A Sister's Influence

Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

A Sister's Influence

Chapter One: Prologue

Ophelia Jane Granger sighed as she rubbed her hazel eyes. On the desk in front of her lay the last letter from her younger sister Hermione, currently enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Taking the sheet of parchment in her hands once more, she reread her sister's neat handwriting, shaking her head. She had sworn to help Hermione avoid her own mistakes, and it was time she started acting on that.

Knowing Hermione, Ophelia knew that a subtle approach would not work. At times, her brilliant sister needed the truth shoved in her face hard, so that she could admit her mistakes, and this was clearly the case.

But after all, what teenage girl didn't make mistakes when it came to boys? It was the duty of a older sister to warn about some pitfalls on that road. When she was sixteen years old, Ophelia had lived through a similar situation and it had been Hermione, only eleven years old at the time, that had helped her through the hurt and the tears, and the heartbreak.

Now it was time to pay back that debt. Taking a pen, and a blank sheet of paper, she pinched her slightly bent nose, result of a fall from a swing when she was just six, and started writing furiously. There were many things she needed to open Hermione's eyes about, and she hoped she could manage the difficult task. Her little sister was quite stubborn at times, which was a Granger family trait, and Ophelia would not give up until she had convinced Hermione to share her views.

She didn't fool herself thinking that at twenty-one she had all the answers, but she liked to think she had many. She also knew soon or later Hermione would have boy troubles, it was bound to happen. Which is why Ophelia had prepared adequately, taking the necessary steps to protect her from the likes of Jason.

God, the simple name of her ex-boyfriend still irked her, even after so long. The manipulative bastard who had once stepped all over Ophelia's heart had been the reason why Hermione had had to help her rebuild her self-confidence, which she had slowly managed. Not wanting Hermione to go through that, the older sister had taken lessons in martial arts, namely Judo, Karate and Ju-jitsu, so that she could kick Hermione's boyfriend miles away if she had the slightest feeling he was like Jason, although her official reason to take those lessons was self-defence. A good old, heavy shovel on his head would be good too, but nobody in the Granger household knew about where she had one hidden for “emergencies”.

It took Ophelia a hour to write all what she wanted to, and rereading it she was quite satisfied with the outcome.

Hermione would surely have to think about what her older sister had written to her, that was the reason why she wrote Ophelia so often, at least once a week, and told her everything going on at Hogwarts.

Trolls, Basilisks, the taunting of the Slytherins about her origins, a convicted murdered escaped and then revealing to be her best friend's godfather, a deadly tournament with foreign schools, the first date with a celebrity, the return of a madman who wanted her best friend dead, and finally a trap in the Ministry of Magic where Hermione herself had almost died. And now, a mysterious Prince and his Potions book, Ophelia knew much more about what went on in the Wizarding world than their parents.

Terence and Natalie Granger would have surely withdrawn their daughter from the magical school if they knew, and Hermione had sworn Ophelia to secrecy.

The older girl couldn't understand why her sister wanted so badly to be part of an old, bigoted, dangerous world, but who was she to go against Hermione's wishes and possibly ruin her life? So she listened and gave advice as best as she could, being Muggle. Some things she couldn't understand, but her point of view had always been held in high regard by Hermione.

Ophelia hoped it would be the same this time.

Sighing, she put the letter inside an envelope and addressed it to her sister, then took another blank sheet. She had another letter to write, to a person who didn't even know she existed, from what she knew. She hoped she could have an effect, albeit little, on him too.

However, she was interrupted by her roommate Helen.

“Ophelia, we're going into town, will you come with us?”

The brown haired girl weighted her options. Being enrolled at Harvard to pursue a degree in biochemistry, Ophelia rarely went out to have fun. She wasn't as obsessed with study as Hermione, and had always been more social than her younger sister, but still she was one of the best students in her classes. She would have to decide exactly which field of medicine she would like to pursue, but for now, biochemistry would do.

Her coming to Harvard had been Hermione's idea. Ophelia was enrolled at Oxford when Voldemort resurrected, and her younger sister hotly recommended she leave the country to avoid being involved in the upcoming war. Trusting her judgement, Ophelia had transferred.

