny before pulling the Invisibility Cloak around him. They saw Hermione notice Ginny seemingly sitting by herself and drag Nicholas over. “Hey Ginny! Fancy seeing you here.”

“Hey there Hermione.” Ginny smiled, “Nicholas,” she nodded politely before lifting her drink up to her lips.

“Er… Ginny?” Hermione said looking down at the table, “Why do you have two drinks?”

Ginny noticed Harry’s drink sitting nearby on the table and realized why Hermione jumped to that conclusion. She quickly thought of a cover-up story, “Uh… Oh! I was just really thirsty, no big deal, why don’t you guys take a seat. She saw Hermione move to sit next to her but quickly jumped up. She couldn’t see Harry so she didn’t know if he was still sitting there or not, “Why don’t you sit on this side?” She motioned to the other side of the table, “Some idiot spilled their drink all over chair and it’s soaked now.” She said inventing another excuse.

“Can’t you use magic to clean it up?” Hermione questions suspiciously, Ginny was acting strangely.

“Uh… I could, but why would I want to do that?” Ginny asked weakly.

“So that I could—you know what, never mind,” Hermione gave up and sat on the other side next to Ginny. Nicholas took a seat next to her.

“So, Hermione!” Ginny whispered excitedly while Nicholas ordered for himself and his date, “How’s your date going?”

“It’s going alright,” Hermione said with a small smile, “we haven’t done much yet. First we stopped by Honeydukes and Nick bought me some Licorice Roses, it was really sweet. Then we stopped by the bookstore and I looked around for about twenty minutes.” Hermione sighed disappointedly here and rolled her eyes, “but then we went to Quality Quidditch Supplies for Nick. I’m not joking when I say that he spent almost an hour in there. I don’t even know what he was doing!”

Ginny laughed, “I noticed you reading your book when I passed by. Maybe that’s why you have no idea what he was doing. But did you seriously wait an hour for him? I would have ditched my date after just 15 minutes!” Ginny added with a giggle. Hermione laughed lightly. “A date is usually about two people, rather than one person at a time.”

“Excuse me ladies, I’m going to stop by the loo really quick.” Nicholas said excusing himself.

Ginny smiled before saying, “Everything’s alright though because you’re having a good time, right?” she paused before adding, “You are having a good time, aren’t you?”

Hermione had to think her answer through for a moment, “Yeah, I guess I’m having fun.” She shrugged, “I’ve never been on a date before so I have nothing to compare it to.” Ginny nodded in understanding. “I expect this date is almost finished though. I need to go back to the castle soon and prepare for my first S.P.E.W meeting tonight!”

“Spew? What’s that?” Ginny questioned.

“Have you not seen the flyer? Of course, I could only afford to put one up so I doubt anyone saw it.” Hermione mumbled dejectedly. A waiter brought the drinks to the table and Hermione thanked him graciously.

“So what’s spew?”

“Actually, it’s S.P.E.W. and it stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. I’ve been doing some reading and research and did you know that the House Elves at Hogwarts aren’t paid and they don’t even get work breaks. How could we treat any creature like that? That’s why I’m starting this organization. If I can get enough support, we may actually be able to impact the livelihood of elves everywhere!” Hermione gushed excitedly. “Can you make it to the meeting tonight?”

Ginny looked unsure, “Actually, I’d love to support you, I really do, but erm… I promised that I’d help Ron with his homework tonight. You know how much he needs it.”

Hermione laughed agreeably, “I couldn’t pull you away from prior engagements, perhaps at the next meeting! I’m going to ask Nick if he can come, then I’ll probably head out.”

Nicholas chose this moment to return from the restroom. He took a seat comfortably and put an arm around Hermione. A disappointed look crossed his face as Hermione shrugged him off. He grabbed his drink to hide his frustration. Ginny’s sharp eyes weren’t deceived though. Hermione turned to Nicholas determinedly, “Hey Nick, are you doing anything tonight?”

Nicholas, thinking his luck had changed perked up, “No, nothing. You want to get together again, Hermione?”

Hermione grinned, “Yeah actually! You see, I’m actually about to head back up to the castle to prepare for a meeting I’m holding tonight. It’s for S.P.E.W. if you’ve heard of it.”

“A meeting, eh? Who’s going to be there? And what does spew stand for?”

“Actually, it’s S.P.E.W., not spew.” Hermione started. Nicholas just rolled his eyes and nodded for her to continue, “And it stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. It’s an organization I’m starting to petition for House Elf rights because they are treated very poorly by nearly all wizards.”

Nicholas looked uncomfortable as he squirmed slightly. “Actually, Hermione,” he started slowly, “I just remembered that I promised to help Professor Snape reorganize his potions ingredients, so I don’t think I can make it tonight. Sorry, maybe next time.”

Hermione looked visibly disappointed and sighed heavily. Nicholas quickly finished his drink and announced that he was going to head on out, with a smile to Hermione and a curt nod to Ginny, he quickly left the Three Broomsticks. Ginny watched him leave and when the door closed, “You know he’s lying, right?”

Hermione sighed, “How do you know? Maybe he really did promise to help Snape.”

“Didn’t you hear him, he said that he had nothing to do earlier, and then he suddenly remembers. I don’t think anyone could forget an appointment with Snape. I mean, if he was going to lie to you, he could have done it much more convincingly.”

“I don’t even want to hear that,” Hermione said, “Perhaps he really just forgot. I’m leaving now, I have to ready for the meeting.”

“Good luck, Hermione!” Ginny chirped, “Be sure to tell me when the next one is and I’ll clear my whole day for you.”

“Thanks, Ginny. I’ll talk to you later.” Hermione waved and left for the castle.

As soon as Hermione left, Ginny began looking around for Harry. Knowing him for the better of five years now, she immediately pinpointed him to be walking back from the counter. The apparition that approached her didn’t really bother her at all because she was used to it. Harry pulled his cloak off and grinned. “Well, that was exciting!”

Ginny pushed Harry jokingly, “Harry! You prat! Didn’t you see Hermione? She looked so disappointed that no one seemed to be interested in spew.”

“Actually, it’s S.P.E.W…” Harry started before getting a look from Ginny.

“Fine, fine, S.P.E.W. but still, maybe you should go to that meeting. I for one wasn’t lying when I said I promised that I would help Ron with his homework. Nicholas was totally lying. He’s a Slytherin through and through and they already don’t give House Elves any kind of standing in society. That’s probably why he said he couldn’t go.”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely go. I need to apologize to her too for pushing things too far and trying to control her, I guess.”

“Oh, I’m sure you weren’t that bad. Hermione just overreacts and gets a little defensive when you question her judgment, but she’s so smart she probably isn’t used to ever being wrong.”

“Perhaps, but I’d like to be on speaking terms with her again.” Harry said sadly, “I never knew that you had to pay to put up notices. But then again, I suppose those Quidditch notices and Prefect stuff is sponsored by the school.”

“Actually, I didn’t know that either.” Ginny laughed, “I’m surprised that Hogwarts would want to make money off of students like that.”

“Actually, now that I think about it… I think they may have started charging because people were abusing the bulletin system. Who wants to pay for something they don’t really care about, right?”

“Right. Anyways, you better go and figure out where she’s having that meeting. I heard that the classroom on the fifth floor was being used today so maybe it’s there. Good luck, Harry.”

“Thank you, Gin.” Harry grinned and swept off and out the door while merrily whistling a tune that Ginny didn’t recognize.

AN2: That’s all for now. I’ll try to get another chapter up soon. Perhaps tonight, if not though, Tuesday night as I’ve promised! And as always, comments and suggestions are appreciated! Cheers!

5. untitled

AN: Thanks for everything, guys! As an extra bonus (because I don’t mind spending time on you guys) I’ll update a second time today! All of your reviews and positive as well as constructive support are greatly appreciated! This one is a little bit short, but I had a lot of fun writing it! I hope you have as much fun reading it! Enjoy!

Spoiler Alert: No spoilers should be present in this chapter. Read on with ease! Haha.

Disclaimer: I don’t think I own anything in this chapter! Nothing at all, lol. If I do own anything though, it’ll be something you don’t recognize from the series! Cheers!

V

A frustrated Hermione walked up to the fifth floor where the meeting was being held. When she was walking up, she had gone to check on her flyer and noticed that someone had taken it down. She was irked greatly by the notion and stomped up the stairs. The room was already set up and Hermione had decided to go down for dinner before heading back. Now that the leaflet was down, she would definitely have no hope of getting anyone to come. She asked a lot of the girls in her dorm, but the giggling idiots wanted nothing to do with it. She grumbled her way up to the classroom before opening the door harshly and slamming it as she went in. She was surprised to see a mildly interested Harry sitting with an amused expression in one of the chairs. Looking around, she saw no one else.

“You’re late.” Harry started glancing down at his watch, “Didn’t you flyer say 7:30? Where’s everyone else?”

Hermione was flustered for letting Harry see her in her foul mood and quickly recovered, “I doubt anyone else is coming actually,” she let out a heaving sigh, “I tried to ask my dorm mates to come but those buffoons weren’t interested in the slightest. They didn’t even humor me except for Ginny who was busy tonight.”

Harry looked at her carefully, “Perhaps you’re asking the wrong people.” He said while studying her. “You need to get the word out more.”

Hermione’s rotten temper immediately returned, “I really would, but now even that chance is gone because some bleeding git took down my flyer.” She glared around the room as if expecting the culprit to be hiding in it and failed to notice Harry’s guilty look in her tantrum.

“You only had one flyer?” Harry asked feigning naivety.

“I could only afford to put one up with the funds I’ve saved up for S.P.E.W.. Most of the money I’m saving up is for new books, but I’m planning on re-allotting my funding for the next meeting—that is, if I even have one.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, with the turn out tonight—no offense, Harry—I just don’t know if it’s worth the time, money and effort.”

Harry stood up and looked stern, “You mean to tell me that Hermione Granger is just giving up after losing one battle?” he asked incredulously.

“There have been wars that consisted of one battle, Harry, for instance—”

She was cut off by Harry, “The Hermione I know never gives up.” He said simply, “If you keep up this passion you have for helping those that need it, I’m sure you will attract more people. I mean, you got me here right? That’s one person and it’s a start.”

Hermione smiled gratefully, “Thanks, Harry.”

Harry grinned back, “So, is your main obstacle the money issue? Getting the money to support notices and your activities?”

“Yeah, funding and membership are what we really lack.” Hermione answered while moving to take a seat close to Harry.

Harry smiled widely at her use of ‘we’ before continuing thoughtfully, “Well, we need to get the word about this organization out first, so I’ll try to convince some of my friends to come, maybe we could do some fundraisers which would help with both issues.” Harry smiled lopsidedly, “If we really need to, I could use my fame to bribe people to come to at least listen.”

Hermione laughed, “You don’t need to do that, Harry. But all of your ideas are great. I already have some fundraising projects we might be able to do.”

“I’ll try to help when I can,” his face brightened, “Oh! If you want, I’m actually very good friends with a certain House Elf here and maybe I could arrange for you to speak with him. Actually, I freed him from his cruel master, so he may be one of the only free House Elves that still works at Hogwarts.”

“Why ever would he want to work here?” Hermione asked incredulously, “with the way people treat House Elves at least.”

“I’m not sure myself.” Harry trailed off, “He actually seems to like the work, and of course I pay him for serving while being free, but I get this feeling that somehow he’s looping all of my money back to my vaults.” Harry laughed heartily.

“That’s very interesting.” Hermione commented. The two fell into a natural silence. They glanced each other occasionally and it was obvious that they were both thinking about the same thing. Hermione finally decided to speak first, “Look, Harry, I’m really sorry about blowing up at you the other day.”

Harry smiled kindly, “No, Hermione, you have nothing to be sorry about,” he sighed and took a breath before going on, “I should be the one that’s sorry. I was being too pushy and trying to tell you what to do and I shouldn’t have.”

“Well I could have been a little more reasonable,” Hermione retorted, “I know that you’re just trying to protect me.”

“Well, I won’t say that you couldn’t have been more reasonable,” Harry agreed with a roguish wink and received a playful slap from Hermione, “but I could have approached the problem a little better as well.” He looked Hermione in the eye, “I truly don’t ever want you to be hurt though, Hermione.” He said softly.

“I know.” Hermione replied just as softly.

“So, friends?”

“Of course, the very best.” Harry quietly handed Hermione the bag of Honeyduke’s chocolates. Hermione smiled gratefully and offered a sincere word of thanks. She then appreciatively took the bag of chocolates.

Harry moved over to Hermione and pulled her into a friendly embrace. Pulling back, he smiled happily at Hermione before turning serious, “Not to ruin anything,” he started and received a large eye roll, “and I’m not telling you to dump Nicholas either.” Harry took the raised eyebrow as his cue to continue, “Just be careful, okay.” Hermione nodded in understanding, “Slytherins play dirty. If you want to see how brutal some Slytherins can be, why don’t you come to the Quidditch match tomorrow?”

Hermione contemplated for a moment, “I didn’t really have anything planned for tomorrow, so sure.”

Harry smiled elatedly, “Great! I know you don’t like flying, but Quidditch is still fun to watch!” he said excitedly.

“We’ll see,” Hermione said with a knowing grin.

“So, Mione, why don’t you fill me in on your stance and ideas for S.P.E.W.?”

“Mione?” Hermione asked while raising her eyebrow again in question.

“Well, why not?” Harry asked cutely, “I’m your Harry, and you can be my Mione!”

Hermione laughed at how odd the phrase was, “Sounds fair to me—even though I don’t know what your knee has to do with all of this!” Hermione joked. “But I’m only your Mione. I don’t particularly like nicknames, but with you, I could totally make an exception and still be happy.”

Harry grinned widely, “Aw, I feel so special now!” he cooed.

“Let’s get back to the meeting, ‘Special Boy’.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Harry saluted smartly.

~<>~

Harry found that his nerves were fried before the big game against Slytherin today. He saw Hermione at breakfast and she flashed him a quick smile, confirming for him that she would show up, and ever since, he’d been on the edge. It wasn’t so much that this was the first game in over a year at Hogwarts, and it wasn’t even because it was against Slytherin. In fact, Harry was pretty sure that he didn’t even care too much about the match itself. It was Hermione. He really wanted to leave a good impression of himself for her so he didn’t want to screw up.

His plate at breakfast sat untouched while the food magically simmered to keep itself warm. He stared at it thoughtfully but his appetite had completely left him. Ron looked at him questioningly, “What’s the matter, mate?” he said after swallowing—apparently Ginny was successful to some point at teaching him manners.

“I’m just not hungry.” Harry answered simply. Ginny looked at him understandingly, Harry had told her everything.

“You ought to eat, mate. You’ll need all of the energy you can get before we take on those ruddy Slytherins.” Ron said seriously. Quidditch and food, those were his fortes. “What’s the deal anyways? It’s not like we haven’t beaten Slytherin out before.”

Ginny swiftly came to the rescue, “Ron, we haven’t played Quidditch since last year, I’m sure that Harry—being the normal boy that he is now—is just getting early pre-game jitters. With You-Know-Who around, he never got the chance to truly be nervous about something like a silly Quidditch match.”

“Never. Call. Quidditch. Silly.” Ron said seriously.

Harry laughed loudly, “Come on guys, I’ll be fine. Let’s get down to the locker rooms and change so we can start warming up for that game!”

His friends nodded energetically and they got up promptly to head out. Harry caught Hermione’s gaze again and smiled widely. He held her gaze until Ron nudged him none too lightly. He rolled his eyes and followed his best friend. Ginny was already well ahead of the two boys and headed through the massive Great Hall doors towards the pitch. Ron looked at his best friend questioningly, “What’s with you, mate? Why were you smiling over there at Granger just now?” he slapped his forehead, “Don’t tell me you like her!”

Harry rolled his eyes, “I won’t tell you then.”

“Are you kidding me, Harry?”

“So what if I do like her? What’s wrong with that?”

“Everything, Harry!” Ron exclaimed, “You’re Harry Potter! You could have literally any pretty witch on the planet? You don’t need to settle for some nameless know-it-all.”

Harry eyes sharpened angrily, “I’m not settling on anything, Ron.” He said pointedly, “And she has a name: Hermione.” He turned to his friend, “Don’t you get it, mate? I like her because she doesn’t see me as Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived. She just sees Harry Potter, that’s why I like her so much. She sees the real me, not the phony image that the press has created.”

Ron was taken aback by Harry’s outburst. The emerald-eyed boy hadn’t snapped at anyone like that since the end of the war, even less at his friends. Ron was surprised that Harry felt so strongly about her, “I was just pointing out, mate,” he started again, “But if you don’t want those other ladies, I’d be more than happy to take them off your hands!” he grinned, “For you, my friend, I will try to get along with Hermione, but let me just say now that sometimes her nagging can get quite irritating.”

Harry smiled, “Well, I wonder why she would nag you of all people to finish homework that was due in an hour.” He smiled thoughtfully.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ron waved the comments off easily, “Let’s get down to the pitch, Mr. Youngest Seeker of the Century.”

~<>~

The boys were dressed smartly in their Quidditch uniforms and confidently walked out onto the pitch with their brooms resting comfortably on one shoulder. Ginny waved to them from the air and shouted, “What took you so long?”

“Nothing, Gin.” Ron yelled back.

“I just had to yell at your brother for insulting me.” Harry winked happily.

“What did he say this time?” Ginny asked exasperatedly.

“He just insinuated that I was ‘settling’ for Hermione.” Harry smiled.

Ginny nodded, “So you finally, told him, eh?”

“Yeah, and I can’t say that I like it still.” Ron grumbled.

Harry and Ginny burst out laughing, “Come on, Ron! Let’s get up in the air and Ginny and I can help you warm up. Those Slytherins aren’t going to play nice and you need to block as many goals as you can.”

“I’ve been getting better!” Ron said defensively.

“You have, mate, but we’ll see what a war has done to your skills.”

With that, the two boys took off into the air and did a warm-up run around the pitch while Ginny went to fetch the Quaffle. The two finished their “fly-through” just as Ginny returned. She tossed the flaming ball up towards the boys and Harry swooped in to catch it with grace that belied his frame. Ron moved into his defensive position in front of the hoops. Harry quickly threw the ball and it veered low to the right. Ron did even attempt to block the wide throw and just laughed, “Watch it, mate! I don’t think your throwing has improved much.” His mouth dropped as he saw Ginny zipping past him and hurling the ball through the upper loop.

“All part of the plan, mate.” Harry said.

“Keep your eye on the ball, Ronald.” Ginny scolded.

Ron scowled at being tricked but nodded and went to retrieve the ball. This left Harry and Ginny alone to discuss different strategies of tricking the poor bloke. All three of them knew that the Slytherins wouldn’t be playing fairly so they needed to get Ron pumped up for that. Ron returned shortly with the battered, red ball and tossed it out to Harry. His best friend and sister nodded to each other before Ginny quickly began charging. The fiery boy was used to things zooming in at him having lived with Fred and George for the better of five years. He was unfazed by this approach because he knew that Ginny wouldn’t actually collide with him. Returning his attention to the task at hand, he began searching for Harry and the Quaffle. Ginny shot very close before swerving downwards. Harry was close behind her and Ron quickly got into position. Harry feinted to the right and while Ron repositioned himself to block the ball, Harry tossed the Quaffle lightly to Ginny who then hurled the ball towards the left hoop. Ron sensed the change in tactics and modified his own accordingly. Ron maneuvered his broom skillfully and flipped completely over to nail the burning ball with the tail of his broom and sending it straight down into the ground. He righted himself to Harry and Ginny’s cheers.

“Nice, mate!”

“That was brilliant, Ron!”

“We’re going to blow those Slytherins away!”

Ron grinned widely at his success, “Let’s get back to it, guys. You’ll have to do better than that to fool me.”

Hermione left breakfast a little after she had seen Harry leave. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil had held up the brainy brunette with their gossip stories—most about Harry—and Hermione couldn’t leave without being seen as rude. Finally, she excused herself from the giggling girls for the sake of saving her sanity on the pretense of going to the library to study. Honestly, though, Hermione didn’t quite feel like studying this particular Sunday morning. Instead, Hermione opted to get to the Quidditch earlier. Perhaps she would be able to get a good spot in the Gryffindor stands considering how popular Quidditch seemed to be. The entire Great Hall was decked out in the house colors and bright, colored streamers announced Hermione’s exit from the Great Hall.

She walked out of the main castle and was greeted by crisp and clean November air. The chilly air bit at her but she didn’t mind because the weather was amazing. Fluffy clouds dotted the sky and the sun winked mischievously through them as Hermione turned her head up to gaze at the serene sky. The cool air rushed past her into the Great Hall and the murmurs of conversation were drowned out by the thick oaken doors. Hermione walked lightly along the beaten path to the Quidditch pitch and squinted as she saw three figures flying around the pitch. She skipped on down to the field and walked up a flight of stairs to sit where she presumed the Gryffindor stands were. This assumption was made based solely on the amount of red and gold that was draped over the entire structure.