Finally making a decision, she sighed, left the pen on the table promising to write that second letter later, and joined her friends for a night out. A bit of fun would help her relax and maybe she could think about what to write to a boy she never met.

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Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

The letter you'll find here is almost completely taken from the challenge itself.

A Sister's Influence

Chapter Two: Hermione's Letter

At breakfast the next day, Hermione kept looking up to where the owls would come to deliver the mail. She hoped her sister had had time to read her letter and reply.

As evident her worry about receiving mail was, Harry was too wrapped up kissing Ginny to notice, and Ron…well, let's say he had his own troubles deciding if he should eat breakfast, or Lavender's face.

Finally, a brown school owl swooped down and graciously settled in front of Hermione, an envelope attached to its leg. Hastily pocketing it to read it later when she was alone, the brunette resumed her breakfast as if nothing had happened, her heart much lighter knowing her sister Ophelia had been able to write back. She really needed some advice.

--

For once, Hermione Granger was eager to have the lessons finish, so that she could sneak to the dorms and read her letter. She wasn't famished anyway, and if she got hungry later, she could always sneak to the kitchens for a snack. Staying in the dorms at dinner when everyone else was in the Great Hall was the perfect opportunity to read with privacy, and focus on what her sister would have to tell her.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the envelope, and slowly pulled the piece of paper out of it.

“It's long” she noticed. “Oh, well, better start then” she thought, and began reading.

Dear Hermione,
I cannot truly believe that my little sister can act so brainless! Where is my logical, independent sister who helped me get through my break up with Jason?

Where is that little girl who swore never to get involved with a man who could treat her like Jason treated me?

Hermione snorted. That was a completely different situation.

My first piece of advice is to forget about a romantic relationship with this Ron boy.

From what I've gathered in your letters in the past years, he still has some growing up to do and besides that he's almost never respected anything that you've done or said. Did he ever apologize about the rat incident? Did he ever apologize about the broom thing? What about in your fourth year when he abandoned you and Harry? Has he ever thanked you for helping him with his homework? Does he even notice when he hurts your feelings?

Hermione had to reread this part twice. Ophelia was right, Ron never apologized for those things. But did that matter? They were friends, so he just assumed she had forgiven him, which she had, of course. But was it wrong for him to just assume? After all, Harry never said he was sorry either when he upset her, which wasn't very often though.

You are sixteen years old and no matter what your female friends say, you do not have to be in a romantic relationship. You have plenty of time to find a guy who will respect your opinions and be able to talk to you about more than just that game Harry plays. And don't try making him or anyone else jealous again, it's just stupid and it only hurts everyone involved.

“Yeah, I noticed that” Hermione said to herself. Seriously, thinking she could win Ron's heart by making him jealous must have been her dumbest idea so far. As for her not needing to have a boyfriend…true, she didn't need one, but it would have been nice. But Ophelia was right, Ron did talk only about Quidditch, and as much as she liked the sport when Harry played, even if he usually scared her to death with his bold moves, Quidditch was hardly the subject on which to build a healthy relationship.

Now, a nice discussion over S.P.E.W., that would be something worth talking about, but Hermione knew she would never be able to do that with Ron. He would just mock her ideas. Harry would be different, he would be able to talk to her about that. He had done it before, and even if he didn't agree with her methods, he did free Dobby, so he must have her same ideas deep down.

Furthermore, you've told me that this Voldemort person is back, it's the whole reason that I'm here at Harvard instead of Oxford like mum and dad wanted after all. If I have my terminology correct, you are a Muggleborn and you are the best friend of the boy at the top of this Voldemort person's `to kill' list. You do not have time for a romantic relationship, you are in the middle of a bloody war! You have already participated in one battle and you nearly died, Hermione!

Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes at this. Her sister had never dated after the Jason fiasco, not seriously at least, so it was to be expected that she would make the excuse of the war to say she had other things to focus on. Living in fear of the upcoming war would mean that Voldemort had already won, because he had managed to change their way of living, affecting the way they thought. Plus, from love you can also draw the determination to keep fighting, so that you can enjoy it in a free world afterwards. But on one thing her sister was right, Hermione was one of the main targets of Voldemort, both for her lineage and her friendship with Harry.