Hermione found a seat near the middle at the front of the raised stands. The entire stadium was empty and it looked much bigger this way. Glancing up, she caught sight of Harry, Ginny, and Ron practicing. Ron appeared to be the one that was blocking the balls that Harry and Ginny were throwing at him. He was doing a fair job of it too. Hermione took her attention away from Ron and watched Harry. The young hero looked absolutely at ease in the air as he deftly maneuvered his broomstick. His face glowed with happiness as he joked around with his friends in the air where all of his troubles seemed to evaporate. He tossed a bright crimson ball into the air where Ginny gracefully swooped in to grab it. The two flew with multiple twists and turns while passing the ball back and forth to confuse Ron. However, the starving, insensitive, hyper boy that Hermione equated with Ron wasn’t present. He watched the ball carefully with sharp eyes and she could tell that the gears in his head were rapidly spinning while he was formulating his defensive plan. Ginny dropped the ball neatly into Harry hands and he swiftly whirled around to gain momentum before hurling the ball wide. Ginny came in perfectly and knocked the ball in the opposite direction at the far right hoop. Ron wasn’t fazed by the show though and came in easily to block the incoming ball. He laughed triumphantly and Harry and Ginny groaned. In her despair, Ginny noticed Hermione watching in the bleachers and quickly waved. Hermione smiled and waved back with as much energy. As she moved to pull her book out though, she frowned and looked on with interest. Harry’s back was to her so he obviously hadn’t seen her yet. Ginny flew to Harry side and leaned in to whisper excitedly into Harry’s ear. The bright, young witch couldn’t help but feel a sinking feeling deep in her chest. What was it? It definitely wasn’t heart failure, Hermione was still far too young to be worried about that, she hadn’t been hurt—physically—anyways and heaven forbid it be… jealousy. Hermione frowned again in recognition before quickly analyzing her feeling. She couldn’t be jealous—she had a boyfriend already for Merlin’s sake! Hermione suppressed all of her mixed emotions and dived into her book to distract herself. In the end, this attempt would have proven futile though.

The trio had gone through 9 official practice runs with Ron blocking 7 of the 9 shots that Harry and Ginny made. They were lazing around and flying in small circles through the air. Ginny squealed and flew up next to Harry. She leaned over to whisper in his ear excitedly, “You’d never guess who is in the stands right behind you!”

Harry looked at her inquisitively and resisted the urge to turn around and check, “Neville?” he asked unsurely.

“No, you idiot! Hermione! It’s Hermione, she’s actually showing up to the Quidditch match!” Ginny laughed energetically, “Go on.” She prodded Harry, “Go down and talk to her before people start coming in and the match starts!”

“Hermione? Talk to her? What? What do I say?” Harry fired off questions randomly. Ron chose this moment to join and complete the airborne circle.

Ginny sighed frustrated and answered Harry’s questions one at a time, “Yes. Yes. Yes. And anything! Go on.” Harry turned around unsurely and made his way silently down to a Hermione that was apparently fiercely engrossed in her book.

“Where’s Harry going?” Ron asked from above.

“To talk to Hermione, you dolt.”

“Why? The match is about to start and it’s Hermione Granger for Merlin’s sake! He can’t be seen with her!”

“Exactly, so don’t look! Ron, why don’t you nip on down to the locker rooms and meet up with the rest of the team.” Ron’s petite sister ordered. Ron opened his mouth to argue but Ginny cut him off before sound was even emitted, “Ronald.” Ron grumbled something incoherently (one probably wouldn’t want to know anyways) and flew down in the opposite direction of Harry towards the locker rooms.

Ginny watched Harry fly down to Hermione happily, “They’re so cute together!” she squealed before flying off to find her friend Lisa who just so happened to be a brilliant Gryffindor chaser…

Harry landed nervously in the stands and approached Hermione who was still avidly reading. Sensing a warm presence near her, she slowly put down her book and looked up into piercing green eyes. “Harry!” she squeaked, “What are you doing here?”

Harry looked around nervously, “Well, actually, I was just about to get ready for the game to start. But I saw you down here… and I thought I’d come by to, er, say hello. Hello, by the way.”

Hermione giggled, “Hello to you too, Harry. I came down to get away from all of the insanity for a while. You wouldn’t believe how many stories Lavender and Parvati have that are absolute nonsense—don’t tell them I said that, by the way.”

Harry laughed, warming into the conversation, “Most of them are about me, right?” Hermione nodded in affirmation, “Anyways, Hermione, I’d like to tell you that I’m really glad you came. I mean, even though you obviously came to see your boyfriend play because… well… you know, he’s your boyfriend and—”

Hermione cut him off, “Harry, you’re rambling.” The raven-haired boy blushed. “But in all honesty, I’m here to see you today, Harry. I mean, you’re the only one that came to my meeting yesterday, it’s the least I could do in return for your support.”

“Ah, well, thanks then!” Harry grinned, “I’m glad you’re rooting for Gryffindor! Anyways, I better get back down to the team. If I’m late to the motivational speech again, Tim will kill me! Well, after the game he will.” Harry flashed Hermione another smile before turning to leaving.

“Oh, Harry.” Hermione stood up suddenly. She was still almost a head shorter than the boy. Harry whirled around to face her. She stood up on her toes and gently leaned forward to softly kiss his cheek. Harry felt his face grow hot and he stared at her in shock. “Good luck!” Hermione was blushing prettily as well.

Harry smiled widely but he could feel that his face was still red, “Thanks, Mione.” He whispered. He grinned at her again before quickly stepping to the rail of the bleachers and taking off towards a door which Hermione presumed was the team locker room.

Hermione sat down heavily and released a sigh. It was neither frustrated nor happy, but rather a confused sigh. She tried to return to her book but found no avail. Her mind was swirling with thoughts and she found she couldn’t focus on anything but how nice it felt to kiss Harry… Oh bugger.

AN2: Well, that’s it! I will not be able to update again until Tuesday at the very earliest. I hope you all enjoyed that. As always, comments and suggestions are welcomed! Thanks for reading! Cheers!

6. untitled

AN: Hey everyone. I can’t believe it! I’m updating again! This will be the third and very last time (I’m not kidding this time) that I update today! Your reviews have just been incredibly inspiring so I thought I would thank you with this chapter. This is the Quidditch match. I tried to infuse a bit of humor on this chapter. Let me know if I was successful. It’s nothing too big, but I really wanted to try my hand at writing something like this so I thought I would put it in. I would like to take this moment to dedicate this chapter to tiger111991 for being there with this story from the very beginning. You not only were the first to review the story, but you also stuck with it up until now. I want to thank you for the positive support. I’d also like to thank all of my other reviewers that have been with me this far: potterfan, lala_lov3r, h and hr lover, KillerQueen, Lindee, Mike, sad2bsony, LoonyLuna, as well as a few Anonymous reviewers. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me this far! It’s much appreciated!

Spoiler Alert: This is just the Quidditch match, and since there isn’t Quidditch in the seventh book, I doubt that there are any spoilers here!

Disclaimer: Quidditch is a rather interesting sport. It was fun to write. I’m sure it’s fun to play. I’m sure it’s fun to own the idea. Darn, I’m deprived of that fun, hehe. The Harry Potter universe belongs completely to J.K. Rowling. I only own the new characters introduced here.

VI

“Good afternoon, Quidditch fans around the school!” a booming voice exploded throughout the vast Hogwarts Quidditch stadium. “This is your afternoon’s commentator Sonny Raine of Gryffindor speaking. Tell me what you want, ladies and gentlemen. Do you want it to be sunny, or do you want rain?”

The entire stadium groaned loudly before shouting exasperatedly, “Sonny!” It was a very old pun for all who knew him.

“You guys have it right! We want it to stay sunny for what is the first Quidditch math worldwide since the fall of the You-Know-Who and could be one of the greatest matches Hogwarts has ever seen. I have the lovely, kind, lenient, and generous Professor McGonagall here beside to do what she says is ‘monitoring my commentating’. Though why she needs to do that is beyond me. Everyone here knows that those Slytherins are dirty che—”

“Mister Raine! Do not make me take that microphone away from you.” McGonagall said from beside him sternly.

“Just messing with you, your highness.” Sonny replied cheekily and earned a large roll of the eyes. “Now, I have the ultimate pleasure of introducing to you your very own Hogwarts Quidditch Teams! First, let us give a fantastic and mind-blowing welcome to the great and glorious… GRYFFINDOR TEAM!” The crowd burst into applause as the seven members of the team streamed seamlessly out of one side of the stadium. They flew flawlessly in a tight formation before breaking off in complete unison. Without the flashiness, they could easily rival a professional Quidditch team in their masterful entrance. “Allow me the honorable pleasure of introducing your Gryffindor players this afternoon! First off, we have Beater and Team Captain Tim Eng on the field. This is his final year at Hogwarts, so let’s all hope that it turns out to be a successful year for him! He is followed closely by the one, the only, Harry Potter, the savior of the entire Wizarding World and also the one that allowed for this game by defeating Voldemort. Harry will be playing as your very own Gryffindor Seeker!” Sonny was cut off here by the deafening and energetic cheers for Harry. “Now, let’s continue to meet our wondrous Gryffindor Team! As the solid Keeper, let me give you Ron Weasley! Our Chasers for the afternoon are Ginny Weasley—Ron’s younger sister—Elizabeth Cloud, and John Wrighten!” A young brunette witch from across the field shouted and waved her fist angrily in Sonny’s direction and he quickly corrected himself, “Sorry, sorry, Elizabeth is better known as the lovely Lisa Cloud! Our final and immensely important member is the second Beater, let me give you Michael Felix! And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, wizards and witches, your Hogwarts Gryffindor Team!” The stadium erupted for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon as eager fans screamed and whooped for their favorite team.

Sonny took a deep breath and exhaled in a loud sigh, “Now, allow me to introduce your slimy and saucy, Slytherin Team!—No, Professor, those are compliments nowadays, I swear! Merlin, you really are behind the times, Professor.” The sleek Slytherin teams flew at in a perfectly straight line. They went one round past the commentating box before throwing nasty comments and gestures towards an impassive Sonny. (“See, Professor! Did you see that? They deserved it anyways… slimy gits…”) The team garbed in royal green robes broke ranks and scattered the hovering red-swathed Gryffindor Team. The Slytherins flew the complex maneuvers elegantly and made them appear simple and difficult all at the same time. “Now, the Slytherin team is lead by Chaser Caligum Foton. This will be his last year here at Hogwarts as well so let’s wish him a very fond fairwell.”

The Slytherin side of the arena cheered loudly while also shouting, “Down with the rain! Down with Raine!”

“Ah, I always loved you ruddy—sorry, Professor… Anyways, next is the team Seeker Draco Malfoy. He used to be on the Dark Side, but he converted over to the better cause. I still think he’s a nasty little bu—Professor! Come on, I was going to say ‘bugger’! It means good flyer in Quidditch talk, don’t you understand anything! Don’t you hear everyone calling the Snitch a little ‘bugger’?”

“I understand far more than you might imagine, mister Raine.”

“Okay, okay, let’s get this over with then. I now bring you the Slytherin Team: Keeper Stephen Cheesley, Chasers Daniel Kookie and Gant Peale. Finally, the Beater Brothers Nicholas Clark and Benjamin Clark—they’re not as good as the Weasley Twins though if I have anything to say about it… Professor! I’m not being subjective; I’m pointing out a well known fact!”

With that the match was ready to start. With a final warm up run through the frosty November air the teams formed two halves of a circle near the center of the pitch and the team captains landed lightly to firmly shake hands. It was obvious to everyone watching the captains were attempting to injure each other before the match but nothing was said as this was almost a Hogwarts tradition and no one was ever truly hurt—just a little sore, that’s all! Tim and Caligum nodded curtly at each other while looking directly into each other’s eyes, as if daring the other to look away and admit weakness.

“Good luck.”

“You as well.”

Neither of the two meant their words. With a final shake and nod, they mounted their brooms and soared into the far-reaching sky to join their teammates once again.

Madam Hooch came out onto the pitch, her standard Hogwarts black robes billowing out behind her. She looked each of the fourteen players in the eye critically before launching into her short speech. “All of you know the rules already. There will be no foul play in this game and only handle the ball that you’re supposed to touch. I know each and every one of you so no one is going to pull anything on me. Now, let’s have a nice clean game of Quidditch!” The carefully opened a medium sized chest and tapped a small compartment with her wand. The door sprung open and the tiny Golden Snitch flew out carefully into the sky. It flew up and instinctively circled the two Seekers, boldly telling them to catch it. Then in the blink of an eye, it vanished.

“The Golden Snitch has been released! Remember, the Seeker that catches it earns one hundred and fifty points for his respective team and the match ends!”

Next, Hooch tapped lightly with her wand again, but this time on the two magically enhanced restraining chains in the chest. As the manacles burst open, the two Bludgers shot out of the box and into the sky, growling and darting about with an inhumane ferocity. The jet black orbs hurtled around the pitch waiting for Madam Hooch to blow the whistle, begin the game, and start their onslaught.

Finally, reaching for a final time into the battered old trunk, the older witch removed from its recesses an ancient red Quaffle. Its color was fading in a way that made it obvious that magic got old just like everything else—but at the same time, it seemed to glow with its own tint and energy. Despite its age and appearance though, this special Quaffle held a special place in the hearts of all Hogwarts Quidditch players. This was indeed the official Hogwarts Quaffle that has been used since the institution first began. An enigmatic sort of magic held the weathered ball together. It only seemed fitting to start a brand new future, one without evil lurking in the midst, with an aged object that has seen the passing of many centuries.

Harry watched as time seemed to slow down for him. Madam Hooch walked to the very center of the field, looked up at all of the players one more time and said loudly, “Good luck, everyone!” Without further introduction, she tossed the blazing ball into the air and blew her whistle.

The match was on!

Harry watched with a satisfied smirk as Ginny swooped in gracefully and tapped the ball lightly to Lisa on the right. “Ginny of Gryffindor expertly taps the ball over to Cloud. Gryffindor is in possession!” Lisa caught the ball with practiced precision and charged forward. The veteran Gryffindor Chasers sped forward towards the opposite side of the stadium. They easily avoided Bludgers aimed in their direction while Tim and Michael came in at the appropriate times to defend the team from the incessant attacks. Traveling in a tight triangular formation, Ginny and Lisa traveled in front with John trailing close behind in case one of the two dropped the ball. Ginny and Lisa moved on forward, tossing the ball between each other to keep it out of the hands of the Slytherins. Harry scowled angrily as Ginny was almost rammed by a supposedly distracted Slytherin. She avoided just in time by diving downwards. Ginny, Lisa, and John reacted to this break in formation flawlessly. Approaching the goals, Lisa, who had the ball, dropped it down to Ginny who kept on going forward. Stopping abruptly, she threw the ball straight up in the air. Elizabeth came spinning vertically in and nailed the ball squarely at the upper right loop. Stephen, the Slytherin Keeper moved into position to block to ball. Hurtling at an increasing tempo, suddenly, the direction changed as John dived in from the right side. He grabbed the ball firmly and after taking a quick glance to aim, he fired the ball towards a new target, the lower hoop. This all happened so quickly that no one had any time to figure out what had happened! “Wrighten comes in to redirect a shot made by Cloud. The goal is good! He came out of nowhere, I tell you! Apparently, he had flown around to the side to rocket down. Weasley and Cloud did a good job diverting attention from him in order to execute this masterful scoring technique. What’s this?! Gryffindor scores again! The score is now twenty-nil, Gryffindor!” As Stephen retrieved the ball and made the throw it back out to his fellow Slytherin team, John had come in again to quickly steal the ball and score another goal while no one was prepared. It was clear that John Wrighten, Gryffindor Chaser extraordinaire was on fire today!

“Wright is right!” the crows chanted excitedly.

John waved genially at the crowd as they made their way back to the center of the field. There was not a chance that the Slytherin team would be careless again. The Chasers were smiling widely as they congratulated each other and slapped John heartily on the back in acknowledgement of his spectacular performance. Harry clapped while Tim and Michael crossed bats with each other in salute. Ron whooped loudly. “Keep the ball on that side, mate, and everything will be great! Keep it up, guys!”

Harry’s bright mood darkened as another voice called out, “Hey, Potter! I hope your enjoying your temporary lead. There’s no way we, Slytherins, are going to lose to filth such as your team.”

“Worried about losing already, Malfoy?” Harry asked coolly even though his eyes were narrowed dangerously. He returned his eyes to the rest of the pitch and redoubled his efforts to find the elusive Snitch.

~<>~

“Witches and wizards, you have just witnessed some of the most amazing teamwork and playing in all of Quidditch history. The grand Gryffindor team seems to really have outdone itself in this game, and the scoreboard shows this. The score as it stands now is seventy-twenty, in Gryffindor’s favor. You hear that, Slytherin! You’re losing!!! Crawl back into that hole that you—sorry, Professor… A quick rundown of what has just happened is thus: The Gryffindor team is unstoppable right now. The Weasley siblings are having a very decent game. Ginny has already scored a single goal, while Ron has blocked three, sadly, he’s let two of them go, that’s not too shabby though, and we’ll see what happens throughout the rest of the match. Lisa has scored two amazing goals, especially that one where she came so close that she nearly took Cheesley’s head off when she threw the ball through the hoop! Also, in the past thirty minutes of game play, John Wrighten has already scored four goals for the Gryffindor team! On the Slytherin side, Daniel has made two goals while Stephen has successfully blocked two goals, I think it was all luck though, there’s no way that Gryffindor could lose to a bunch of dirty… Well, let’s keep watching the game, professor! Again, ladies and gentlemen, the current score is seventy to twenty with Gryffindor in the lead!”

“Now, Slytherin has possession again. Peale has the ball. He passes quickly to Kookie in order to dodge a well-placed Bludger by Eng. The ball is now passed to team leader Foton. The three Slytherin Chasers are moving boldly forward and are now on the Gryffindor side of the field. Another Bludger by Michael Felix this time… still no luck, the Clark brothers are doing a half-decent job of protecting the Chasers. It seems that despite all attempts to make the Slytherins drop the ball, there is nothing that Gryffindors can do. Slytherin has adopted a strong, loose triangular formation so that they can quickly pass the ball around. A pass—and here comes Wrighten again! Aw, he misses the ball, but in a quick recovery, Wrighten knocks the ball out of Slytherin reach towards the goal—into the hands of Ronald Weasley—nice catch!”

“Ron passes the ball back out to the Chasers. Lisa is in positions and snatches it before taking off. Michael is close behind her to defend her from any impending Bludgers. Ginny and John are close behind in case Lisa drops the ball—which would never happen, but precautions couldn’t hurt now. Kookie comes hurtling in from behind and the group is forced to break formation. Felix quickly deflects a Bludger sent by Clark…uh… that’s Nicholas, I believe. This redirected Bludger is headed straight for Cheesley who dives out of the way. The Quaffle is now passed again to John. The expert Chaser charges forward towards the trio of rings on the Slytherin end of the field. He is increasing speed and now looks like a blazing fireball with his brilliant red and gold robes. Cheesley moves into position to block a throw, but it’s clear that Wrighten isn’t going to be throwing the ball! He swerves to the right to dodge the Bludger that is rebounding, the little bugger is now going straight for John. A quick spin throws it off John’s tail as the Gryffindor Chaser continues to pick up speed. Stephen is now getting out of the way—for good reason, no one in their right mind is fond of being hit by a fireball! Wait, what’s this, Nicholas Clark is coming in and just nailed the Bludger straight for Wrighten’s backside! Watch out! Eng comes in to deflect the Bludger, but the speeding missile smashed right through his bat. What’s going on here!?” Every member in the crowd rose up to see and attempt to figure out what was going on. “There’s no way a Bludger is suppose to go like that! Wrighten dodges again, but—oh blimey, it looks like we’ve got another rogue Bludger! Someone do something!”

Hermione closed her eyes tightly as a loud, sickening crunch reverberated throughout the entire pitch. Her eyes opened again and saw that John Wrighten was still flying through the air. The only problem with this was that he was no longer on his broom. Apparently, the impact of the Bludger had knocked him clean off of his broom, his momentum was still carrying him forward though. As his final act, he hurled the red Quaffle with his remaining energy at the upper left hoop. It sailed cleanly through. All of the onlookers weren’t watching the ball though, instead, they watched as John’s flight was impeded by the lower ring. He was stopped abruptly by the sturdy pole and fell through the loop towards the hard ground. The Bludger was still chasing him and making wild cackling noises. Hermione watched as Harry quickly pulled his wand out of his cloak and cast two quick spells.

“Finite Incantatum!”

“Protego!”

The dark curse was lifted off of the Bludger. Normally, spells do not effect Quidditch balls at all, but the power of Harry Potter is nothing to underestimate. The Bludger returned to its natural state and, John being the closest target attempted to smash him. This assault was effectively deflected by Harry’s shielding charm and John was spared. A sigh of relief swept through the crowd. Madam Hooch recovered from her initial shock and blew the whistle loudly, effectively pausing the entire game. Hermione watched in avid interest as the Gryffindor team sped down to the aid of its injured teammate. Madam Pomfrey bustled in and quickly checked on the hurt player. After a swift assessment, she announced, “This player is in no condition to continue playing, I’m taking him immediately to the Hospital Wing.” John protested feebly but was silenced by a hard stare from the school nurse.

In the meantime, Hooch was examining the Bludger. A quick magic-tracing charm revealed to her all that she needed to know. “I hereby declare Nicholas Clark disqualified from this match for cursing an official object of game play. Gryffindor will receive a free penalty shot for this offense.”

All eyes, including Hermione’s, were directed immediately at Nicholas Clark who protested adamantly, “You have no proof on this! You can’t dismiss me like this!”

“Mr. Clark, whether or not you will be disqualified from the rest of the season is still up in the air, do not argue. I am also known for being a master at tracing charms. Do not question me.” Madam Hooch replied darkly.

“With me, Clark. I will take care of him,” Severus Snape interceded here. He rose from out of the stands and walked briskly to the field. Nicholas reluctantly descended from the air and threw his bat on the ground. Snape took him by the arm roughly and dragged him off the field.

“This match will continue, unless there are any objections.” Madam Hooch paused, and seeing none, continued, “Each team will now receive exactly five minutes to reorganize themselves.”

Hermione watched sadly as the teams all regrouped. How could Nicholas have done something like that? She thought he was different than the other Slytherins. Shaking the thoughts from her head, Hermione quickly convinced herself that he had simply gotten caught up in the moment of the game. This was very unsettling… who knew how extensive John’s injuries would be. Maybe Harry was right…

The teams took off again, Gryffindor with solemn determination and Slytherin with relaxed arrogance. Playing a Chaser down would be much more difficult than playing a Beater down. Ginny and Lisa would have to make up the difference between themselves, and with the way John had been playing, that seemed almost impossible.

Right from the start, things didn’t seem to look good. Lisa heaved the old Quaffle with so much ferocity and intensity that Stephen purposely dodged the ball to save himself from an injury. “I wish that actually hit him.” Sonny muttered. Oddly, McGonagall made no attempt to reprimand him this time. Ginny and Lisa worked diligently to keep the lead, but it was just too difficult with only two Chasers. Every time Ginny or Lisa scored, Slytherin seemed to score another two goals. Ron was also valiantly trying to stop all of the shots, but there were too many. He was tiring, and the Bludgers that Benjamin seemed to be lobbing his way constantly weren’t help. In her mental tally, the Gryffindor team now had only one hundred twenty and Slytherin had closed the gap to merely ten points, them having a hundred and ten points. Ron had stopped about 6 goals total now, with Cheesley at only 4. The entire Gryffindor team was suffering.

Things had taken a turn for the worse for the Gryffindor team. Harry observed this with obvious disappointment. Not at his team, but at himself for not ending the game. The match now seemed to drag on. Slytherin was scoring more and more. Ron was getting discouraged, Ginny and Lisa were suffering. Even Timothy and Michael seemed to be repelling fewer Bludgers. Harry felt completely useless…

~<>~

The first Quidditch math since the defeat of Voldemort was not going at all as planned. It dragged on forever, with no sign or sight of the Golden Snitch. Gryffindor was now falling behind Slytherin terribly. Slytherin now had an eighty point lead over Gryffindor, three hundred ten to two hundred thirty. Ginny lobbed another shot at the top right goal but Stephen came in just in time to save it and toss it off to Daniel. Harry watched interestedly as Kookie sped across the field. Tim fired his dark ball at Daniel but to no avail. Harry’s hopes died within him as Kookie scored another goal on Ron. The energetic redhead seemed extremely disappointed in himself… but now wasn’t the time for encouraging speeches… especially when the Golden Snitch was in sight.

After keeping tabs on Malfoy throughout the entire match, Harry knew that the arrogant Slytherin was probably waving at his fans or just lazing about. Glancing quickly—just in case—confirmed Harry’s suspicions. Draco had a brand new broom, one that could probably out fly Harry’s trusty Firebolt, and after everything that had happened, Harry wasn’t going to take any chances for a loss. Making sure one last time that Malfoy was distracted, Harry suddenly zipped off down towards the ground where the Snitch was hovering.

“It looks like Harry Potter has spotted the Snitch! Go get it, mate! I swear I’ll never bug you for your autograph again if you make this catch!”

All attention was now turned on the young Seeker that was speeding to the ground. Malfoy spun around abruptly and chased Harry doggedly. The Snitch sensed its exposure and suddenly started to spasm and flit around randomly. There was no telling where it would move next. Harry pulled up on his broom and leveled it off as he reached the ground, and without losing much momentum, the raven-haired player urged the broom forward towards the Snitch. Just as his fingers brushed a wing of the golden ball, it sped off towards the sky. Harry followed it insistently—but he had missed his opportune chance, Malfoy was now close and gaining on his tail. Harry kept going and now the two players shot straight up into the heavens, chasing a tiny ball that might be mistaken for an illusion with the way that it rapidly leapt out of sight. Training his eyes on the ball, he watched without surprise as it suddenly descended again. Malfoy obviously hadn’t noticed though. Harry needed a quick way to throw the Seeker off of his trail and a plan immediately sprang to his mind. Quickly, he pulled even farther back on his broom, and suddenly, he found himself spinning backwards erratically and losing altitude. Harry noticed Malfoy smirking at him as the blond passed on, looking again for a Snitch that was no longer in the sky. Harry continued to spin backwards and struggled to regain control of his broom. The one good thing of all of this was that he was losing altitude—though at a rather quick rate. After a quick battle for control, Harry leaned into his broom again as he plummeted back down the Earth. The Golden Snitch was suddenly in sight again. It was harassing Ron who knew that he couldn’t touch it or risk a penalty. Harry smirked as he increased his speed—Malfoy had obviously caught on by now, and slowing down could make Harry lose sight of the prize. Harry stretched out his arm. A snarling Bludger passed by his head. It was so close that Harry felt it brush his hair. The screams of the crowd suddenly seemed to disappear and the only existing thing in Harry’s world was the Snitch that was flying circles around the Gryffindor goals. The Snitch shifted slightly to the left and passed through the hoop. Harry knew that there was no turning back now; this could either end up very good, or very messy. His speed picked up as gravity took a firm hold on him. Harry honed his eyes on the tiny ball and it didn’t occur to him that he had just barely passed through a goal ring on the Gryffindor side and that the ground was approaching very quickly.

AN2: Well, that’s it! I’ll see about getting the next update up as soon as possible! I hope my descriptions weren’t too confusing. Sometimes, it’s incredibly difficult to describe actions like the ones I had in mind. They just look so much better in my head than in writing! I’d like to take a moment to thank Mugglenet which was my reference for all of the Quidditch rules as well as several of the spells mentioned throughout the story. As always, feel free to leave comments and suggestions! Cheers!

7. untitled

AN: Alrighty, ladies and gentlemen! A lot of you have been asking about when those dirty Slytherins will get their just deserts—and trust me, this dessert won’t be sweet at all! This chapter is fairly long and I hope you guys all enjoy it! It’s pretty intense and I had a lot of fun writing it so I hope you have fun reading it as well! As always, your reviews are very much appreciated and I want to extend “thanks” to all of you that do review. It’s inspiring to know that my writing is appreciated! With that said, enjoy this update! Cheers!

Spoiler Alert: Again, as the trend throughout this story, there should be no spoilers in this chapter. But if you’re up to looking for really discreet things, then let me know if you find anything!

Disclaimer: I still do not own the rather incredible universe of Harry Potter. I do have a rather enjoyable time twisting it to my own preferences though!

VII

“Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Slytherin loses to Gryffindor 32 to 38! Gryffindor w—whoa, is Harry alright!?” Harry Potter had crashed into the ground, rolling off of his broom roughly. He stood up slowly and held up the feebly twitching Snitch—but it wasn’t even another 4 seconds before he had passed out.

~<>~

Harry woke up in the hospital wing… again. His head was throbbing dully, but otherwise he felt fine, just drained. He reached to the small desk beside the bed and found his glasses waiting for him faithfully. Slowly, he sat up to be greeted by the relieved, chocolate-brown eyes of Hermione Granger.

“Hermione! What are you doing here?” Harry stammered.

“Just making sure that you were okay, Harry. Oh, Harry!” she flung her arms around him awkwardly, “I was so worried about you, what happened?”

“He was playing a strenuous game for the better of 6 hours, Grang—er… Hermione.” A voice answered nearby.

“Ron, glad to see you, mate! How’d the score turn out?”

Hermione rolled her eyes but sat back down in her chair next to the bed. “It was a close game, mate.” Ron answered seriously, “But with your catch, we won three hundred and eighty to three hundred twenty. Don’t worry about the score though, how are you feeling now?”

“I’m not bad, just tired really, and a minor headache.” Harry answered truthfully.

“Madam Pomfrey expected that and left this for you,” Hermione said matter-of-factly from his bedside and handed him a glass filled with a glowing orange liquid. Harry looked distastefully at it, “It’s for your headache and to help you regain your energy.” Hermione said.

Harry nodded and drank the entire glass, but not without choking halfway through.

“Nothing like a good Extra Strength Pepper Up Potion, eh, mate? Anyways, I’ll go tell the guys that you’re up, we’ll definitely be celebrating tonight—” Ron’s excited rant was cut off by Hermione.

“It’s a school night, Ronald, I would be saving the partying for a later time, maybe when Harry is feeling better and we don’t have class tomorrow morning.”

Ron frowned, “Luckily I’m not you then…” he trailed off before standing up, “I’ll just be going now then, Harry.” He winked suggestively at his best friend before bouncing out of the room.

Harry and Hermione glanced nervously at each other. “So,” Hermione started unsurely, “Are you sure that you’re feeling alright?”

“I’m feeling much better now that I’ve taken that potion.” Harry answered, “Why’d you stick around waiting for me to wake up anyways?”

“Oh, I was just terribly worried about you. Even in the wizarding world, I don’t expect that passing out is a good thing.”

Harry chuckled, “You’re right there. Anyways, thanks for staying. Erm… want to walk with me back to the tower?”

“Sure!” Hermione answered brightly.

Harry clambered out of bed, and found to his pleasure that he was already changed into more comfortable clothes. Madam Pomfrey obviously knew him very well. Harry checked up on John who was still asleep and left with Hermione into the expanse of hallways. “I’m really really sorry about what Nicholas did.” Hermione blurted out.

“Hey, hey,” Harry said reassuringly, “It’s not your fault that it happened.” He sighed heavily, “Now I wish that you hadn’t seen that though. Quidditch can be a pretty brutal game sometimes.”

“It was horrible.” Hermione confessed, “I was so worried that you’d be next. I’m glad you’re not hurt too badly though. Just… think a little more about what you’re doing before you do it. You really scared me, Harry.”

“Sorry, Mione.” Harry mumbled.

“It’s alright…” Hermione was distracted by the bulletin board as the two passed by. “What’s this?” she approached it to get a closer look. Harry hung back, looking around sheepishly. “I don’t remember putting posters up about our next meeting yet… Wait a second…” she turned around and looked at Harry expectantly. Harry could see the hope shining in her eyes. “You?”

Harry answered the question with a careless shrug. The smile tugging at Hermione’s lips burst out and she flung her arms around a surprised Harry Potter. And it is safe to say, with all that had happened in his life, that Harry Potter was not often surprised. “Oh, Harry! You put up the posters already?”

“Yeah, Mione, not a big deal…”

“Of course it’s a big deal!” Hermione gushed, “This is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me! How much did it cost? I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

“Hermione!” Harry said sternly, “You don’t owe me anything. Money least of all.”

“Oh, Harry, honestly, how many did you put up anyways?” When Harry didn’t answer, Hermione pulled back from the comfortable embrace and looked at him with a questioning expression.

“Um… really, it’s not a big deal Hermione. I’m just doing my part to contribute to S.P.E.W. I just have maybe one or two on every bulletin board I could find.” Harry said the last sentence in a rush.

“Harry! That must have cost a fortune!”

Harry looked away, “I have plenty of those. But I would give every single bit of it away if I could just…” Harry trailed off and he thought briefly of small WWAT that he had received from the Weasley twins.

“What’s the matter, Harry?”

Harry shook his head quickly, “I don’t want to talk about it right now. But the point is, I have a ton of money. What use is it if I can’t use it to bring some good to the world?”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, Harry! You’re the best!” Hermione pulled him into a hug again. Harry recovered quickly this time and rested his chin on Hermione’s head. He could definitely become accustomed to this position. The feel of this girl in his arms was one of the most incredible things Harry had ever experienced. It was so wonderful that Harry feared for what might happen if he let go.

Suddenly, Hermione pulled back and slapped Harry playfully on the chest, “So you’re the one that stole my flyer last time! That’s the only way you could’ve gotten my design since I never went over it with you before!”

“How do you know that I didn’t just memorize the design on your old flyer?” Harry asked quickly. Hermione gave him a knowing look and Harry laughed good-naturedly “It was for a good cause wasn’t it? With all of this advertising, I’m sure we’ll get a better attendance than last time.”

“I rather enjoyed last time though.” Hermione said coyly.

Harry laughed, “I did too, Mione. Why don’t we get back to the tower though? Everyone must be wondering where I am, and knowing Ron, he probably has a party waiting for me even though you told him not to have one.”

“You’re not going to that party are you, Harry?”

“I might stick around for a little, it is a party for the team anyways, and I need to support our team. Will you stay for just a little? Just for me?” Harry pouted cutely.

“Fine, fine, Harry, I’ll stay… only for twenty minutes though.”

Hermione stayed for longer than twenty minutes.

~<>~

Some 26 or so minutes later, Hermione tore her gaze from a relaxing Harry and suddenly realized the time. She had planned a follow-up date with Nicholas for this evening and she was going to be late! The pretty brunette didn’t know if she wanted to speak to him just yet, but knew that she had already made the commitment. She approached Harry and tapped him on the shoulder.

“I’m going to go now.”

“Where? Are you tired of the party already?”

“No, no, the party is great, but, you see, I planned another date with Nicholas tonight, and I really need to get going.”

“On a school night?” Harry asked accusingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Honestly Harry, it shouldn’t be too long this time. I mean, what could we do in the castle anyways? I’m sure it couldn’t hurt”

“Oh, I see.” Hermione didn’t notice his downcast eyes.

“I’ll talk to you later, Harry.”

“Right, I’ll talk to you later.” Harry forced a smile onto his face and bid a fond farewell to Hermione Granger.

“Where’s she going?” Ron asked, Ginny was close behind him.

“She has a date with Clark.” Harry said suspiciously.

“Harry, it’s already late, I’m not seeing an… ‘innocent’ reason to be having a date at this time of the evening. I think you should go after her.” Ginny said.

“Are you sure?” Ginny nodded. “I’ll go get my cloak and the map.”

“I’ll cover for you.” Ron said.

“Thanks, guys.” Harry rushed up the stairs and grabbed the Marauders’ Map and his Invisibility Cloak from their designated spots inside his trunk. He draped the cloak around himself and sped out the door, through the Common Room and silently out the Portrait Hole. Harry distinctively heard Ron announcing something about him and a lady friend, but decided to pummel his best friend later.

Harry hastily unfolded a seemingly blank piece of parchment. He tapped his wand to the parchment and chanted “I solemnly swear I’m up to no good.” Thin, spider web-like lines started weave across the paper, and soon, a brilliant real-time map of Hogwarts was before Harry’s eyes. He scanned it quickly and found Hermione well on her way. He looked again and found Nicholas in the Room of Requirement.” Harry’s heart sank and he dashed off down the hallway. He had an idea of what Clark might be planning and, it wasn’t good.

After about 4 other shortcuts, Harry had caught up to Hermione. He slowed down and quietly followed. He couldn’t let Hermione know that she was being followed. Hermione finally arrived at an innocent-looking door. She glanced around quickly before entering the room. Harry slipped in closely behind her. He swiftly moved to an unoccupied corner before looking up again at the room. It was lit romantically and the walls were a soft white that seemed to emit its own limited light. There was a cozy couch in front of the fireplace and a comfortable bed near—wait, a bed!? Why the heck would he need a bed unless he was… Harry’s face paled and he watched the scene unfold with interest. If Hermione did not protest, then he could do nothing, and since the door was closed, and it would be suspicious if he were to open it. If Hermione did not protest, then he would be forced to watch as well.

Hermione seemed to have noticed the decor of the room as well and looked to Nicholas, who was sitting comfortably on the couch, with a raised eyebrow. “I thought we should just have a comfortable evening together, Hermione.”

“What’s the bed for?”

“I’m not really sure; it just appeared when I wished for this room.” He replied smoothly. Harry could tell that he was lying because he knew that the room gave you exactly what you wanted.

“That’s odd.” Hermione said uncertainly before making her way over to the couch and sitting next to Nicholas. She snuggled into him before asking, “So what was today about?”

“Wait, you actually came to my game?”

“Actually, I went for Ha—well… yeah, I went to the game.”

“Oh, that’s great! Sorry about you seeing that though. I guess that I just sometimes get into the game a little too much.”

“So much into the game that you curse the ball to hurt someone?” Hermione questioned.

Nicholas was silent for a moment before his light expression darkened quickly and he turned his head to Hermione. “Okay, Hermione, we both know what’s going to happen now, and if you don’t resist, it may even be nice for you.”

Hermione looked confused, “Nick? What’s going to happen?”

“Wait, so you honestly don’t understand what’s going on?”

“Enlighten me.” Hermione didn’t look very pleased now. Harry figured that she had an idea of what he might be up to, but wasn’t ready to admit it to herself.

“Why don’t I just show you?” Then suddenly, Nicholas planted his lips on Hermione’s.

Hermione pulled away abruptly. “Nick, what are you doing!?”

“I’m going to get what I want tonight, Hermione. I’m just far too impatient to wait for it.” Nicholas smirked before trying to kiss Hermione again.

Harry could only watch in disgust, waiting for Hermione to say the word. “Nicholas! Stop it. I don’t want this right now.” Harry jumped into action.

“Shut up.” Nicholas kissed her again and his hands moved forward this time.

Suddenly with a great thump, Nicholas Clark landed on the ground. Harry Potter stood above him, his fists clenched tightly, magic temporarily forgotten. He had revealed himself from under the cloak and glared hatefully at Nicholas. “She said that she didn’t want to be kissing you yet, Clark.”

Nicholas imperceptibly moved his hand into his cloak. “Oh, sorry, Potter. Where are my manners?” he whipped his wand out and waved it through the air, “Petrificus Totalus!”

Harry was suddenly immobilized. He struggled angrily against the invisible bonds but it didn’t seem to be helping.

“Come, love.” Nicholas said quickly. He grabbed Hermione roughly and dragged her out of the room.

“Harry!” Hermione screamed.

And they were gone. Harry fumed as he struggled some more. Finally, he came to his senses when for the third time, he failed to break free. He forced himself to calm down and focus. Gathering his magical energies, Harry compressed it all in a tight ball before unleashing it in a quick burst. He poured his frustration and anger, but most importantly, love into the magic. Quickly, the magic binding him dissipated and he had control over his body once again. He scanned the map again to find that Clark had taken Hermione out to the Quidditch pitch. Harry knew that Hermione was very scared of heights so her being in the Quidditch pitch with a malicious Slytherin couldn’t be good. He raced out the door, his wand clutched tightly in his hand.

He couldn’t seem to make himself get down to the pitch any faster. He arrived out of breath only to see that Nicholas had already taken Hermione into the air. Hermione was frozen in place and couldn’t seem to move. Harry cursed under his breath before shouting loudly, “Let her down, Clark. What has she done to you?”

“Nothing. But she won’t give me what I want, and I don’t like that in a girl.”

Harry scowled darkly, “Don’t make me come up there.”

“Why don’t you try to catch me?” Nicholas taunted.

Harry cursed and quickly summoned his broom. He rose up level to Nicholas and drew his wand. Harry wouldn’t be able to use that many spells because he couldn’t risk hurting Hermione. “Just take her back to the ground, Clark.” He repeated again.

“I don’t think I want to just yet.” With that, Nicholas flew off while firing off a lustrous purple spell. Harry dodged it carefully and chased after them.

“Impedimenta!” Harry muttered. The spell hit Nicholas’s broom which stopped abruptly. Nicholas and Hermione’s momentum carried them on forward though. Harry swore again darkly before diving forward in an attempt to catch Hermione.

“Harry!” Hermione let out a piercing scream.

Harry leaned forward, but suddenly a blue spell came out of nowhere and knocked him off of his broom. He tumbled to the ground in a heap, but sprang up. Harry watched in horror as Hermione crumbled to the ground. He ran forward but Nicholas appeared in front of him. Harry glared angrily and struggled to keep his temper in check.

“I am one of the best duelists in the school, Potter.” Nicholas drawled.

“I don’t care, Clark. Let me by, I have to make sure that Hermione is alright!”

“Why do you care so much about that filthy mudblood?”

“What did you just call her?”

“You heard me, Potter. She’s just a dirty mudblood. What is it you see in her? Instead you should change your alliances to ours. You know deep in heart that only purebloods are fit to live in this magical world. We could easily dominate and own everything. Imagine it, Potter, we could create an untainted world where everyone could live in peace.”

“You’re wrong there, Clark.” Harry said coldly, “Right now, I can’t imagine a world without people like Hermione. A world where everyone is the same is the exact same thing that Voldemort offered to me when we were fighting. I still don’t accept. Hermione is far stronger and better than you anyways.”

Nicholas glared at Harry, “I gave you a chance, Potter. Now I can’t let you go off to tell people about what happened here. For all anyone should know, Hermione suffered from a miserable accident and I will mourn tearfully for my girlfriend!”

“I’m not going to let you do that, Clark.” Harry spat. He raised his wand again.

“And what can you do to stop me?”

“Just watch.”

“Impedimenta!” Harry shouted again. He missed though as Nicholas dove out of the way and raised his own wand level to Harry.