Hermione was proud of her origins, and loyal to Harry, so there was no chance of her becoming less conspicuous in Voldemort's eye. She would just have to learn to fight exceptionally well so that the likes of Dolohov couldn't get her again.

As to the Prince book, so there's someone that's better than you? So what? I understand that you think the Prince book is dangerous and I understand that you think Harry is cheating but I also think that you cannot honestly tell me that you aren't upset because you are no longer the best Gryffindor at potions. You're going to not be the best in a lot of things Hermione, get used to it and don't get mad about it. Just think of it as a challenge to better yourself instead of being jealous.

“Honestly!” Hermione huffed. “Can't anyone see that it is a dangerous book to meddle with?” she scowled.

However, as she thought back to the instances in with she had called Harry upon using it, she had to admit she had felt a bit jealous for his results in Potions. Basically, she had thought that if Harry found other books like that, he would best her in any subject, and he would not need her anymore. That was what made her resentful about the book in the first place, the idea that Harry might not want to hang around with her anymore because he didn't need her. Given her childhood, it wouldn't have been strange, although she had to admit Harry wasn't like that. But her doubts were hard to overcome.

Apologize to Harry for being so suspicious about the book but point out that you're worried about him. If you really feel suspicious and not jealous about the book then remind him about that diary situation that you told me about ages ago and remind him that you are his friend and you're just trying to help him. Ask him if you can read the book. Even if this Prince person was a git, he or she was still a git who knew what they were talking about.

That was obvious. The Prince was surely a Potion Master, or he became one later in life. But some things in that book were highly suspicious, even with her petty jealousy pushed aside for the time being. She would need to have a nice chat with Harry about that, possibly without Ginny around Hermione thought, rolling her eyes.

You may hate me for this letter Hermione but I would rather you live and hate me than die or end up in a relationship like the one I had with Jason. I would also rather that you live and hate me than loose one of your first friends all because you can't stand not being the best.

“Oh, sis, I could never hate you!” Hermione said softly, starting to read the next part.

Now buck up, forget about Ron, forget about Lavender, in fact, find some female friends outside of your tower- those Gryffindor girls sound like absolute brats! Especially that Ginny girl. I mean for goodness sakes `don't try to act like you understand' honestly! Like that world is so hard to understand! They're still stuck at least two centuries behind the rest of the world. They don't have an ounce of logic and there's hardly any innovation. Their society seems completely stagnant!

Hermione just had to laugh at that. “Thanks for telling me I'm stuck two centuries behind you, sissy” she joked. “Do I need to remind you I'm part of this world too?” she whispered with a smile, but she knew what Ophelia meant. And she couldn't help but agree, at least partly. And then there was the part about Lav and Ginny, on that Hermione couldn't say anything. Ophelia had written exactly what she thought of the youngest Weasley. Maybe she should hang out more with Luna, the Ravenclaw was odd at times, but a nice person and she was obviously smart otherwise she wouldn't be in that house. As for Ron, maybe Ophelia was right, she should let him be with Lavender.

She had thought their fighting was a sign of unresolved sexual tension, but she realized now that if that was the truth, their fighting would have been more like bantering, not hurting each other to the point of tears, on her part, or storming off without talking to her for days or weeks, on Ron's part. Plus, they always fought about rather important things, so she couldn't see it dying down once they were together, and a romantic relationship like that made her shudder at the mere thought of it.

Finally, go practice duelling because you are not allowed to get anywhere as close to loosing a battle as you did last time. In fact, I'm the older sibling and I'm also the Muggle child of the family. That means that you are not allowed to die in the stupid war of yours because I get to go first, so there!

Hermione smiled grimly. “Considering the situation, sis, there's a high chance I'll go before you” she reflected sadly, with a long sigh. But she knew she would have to train, as smart as she was duelling was never her best ability, so much that Harry always bested her in DADA, the only subject where he did so, without outside help at least.

I love you little sister and I miss you so much. Just tell me when it's safe to visit and I'll be there in a flash. Hugs and sugar quills,
Ophelia

Hermione closed her eyes as she finished reading her sister's letter. Ophelia had given her enough to think about, but for now she really needed a trip to the kitchen and then off to bed. Tomorrow would be another long day.