“We’ll see now who the better duelist is.” He flicked his wand through the air quickly. “Sectumsempra”

“Protego!” Harry shouted automatically. Even though the curse didn’t seem to have a beam or ray, Harry felt the drain on his magical reserves as it slashed menacingly at his shield charm.

After the assault subsided, Harry lashed out again with an “Expelliarmus!” but the attack was diverted by another well placed shield charm.

“Furnunculus” Harry followed up just as the shield charm was fading. The hex nailed Nicholas in the head and he was thrown back a couple feet. Suddenly he was breaking out in boils.

“Vigoratus.” Nicholas mumbled and the painful affliction suddenly stopped. He stood up completely this time before staring Harry down again.

Nicholas fired off sparkling green spells in quick succession. Harry ducked to the ground to avoid these and rolled to the side just in time to dodge a fireball. “What are you running from, Harry? Is it the truth that you really aren’t all everyone makes you out to be?”

“That is the truth, Nicholas.” Harry answered coolly, “and I’ve since accepted it, I’m just waiting for everyone else to realize it. That truth doesn’t change that I’m going to take you down though!” Harry charged forward and cast a quick tripping jinx at Nicholas’s feet. The target was caught unaware by the ferocious charge and found itself on the ground. “Redimio” Harry said and thick ropes shout out of his wand to tie Nicholas to the ground tightly. He quickly ran past him towards Hermione but a bright light shot right past his shoulder, singing his cloak. He turned around slowly to find Nicholas getting up and brushing charred ropes off of his robes.

Back to square one. “Inflego tergum” Nicholas quickly roared. The familiar wall of energy hit Harry again but he was ready for it. Even though he was blown back several feet, Harry managed to maintain his balance to land lightly.

“Congelomotus” Harry waved his wand through air in a complicated fashion.

“Pondero!” Suddenly, Harry found his spell rebounding on him unexpectedly. His body immediately stopped responding to his commands for motion. This spell was obviously a much more powerful version of Petrificus Totalus as Harry’s surprised expression was still frozen on his face. He landed with a thud on the ground but could make no motion to right himself.

Nicholas walked slowly over to Harry no with a disdainful look on his face. “What now, Potter?” he spat, “You cannot move because of your own spell. I think I win. Now, what do with you… oh, I have the perfect thing!” He moved his wand in a circle around Harry and muttered, “Flagrate!” A ring a fire suddenly burst around the Boy-Who-Lived. Nicholas than motioned to create a dome of fire that encased him. “Burn!”

Harry could no longer see anything other than fire and sweat beaded on his forehead from not only the heat, but the frustration at himself for not anticipating a redirection spell. He quickly summoned his magic again and wordlessly cast “Finite” on himself to free himself from his bonds. The concentration it took to cast wordlessly was far higher than with an incantation and Harry had to try several times before he succeeded. Now was the opportune moment to catch Nicholas had risen again. Harry cast a quick tracing spell and located Nicholas immediately. With this location in mind, Harry cast a quick fire-repelling charm on himself and leapt through the thick flames. The broad pillars of smoke blinded him momentarily but he shrugged it off. Escaping his fiery cell, Harry saw Nicholas in the distance. Thinking back to the battle with Voldemort, Harry raised his wand and said loudly. “It’s time to fight fire with fire!” Nicholas spun around in surprise to see Harry’s wand pointing at him. “Incendio! Impervius!” A stream of fire erupted from Harry’s wand and caught onto Nicholas’s robes. The Impervius charm kept him from putting the fire out with water-based spells. While Nicholas was distracted by his burning shroud, Harry waved his wand again and a ray of red light burst out of his wand when he said, “Expelliarmus!” Nicholas’s wand flew out of his hand and Harry quickly summoned it to his own hand.

“It’s over, Clark.” Harry said. “Totus terminus” the flames disappeared. Nicholas scrambled to his feet and tried to run but Harry swiftly cast the Congelomotus spell on him to stop him in his tracks. Seeing that Nicholas would no longer be a threat, Harry threw the extra wand to the ground and turned to the boiling dome of fire. A quick Aguamenti extinguished the hungry flames. Seeing that all of the major damage from the fight was taken care of, Harry ran frantically over to Hermione’s side.

She still had not stirred from her fall. Harry blinked away his unbidden tears and tried to check her for a pulse, but he could not tell if there was a beat or if it was from the trembling of his hands. Harry pointed his wand quickly at Hermione and mumbled, “Ennervate” but after a few seconds, she still had not stirred.

“No, Hermione.” Harry cried, “You can’t be dead!” Tears started to trickle out of his eyes now. A lone tear dropped off of his face and landed softly on Hermione’s robes. Harry brushed strands of stray hair off of her pale face as his entire body quivered. Harry fumbled to put his wand back into his pocket and he suddenly felt a light object in his pocket. He pulled it out slowly and found the WWAT still in its original wrapping.

“DON’T TRY TO BRING BACK THE DEAD”

The warning suddenly flashed through his mind but he was beyond caring. Harry would give anything to bring Hermione back now. He knew what his wish would be now. If Hermione was alive, even by the very smallest sliver, Harry would bring her back, if she was already gone… Harry didn’t see any reason to be living then. The consequences of death and his soul being ripped to pieces didn’t seem nearly as foreboding as the very thought of living in a world without Hermione. Harry carefully unwrapped the cloth from around little ball. A small, perfect orb landed in his hands. As soon as it made contact with Harry’s skin, misty words floated into sight.

“What is your wish, oh wish maker?”

“Whatever you bid,”

“No matter your desire,”

“Regardless of the cost,”

“Devoid of worldly obstacles,”

“Your wish is my command.”

A moment later:

“Results are not guaranteed until further testing may guarantee it”

“WWW will not be held responsible for any unfortunate circumstances that result of your wish”

Harry smiled slightly at the Weasley wit but wiped it off of his face in preparation for the task ahead. He took a deep breath before saying clearly, “I wish that Hermione could be okay.” No matter how the language of his wish might be twisted, the intent of Harry’s wish could not be mistaken.

The mist in the tiny sphere blurred, but then cleared again, “Do you agree to the WWW Terms of Service?”

Harry looked at the little thing confusedly, “Yes?”

“Are you sure you want to continue?”

“Yes.”

“Please wait while proper components are extracted… This may take a few minutes…”

The globe then went completely dark. Harry stared at it in utter confusion. After a moment, the bubble exploded. The shards seemed to disappear instantly, though, as Harry didn’t feel anything. For another minute, Harry just kneeled in the same position in shock. Comprehension for what was happening was still far above him. Then, without warning, Harry felt a tug. It wasn’t a physical sensation, rather, it came from within him; where within him, Harry wasn’t sure. And then, all of a sudden, Harry’s energy seemed to vanish completely. Depleted completely, Harry fell forward limply. The last things he saw were Hermione’s blinking eyes…

Hermione opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was still muddled so she was forced to blink multiple times before it cleared to her liking. She seemed to be lacking a lot of her strength and her mind was foggy, but all of that energy she once had was rushing back to her. Her mind quickly registered her last memory.

‘Harry!’

Harry, the fall, Nicholas, fighting, flying. It all came back to her in a rush and Hermione suddenly realized that she was on the ground. Everything, the memory and her energy returned to her in that instant and she sprang up. Hermione saw Harry lying in a prone position on the ground nearby. She let out a high squeak of surprise and jumped to his side. Obviously, the immobilization charm that Nicholas had put on her had worn off. She turned him over. Hermione pulled her wand out of her pocket and tried to reawaken him. “Ennervate” she said firmly. Harry stirred slightly but made no other motions. Hermione accessed that he’d obviously lost a lot of strength and energy. “Navi transfera” she mumbled. Her own body shined a peaceful white and the mystical light made its way into Harry’s chest were it melted into his body. Harry coughed violently and his eyes fluttered open weakly. Hermione channeled some more of her own energy into him before she cut the spell off. She helped Harry sit up before she enveloped him in a fierce hug. “Harry!” After realizing that he was still alive and that Hermione was in his arms, Harry returned the hug with just as much energy. He was alive. Hermione was also alive. After a minute or maybe more, they released each other and Hermione stood up. She offered a hand to Harry who took it gratefully and shakily stood up. “I don’t know what happened,” Hermione started, “but let’s worry about that later. We need to get you to the hospital wing.”

Harry only nodded weakly. He had only taken a single step forward before he fell. Hermione came to his aid and let him lean most of his weight on her. “You’re not strong enough to walk on your own yet, Harry. Honestly, what did you do to yourself?”

Harry smiled, “Why don’t we get somewhere where I can stop for a while and I’ll tell you.”

“Oh, right, hospital wing. This way, Harry.”

The two walked through the halls of Hogwarts in mostly silence. One, they were both too tired to speak, and neither of them knew exactly what to say either. Harry was focused on not passing out again while Hermione was distracted by her feelings that were going out of control. Footsteps rang in the dark halls. Harry and Hermione froze instantly, each unconsciously holding their breath. The echoing footfalls got closer and closer until Professor McGonagall emerged into the moonlight. She looked very surprised to see Harry and Hermione in the halls after hours. “Mr. Potter? Ms. Granger? What are you two doing out in the halls at this hour?” Harry and Hermione both could find nothing to say. “Mr. Potter, are you injured? What happened? Tell me this instant!”

“I—” Harry could find nothing to say. There was no way that he could admit that he was dueling with another student.

“Well, Mr. Potter?” Professor McGonagall arched her eyebrows expectantly.

Harry looked down as his shoes which suddenly became more interesting than his house leader’s stern face. Hermione took a deep breath and stepped forward. “It is my fault, professor.”

Professor McGonagall looked taken aback. “Whatever do you mean, Ms. Granger?”

“What’s I’m trying to say, professor, is that for some reason or another, I was really upset with Harry. And, I guess when he tried to see what was wrong, I just exploded. I really didn’t mean to, professor, but it just all came out.”

“Are you telling me that you attacked Mr. Potter with magic?” Professor McGonagall looked stricken.

“Yes” Hermione mumbled and looked down as well. Harry was surprised completely by Hermione’s false confession.

“Hermione!” Harry started.

“No, Harry. I’m sorry…” Hermione said and looked at him seriously.

Harry nodded almost imperceptibly, “It’s alright, Hermione, I probably should’ve given you more time to cool off.”

“Well, Ms. Granger, this is most surprising, but you should know better. There should never be an occasion to use offensive magic against a fellow student. I’m going to take fifty points from Gryffindor and you will serve two detentions with me.”

Hermione looked ready to burst into tears so Harry quickly interceded, “Professor, please, she doesn’t deserve a detention. It was an accident, and it was partly my fault too! If you’re going to put her in detention, then I deserve it as well.”

The stern professor studied them carefully before she spoke again, “Very well, Potter, I alleviate Granger of her detentions. But make certain that this does not happen again, I won’t be this lenient again. Now, Ms. Granger, please take Mr. Potter to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey can have him fixed up in no time. Then I expect for both of you to go to your rooms and get some sleep. We have class tomorrow. Good night.”

With that, the two knew that they were dismissed and hurriedly (as fast as Harry could go, that is) rushed on to the hospital wing. As they made their way, it seemed that the dark tension between them was lifted.

Harry started, “Hermione?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you lie for me?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, Harry, I mean, you saved my life—I can’t have you expelled for it! What is surprising is that you stood up for me to Professor McGonagall of all people! Weren’t you afraid that she would give you a detention?”

Harry laughed, “Hermione, I’ve been in detention so many times, it would hardly make a difference.”

Hermione gave a small smile, “Yeah, you’re right. I guess, sometimes there are more important things that detentions and grades.”

“I know what you mean.” Harry said softly, “When you were laying there on the ground… I thought you were dead. I—I didn’t even know what to do with myself.” He looked into her eyes, “At that moment, I would’ve given anything to keep you alive.”

Hermione finally tore her eyes away. Being assaulted by a barrage of unknown feelings, she mumbled quietly, “We’re here, Harry.”

The two walked into the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey came bustling out, “Who in the name of Merlin could get hurt at this time of nig—Mr. Potter? What happened to you?”

Harry opened his mouth but he was cut off promptly by the experienced healer, “You know, forget I asked. I don’t even want to know right now.” She gave Harry another once over before running into her office, “I’ll give you some potions to help you restore your strength—again. And also another for the soreness that you’re definitely going to feel in the morning.” The kindly witch returned with two vials, “Well, Potter, you know how these work. If you are experiencing any more problems, come to me immediately.”

“Thanks Madam Pomfrey.” Harry said.

“Don’t mention it. Now, off to bed with the two of you.”

The two were pushed out of the hospital wing and the door closed firmly behind them. Harry was carefully cradling the small potions in one hand while the other returned to around Hermione’s shoulder as he leaned against her slightly. They walked in relative silence. Finally, Hermione tore her gaze from the ground and looked towards the tired hero. “H—Harry?”

“Yes, Hermione?”

“Can you tell me exactly what happened now?”

Harry looked at her carefully. The snippets of what he remembered flashed through his mind, all of the pain, frustration, anger, and most importantly, love came rushing back to the forefront of his consciousness. Harry nodded and launched into the tale as the two continued the long walk to the Gryffindor tower.

~<>~

“I thought you were dead Hermione. I really did, and I didn’t know what to do. Especially when Ennerveate didn’t seem to have any effect at all. But that’s when I remembered the WWAT.”

“What?”

“Yeah, the WWAT. It’s a product by Fred and George Weasley, Ron’s twin brothers. Basically it would grant me exactly one wish. And, by now, I’m sure you know what I wished for.”

Hermione looked thoughtful, “Wishes are complicated, Harry. What if you had died in bringing me back to life?!”

Harry shrugged noncommittally, “At least you would’ve been alive.”

“Harry!” Hermione scolded quietly, “Don’t you even dare think about it.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, “You have no idea how much you mean to me.”

Harry looked into Hermione’s sparkling eyes. He stared unashamedly and barely registered mumbling the password to the Fat Lady (338 Ways to Make A Good Password). The two stood silently in the Common Room just watching each other for the longest time. Harry found that even though Hermione’s hair was wild from the events of the evening, and her face was tearstained and confused from the jumble of emotions that she was feeling, he had never seen anyone more beautiful in his entire life.

Harry reached his hand out slowly and tenderly brushed another stray hair back to its rightful place. His hand lingered by her still head and he could hear her breathing rate increasing rapidly. “H—Mione?” Harry said softly.

“Yes, Harry?” Hermione whispered.

Harry paused, “I’ve never had a girlfriend before,” he said, “And I know that now probably isn’t the best time. But I just really have to know.” He looked meaningfully into her eyes.

Hermione’s heart rate was skyrocketing to even greater heights now as the room suddenly became several degrees warmer. The only person that existed in the universe was the young man before her. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Time froze for Hermione Granger. Harry didn’t drag out his speech. He didn’t elaborate on any of the finer details. Hermione could barely even make out what he was saying, but regardless, the message was clear. Leaning in slowly, she mumbled almost incoherently, “Yes.”

Harry smiled happily. Both were caught in a euphoric daze. Harry leaned forward slowly. Inch by inch, his face came closer and closer to Hermione’s. She could feel his warm breath on her face, his lips, mere centimeters away from her own. There would be no turning back now.

“Harry! There you are! Where the bloody—Holy! I’ll come back later, sorry!” Ron swiftly turned back to the boys dormitory in rush, his ears a glowing red.

At Ron’s exclamation, Harry and Hermione had broken apart abruptly. Both were blushing copiously but they were each smiling shyly at each other. “So…” Harry ventured to start a conversation again, “How does the next Hogsmeade visit with me sound?”

“Lovely” Hermione smiled widely.

“Well, I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.”

“Sounds good.”

“Then… Good night, Mione.”

“G’night, Harry.” And for the second time that day, she leaned up and kissed Harry sweetly on the cheek. Harry smiled goofily and watched ascend the stairs quickly to the girls side of the tower. Harry then made his way up to his own dorm.

“Care to explain what in the name of Merlin’s bleeding socks is going on?” Ron said with his arms crossed.

Harry rolled his eyes, “Nothing, Ron.”

“That didn’t look like just, nothing, mate. In fact, it looked very much like a something.” When Harry didn’t bother answering, Ron continued, “You two are going out then?”

Harry nodded slowly and turned to face Ron, bracing himself for whatever Ron might throw. The redhead looked thoughtful for a moment before breaking out into a genuine smile, “Good for you, mate.”

“What?”

“You definitely deserve someone that can make you happy. Just remember…”

“Remember what?”

“Don’t do anything I would do!”

Harry laughed happily, glad that his friend had accepted his newfound relationship, “Prat!”

AN2: Well, that’s it! I hope you enjoyed that. Reading it again was really fun! I tossed in a bit of humor (or I tried to) so tell me if you any of you noticed it. As a random fact, I was listening to the Jurassic Park theme while revising the end and it really seemed to fit together. If you guys aren’t familiar with the tune, I highly recommend checking it out! It is excellent! As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated. I’ll see about getting my next chapter up soon. But it will be difficult for me to get it up this week because I’m so busy. I’ll try to have at the very least, one more update between this one and the weekend. Thanks for reading! Cheers!

8. untitled

AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for the wonderful reviews! It was really encouraging to read them and I decided to get this update out for you today! It was hilarious to see how many of you hated Ron for interrupting, hehe. Ron and his bad timing, eh? Regardless, all of the reviews are much appreciated and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Spoiler Alert: Obviously, there will again be no spoilers in this chapter. Nearing the end like we are, I think it’s safe to say that this entire piece should have no spoilers.

Disclaimer: The same as at the beginning of the story. I did not own the Harry Potter universe, and I still don’t. All of the credit goes to the wondrous J.K. Rowling!

Enjoy!

VIII

The news of the couple spread around the school like the plague. By breakfast time the next morning, every individual—including the portraits—knew of the new couple. However the opinions were divided. Harry was met with congratulations, pats on the back, and also suggestive winks, but also he was on the receiving end of numerous incredulous and disdainful looks—and not the usual ones from the Slytherins who were all sore from losing the Quidditch match. Hermione was greeted with far more disapproval from the masses than Harry. Most of the boys could not believe that Harry would go for someone as… “plain” as Hermione, however, they didn’t really care because that left more of the more “beautiful” girls available. At the same time though, every single girl seemed to detest Hermione’s guts for stealing the heart of the young war hero, every girl except Ginny (and Luna) perhaps; the young redhead girl was ecstatic about the wonderful news. Luna accepted it happily in her own detached way. The somewhat eccentric blond witch smiled serenely and simply mentioned something about watching out for “Flaming Nifflebiffs”. Hermione didn’t quite understand what exactly a Flaming Biffy—oh whatever it was—was, but at least Luna wasn’t glaring daggers into Hermione’s back at any given moment. Luckily, the two had their own closest friends, as well as each other, for support. Never before had Harry felt so happy, and Hermione felt completely fulfilled. As Ginny often gushed, “Those two are perfect for each other!” Throughout the week, Harry and Hermione spent as much time together as they could. They often studied in the library and walked to class in each other’s company. A little time was devoted every night to simply cuddling and talking comfortably with each other in the cozy confines of the Common Room. They found out more and more about each other as well as learning to trust their counterpart completely.

The S.P.E.W. meeting of that week was a major success. About 32 students showed up which was a complete improvement from the last meeting. Hermione spoke a little bit about the program and its mission before handing the spotlight over to Dobby, who Harry invited to speak. Dobby described in detail the punishments of a House Elf. He also pointed out the role of House Elves and how insulting it was to be freed by their masters. To be freed meant that the Elf had not done its inherent job properly. With all of this in mind, the group shared several ideas and discussed each of them. The next meeting date was decided and now S.P.E.W. was officially started! Harry and Hermione stayed behind after everyone had departed.

“Well, that went well.” Harry grinned.

Hermione leapt into his arms, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Harry!”

“For what? You did most of the talking.” Harry joked.

Hermione slapped him playfully before retorting, “If you hadn’t put up all of those notices, I’m sure we never would’ve gotten this kind of response.”

“This is all your doing, Mione. It’s your vision, your design, your drive that made all of this possible. I was just a bloke that came along, liked what he saw, and gave the club a little push.”

“Thanks again, Harry.”

“Anytime.”

The remainder of the week flew by. Harry took every opportunity to catch a seat by his girlfriend. The two chatted amiably and Charms had never seemed like such a short class. The happy lovebirds were completely oblivious to the mixed emotions of the classmates behind them. The positive effects they were having on each other were very apparent as well. Harry’s academic ability skyrocketed. He had never been lacking in the department, but it seemed that Hermione’s influence was enhancing his abilities. Perhaps it was the fault of the study sessions that he and Hermione often held. McGonagall was pleasantly pleased at Harry’s clear and concise essay responses. “Hermione’s been double-checking it for me.” Harry admitted sheepishly. Hermione, conversely, experienced a significant increase in her social capacity. The young woman was now far less reserved and frequently found herself simply hanging out with her close friends. Books and classes were still paramount to her life, but she was far more relaxed than before. Life was certainly improving all-around.

~<>~

Finally, the weekend arrived. The long anticipated date was to occur at last. Harry found himself digging through his trunk, looking for something acceptable to wear.

“Cool off, mate.” Ron said coolly from atop his bed.

“I’m about to go on a date with Hermione Granger! I can’t believe it!” Harry said giddily.

“You are completely smitten aren’t you?” Ron laughed.

“Bugger off, mate.” Harry rolled his eyes. Finally, the raven-haired boy settled for a comfortable pair of jeans and a warm green sweater.

“Oh yeah, mate.” Ron winked, “You look absolutely smashing in that ensemble. You’ll likely knock her off her feet on your first date!”

“What’s your point?”

“Relax, Harry. Honestly, don’t try to be someone that you’re not or seek to impress her. If she’s already agreed to go out with you, you have no worries in that department. Now you just have to ‘pull her in’ per se, and make sure that she really likes you for who you are. Be yourself, my friend.”

“Wow, Ron,” Harry snorted, “That was actually a very sensitive thing to say.”

“Yeah yeah, and don’t get used to it either. But I’d like to meet her sometime today.” Ron looked thoughtful for a moment, “Well, I’ve met her before, but we haven’t gotten on so well. I guess I want to start over.”

Harry stood up, pocketed his wand and some coins, and turned to his friend, “Seriously, Ron, what’s going on with you? No offense, mate, but you never talk like this.”

Ron looked flustered, “Well, who says that I can’t give my best friend some manly advice?”

Harry had a revelation, “Luna.”

“What?”

“It’s Luna isn’t it? You’ve finally grown up and now you’re looking to get with her, eh?”

“What? How did you know?—I mean, it’s not that!”

Harry rolled his eyes, “If you really have matured, I’d say go for it, mate.” Harry turned to leave, but as he reached the door, he turned back to ask, “By the way. Where and what time do you want to meet Hermione?”

“Three Broomsticks, of course. For the time, how about two o’clock? Oh, and Harry…”

“Yeah?”

“Please don’t tell Ginny about this.”

“About wh—oh, right. Sure, mate.”

Harry made his way down to a small, garden plaza just outside of the school, the prescribed meeting point. His heart seemed to beat a little faster with each step. Their first date was finally going to happen. Harry casually leaned against a wall and looked up to the sky. Puffy white clouds floated lazily past the tall spires of Hogwarts. The sun was a brilliant orb in a blue-painted sky. Northern winds blew fresh, clean, and cool air from the hills and swept it throughout the chilly school grounds. This would be an excellent day for any sort of outing.

As Harry was distracted by the beautiful scenery, Hermione happened upon the serene young man and silently snuck up on him with a smirk. Finally, she pounced and pulled him into a fierce hug. Harry made a surprised, “Oof!” sound before returning the gesture energetically.

Hermione pulled back and smiled widely, “Nice weather, isn’t it?”

Harry stared down at the girl in his arms and mumbled a reply, “Beautiful.”

Hermione giggled, “I’m not sure if you were talking about the weather, or maybe something else.”

“Both.” Harry amended with a blush. Hermione was sporting a nice pair of jeans, a soft pink shirt, and a light jacket for the weather. “You look great!”

Hermione blushed, “Thanks. This is just casual though.”

“What’s your point?” Harry winked.

Hermione rolled her eyes but was smiling happily, “Never mind, let’s get to Hogsmeade!”

“Hopefully it doesn’t turn out like last time,” Harry said casually.

“Yeah, but how would you have known about last time?”

“Well, erm, I guess I should admit now that I found out through some more underhanded tactics.” Harry looked sheepish and guilty when Hermione raised her eyebrow.

“When I found out that you were going out with Clark, I already knew what he was like, and I really didn’t want you to get hurt… so I had to spy on you guys.” Harry pulled a long cloak out of his pocket (magically enlarged of course) and swept it around himself.

Hermione gasped softly when Harry suddenly disappeared, “Wow! Is that an Invisibility Cloak?”

Harry pulled it off, “Yeah, it was passed down to me from my father. Are you mad at me for spying on you?”

Hermione looked thoughtful, “I probably should be. But is it bad that I’m not?” she looked at Harry levelly, “If I had found out under any other conditions, I’d probably be really upset. Spying on a girl can sometimes mean that you don’t think that they can take care of themselves,”

“But I don’t—”

Harry was cut off by a well-placed finger and Hermione continued, “but seeing how things turned out, I think I’m rather glad that you did do a little spying. I probably should’ve listened to you from the start.”

“So everything is good now?”

“Great.”

“Wonderful! Let’s get this friendly little outing started then! I promise that we won’t set a foot inside the Quidditch shop.”

“Honestly, Harry, don’t be silly, if you’d like to, I wouldn’t mind going in there for just a bit.”

“You don’t understand, Hermione. I already have a broom, and enough broom servicing kits to last my entire life and even the lives of my children, I don’t need anything from that shop. I’m actually thinking about just giving them away to Hogwarts.”

“Or we could sell them at reasonable prices to raise funds for S.P.E.W.”

“We could do that!”

The two laughed before heading out. They talked comfortably with each other as they walked on to Hogsmeade. This was sure to be a fantastic day.

First, the happy couple headed to Honeydukes to restock their sweet supply. Hermione picked up a good size of chocolates while Harry splurged on licorice wands and sugar quills. Harry insisted that he pay for all of the merchandise and pulled out a handful of coins to prove that his wallet could sustain the blow. Hermione finally relented with a smile and made Harry promise that he would let her pay for something later. The two finally left with filled bags and content grins.

Harry led Hermione next to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. They found Fred and George and again, headed to the back room where Harry—with Hermione’s help—related the story concerning the WWAT.”

“By Merlin’s beard!” George gasped.

“There’s no way we can market this after hearing that.”

“Most definitely, they were rather dangerous to begin with anyways.”

“It was very irresponsible to even think about it.” Hermione scolded.

Fred and George looked at each other with amused grins, “I’m glad you were able to bring her back, mate.” They said to Harry, “Congratulations to you two!” Harry simply rolled his eyes and he and Hermione stayed around the shop for a little bit looking at the various products hanging off the walls and exchanging witty jokes with the twins.

They then strolled down the streets, looking for the next shop to stop by. Periodically, some of their peers would make snide comments about the couple, but these were ignored without much thought. They stopped by various shops to pick up quills, ink, parchment, and some more common potions ingredients. Hermione raised an eyebrow in question as they passed Quality Quidditch Supplies but Harry waved it off with a grin and a nod towards Must-Have Manuscript.

The two entered the quaint shop and were introduced by a charming bell near the door. Hermione waved familiarly at the older woman at the desk before making her way to the shelves. Harry followed closely. Not having been in this store often, he felt out of place. Hermione smiled at Harry, “Don’t worry, Harry, I won’t be too long, I just want to look around a little. You can do the same if you like.”

Harry laughed nervously and slowly explored the vast maze of shelves and ancient tomes. He pulled out books indiscriminately and leafed through them with mild interest. Harry learned that there was indeed a bogey-removing charm. That was sure to be useful come allergy season. Finally, Harry reached a rather intriguing book, On the Invigorating Topic of Teachers: A Guide to Bothersome Habits that your Teacher is Sure to Appreciate. Harry pulled the book out carefully and read the title again. Beneath it in neat print was “Presented to you by Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.” Harry nearly dropped the book but regained his hold. He tenderly opened the maroon cover and read the short description. “From the nameless writers that brought you, A Universal Guide to Transfiguration, and Howling Misconceptions, they now bring you a hilarious guide to bothering your ‘favorite’ teachers and becoming a nuisance to even the most stolid of wizards.” Harry closed the book carefully and began his hunt throughout the shop for more books written by his parents.

Hermione finally caught up with him several minutes later. “It’s not so bad now is it?”

Harry looked towards his close friend excitedly, “Look, my father wrote this with his friends!”

Hermione looked over the book carefully, “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs? Aren’t you a Potter, Harry? Who are these people?”

Harry looked at his girlfriend guiltily for keeping such a major part of his life away from her. At that point, he silently vowed that he would tell Hermione everything as soon as possible. “Well, those are the secret nicknames that my father and his friends had. My dad was James Potter though, and his pseudo name was Prongs.”

“Why Prongs though?”

“I’ll tell you everything soon.” Harry replied gently.

Hermione nodded, “James Potter, eh? Oh! Is there any chance that your mum’s name was Lily?”

“Wait, you’ve heard of my mum?”

“Actually, I bought a book written by her last week when I was here. She’s a brilliant magical creature’s rights author. Lily Potter, right?”

“Definitely! Can you please show me where I can get that book? I want to collect everything that they’ve written.”

“Of course. Let’s get this grand search started!” Hermione took Harry’s hand excitedly and the two hurried through the old shelves. Harry momentarily forgot his mission though, as the only thing he could focus on was Hermione’s smaller, soft hand around his own.

The two spent the next several hours in the shop (obviously enlarged by magic) scrounging the high ledges for more books written by the Potter lineage. Hermione employed a wide use of multiple searching methods to find a couple more books and Harry readily accepted the help. Time flew by as they scanned the shelves and read small excerpts of the many books that they found.

Forward. The entire purpose of this substantial volume is simply to act as a participant in a running competition that I am involved in with my very best friend and companion, Lily. (No offense, love, but I’m definitely going to win this one. There is no way that I’m going to clean the house for the next year!) The tome contains a compilation of my true experiences in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and is essentially an extension of Hogwarts: A History. These experiences are reworded for the reader’s comprehension and should be written primarily in standard explanatory textbook format with true examples interspersed throughout the collection. I would like to give special thanks at this point to every single person mentioned (and some not mentioned) in this volume for making my Hogwarts experience what it was. Furthermore as this book contains highly classified information that should not be exemplified throughout the general public, (targeting those with evil intentions, of course) I have contracted the help of one of my generous friends and charms masters to create a series of protections to ensure the absolute safety of the school. As you can clearly see now, this supposedly substantial manuscript is exactly three pages. Said pages should include 1) the Cover Page, 2) the Forward (this page), 3) the Back Cover. If any of these components are missing, please return this book to the store or shop in which you obtained it and ask for either a refund or a replacement. In standard text, three pages typically do not constitute a substantial volume, but all should be explained shortly. Referring back to my generous friend and charms master, the complex series of charms (which are unbreakable, I assure you of that) has made it certain, that until you complete a binding Wizard’s Vow, with the very book that you shall read, no other page will ever be revealed to you. If you would like to continue, carefully read the following pledge. With the consequences of death and an eternity in The Tickling Chamber, complete the Wizard’s Vow by placing your own blood (a single drop is enough, thank you) anywhere on this page, tapping your wand anywhere on this page, and also reciting the following vow:

I Solemnly Swear,

Under the Penalty of Death and an Eternity in The Tickling Chamber,

That with the Knowledge Obtained through the Examination of this Book,

I will Not Share, Distribute, Hint, or Communicate this Knowledge

To Any Members of the Sentient Parties that have Not Underwent this Exact Vow,

I will take No Significant or Insignificant Part in the Planning, Instigation, Execution, or Conclusion

Of Any Harmful Act or Acts with the Intention of Malice or Destruction

Towards Hogwarts.

With the Vow completed, you will be able to read to your heart’s content. Notice that you will not be able to share your findings unless you can convince your pals to take this fastening contract. Furthermore, all implied meanings of the contract should be examined and entertained with extreme scrutiny. With all of this said and done, I invite you to enjoy the book as well as the rest of your life. P.S. I’m going to win, Lily!

Hermione looked up at Harry and grinned cheekily, “Your father was a really exciting writer!” she motioned towards the paper-thin book, “Would you mind if I borrowed this sometime?”

“Not at all! It sounds like it should be a really good read.” Harry glanced idly at the clock hanging on the wall. It was two o’clock. “Oh bugger! Hermione, we have to go!”

“Where?”

“The Three Broomsticks. Ron really wanted to meet you… again.”

“Ron? Why?”

“I’m not exactly sure, so why don’t we go to find out.”

“Sure, we’ve been in here for hours anyways.”

“It was really fun.” Harry admitted.

“I’m glad that you weren’t bored out of your mind.”

“Me too!”

Harry took the large stack of books to the counter and paid for them without a second thought. It was a hefty sum, but completely worth it. Harry and Hermione then exited the large bookstore, Hermione with a new book, and Harry with a bag filled completely with new books to read. Reflexively, Harry grabbed Hermione’s hand as they rushed to the crowded café. As they pushed through the busy crowds, he reveled in the feel of her hand in his own. Finally, the couple made it to the teeming café and continued to push their way in. They saw Ron valiantly trying to save a table against the angry glares of some other students.

“Seriously, you don’t want to sit with me. I swear, I’ve been having the very worst gas problem for the past week and a half…” he saw Harry and Hermione and shouted loudly, “Oi! You couldn’t have been a little later?”

Harry grinned and led Hermione over to the table where they sat down promptly. Ron grinned at the two of them and ordered two more Butterbeers for his new companions.

“So, how has the date been going?” he asked conversationally. “Don’t tell me you were late because you were doing something I would do!”

Hermione blushed and Harry glared at Ron, “No, Ron, the date has been great and we just got caught up in the bookstore.”

“In a bookstore! I never would’ve thought you had it in you!”

“Shut up, Ron!”

Ron laughed heartily, “I’m just messing with you guys.” At this point he turned to Hermione and offered a hand. Hermione took the proffered hand and shook it firmly. “How are you doing, Hermione?”

“I’m doing just fine, thanks.”

“Right, well let’s get right down to it.” Ron cleared his throat for dramatic effect, “I really wanted to talk to you today to apologize for the way that I’ve been treating you.”

Hermione was pleasantly surprised at the honest apology. She took a moment to compose herself before she smiled happily at the redhead. “Your apology is accepted.”

“Fantastic! Anyways, if you’d just let me explain, I suppose that I didn’t want Harry, here, to be associating with you because… well, to put it bluntly, he’s a world hero, and you… well, yeah.” Hermione rolled her eyes while Ron continued, “I guess I was just more worried about his reputation than even he was. Again, I want to say that I’m sorry. It’s obvious that you make Harry very, very happy and I’ll totally support that.”

“Well, erm, thanks for the apology. I really appreciate it.” Hermione said.

“So, friends?”

“Of course.”

Harry grinned widely. It wasn’t everyday that Ron truly apologized for anything. Luna was definitely a positive influence on his best friend. “So,” Ron started, “What have you two been up to.”

“Not much.” Harry answered, “We stopped by Honeydukes, and then we’ve been in Must-Have until just now.”

“Are you kidding? That’s almost four hours in a bookstore! What could you possibly do for four hours in there?”

“We were searching for—”

Harry cut Hermione’s reply off quickly, “Hermione was just showing me some of the neat books that are in there.”

Hermione looked at Harry in question but played along nonetheless, “Yeah, you’d be surprised how many books they have on Charms. It’s a really fascinating subject.”

“Spare me the details,” Ron answered dryly with a wink.

The three goofed off and sat around the table comfortably talking and laughing at jokes for about an hour. Ginny joined them halfway through and the infamous trio became a quartet. Eventually, Harry and Hermione decided mutually to separate and continue their date. After excusing themselves, (and slapping Ron for another rude comment) Hermione dropped some coins onto the table and the two left. After strolling through Hogsmeade for a couple more minutes, Harry nudged Hermione gently, “Let’s go somewhere, where we can talk in peace. Come on.” Hermione smiled and followed as Harry led her to their next destination.

The buildings and shops eventually gave way to a gorgeous afternoon sky and the Hogwarts Lake opened up before them. Wind swept through the tall, unkempt grass and the water reflected the dazzling sunlight. Vibrant trees dotted the rolling hills. The air was alive with life and energy while the radiant sun warmed the cool afternoon.

Harry and Hermione wandered around the pool. “So, was there anything particular you wanted to talk about?” Hermione asked.

Harry regarded her carefully before he slowly launched into the story, “Erm… well, Hermione, you probably know that I’ve been keeping a lot of things from you lately…” Hermione nodded in understanding. Harry took a deep breath, “I just want you to know that even though we haven’t known each other for too long, I feel like you’re someone that I can trust completely. There’s just a part of my life that I don’t like talking about though. I mean, I don’t even talk to Ron about it.”

“It’s usually not good to keep things bottled up, Harry.”

“I know, Mione, and you’re the person that I want to spill to.” Hermione remained silent but smiled at him encouragingly. “So, I suppose I ought to start at the beginning… My parents are James and Lily Potter, and even though they got together in some really dark times, (Voldemort was approaching the peak of his power) they still loved each other very much…”

~<>~

“—And that’s it. Voldemort was defeated, and you know the rest of the story up until right here.”

Harry and Hermione had walked around the lake several times by the time the entire tale was told. Supportively, Hermione had grabbed Harry’s hand and was still hanging on. Sometime after the 7th round around the lake, Harry and Hermione settled comfortably next to each other under the shade of an old tree as they watched the sunset in the distance. Many hours had passed already and the sky was lit into brilliant red and orange hues by the setting sun.

Harry watched Hermione carefully as she finally spoke, “Wow, Harry.” She said and paused, “A lot has really happened to you. I could not ever imagine anyone’s life being even half as upsetting, dramatic, or desperate as yours.” She frowned slightly, “And I’m really sorry you had to go through that,” Harry was about to protest at her pity but Hermione pushed on, “But I don’t think anyone else in the entire world could have done a better job than you have done. Harry, you had to mature ages before most kids even know what mature means, and you might feel like you’ve completely missed out on a vital part of your life. But think about it, with Voldemort gone, now you can enjoy the rest of the fantastic life you’re sure to have.”

“Thanks for understanding,” Harry mumbled softly.

Hermione snuggled into his warm body before replying, “Thanks for telling me everything. And if you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll always be happy to listen.”

“I’m glad, but now, you know everything there is to know about me. Oh, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about any of this…”

“Of course, I wasn’t planning on telling anybody. You can trust me, Harry.”

“I do.”

The two stayed silent and marveled in each other’s company until Harry finally pushed himself up. He offered a hand to Hermione who accepted it gratefully and Harry pulled her up. “We ought to head back to the castle now. I’m expecting you’ll be wanting some dinner!”

“Well, I am feeling a bit famished now. Let’s go! Last one to the Great Hall is a Flaming Nifflebiff!”

Harry chased after the young woman and shouted, “What in Merlin’s name is a Flaming Nifflebiff?”

“I’m not sure myself—but it sure doesn’t sound like a compliment!”

AN2: Alright, there we go! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I hope that it didn’t seem rushed with the writing or the relationship or anything. As always, comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks again!

9. untitled

AN: Hey everyone! We’re about done now. There are only two chapters left and they’ll encompass quite a bit of time! Here is the final complication in the story. Let’s see if it all works out. Thanks to all of my reviewers for sticking with me and supporting me with compliments and suggestions. I’ll keep all of them in mind when I continue writing other stories! As always, I do this for you guys! Thanks again!

Spoiler Alert: This can’t be necessary by now, I mean, it’s been ages since the book came out. If you haven’t read it still, getting it spoiled by reading will be your own fault! Regardless, you should be safe from spoilers in this chapter so read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. That honor goes to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Thanks for creating such a fun world to mess around with!

IX

Hermione finally returned to dinner—which turned out to be an interesting affair. Harry and Hermione were subjected to glares and disgusted looks when they arrived to the Great Hall, completely out of breath. Apparently, they were several minutes late for dinner already, but neither of them cared too much. They sat down with Ron and Ginny and ate a delicious dinner without any major hitches.

Concluding dinner, Harry caught Hermione’s eye and nodded for the door. Hermione giggled and quickly excused herself and caught up with Harry. Even though they quietly left the Great Hall, everyone’s eyes seemed to be following them. There were a few gasps of surprise (and even some in indignation) when Hermione reached out and grabbed Harry’s hand.

Harry and Hermione left the hall with smiles on their faces. Stars were twinkling in the sky and the fascinating moon cast an ethereal glow on the school grounds below it. “So, Harry, why did you want to come out here again?”

“No reason, really. I guess I just wanted to get away from everyone else for a little longer.”

“I still don’t really get why everyone is acting so curiously about us. What shall we talk about?”

“I dunno… What about you though? You know my entire life history now. I think it’s only fair that you tell me a little more about yourself too.”

Hermione laughed. “Well, I suppose it would be a little unfair if I didn’t tell you about my dark past…”

“Come now, it doesn’t get any darker than mine, so I think you’re good.”

“I was joking, Harry.”

Harry rolled his eyes, “Since when do you, Hermione Granger, joke at all?”

“I resent that. I happen to have a very healthy sense of humor.”

Their mindless banter continued on into the evening as the couple explored the grounds of Hogwarts again. Despite Hermione’s rather plain history, Harry listened avidly. It was obvious that he wanted to know everything there was to know about being “normal”.

~<>~

Night had fallen and Harry and Hermione rushed through the darkness back into Hogwarts and up to the Gryffindor Tower. They were almost caught by Filch but Harry had quickly pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and the couple avoided capture. Finally, they arrived back in to a deserted Common Room.

Harry pulled the cloak off and grinned. “That was close!”

“Too close, I cannot believe I just stayed up past curfew though! It’s so exciting.”

Harry gasped teasingly, “What have I done to the rule-abiding Hermione that we all know and love?”

“Sorry, love,” Hermione giggled, “I think you’ve created a monster!”

Harry laughed, “Alright, alright, let’s get to bed, shall we?”

“I thought we agreed to take things slowly?” Hermione said coyly.

“Merlin, I have corrupted you.” Harry groaned dramatically. Hermione smiled widely as Harry winked at her. The boy then offered Hermione the cloak.

“Won’t you need this?”