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Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

The letter you'll find here is almost completely taken from the challenge itself.

A Sister's Influence

Chapter Three: Harry's Letter

Harry was quietly eating his breakfast now that Ginny had moved from his lap to go chat with her friends, when an envelope fluttered in front of him. Wondering who might have written him, he sure enough didn't expect letters, he took a glance at the front, reading his name in a somewhat familiar handwriting. Taking a look around, he noticed Ron involved in a debate over what was more alluring, Lavender's lips or his sausages, unaware of what had just happened.

Hermione seemed a bit distracted herself, he noticed. He took the chance to pocket the envelope unseen, whoever was writing him must have had something important to say he reckoned. Sadly, he didn't have relatives who would write just for the sake of asking how he was, so it was better to read it in a secluded place without too many eyes around.

--

All day Harry wondered who the mysterious person who wrote him was. He couldn't wait for lessons to finish so that he would be able to sneak away with his cloak and read it. He sure enough didn't want to do that in the common room when anyone could meddle in his affairs. Hermione being the first who would do so, he thought with something akin to annoyance. He still didn't understand why she was giving him such a hard time over the Prince's book, and if he was to be honest, she was starting to get on his nerves about that.

Finally managing to sneak out of the common room, Harry went to the Room of Requirements to have some privacy. He was so curious about the letter that he never noticed Hermione missing dinner and not being in the common room with the others. He did notice Ginny searching for him, though, but he would just have to tell her he was sorry tomorrow.

When he finally tore the envelope open, Harry read the first lines and chuckled. Of course he thought the handwriting was familiar! And the length of the letter was another hint, he thought with a smile.

Dear Harry
First, I'm sorry for being so informal when you don't know me. My name is Ophelia Granger. I'm Hermione's older sister and I suspect she hasn't said anything about me.

Harry had to admit he never knew Hermione had a sister. He briefly wondered why she never mentioned it. To him at least. Maybe Ron knew it, they had had to become a bit closer after all, spending part of the summer together before fifth year and a few days last summer when he wasn't there. The thought of Ron knowing something about Hermione that he didn't was unsettling, to say the least, although Harry didn't really know why.

Now, the actual topic of this letter is my concern about a few of your choices Mr. Potter. Normally I would never involve myself in your personal matters but they affect my sister and I will do everything and anything I can to help her, even interfere in her friends' lives if necessary.

Harry knew where Ophelia was coming from. He would interfere in his friends' lives too, if he thought they were doing something wrong or that would make them unhappy. Or at least, he thought he would, but till now he never had the need to.

Mr. Potter, I feel that you do not understand your importance and no, I am not talking about your importance to that backwards world you and my sister seem so determined to live in.

Harry openly laughed at Ophelia's definition of the Wizarding World. He had to admit, being Muggle-raised, that wizards were quite behind the Muggles in certain matters.

I am talking about your importance in my little sister's life. You may not realize this, and if you tell her I told you this I will deny telling you anything, but you are her first real friend. She constantly talks about you and she values your opinion more than most of her teachers'.

The raven haired boy was a bit troubled at that. He had suspected, in their first year when Hermione was always studying and sticking to the rules and reprimanding them, that she must have not had many friends before, and if he was honest, he could see why. But him, her first friend? He never thought she had been that badly isolated before. He always thought someone like him and Ron must have befriended her in her primary school!

As for valuing his opinion more than the teachers' and talking about him…well, it wasn't the first time he had heard it. Krum mentioned she talked a lot about him too, in their fourth year. Why him and not Ron? It was clear she fancied the redhead, so why not talk about him?

Plus, did she really believe he knew better than their teachers? He might have had some right instincts in the past, when they saved the Philosopher's Stone, or when they saved Sirius who was thought a murderer by everyone, even the school staff and Dumbledore, but he wasn't wiser than them. Why did Hermione think so highly of him?

You, on the other hand, have all but taken her for granted for the past three years if not more! Do you know how many letters I got in her third year, showing how upset she was?
All of them were talking about how her friend Harry was taking Ron's side about a stupid rat when she was innocent and about how her friend Harry was being so careless with a bloody murderer after him. Have you ever apologized for that or did you just assume that you were forgiven when you started to talk to her again? Did you ever thank her for being the only bloody person who truly believed you about not entering that blasted tournament? Or spending hours trying to find spells that could help you survive the tournament? What about thanking her for arranging for that article to be written in that paper last year?