“Nah, Neville is a deep sleeper—well, you have to be to sleep through Ron’s snoring.” Hermione laughed, “And Ron already knows about us, and he’s my best friend. I’m not too worried about anything. But you ought to take the cloak just in case. I know that there are a lot of girls that are out to get you now. Sorry about that…”

“It’s alright. I’m not too worried either.”

“Well, take the cloak, anyways, just in case.”

“Alright then. See you tomorrow morning?”

“I can’t wait!” This time, Harry leaned down and kissed Hermione softly on the cheek before heading up.

Hermione watched him happily and giggled silently when Harry opened the door. “Harry! Where have you been!?” Ron hissed.

“I’ll explain later, Ron, come on.” Harry turned around and flashed a smile at Hermione again before he dragged Ron back into the room.

Hermione, who was still down in the Common Room, took a deep breath before quietly squealing in happiness. She wrapped the cloak around herself and made her way up the stairs to the girls’ room. Quietly, Hermione listened through the old oaken doors to hear that Ginny, Lavender and Parvati were arguing. Hermione noiselessly opened the thick door and crept into the room where she immediately tuned in on the conversation.

“—she’s still not back! I bet she’s with Harry!” Parvati grumbled angrily.

“I don’t know what your deal is.” Ginny growled, “Why can’t you be happy for them? Don’t you see how happy they are together?”

“But what’s so special about Hermione?” Lavender retorted.

“She’s only been here for a few months. I doubt she knows Harry like we do.”

Hermione could imagine Ginny rolling her eyes exasperatedly here. “You know what, forget it. We’ve been arguing for the past hour, and I’m tired. It’s obvious that you will never understand. Good night.” Ginny jumped into her bed, closed the curtains and cast a silencing charm. Hermione made to move towards her bed but stopped when she heard Lavender speak again.

“What does Harry see in Hermione anyways?”

“She was really nice before. But I don’t think she realizes what she’s getting into by trying to get with Harry.”

“She’s not that pretty.”

“I agree. Brown hair, brown eyes. Everything about her is just plain. Her face, her figure. Ugh, I don’t see how she got Harry!”

“Don’t worry, Parvati. I’m sure this is a passing thing. There’s no way that Harry and Hermione could stay together anyways. Frankly, she’s just too plain to keep his interest for long.”

“She’s smart too.”

“She’s the complete opposite of Harry.”

“And she runs a club called spew, for Merlin’s sake!”

Lavender nodded towards Parvati, “So let’s get some sleep now. I’m glad I got that out there though. I’m sure Harry will dump her for someone better soon.”

“Night, Lavender.”

“Good night.”

Hermione stood frozen in the same spot as the two girls finally settled into their beds. She could barely believe that the people she once considered friends would completely turn on her. Numbly, Hermione walked stiffly back down to the Common Room. She carelessly tossed the cloak onto the couch before settling on it stiffly. Finally, Hermione fell into a fitful slumber plagued by a myriad of nightmares encouraged by doubt.

~<>~

Harry woke up with a bright smile on his face. After explaining the incident that occurred the night before and receiving a playful berating from Ron, Harry had settled into bed happily. Sunlight streamed through the window of the dormitory and Harry stretched lazily. Ron was still snoring contently in bed and Neville was nowhere to be seen. He had probably gone down for breakfast already. Harry showered quickly before putting on his robes. He pocketed his wand and headed out, deciding to wait for Hermione in the Common Room.

As luck would have it, Hermione appeared to be in the Common Room already. Hidden behind a large fluffy couch, Harry almost missed her. He spotted the Invisibility Cloak draped over an arm of the couch and snatched it quickly. Harry glanced around the room nervously. Luckily, no one seemed to be around to have seen or taken the cloak. Harry looked down to the sleeping Hermione again. He smiled tenderly and an idea popped into his head. He pulled the cloak around himself and lowered himself to eye-level with Hermione.

“Mione.” He whispered. “Hermione, wake up.” He repeated softly.

Hermione stirred slightly, “Harry?” she mumbled. She pushed herself up and looked around. Harry was nowhere to be seen.

“Good Morning!” Harry shouted loudly and leapt out of the cloak. Hermione shrieked loudly and jumped.

“Oh my goodness! Harry!”

Harry laughed uproariously and grinned, “Sorry, Mione! I couldn’t resist. You’re absolutely adorable when you sleep though.”

Hermione looked into Harry’s eyes and suddenly, the recollection of what she heard yesterday evening hit her again. She looked into Harry’s eyes again and tears welled up in her own.

“Hermione, what’s the matter?” Harry asked when he saw tears in her eyes, “What happened?”

Finally, Hermione decided that she couldn’t let herself be hurt. There was no way that she could allow herself to fall for Harry even more when he would eventually dump her as a passing fancy. Swallowing heavily, she said quietly, “I don’t think we can be together, Harry.”

Harry just blinked in surprise. “Hermione, what are you talking about? Why can’t we be together?”

“We can’t be together, Harry. It just wouldn’t work?”

“What do you mean? We can make it work! Why can’t it work? I’m sorry about scaring you! Who told you—”

“Harry!” Hermione interrupted. Tears were streaming down her face as she proceeded to break more than just her own heart, “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. We’re just not right for each other. We-we’re o-over!”

With that said, Hermione fled up to the girl’s dormitory with Harry beseeching her the entire way. “Wait! Hermione, please! Think about everything we’ve already been through. We became fast friends on the train. Nicholas is on the run from Aurors to bring him to justice for attacking us. I thought out date was great! What happened? Just talk to me! Why?!”

“Good bye, Harry.” Hermione said softly and walked into the room.

The door closed with an air of finality. Harry was still standing rooted to the same spot, staring at where Hermione was a moment before. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Harry stood up straight and moved slowly over to a chair in the Common Room. Fortunately for him, most everyone had gone down for breakfast already. Harry sat down heavily in the soft, red and gold colored chair and buried his face in his hands. Harry was not crying, rather, the full implications of this break up had not quite hit him yet. If nothing else, Harry was confused beyond comprehension. He just couldn’t understand why Hermione would suddenly want to break up with him. They had seemed so happy last night. What could have happened?

Ron came down the stairs whistling a light tune. Oddly enough, Harry was sitting in a chair in the Common Room still. Ron briefly wondered why Harry was just sitting there with his face in his hands when he decided that it couldn’t hurt to ask. “Morning, mate!” he chirped jovially, “Why are you sitting there like that.” Harry didn’t answer at first, but when he did, Ron couldn’t make out what the boy was saying through his hands. “Come again? I didn’t catch it the first time.”

Ron was very surprised by Harry’s solemn and confused face. “She broke up with me.”

Ron just blinked. “What?”

“Hermione broke up with me, Ron!” Harry said standing up suddenly. He turned and smashed the wall behind him with clenched fists. Harry sighed, “Oh, who am I kidding? What were my chances with a girl like that anyways?”

“Wait.” Ron said tactlessly, “Hermione broke up with you? Are you kidding?”

“I’m not joking Ron,” Harry groaned frustrated.

Ron finally came to his sense, “No, that can’t be right. Harry, listen to me. You two are absolutely perfect for each other! Don’t worry, mate, I’ll get to the bottom of this.” With that said, Ron quickly exited the Common Room, one mantra running through his mind, I have to find Ginny!

Harry sighed heavily again and looked about the room. It was empty. Shaking his head to himself, he slowly left the Common Room to head down to breakfast. On the way, Harry suddenly felt his shoulder bump into another person. Jostled, he looked up into startling green eyes.

“Oh, Harry! I’m so sorry I bumped into you.”

Harry stepped back quickly. “No, it was my fault; I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He mumbled quickly.

“Harry, I’m really sorry about what happened.”

“What?”

“You and Granger breaking up.”

“Hermione.” Harry corrected automatically. He failed to notice Vanessa’s frustrated look as he tried to cover up, “Where did you hear that from?”

“Ron was saying it to himself on his way down to breakfast.”

“I’m going to kill him!” Harry growled darkly.

“Look, why don’t I take your mind off of her?”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked thickly.

Vanessa rolled her eyes (in a very Hermione-esque way, Harry noted) and replied, “Um… I was thinking that maybe we could hang out this weekend.”

“A date?”

“If you want it to be.” She answered with a suggestive grin.

“There’s no Hogsmeade visit.” Harry answered.

“We don’t have to go to Hogsmeade to have fun. I’m sure we could find something to do around here.”

“Um…” Harry didn’t particularly appreciate the way that she had referred to Hermione (as Granger) and he also didn’t particularly want to go out with Vanessa but he did promise her a date before and he and Hermione were no longer together. Harry looked around for a way to bail himself out of this mess but found none. Finally another stream of reasoning came to him. Hermione was the one that dumped him—that is, it didn’t happen the other way around. Clearly, something with Harry wasn’t satisfying her, so therefore, there was nothing Harry could do. Thinking about it in this light made it seem pointless for him to long for something he couldn’t have. Sighing again, Harry did his best to smile at Vanessa. It would be best for him to try move on now. “Alright. Where should I meet you?”

Vanessa squealed in joy. “I’m sure we can work that out throughout the rest of the week. See you around!” She winked at Harry and skipped on down the hall.

Harry idly wondered if he had just made a major mistake but quickly shook off those thoughts and continued on to breakfast.

When he reached the Great Hall for breakfast though, it seemed that every single person’s attention became focused on him. Apparently word spread about his and Hermione’s breakup even faster than word of them getting together. Harry ignored the stares and swiftly moved down to the Gryffindor tables and sat down heavily next to Luna who seemed to be the only one that was not avidly watching his every move.

“Good morning, Harry.” She said serenely.

“Morning, Luna.”

Ron raced down the hallways after leaving straight down to the Great Hall. Unconsciously, he muttering to himself about how he couldn’t believe what was happening. He roughly pushed past a group of girls without a second thought—which is something he would otherwise never do. Finally, he pushed the doors of the Great Hall open with a bang and strode purposefully in. His big entrance was only hampered by him slipping and falling on a wet spot on the ground. He quickly located Ginny and moved over to her where she was flirting with another guy.

“Ginny, we need to talk.” He said quietly and urgently.

“Ronald, how many times do I have to tell you!? I can take care of my—”

“This isn’t about you,” Ron replied immediately and gave Ginny a meaningful look.

Ginny took a moment to realize what was going on before nodding in understanding. As she stood, the boy called out to her but she brushed him off hastily. “Let’s go, Ron.”

Ron took a moment to glare at the offending boy before he and Ginny left the Great Hall. The two followed an erratic path and it took a moment before Ron realized where they were going. “Aw, Ginny! Why do we have to do this in the girl’s bathroom!”

“Because, Ronald, no one ever goes into Myrtle’s bathroom and we can’t risk anyone overhearing this.” Ginny pushed open the door and Ron groaned as he stepped inside. “Now,” Ginny said with her hands on her hips, “What’s going on with Harry and Hermione that has you so serious?”

“You may not believe this, but apparently Harry and Hermione broke up.”

“What!?” Ginny exclaimed. Ron clutched his ears and winced at the high pitched noise.

“You heard what I said. Harry and Hermione have broken up!”

“Wait, who broke up with whom?”

“Harry says that Hermione broke up with him.”

“Hermione? Why, though?”

“I have no idea either.”

“We have to get to the bottom of this, Ron. Let’s go to breakfast and see if we can find them. They have to eat some time. I’ll take Hermione, and you can talk to Harry. We’ll meet back up again later.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Ron nodded. The brother and sister shook hands firmly before they left the girl’s bathroom and headed back to breakfast.

“You know Hermione didn’t want to break up with you, right?”

“Sorry, what?” Harry asked incredulously. Of all of the things he might have been expecting from Luna, this wasn’t it. “She did already.”

“But do you know she didn’t want to?”

“How would you know that?”

“The Topling Ghosts have been chasing her everywhere?”

“Topling Ghosts? What are those?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of them? When they pick their target, they follow the person around and tell them evil things about the people that are close to them?”

“What does that mean?”

“Hermione is confused, Harry.”

Harry wasn’t sure what the eccentric blonde was implying, so he sighed gratefully when Ron and Ginny returned to the Great Hall. “Hey guys!” he called out in relief.

“Morning, Luna.” Ron said with a grin.

“Good morning, Ronald.” Luna answered peacefully.

“Good morning, Harry.” Ginny said while eyeing him carefully. Harry figured that Ron had told her what happened and forced himself to shrug off and swallow the lump that formed in his throat when he thought about Hermione.

It was then that Hermione entered the Great Hall. Having developed some sort of a “Hermione-tracker” Harry immediately looked up at her but quickly turned away and focused fiercely on his eggs and toast. Everyone in the Great Hall watched in fascination and awe as Hermione walked determinedly past Harry and sat down on the opposite corner of the Gryffindor table. It wasn’t long before every single person in the large room had deduced what happened. There was a loud sound of chairs simultaneously being scraped against the hard floor as Harry was suddenly mobbed by several girls.

“I’m so sorry to hear—see—that you and Hermione have broken up!”

“Will you go out with me, Harry?”

“Do you need a shoulder to cry on?”

“Come sit by me!”

“Stop!” Ron and Ginny leapt up and shouted in outrage. Everyone backed away for a moment. “Sorry, ladies,” Ron said, “but Harry isn’t interested in going with anyone right now.”

“Yeah,” Harry muttered quietly, “I’m already taken anyways…” Ron and Ginny apparently heard him as both blanched visibly.

“What?” Ginny shrieked. “What do you mean you’re taken?”

“I sort of agreed to go out with Vanessa.” Harry admitted looking guilty. All of the girls sighed dramatically and returned to their seats. Ron and Ginny looked at Harry sternly before dragging him out of the Great Hall for a proper berating.

“Explain yourself right now, Harry James Potter!” Ginny demanded with her hands on her hips.

“Yeah, how could you go and betray Hermione by going out with Vanessa?” Ron added.

Harry’s temper flared momentarily at the accusation, “Who’s betraying who?” he demanded angrily, “She was the one that broke up with me and destroyed my heart. Now I’m just trying to move on.”

“And why would you want to move on? You’re being stupid, Harry.”

“No I’m not! Hermione was the one that broke up with me. It didn’t happen the other way around. Obviously something is wrong with me or there is something with me that doesn’t live up to her expectations. I missed my chance, guys, now I’m just trying to move on. Can’t you support me in this?”

“You’re making a mistake, Harry.”

“How is trying to go on with my life a mistake?”

“You two loved each other, Harry.” Ginny said beseechingly, “I’m sure there’s an explanation for this.”

“If there is, she didn’t bother telling me.” Harry said bitterly.

“I’m sure she’s just confused, Harry. Everyone makes mistakes. Just give her one more chance.” Ron said.

Harry stopped to think momentarily on Ron’s repetition of Luna’s earlier statement. He looked tiredly at his two best friends, “Guys, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Just let me live my own life. I don’t need you two controlling that for me.” He turned around and walked away briskly into the morning.

Ron and Ginny looked towards each other again and Ginny smacked herself on her forehead. Ron sighed heavily, “He really is making a mistake, Gin. I can tell that he still loves her and I’m sure she still loves him.”

“Scratch our old plan, we really just need to know what happened.”

“Right, I want to talk to Hermione though.” Ron said solemnly.

“Don’t be too hard on her, Ron.” Ginny said softly, “I’m sure she has a perfectly logical explanation. People have been against her ever since she got with Harry, and maybe she was uncomfortable with that negative attention.”

Ron nodded, “I’ll just go right out and ask her. She won’t blame me for being blunt since I’m the insensitive one of the trio.”

Ginny laughed. “Report back as soon as you find out what’s going on.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ron saluted smartly and departed to find Hermione.

It took Ron multiple tries before he finally cornered Hermione by dragging her into an empty classroom. Dust flew into the sky as it was disrupted by the moving bodies. Hermione coughed while Ron rubbed his eyes furiously. “What are we doing in an abandoned classroom, Ron?” Hermione asked.

“Okay, Hermione, let’s get right to the point, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Why did you go and break Harry’s heart?”

Hermione stood frozen before she answered, “And how is any of this your business?”

“I’m Harry’s best friend and he is abso-bloody-lutely miserable. Harry’s also going to do something he’ll sorely regret later. That makes it my business.”

“What’s Harry going to do?” Hermione asked in panic.

“Oh, it’s nothing too serious.” Ron answered, “But he finally agreed to go out with Vanessa.”

“How is that so bad? She’s beautiful, smart, funny. Everything he would want in a girl, right?”

“None of those things matter when she likes him for the wrong reasons. Harry is setting himself up for more disappointment. Face it, Hermione, you’re probably the only girl in this dimension that truly likes Harry for who he is and not what he’s done.” Ron said seriously.

Hermione bit her lip, “Why do you care so much about us being together? Remember, you once didn’t want me to have anything to do with him.”

“My stance has changed, Hermione. You truly make Harry happy, and I can’t hold that against you. All I want now he for Harry to be happy for the rest of his life. He’s faced enough depression and disappointment already, you know that.”

Hermione sobbed and tears started to stream out of her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She mumbled.

Ron uncomfortably took the crying girl into his arms. “It’s alright, Hermione.” He said quietly, “I’m sorry for being so harsh on you, but you really hurt him, do you know that?”

“Now I do.” She mumbled.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened.”

Hermione nodded and began to relate the previous night to an intrigued Ron.

~<>~

“So the only reason you did it was because you didn’t want people to talk about you like that?”

“Yeah,” Hermione said quietly, “I feel so stupid now.”

“That’s not stupid, Hermione. I understand where you’re coming from—and if I can understand, I’m sure Harry will.”

Hermione laughed a little at Ron’s joke on himself. “What are we going to do now though?”

“Well, Harry’s already with Vanessa. I doubt we can do much now since he hates it when people interfere with his personal life and everything.” Hermione nodded. “We’ll just have to see what happens.” Ron continued soberly, “I’ll try to push him in the right direction though. In the meantime, you should try to talk to him.”

“Thank you so much for listening and helping, Ron.” Hermione said gratefully.

“Don’t thank me yet. I sure hope everything works out in the end.”

“Oh, and assuming that you and Ginny are on this mission together, thank her for standing up for me.”

“Will do. Let’s get back out there, Hermione.” Ron nodded at Hermione and left purposefully.

~<>~

Hermione tried to catch Harry throughout the remainder of the week but he seemed determined to stay away from her and she never got close. Harry had not given into Ron’s incessant badgering about Hermione and it was clear that he meant to go through with the date. The week continued and Hermione felt a deep pang in her heart every time she saw Vanessa hanging off of Harry’s arm in the hallways. However, when Hermione saw him on his own in the hallways, he always ignored her calls and walked away briskly. It was a miserable week for Hermione and according to Ron—who lived with him—Harry wasn’t having an easy time getting over his first love either. Neither of them was able to focus in classes and the professors noticed with pitying expressions.

The weekend finally dawned on Hogwarts and Hermione slowly trudged down to breakfast. Sitting down heavily in her usual chair, Hermione released a great sigh and started to pile her plate with food that (no offense to the House Elves) frankly just didn’t look appetizing. The usually sweet and alert Hermione only grunted in acknowledgement when Ginny sat down gingerly next to her. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine.” Hermione answered.

Ginny only raised an elegant eyebrow before continuing, “I think everything will be alright. It’s obvious that Harry is still depressed even though he’s with Vanessa—honestly I don’t see what’s so special about her.”

Hermione sighed, “She’s beautiful.” She said plainly.

Ginny scoffed, “Oh please, Hermione, look at yourself, you’re beautiful too. Your beauty was something that Harry truly appreciated—I would know because I was the one he moped to. You don’t care about everyone’s opinion—not on this, at least—and that sort of confidence in yourself makes you more beautiful!”

“Thank, Gin… I think.” Hermione took a bite of a biscuit and chewed it thoughtfully. The Great Hall doors opened and Harry walked in. Hermione watched with a completely passive expression as he moved to sit with Ron on the other side of the table. Both girls raised their eyebrows as Vanessa quickly took her ‘place’ in the seat next to Harry. “You can go sit with them, Ginny.” Hermione said, “I’d hate to be the one that’s separating you from Harry, I know that you’re best friends.”

“Whoa now, Granger.” Ginny teased, “I might get the impression that you’re trying to get rid of me.” Hermione rolled her eyes and Ginny laughed, “Trust me, both Ron and I have tried, but it’s just way too difficult to really get along with Vanessa.”

“What do you mean? I’m sure she’s nice.”

“Oh she is, but she has this uncanny way of drawing all of the attention to herself while it looks like an accident. She just really likes for people to compliment her,” Ginny rolled her eyes, “it’s just tiring for everyone else.”

“I think I know what you mean.” Hermione said. Breakfast finished without any other incident. Hermione watched with apparent envy as Vanessa latched herself onto Harry’s arm and dragged him out of the Great Hall.

“You want to follow up-close? I know where Harry’s cloak is. I don’t think he’s shown anyone else yet.” Ginny offered.

“I’ll pass on that offer. I think I’ll just watch from afar. I-It hurts enough as it is.”

Ginny nodded in understanding. “That’s alright. I can stay with you if you want.”

“No, I’m sure you have other things to do this weekend.”

“I was just going to scrimmage with some friends; it’s not a big deal if I bail on them. You’re way more important anyways.”

Hermione smiled appreciatively but shook her head, “You go have a good time, Ginny. I’ll be alright on my own.”

“Alrighty. But at least let me go with you up to the tower, I have to pick up a sweater or two—it’s going to be chilly today.”

“Sure, let’s go now.” Hermione said immediately after seeing Harry and Vanessa get up to head out of the room. Hermione dragged Ginny off in the opposite direction and the two headed up to the Gryffindor tower through a side door.

“What’s the rush?” Ginny asked while breathing heavily after running up 9 flights of stairs. “I got it,” she finally said after Hermione remained silent, “You just want to go watch Harry from the dorm to see if he enjoys his ‘date’, right?” Hermione blushed but did not respond. “Hermione, I don’t know what you’re so worried about. I’m sure this date will be nothing compared to the one you two had last week. I mean, I’m sure you know him better, but I happen to know our Mr. Potter pretty darn well, and let me tell you, I’ve never seen him happier in his life. I’m not even kidding, that boy had this ‘look’ on his face and he was reading!—for fun!”

“You never saw us though…”

“That’s the point! Before your fantastic date he was like that!”

Hermione chuckled and blushed, “Yeah, we really did have something…” she said mainly to herself.

Ginny nodded sagely “Which is why it was so hard for me to understand why you broke up with him. Ron told me what happened though, and I can see where you’re coming from. Maybe Harry didn’t make it apparent that he really appreciated you.”

“No, he did,” Hermione said quickly, “I was just stupid. I-I can’t believe that I was so stupid as to let their words affect me. I mean, I thought they were my friends…”

“It’s not your fault, and it’s not Harry’s either. This is all just a big misunderstanding between the two of you and I’m sure it’ll work out.” Ginny said with confidence.

“I really hope so.” Hermione said wistfully, “I really wish I never let him go now.”

“Hey,” Ginny said while patting Hermione on the back consolingly, “he probably shouldn’t have moved on so quickly anyways.”

“Oh come on, Ginny, didn’t Ron tell you about his reasoning? It makes complete sense.” Hermione sighed, “I think Harry is just looking for happiness now… it’s something he deserves.”

“Don’t worry, Hermione, Harry will be happy. As soon as he comes back to his senses and realizes that you’re the only girl for him.” The two arrived at the Portrait Hole. Ginny quickly muttered the password to the Fat Lady (“Chocolate Cake”) and the two entered the Gryffindor Tower. “We really need to get a better password” Ginny muttered.

“No kidding. Pass on the message.” the Fat Lady replied conversationally.

The two girls walked up the enchanted stairs to the girl’s dorms where Ginny picked tossed several “Weasley Sweaters” over her shoulder before turning to Hermione again. “Are you sure you’ll be okay here by yourself?”

“Yeah, Ginny,” Hermione said and gave her friend an encouraging smile, “I promise on Merlin’s beard that if I’m not alright, I’ll come to find you immediately.”

Ginny laughed, “You swear?”

“Swearing is rude.” Hermione answered simply with a grin.

Ginny just rolled her eyes, “Fine, fine, I’ll see you later, Hermione!” The feisty redhead exited the room and headed excitedly out to the Quidditch Pitch.

Hermione slowly made her way over to her bed by the window of the room. The girl’s side of the Gryffindor Tower offered an excellent view of the tranquil green hills of the Hogwarts grounds as well the serene sight of the rippling lake. Often in the evening, with the setting sun casting a brilliant golden shadow upon the glowing lake, the Giant Squid would lift a solitary tentacle up in greeting to any of those that were able to witness it. Majestic mountains rose in the distance and rose up to melt seamlessly into the endless sky.

Hermione gaze wandered across the vast expanse of land that was visible to her and settled on two figures that were walking together near the lake. Hermione could clearly make out Harry’s lean figure slowly following while Vanessa’s slim form walked just slightly ahead. Hermione vaguely noted how Vanessa walked ahead of Harry while comparing it to the fact that whenever Harry and Hermione walked together, they were always moving equally (except for when one was leading the other of course!).

Hermione could barely hide her satisfaction when she noticed Vanessa slowing to walk next to Harry. The ambitious (in Hermione’s opinion, at least) girl reached out for Harry’s hand, but Harry casually (and rather conveniently) moved his hand to scratch his head (which had suddenly become itchy!). Hermione knew that Harry didn’t really appreciate too much contact until he had gotten to know someone really well or had significant feelings for them and Hermione was fairly confident in the assertion that Vanessa wasn’t completely interested in getting to know the real person behind the hero.

Regardless of the details though, Hermione couldn’t help but feel a deep twinge of envy and a spasm and jealousy at seeing the two walking around together. Hermione realized that currently, she truly wished that she were the one out there with Harry rather than Vanessa. There was nothing that could change the fact that at that moment, Harry was out by the lake with Vanessa, and not Hermione, who was sitting in her room watching him. Hermione was rubbing her eyes tiredly when she realized that she was developing some very stalker-like attributes.

Harry’s walk with Vanessa around the pool was turning out to be rather one-sided. Vanessa was talking for the majority of the time while Harry was deep in thought, so deep in thought that he didn’t even realize that he was falling behind. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Vanessa slowing down to walk beside him and reaching her hand out to take his own. In panic, Harry reflexively moved his own hand to quickly rub the back of his head. For some unknown reason, Harry just didn’t feel comfortable holding hands with a girl that he honestly didn’t know much about. He dropped his hand to his side and quickly asked a question to distract the girl by his side, “Tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know, Harry?”

Harry shrugged, “Anything. Tell me about your childhood, or just what it’s like being normal.” He then mentally smacked himself in frustration of his carelessness. Very few people actually knew of Harry’s rough childhood and longing to be a normal teenage boy. Harry felt his thoughts drifting to the wondrous times that he had with Hermione but he quickly smacked the thoughts away and forced himself to listen to Vanessa.

“Why would you want to know about those things?”

Harry laughed nervously, “I dunno… I’m just curious. Er… What about your ambitions and dreams for the future?” Harry continued in an attempt to take her attention off of his mistake with some more ‘valid’ questions.

Vanessa laughed and immediately started launching into a tirade about how she wanted to work in some department of the Ministry. As soon as Harry realized that she was still just focused on her self-image, he drowned her out again. “—what about you?” Vanessa finally finished.

It took a moment for Harry to realize that she was waiting expectantly for him to answer her question. “Oh! Erm… well, I haven’t given it too much thought…” he started slowly, “But I think I just want to get married to a wonderful woman, settle down, and have a family.” An image of Hermione briefly crossed his mind but he hurriedly brushed the thought aside.

Vanessa pouted, “Oh, come on, Harry! I’m sure you have big plans; I mean you’re Harry Potter! You must have something huge planned for your life after Hogwarts.” She winked, “come on, you can tell me! A Quidditch Star? Auror? Minister of Magic? I’m sure you could do anything you want! You could be even more famous!”

Harry blanched when she mentioned him becoming more famous, but still did his best to appreciate the intended compliment. He turned and faced Vanessa before looking at her seriously. “Tell me, Vanessa,” he started slowly, “why is it that you wanted so badly to go out with me?”

She hesitated slightly before answering confidently. “Why wouldn’t I want to, Harry? You’re a great guy. First off, you saved the entire world when you could have easily turned on it which shows that you’re a very caring guy. Not to mention that you’re really intelligent, talented on the Quidditch field, as well as drop-dead gorgeous! What’s not to like?”

Harry nodded and smiled at the kind words. “Thanks you.” He said with a small smile, “It’s good to know that you don’t like me only because I’m famous.”

Vanessa nodded energetically, “Yeah, you really are a great person, Harry.”

Harry plastered a kind smile on his face and nodded. Vanessa’s initial answer had been flattering, but not exactly what he expected. Harry didn’t see any problem in giving the girl another chance though. Harry sighed inwardly and mentally braced himself for what might come in the future.

AN2: Whew! A lot happened in this chapter. It may seem a little rushed as well, but this story is getting ready to come to a close. I hope that I haven’t disappointed too many people with this chapter. Stick around if you want for the final chapter! I’ll have it out this weekend! As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated! Cheers!

10. untitled

AN: Many people commented on how poorly written the last chapter was. I’ll jump aboard as well and admit that it definitely wasn’t one of my better chapters. I probably could have spent a little more time developing it and I’ll admit my fault and keep everything I’ve learned in mind for my future writings. I hope this one sort of makes up for it, even though it’s short. Welcome to the concluding chapter of A Fantastic Year it’s been a really great ride and I’d like to thank all of my reviewers right now! As of now, I have 8095 hits and 61 reviews! About 0.08% of my readers reviewed. Although that may not seem like much, I appreciate every bit of it!

Thanks are in order to: tigger11991, potterfan, lala_lov3r, h and hr lover, KillerQueen, Lindee, mike, sad2bsony, LoonyLuna, piriya30, merlin22, toga party, autumnRose, rodrigo, Raiy, bailyboo016, as well as a collection of Anonymous reviewrs. Kudos to you!

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful support. You guys truly inspire me to continue writing!

Spoiler Alert: This can’t be necessary… I mean honestly, guys…

Disclaimer: This is necessary though. The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling and she deserves all of the credit. I’d like to take this time to thank her for allowing me to alter the fates of her characters! Thanks!

X

The days leading up to the big ball became numbered as the week passed. The fast approaching Saturday would mark the night of the ball (as well as the last day before Christmas Break!) and Hogwarts was a fluster of busy activity. Professors were busy preparing their own additions to add to the festivities as well as trying to contain the excited student body. The female population amassed and traded news and gossip amongst themselves while the guys anxiously awaited the daunting fates that were dealt to them by giggling girls. Dates were arranged and hopes were fleetingly shattered.

Finally, the day had come. Classes were concluded at 5:02 to allow ample time to prepare for the big event. The teachers had since given up on attempting to teach anyways. Hermione and Ginny headed up to the Gryffindor Tower together from Transfiguration to start preparing for the ball. Through the window, one could see a flurry of light snow drifting lazily down to the ground in a pristine blanket. The two passed a window and Hermione look outside wistfully. The random motion of the snow reminded her of how frantic and surprising her own life had been. Hopefully the outcome would prove to be a gentle one. Hermione sighed, “Ginny… I don’t think I want to go to the ball…”

Ginny gasped from beside her, “But Hermione!” she whined, “You have to! Why not?”

“I just don’t really see a point in it now.”

Ginny groaned, “Hermione, you might not be going with Harry, but there is still time for things to change. You really should come! Who knows… I mean, Harry might dump Vanessa to be with you tonight! At least go for the social aspect of it!” Ginny begged, “Just go and have a good time, it’ll be fun.”

“I don’t know.” Hermione said skeptically.

“Hermione,” Ginny said seriously, “We did not buy those beautiful dresses before school started just for the sake of spending money.” Hermione still looked unsure and Ginny grumbled as the two entered the Gryffindor Tower and made their way up to the girl’s dormitory.

“—They’ll probably break up very soon.” Hermione and Ginny heard the latter half of Lavender and Parvati’s conversation. Hearing the phrase gave Hermione a sense of déjà vu. It was now apparent that anyone Harry went out with would always and forever be subject to harsh scrutiny and Hermione truly regretted letting the talk get to her.

“Hey, Ginny! Hermione!” Lavender and Parvati greeted excitedly, “Are you excited about the ball?”

“Definitely!” Ginny grinned.

“I’m not sure if I want to go.” Hermione said slowly.

“Aw, why not, Hermione?” Lavender asked.

“Yeah. You must go—it wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Just a week ago, Lavender and Parvati were completely against her, but now, they were good friends just as they were before Harry came into Hermione’s life. “I don’t know… I’m just not interested.” Hermione shrugged.

For the next two hours, three of the four girls prepared themselves for the ball while trying to convince Hermione to come at the same time. The attempt seemed to be fruitless. Finally, after much begging, and repeated assurances that Hermione did not want to go to the ball, they gave up and began to focus on themselves again.

“You and Neville make such a great couple!” Parvati squealed energetically.

Hermione stifled her laughter with a badly concealed snort. She wasn’t laughing at the fact that Ginny was going to the ball with Neville. No, she was laughing at the absolute absurdity of the fact that Parvati (and Lavender) approved of who Ginny was going with when they seemed so against Hermione going out with Harry.

“You alright, Hermione?” Lavender asked.

“Sorry, something in my throat.” Hermione covered quickly. Ginny rolled her eyes knowingly but smiled nonetheless. Hermione grinned back cheekily.

After much effort, the girls were finally ready. Their make-up was applied perfectly. Their hair was styled in just the right way. And their dresses were absolutely gorgeous. Ginny had an elegant green dress that fit her perfectly. It stretched down to just above her toes giving her the perfect dress for a night of dancing. The sparkling jade color complemented her hair very nicely. The same could be said about Lavender’s flashy blue dress and Parvati’s light cream colored outfit.

“You guys look great. Go knock ‘em dead!” Hermione exclaimed happily.

“Hermione, are you sure you don’t want to go?” Ginny asked again. “We can stay up here to fix you up if you need us to.

“I’ll be fine, Gin.” Hermione reassured her friend, “If I really do feel like coming down, I think I can handle getting ready.”

“But won’t you need help with your hair and—”

“Ginny. If I were to go down there, I wouldn’t be trying to impress anyone anyways. Don’t worry about me.” Hermione said firmly, “You go down there and have a great night with Neville. Tell everyone I said ‘hi’, though.”

Ginny sighed, “If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to come down and drag me out of there.” Ginny said seriously.

“Thanks, Ginny. You’re a really good friend.”

“I do what I can.” Ginny said. With that she left the room to follow Lavender and Parvati down to the Great Hall where the ball would be commencing in mere moments! Hermione walked to her bed-by-the-window and sat down heavily. She released a great sigh before reclining back to watch flakes of snow float past.

~<>~

Harry stood anxiously at the doors of the Great Hall waiting for Vanessa. He was garbed neatly in a coal black tuxedo with a light mint green dress shirt that brought his piercing green eyes out even more. A shiny black shoe tapped the floor in apprehension. However, Harry Potter was not nervous about seeing Vanessa. It was rather the fact that he was going to the ball with Vanessa. For some indefinable reason, Harry felt as if he shouldn’t be going to the ball with her. It just didn’t “feel” right.

Finally, the girl he was waiting for appeared at the end of the hallway. Harry noticed that Vanessa did indeed look very pretty. The gorgeous brunette had her hair down where it cascaded to her back in silky tresses. Her dress clung to her in the right places and was a sparkling, fiery color that complimented her glowing skin. Her make-up was just right and her feet were encased in shiny fire engine red heels. Harry smiled gently at her and offered his hand to her as she approached. Vanessa took the proffered hand and smiled winningly at Harry.

“You look great.” Harry said simply.

Vanessa flashed him a shining smile, “Thank you! You have no idea how long it took me to get everything just right. Since I’m coming with you, I figured that I had to look perfect!”

Harry frowned before he quickly ignored her final comment. He led her into the Great Hall where the ball had already begun. As the couple entered, there were several gasps from the girls and appreciative whistles from many of the guys. Vanessa truly looked stunning and a majority of the student body gaped openly at Harry’s date. Oddly enough, Harry didn’t feel even the least bit jealous of the attention that his date was receiving.

The next song started and Harry released a sigh of relief as the attention was returned back to the dance. He was soon dragged onto the dance floor by his date. “I love this song! Let’s dance, Harry.” Harry struggled to keep up with the energetic girl as he joined the ranks of happy dancing couples… well, at least the “dancing couples” part…

~<>~

Several dances later, Harry was given a break. Vanessa was thirsty and he immediately offered to get her a drink in order to gain his own respite. He wandered slowly over to the drink table while he slowly caught his breathe again. When he arrived at the table, he happened upon Ginny.

“How’s your evening going, Harry?” she asked conversationally.

“It’s fine.” Harry answered evenly. Ginny raised an eyebrow and clearly indicated to Harry that she didn’t believe a word he said. “Okay, okay. It’s just not as good as I imagined it in my head, alright?”

Ginny smirked triumphantly. She took another sip of her punch before speaking again, “Hermione’s up in her room.” Ginny said simply before walking away to join Neville again on the dance floor.

Harry shook his head slowly but couldn’t help but think about the girl that had destroyed his heart. What would be happening if Hermione was here with Harry tonight? Perhaps Harry would be feeling more fulfilled and complete if he was here with her. The void in Harry’s heart ached painfully, but Harry, having honed the skill for years, immediately pushed the questioning thoughts aside. Harry shook his head again and immediately drained the cup of Butterbeer that he poured for himself. He refilled the glass and filled another cup for his date before he slowly returned to where he left the waiting girl.

Vanessa smiled gratefully at Harry when he returned and handed her a drink. Harry returned the smile and sat down next to her to watch his peers dancing the night away. Vanessa sighed contentedly and leaned on Harry’s arm possessively as she glared at the other girls that were eyeing Harry hungrily. “Are you having a good night, Harry?” she asked innocently.

“Yeah, a great night.” Harry lied quickly.

“That’s good to hear. I’m having a fantastic night with you too.” Harry chose not to respond. Something inside of him just wouldn’t let him. Instead, Harry opted to just nod. It was then that a slow song began. Vanessa was glowing as she shot Harry a dazzling smile. “Come on, Harry! Let’s dance!” she exclaimed excitedly. Harry could only follow the excited girl onto the crowded dance floor. The couple began to sway the music and Harry was perfectly content to place his hands on either side of Vanessa’s waist. The girl in turn wrapped her arms around Harry’s neck and pulled him close. Harry swayed stiffly to the beat and seemed to look anywhere but at the girl in his arms. “Tonight has been perfect hasn’t it?” she asked quietly.

“Sure.” Harry said, but in his mind, he knew that the night was far from perfect. The only thing that could make Harry’s night perfect would be a certain girl at his side.

“Aren’t you glad that you’re here with me instead of Granger?”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked sharply, his senses cleared completely by just the sound of Hermione’s surname.

“Well, you said that you’ve been having a great night with me… and honestly, I really don’t think that Granger has any idea of how to really please a man of your caliber.”

Harry’s anger flared at the judgmental comments and he retorted quickly, “Hermione,” he started emphasizing her first name, “is a wonderful girl and is the only person I’ve ever met in my entire life that truly treats me like I want to be treated.”

“Why do you defend her?” Vanessa shot back, “She’s the one that dumped you!”

Harry paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, “Because I still love her.” He said boldly. Vanessa gasped and the two separated from their dancing position.

“You would pick her over me?”

Harry sighed, “Vanessa, you’re obviously a really beautiful girl, but I don’t think you understand me like Hermione did. Can you honestly say that you like me for who I am rather than the image that I don’t even want?”

Vanessa bit her lip. Silence hung like static to the couple before Vanessa spoke again. “No…” she finally sighed in defeat.

Harry used a gentle hand raise her face to meet his own. “Thank you for being honest with me, Vanessa.” He said quietly, “I’m sure you will make some bloke very happy some day, but I really don’t think I’m that guy.”

“I’m sorry for lying to you, Harry.” She said and unshed tears sparkled in her eyes.

“That’s all in the past. Let’s focus on the present and the future now.”

Vanessa wiped her eyes quickly, “That sounds lovely, Harry. In that case, you should go find Hermione and tell her how you really feel before it’s too late. I haven’t seen her around here though.”

“I think I know where she is.” Harry said. With a final hug and a nod, Harry departed rapidly.

~<>~

Even reading had become dull for Hermione—and that’s when she knew that she had a problem. Tonight, the bookworm just could not seem to focus on anything. Words flew before her eyes, but her mind was having a rough time putting them together into coherent thoughts. Finally, Hermione threw the book down on her bed and grumbled angrily.

Snow was still peacefully drifting down to the ground, and from her high vantage point, Hermione could make out the figures of happy couples enjoying the beautiful snow and the chilly evening together. Her throat tightened as she thought of how she and Harry might’ve been another one of the couples out there at this very moment.

“Why did you have to be so stupid, Hermione?” she asked herself quietly.

Not expecting a reply, Hermione was especially startled when she received one. “You’re not stupid, Hermione.” A familiar voice said gently.

Hermione jumped up and pulled her wand out to find Harry standing there at the other end of the room. “Harry?” she asked breathlessly.

“Hey, Hermione.” He answered softly after a short pause.

“What are you doing here? How did you get up the stairs? Where’s Vanessa?”

Harry eyes twinkled and he smiled has Hermione fired off her questions in rapid succession. “I’m here to do something I should have done ages ago. I left Vanessa down at the Ball, and honestly, I have no idea how I got up the stairs.”

“You left Vanessa?” Hermione asked.

“She and I are over.” Harry said quietly. He looked down at his shiny black shoes and finally brought his gaze to Hermione’s own eyes. “I made a terrible mistake, Hermione.”

“Oh, Harry, you didn’t make a mistake. It was me that made the terrible mistake.”

Harry smirked slightly, “I guess we both botched things up didn’t we.” Hermione nodded, and Harry continued, “I hope it’s not too late to fix everything…”

“It’s never too late to try.” Hermione whispered but Harry heard her clearly.

Harry took a step forward, “Hermione, I never should have agreed to go out with Vanessa. These past two weeks without you have been the very worst in my entire life. I honestly have no idea what I was doing. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me for giving up on you so easily?”

Hermione stood up from her bed and slowly approached the lone boy. “Harry, none of this was your fault. I completely broke your heart, and that was a stupid and naïve thing for me to do. In reality, I was just so worried about what everyone else thought about me, but now I know that those opinions aren’t important.” Hermione took a breath, “These past two weeks have been horrendous for me as well. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive a girl for being ignorant?”