Now Harry really felt bad. Ophelia was right, he never told Hermione he was sorry about the incidents in their third year with the broom and Scabbers. He never thanked her for being by his side when not even Ron was, or for trying to lessen the pressure he had on him last year when everyone thought he was mad. He never did something like that for her. What kind of friend was he? An awful one, he was starting to think.

But that didn't surprise him, considering his lack of experience with relating to others. For ten years he had been alone, coped up at the Dursleys', and beaten by his cousin and his gang. He didn't exactly have a good example of friendship. Not that this justified his actions, he thought.

“I'll have to talk with Hermione soon” he made a mental note for later. For now, he had a long letter to keep reading.

The impression I get is that she is one of your best friends, one third of a `golden trio'. If she really is your best friend, how is it that you let those awful girls in your House make fun of her by telling her that she doesn't understand their world? How is it you don't understand that for years she has thought that all she is good for is intellectual help? You've let her keep thinking this and now she thinks you don't need her anymore. She probably thinks she doesn't have any value except for homework help or some other such nonsense. If you let her continue thinking such things, if you let those awful girls continue to degrade her for being a Muggleborn or for being intelligent or for not dating someone and therefore not really apart of `your world', you don't deserve her as a friend.

Harry read this part really carefully. He had always thought Hermione was one of his best friends, that was true. But he didn't defend her from the taunting of their housemates, and particularly of Ginny who now was his girlfriend. That was awful of him. He never truly stopped to think about it, but now that Ophelia had pointed that out, he felt so undeserving of Hermione's friendship.

And how could she think she was only useful for homework? Was that the real reason for her dislike of the Prince's book? Did she really think that now he had it he would cast her away like an old sock? Harry felt a mixture of resentment toward Hermione for thinking so lowly of him, and anger at himself because he must have encouraged her view with his actions. She was a wonderful, caring girl, and he couldn't be luckier to have her as a friend. He should have shown her that by his actions, though. It was hard for him, as he was accustomed to keeping his feelings for himself, but he vowed he would try from now on.

And as to that Prince book, yes I know about it, Hermione told me about it. Do you have any idea how much you've hurt her when you completely disregarded her opinions? And Hermione told me about that wretched diary incident in your second year. Do you really think the diary was the only book in the Wizarding world that is dangerous? Yes I can see that the information may be useful, but at least research before you try some of the more dangerous things like the spells. You don't know what they will do and it would be dangerous to find out in the middle of a battle.

The boy started to realize just now how Hermione must have felt at his comments about the book. He ought to tell her he was sorry for them, maybe have her read the book with him so they could work out what's dangerous and what is not. Even being a Muggle, Ophelia had a point, and he couldn't believe he didn't see it. The diary that almost caused Ginny's death was a book, and of course if that had been charmed to be so deadly, any other book could have similar charms on it. Only now he realized what Hermione must have thought at seeing him so adamant at not giving the book up.

As for the point about the spells, he learned the hard way that Hermione and Ophelia were right when he used Sectumsempra on Malfoy and almost killed the Slytherin. He would have to be more careful, and research was a good way to assure what a spell could or could not do.

And about battles, you are in the middle of a bloody war and I'm quite certain that you are one of the biggest targets. Are you preparing to fight? Are you practicing to make sure that you will survive? Are you taking every opportunity you can to make sure that you have the necessary skills to protect yourself? Are you making sure that your friends can protect themselves?
I promise you Mr. Potter, that if you are off trying to act like everything is normal and my sister is hurt because of it, I will find you and you'll wish that Voldemort fellow had found you first.

Even being a wizard, Harry was a bit scared by Ophelia's threat. He knew Hermione's temper, and if an angry Ophelia was a tiny bit like that, he better find a way to keep Hermione safe. And, what the girl had said about the upcoming war was true. He was listening to Dumbledore's lessons on the Horcruxes to understand why Voldemort couldn't die, but even if he managed to destroy all of them, he would still have to duel the darkest wizard of all times and kill him to end the war once and for all, and who knows how many Death Eaters he would have to duel in the process. Was he ready for that? Not even close.

He needed to ask Dumbledore to train him in battle before it was too late. He had noticed the Headmaster's health worsen, slightly but continuously, through the school year, and he knew no better dueller than the Headmaster. He would also have to pick up the DA again, so that he could teach his friends how to duel and make sure they had a chance to survive. He had already lost too many people close to him.

Harry realized his foolishness. All year he had lusted after Ginny, acting like a normal teenager, searching a distraction from his fate and troubles, but he should have been preparing for war all that time. He couldn't be thankful enough to this girl he never met for waking him up and pointing him in the right direction. But then, he wasn't at all surprised. She was Hermione's sister after all, what else could he expect?

With a soft smile, Harry set to read the last few lines.

And don't you dare use this as an excuse to avoid her or break off your friendship with her. She's been your friend for the past five years and she's a Muggleborn, she'll be a target whether you're still friends or not so learn, practice, and protect her and the rest of that stupid world the two of you seem so determined to stay in.
sincerely
Ophelia J. Granger

“Don't worry, Ophelia. I wouldn't even think of breaking my friendship with Hermione, she wouldn't let me anyway. Plus, I like to think I'm smart enough to know I can't win this war alone” he whispered to the night, clutching the sheet of paper in his fisted right hand as he swore he would do what he could from now on to prepare for the upcoming war, and to right the mistakes he made in his and Hermione's friendship.

With a new determination, Harry finally snuck back to Gryffindor Tower to get some sleep. Tomorrow, a Harry Potter different from the one of the last few months would have to rise with the sun.

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Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

A Sister's Influence

Chapter Four: The Morning After

When Harry woke up the next morning, he had a purpose. Quickly showering and dressing, he went down to the common room, hoping to find Hermione there. He needed to talk with her in private, that was the reason he woke up earlier than usual.

He knew she always woke up early.

However, his hope of finding her there was disrupted when he set foot inside the common room. There was someone there, but it was not Hermione.

“Harry” Ginny almost purred from her seat on the couch.

“Not now, Ginny” he brushed her off, quickly leaving through the portrait hole to go see if Hermione was already down in the Great Hall having breakfast. No need to say that he left behind a very disgruntled redhead.

When he pushed open the heavy doors of the Great Hall, his eyes immediately scanned the Gryffindor table, and there she was, quietly eating her breakfast. She seemed preoccupied about something, but even so, Harry couldn't help admiring her.

He stopped for a moment, observing her, chastising himself once more for having taken her for granted. He truly needed to write Ophelia and thank her for opening his eyes.

Slowly walking toward the table, Harry felt suddenly nervous. He knew what he wanted to say, but now that he was about to confront her, he was scared. He hoped Hermione would forgive him, even if he wasn't sure he deserved it. But he was a Gryffindor, and he would not back down from a task that required a certain amount of bravery.

With a last deep breath, he started to walk purposefully toward her, finally sitting on her right side.

“Harry!” Hermione almost jumped, too lost in her thoughts to notice him before.

“Good morning, Hermione” Harry said, giving her a small smile, from which he was sure she could tell he was nervous about something.

“Good morning to you too” she said softly. “So, what brings you down here so early?” she joked, knowing he and Ron were usually amongst the last ones to come down for breakfast.

“Well, actually, I would like to talk with you, but not here. I was wondering if you were up for a quick trip to the Room of Requirements” he blurted out.

The brunette eyed him worriedly. “Is something wrong, Harry?” she said, dreading the moment he would tell her he didn't want to be her friend any longer.

Harry must have sensed that, because he hastily reassured her. “No, no, nothing's wrong. It's just I realized some things lately, and I want to talk to you about them” he said.

Hermione took a last sip of her pumpkin juice before following him out of the Hall and up the stairs, all the way to the seventh floor where the Room of Requirements was. As they climbed the stairs step by step, minding their way because as they very well knew by now, sometimes the moving stairs liked to change the routes, they both were a bundle of nerves, Hermione still suspecting what Harry had to tell her was something bad about how he didn't need her anymore, and also because of what she had to tell him, following her sister's advice.