Harry smiled. “I’ll see what I can do for you, Mione.” He opened his arms and Hermione leapt into his embrace readily. Harry truly relished the feeling of having her in his arms and Hermione enjoyed being so close to Harry again. They held each other tightly for several moments before Hermione pulled back.

“You look great in your tux, Harry.”

“This thing? Nah, it pales in comparison to how beautiful you are.”

“But I’m not even in my dress.” Hermione protested.

“What’s your point?” Harry replied simply. Hermione smiled happily and leaned into his embrace again. This time, it was Harry who pulled back. “There’s one more thing that I need to let you know, Hermione.” He said softly.

“What’s that Harry?”

Harry looked meaningfully into her eyes and took a deep breath, “I—I love you.”

Hermione’s breath caught in her own throat and she looked up into Harry’s shining eyes. Both people were silent before Hermione finally responded, “I love you too, Harry.”

Harry smiled warmly. No words were needed as the couple already had an arcane understanding of each other. Harry slowly leaned in and Hermione tilted her head up ever so slightly. Finally, after what may have felt like millenniums, their lips met in a sweet kiss. Harry held Hermione tightly in his arms while Hermione clutched onto Harry as if she was under the impression that if she slackened her tight grip, he would suddenly disappear. Their lips remained locked together for several moments before the couple broke apart for air.

Again, no words were spoken as they were not necessary. Harry smiled lovingly down at Hermione and she returned the adoring gaze. The two made their way over to Hermione’s bed where they sat comfortably in each other’s company while gazing out the window at the insistent cascade of soft white snow. Yes, this was to be a fantastic year.

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AN2: Alright everyone! That’s it! This ride has been an absolute blast and I hope to put something substantial out again very soon! Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers and readers for the constant stream of support. I write for you! That’s it for this story, but hopefully, it’s just the beginning for me here at Portkey! Cheers!

11. untitled

AN: Sorry for the delay everyone. My life has suddenly gotten so much busier than before. It’s becoming difficult to squeeze in time to write with school and all of the other things I’m involved in. I will not fail you guys though. I’ll continue to make time for myself to write. Your reviews are incredibly encouraging and I wrote this Epilogue because of you guys. Hopefully it’ll appease your hunger for a little more fluff. I sure hope it’s not too sappy. This chapter is just closing up the entire story. The sequel to this story is being considered, but I’m not sure if where else I can go with this. I’ll keep thinking about it though. Thanks again for all of your wonderful positive support.

Spoiler Alert: You’re safe. Read on! The graduation was made up by me. I’ve never graduated before so I just invented something that hopefully isn’t too far off from what it’s supposed to be.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling still owns the credit for the wonderful idea of Harry Potter. I’m sure that deep in her heart, she believes that Harry and Hermione belong together though.

Cheers!

Epilogue

Graduation, an epic event of grand proportions. This year’s would be without a doubt just as spectacular as the last. Hundreds of cheery bodies congregated outside of Hogwarts castle, simply chatting and relaxing in the festive air. A large platform was set up outside and the Hogwarts House Colors were draped elegantly over the stage. Dumbledore’s podium was moved outside for this occasion and was situated at the center where everyone could easily view the speaker. Balloons hung transfixed in the air accompanied by a plethora of colorful streamers. Even nature was in a celebratory mood!

Birds twittered happily in the lush boughs of sturdy trees. Insects darted to-and-fro while small rodents raced through the tall, orderly, grass. Gentle winds swept out of the bright clear sky while the sun shone magnificently in its place. It was a truly wonderful day to hold such an event and the weather brought good omens.

Harry stood with his circle of friends, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and of course, Hermione. They were wearing their school robes (for the last time for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, at least) while they chatted before the event began. Hermione stood at Harry’s side and the couple held hands lightly as they reminisced upon old school memories (of which Hermione didn’t have nearly as many of). Other students milled about and talked in their own circles. Parents walked around leisurely and caught up with long-time schoolmates and age-old friends.

It was another thirty minutes past when Dumbledore made his way up to the podium. Sensing that the commencement was about to begin, everyone made their way to their seats and settled in for a number of longwinded speeches. Harry sat with Hermione in the front row with Ron and his other classmates sitting in subsequent rows. Harry and Hermione had briefly spoken with Hermione’s parents and they were sitting farther on back in the sea of bodies. To no surprise, Hermione was asked to deliver a speech for the award of ‘Brightest Witch of the Age’ and she gratefully accepted the honor. That would be farther on down the line though. As of that moment, Dumbledore was just beginning.

“Welcome to Hogwarts, parents and guardians! And for many of you, should I saw, ‘Welcome back’!” Dumbledore smiled widely and his eyes twinkled as much as ever. “A great deal has happened for us to arrive at this point, and honestly, I’m truly grateful that we are here. We, as a community of witches and wizards, have just recently won a most terrible war. The second and final war with the one Lord Voldemort is now over. This was made possible by a collection of brave witches and wizards that dared to fight back against the twisted mind of Voldemort. Regrettably, a great many lives were lost throughout the long battles. At this point, we should all take a moment of silence to think of and thank those that are no longer here with us today. None of the future that we now share would have been possible without their ultimate sacrifice.” Every person present sat respectfully silent and many bowed their heads to think of past friends and what they might be doing at that very moment were they alive. Even the birds paused their singing and the squirrels stopped their playful chatter momentarily to allow for this momentary lapse in sound. After several moments, Dumbledore looked up again and cleared his throat to gain the attention. “This is not a time to be sad and dreary though. Today, something very wonderful indeed will happen. We are gathered here today to witness the graduation of a collection of some of Hogwarts’s very best students!” Dumbledore paused momentarily, “Now, I will keep my speech short because I am positive that you will all be quite tired of hearing speeches by the end of this, but allow me to elaborate on some of the experiences that I have had with these marvelous people. Your children—with few exceptions, of course—all came here to Hogwarts when they were but eleven. At that ripe young age, I could tell that this was indeed a special group of kids. Despite a war escalating around them, they continued to find and explore the finer points of life and—I should hope so, at least—experienced Hogwarts to its fullest capacity—”

Regardless of his disclaimer, Dumbledore’s speech—eh, rant—continued on for a good deal of time. It was an enrapturing story though, and even the students—who lived the experiences—marveled in exactly how much they had been through in their years at Hogwarts.

~<>~

The sun had just begun its decent from the highest point in the sky and the ceremony was nearly over. Besides the official graduation, only Hermione was left to deliver a final speech from the “Brightest Witch of the Age”. Hermione’s hands shook in anticipation as she waited to be called up. Dumbledore was thanking the student that was at the podium right now and chances were, if the past three hours were any indication, he would launch off on a random tangent for a few more minutes. Harry smiled at his girlfriend kindly, he leaned over to whisper into her ear, “What’s up?”

“I’m nervous, Harry.” She responded quietly.

“Why?”

“What if I forget what was going to say?”

“You won’t.”

“That’s easy for you to say, I’m the one that’s up there, not you.”

“Now honestly Hermione, first off, you’re not going to forget your speech. Second of all, no one will know that you forgot what you were going to say anyways, unless you plan to pass out the three rough drafts, the revised version, and all four copies of your final edition.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “I’ll try not to be long, Mr. Potter, I want you to properly meet my parents after all of this.”

Harry’s eyes widened, “Take your time, Hermione, there’s no hurry, right?”

Hermione giggled and noticed that Dumbledore had finished his digression and was turning the floor over to her. Harry kissed her quickly on the cheek and gave her a thumb up and a big smile.

“I now present you with our next speaker, Hermione Granger who is undoubtedly the Brightest Witch of the Age!”

Hermione smiled appreciatively at Dumbledore and made her way up to the stage. Standing before the crowd, Hermione carefully made eye contact with her parents who nodded approvingly. Next, Ron and Ginny who both gave her encouraging grins, and finally, at Harry was just smiled widely at her. Hermione took a deep breath and started to speak.

“I came here to Hogwarts only this past year. With all of the problems here, it just wasn’t safe enough to be able to fully immerse myself into my studies so I went off to the Americas to study until things died down. Of course, it wouldn’t have made a difference in the long run if Voldemort had succeeded, but sometimes, running away from things just make them go away, at least temporarily. Fortunately for some very brave people here, Voldemort was defeated and so I returned. Regardless of past decisions, I am truly gratefully that I had at least one year here at Hogwarts. These past several months have impacted my life in ways that I had never thought possible. Back at my old school, I was sunken completely into my studies and didn’t spare anything else a second thought. Here at Hogwarts though, my eyes were opened to a world outside of books. I finally noticed another world, a world where the members could actually talk back. Here at Hogwarts, I learned to open up to more people, and now I have so many friends that are simply just better company than books. Of course, unlike books, people aren’t always so predictable, and I was subject to some unpleasant surprises though. There is no journey without some bumps though and it’s part of life to get through the more difficult times. With the help of my friends, I made it through those times, and now I honestly feel like I’m a better person because of it. I am up here right now accepting the title of ‘Brightest Witch of the Age’, but honestly, it’s not nearly as important as having good friends. I learned here at Hogwarts that there are more important things than books, grades, and avoiding detentions. There is friendship and also a little bravery. Without those things, all of the books and O’s in the world couldn’t make life worth living. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I learned a very important lesson here at Hogwarts and I’m thankful for that. I might know a lot, textbook wise, but now, I also know a little more about myself as a person. Thank you, Hogwarts, for giving me this unforgettable opportunity!”

The crowd leapt up in applause as Hermione descended from the stage. Although the speech had less to do about the award, its meaning was clear. There is clearly more to life than first meets the eye. Hermione returned to her seat next to Harry and let out a big sigh.

“You were fantastic!” Harry said energetically while Dumbledore droned on.

“Thanks, I decided to go with the abridged version since I doubt anyone could sit through another speech.” Harry laughed lightly.

Dumbledore clapped energetically, “Now, for the final speech of the day. Although I have yet to ask for his consent, I am sure that we would all be delighted to hear from one very special member of the crowd today. May I take this moment to ask for Harry Potter to come up to the stage?”

Harry was dumbstruck. This wasn’t in the plan. What was going on? Hermione clapped loudly with the rest of the audience and lightly pushed Harry towards the stage. The young hero looked around incredulously at Dumbledore, and then the crowd. He honestly had no idea what he was doing. Dumbledore nodded encouragingly and Harry turned back to his audience. “Er… hi.” He started out lamely. Students and parents alike chuckled. “Well, I wasn’t really ready to give a speech today, and I honestly don’t like the attention, but I’ll see what I can do for you.” Harry paused to collect his thoughts, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my parents. They were killed by Tom Riddle, also known as Voldemort, when I was just a baby. In the end, I was left with my aunt and uncle who treated me horribly. At grade school, no one wanted to be my friend because my stupid cousin scared them all away. Then, I discovered the wizarding world. When I was eleven, I came here to Hogwarts with no idea as to what magic even was—even less as to why I was so famous. And so, from there, it was painfully obvious that it would be difficult to find real friends. Most people just wanted to befriend me because of my fame, but that’s not what I’m looking for. If I can take this time to extend on Hermione’s speech, friends are definitely the most important things in our lives. Sometimes we take them for granted though. If you will all take a moment to look around at your friends here with you today, make sure that you let them know how much you appreciate them. Life has a funny way of taking things away when you least expect it and need them the most. At this point, I would like to pick out of the vast crowd several people that I would consider my closest friends and companions. I want to extend a hand of thanks and gratitude to the Weasley family, some of the first people that really cared for me as a person and welcomed me into their household time after time again. In particular, I want to thank Ron and Ginny Weasley for sticking with me all of these years. I know it must be difficult to have me as a friend and I want to let you know that I appreciate that. Also, all of the teachers here at Hogwarts have been learning experience indeed. Although I may not have liked some of them, (more laughs here) every single one of them was integral in my life and they helped teach me and nurture me into the person that I am today. Lastly, I want to thank Hermione Granger. Even though you just came this past year, you’ve grown to be a big part of my life. I am proud to call you my best friend and I hope that no matter what happens, that never changes. Everyone, without friends, nothing in life has any meaning. Money and power sound nice, but they can’t help you when you’re down, and they can’t support you when you’re chasing your dreams. That’s why everyone needs a friend. Erm… that’s all I have to say. Thanks everyone!”

The crowd leapt up in applause and immediately gave Harry a standing ovation. Harry waved and made his way back down to his seat. Hermione was clapping energetically and beamed at her boyfriend.

“You were fantastic!” she said with a grin.

“Thanks.” Harry smiled, “I had no idea what I was doing.”

“It sounded fine from here.” She replied. Harry grinned and Hermione quickly took his hand and turned back to listen to Dumbledore.

“Thank you, Mr. Potter for that inspiring speech. I for one will be keeping your words close to heart and mind. Now, we will carry on with the official graduation! Shall we start? Aaron, Kylie…”

Polite applause carried each student from the stage after they received the official documentation of their graduation and a few friendly words of advice from Dumbledore.

“Gadden, Laura.”

Harry squeezed Hermione’s hand supportively as another girl made her way up to the stage to graduate.

“Granger, Hermione.”

Harry grinned at Hermione and nudged her to set her in motion. Hermione took a nervous breath and made her way back up to the stage. She accepted the roll of parchment from Professor Dumbledore who then pulled her into a hug. “You’ve learned a lot here at Hogwarts, Ms. Granger. Do not be afraid to continue learning from your experiences.” He whispered into her ear.

Hermione nodded, thanked the headmaster, and made her way back to her seat to the sound of clapping. She waved her parchment in Harry’s face cheekily.

Harry rolled his eyes, “Just you wait, Granger. ‘P’ isn’t that far behind ‘G’.”

The two laughed merrily and waited for Harry’s time to come.

“Potter, Harry.”

Harry stood up. “Don’t trip, Potter.” Hermione teased.

“Hahaha.” Harry rolled his eyes and made his way up the stage to Headmaster Dumbledore. He didn’t trip.

“You have chosen good and loyal friends, Harry. Learn to trust each and every one of them with your secrets and your heart. Only then will they fully trust you in return.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Harry nodded. This advice didn’t quite make sense to him, but surely it would become useful in the future. Harry thanked the professor and his old friend once again before making his way back to his chair. Again, Harry did not trip.

“Congratulations, Harry!” Hermione said excitedly.

“Thanks! I never could have done it without you.”

“Psh, I’m sure you would’ve been just fine without me.”

“I doubt that.” The two smiled at each other once again and patiently waited for the ceremony to come to an end.

~<>~

“And finally, Weasley, Ronald.”

Ron walked proudly up to Dumbledore and shook his hand firmly before accepting his roll of parchment. “Do not jump to conclusions about people. Keep an open mind, Mr. Weasley.”

Ron nodded in understanding and made his way back to merge with the crowd.

“And that does it, ladies and gentlemen. I present you now with Hogwarts’s newest graduating class! May your lives prove to be abundant with sweet fruit.”

Every single member in the excited audience jumped up and cheered loudly. This was it! This was what they had worked so hard for ever since they were eleven. It was a long and eventful journey, but well worth the work.

The new graduates separated into groups again and congratulated each other happily. Professor McGonagall approached Harry with a smile on her face. “Congratulations on graduating, Mr. Potter. I have never doubted your abilities.”

“Thank you, Professor McGonagall.” Harry turned away from his conversation with Hermione and faced his old professor.

“There is no need, Mr. Potter. You did it all on your own. I simply helped to guide you. However, on the subject of guidance, we are still searching for a permanent Professor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts. Considering your proficiency and experience in the matter, on behalf of the Hogwarts staff, I would like to offer you the job position. You would make an excellent teacher.”

Harry was speechless, “Wow, Professor. I don’t know what to say. I’ll definitely think about it! Thanks!”

McGonagall smiled, “I am no longer your professor, Mr. Potter. You may call me Minerva.”

Harry grinned, “That would just be too awkward, Professor. Thank you for everything!”

With another smile, the professor swept off. Harry turned back to Hermione who was beaming proudly at him. “What?”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Harry, you just received a very prestigious job offer. And you’ve only been graduated for ten minutes! That’s incredible!”

“Well… the Defense Against the Dark Arts has an interesting history of teachers only lasting a year. I dunno if I should take the offer.”

“I’m sure that was just because of the teachers. With Voldemort on the loose, they had their own problems or just couldn’t handle the pressure of resisting Voldemort.”

Harry was silent, “My Defense teacher in Third Year was a man I respected greatly. But I think you’re right, every single professor had some personal issue, whether it was being possessed by Voldemort or a Polyjuiced Auror that was really a Death Eater.”

“Regardless of your decision, I’ll stand behind you 100%, Harry.” Hermione said with a smile.

“Thanks, I’ll need the support of the people most important to me if this is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.”

Hermione nodded, “Let’s go meet my parents now then! I’d like to properly introduce you now considering how you’ll be staying at the house until you find another place to stay.”

Harry looked slightly panicked, “Really, Hermione, I don’t think that’s necessary. I wouldn’t mind renting a room until I find a flat. It would be no trouble at all.”

“Nonsense. I want them to meet the boy that stole my heart.”

Harry smiled slightly and sighed dramatically, “Well, let’s do this then!”

~<>~

“Mum, dad. I’d like you to meet Harry Potter. Harry, these are my parents, Robert and Jane Granger.”

Harry acknowledged both of them. “Nice to meet you, Mr. and Ms. Granger.” Harry extended his hand towards Mr. Granger.

“Likewise, Mr. Potter.” Robert said and firmly shook Harry’s hand.

“Hermione has told us so much about you through her letters!” Jane said happily.

Harry smiled and looked towards Hermione, “You write to your parents about me?”

Hermione blushed, “Well, I just wanted to tell them a little bit about you. You’re going to be living with us, you know.”

Reminded of that little fact, Harry turned nervously to look at Hermione’s parents again. Jane Granger was smiling amusedly at the couple while her husband looked on calculatingly. “If it’s too much trouble,” Harry said quickly, “I can rent a place to stay and leave you guys alone. I’m sure you have much to catch up on with Hermione and would hate to intrude.”

“Nonsense, Harry. I’d very much like to get to know the boy that my only daughter has been so interested in. I’d hate for anyone to hurt her.” Mr. Granger said as he stared sternly at Harry.

“Robert!”

“Dad!” Hermione and her mother cried out frustratingly.

Harry rose to the challenge in Robert’s words though. He wasn’t going to let anyone think that he would ever hurt Hermione. “I’d really hate for anyone to hurt Hermione too, sir. If you’re implying that I might even consider it though. You don’t know me at all. I would never hurt Hermione. She’s an incredibly important person to me and I wouldn’t dare harm her.” Harry stood his ground against Mr. Granger and stared firmly back.

Hermione and her mother stared silently between the two men. Mr. Granger seemed taken aback at first at the aspect of anyone talking back to him. (It hadn’t happened in a long time) Finally he smiled and extended his own hand towards Harry. “Thank you, Harry. It’s good to know that Hermione has picked a boy that will stand up for her.”

“Thank you, sir.” Harry shook his hand again and smiled.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook, son. When we get home, there are a lot of things we need to go over.” Harry’s face fell at the thought.

“Okay, father. Enough of this.” Hermione quickly intervened.

“Why don’t we go back to the house to continue this conversation?” Jane suggested. “Are you ready to go, Harry?”

“Let me just say goodbye to the Weasleys. Then we’ll be off!”

~<>~

“Wow. I never will get used to those Portkey things.”

Several Portkeys were set up to quickly return families to their homes. It was moments after the Granger family (plus a Potter) grabbed an innocent-looking tin can that they appeared on their own lawn.

“Well, Harry, this is our house. And yours until you feel like you want to move out.” Ms. Granger introduced the Granger house.

“You have a beautiful house, Ms. Granger.”

“Why thank you, Harry!”

“So, Harry,” Mr. Granger said conversationally, “It is Granger tradition that before entering this house after returning from Hogwarts that we state what we see in our own futures. Would you like to go first?”

“I’m not sure Mr. Granger. I never really planned my future past Hogwarts.”

Robert and Jane looked interested but Hermione silenced both of them with a hard stare. That story would be better saved for another time, “Harry’s already received a job offer to teach at Hogwarts, though.” Hermione supplied helpfully.

“Do you plan to take it?”

“Perhaps. Being ‘Harry Potter’ there are lots of things I could do, but being a teacher sounds like an excellent plan. I’ve had enough of the limelight and it’s a pretty low-key job. I might just go for it.”

“Regardless of what you choose to do, we’ll stand behind you.” Hermione said confidently and her parents nodded.

Harry paused. “There is one thing that I can see in my future though.” Harry looked at Hermione and smiled appreciatively.

Hermione smiled softly in return and took moved up to take Harry’s hand. Jane smiled widely at the couple. Even Robert grinned and nodded in satisfaction. Enough was said about Harry’s future. It became apparent that he had already arranged his priorities. There would always be a certain brown-haired know-it-all at the top of his mind and the center of his heart.

Fin

AN2: Alright, that’s it. I’m not going to be writing an Epilogue to the Epilogue! The sequel is still up in the air. We’ll see if I can find some burst of inspiration to write it! As for this story, I’m proud to say that it’s officially completed. Thank you so much for all of your support! It’s much appreciated indeed!

Cheers!