Harry was almost sweating he was so tense, because he was afraid Hermione had been hurt too bad by his actions through the years, and she wouldn't want to forgive him. He honestly didn't know what he would do without her in his life, she and Ron had been the only constants in it since he came to Hogwarts his first year.

When they finally arrived, Harry walked three times in front of where the door should appear, thinking he needed a place to talk with Hermione. When he finally gripped the handle of the usually invisible door, and pushed it open, they both blushed crimson, as the room had provided them a good place to talk, yes, but had interpreted Harry's thoughts a bit too romantically.

The room was cosy, a little fireplace in front of a small couch, which would force them to sit really close, and heart-shaped cushions.

“Harry, what did you think about?” Hermione asked, breaking the heavy silence, in an amused tone. The misunderstanding had managed to break some of her nervousness, and she teased him.

Harry was glad for that, even if he should be embarrassed, as he took it as a sign she wasn't overly mad at him. He hoped she wasn't, at least.

“I just thought I needed a place to talk with you” he said, and she nodded. “It's okay” she encouraged him, walking toward the couch.

She felt her heart flutter strangely, even knowing the room was like that by mistake.

When they were finally sitting, Hermione took a deep breath, and said, “Harry, I need to tell you something too. I…”

But he interrupted her, placing a finger on her lips. Her breath itched in her throat at the contact, and Harry himself had to wonder at the softness of her lips.

“I know I might stumble if I don't say this now, Hermione, so please, let me talk first, ok?” he asked her gently, and as their eyes met, she slowly nodded.

“Hermione, I'm truly sorry. I've been an awful friend to you, always taking you for granted, never apologizing to you when I sided with Ron in your spats, especially in third year when you were only looking out for me. I'm sorry for all the times I needlessly made you sick worrying about me. I'm sorry for not telling you how grateful I was to you when you supported me in fourth year, even if the whole school, Ron included, didn't, and how you helped me last year with that interview. You've always been on my side even if you didn't have to, and I never told you a simple thank you for that” he said.

Harry could see she wanted to say something, but he gently motioned for her to let him finish.

“I want to tell you that you shouldn't be worried about what those gossiping girls in Gryffindor Tower say. What defines you as a good person has nothing to do with if you have a boyfriend or not. And who cares if you like Quidditch, you have attended all my games and you have always supported me. As for Ginny, I'm ashamed that I didn't tell her off when she insulted you. There are lots of things she doesn't understand and these things are far more important than a silly game of Quidditch. Besides, you do understand Quidditch, with all the books on it you read how could you not?” he joked, winking at her, and Hermione found herself grinning at him, and even a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.

“But what I'm more ashamed of, Hermione, is that somehow my actions must have encouraged you to think you're only cared about for your help with homework. I assure you it's not so, I value you and your friendship so much that I'm sure I'd be lost if you weren't my friend anymore. I guess I've never been good at expressing feelings, with my childhood and all, but I want you to know this, Hermione. Never doubt yourself for a moment, because you're an amazing girl, and anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend. I count myself extremely lucky because you've chosen to stick by me even with all the dangerous situations I find myself in and the mistakes I made regarding our friendship”

“My sister's written to you, right?” Hermione said, and Harry had to chuckle. “I knew you'd guess it. Yes, Ophelia wrote to me, and I'm truly thankful for that, because she opened my eyes about the many mistakes I made regarding you till now”

Hermione gave him a small smile, but she was more preoccupied with something she felt she needed to tell him. “Look, Harry, I'm sorry for not telling you about her” the brunette started. “I thought you'd never be interested in my life at home, that's why I told you so little about it” she justified herself.

As she had started rambling, Harry gently grasped her arms, and made her look at him. “Hermione, I'm not mad. I never told you much about my time at the Dursleys either, did I?” he said. Seeing that she was going to object that it wasn't the same, Harry interrupted her again.

“Just tell me this, Hermione. Does Ron know?” he asked, feeling compelled to find out if their other best friend had been informed before him.

“No” Hermione said. “I know you may think we got closer since we have spent time without you during the summers these last two years, but we haven't. At least, not enough for me to tell him this kind of things” she added with a wink.

Harry immediately felt better, even if he didn't know why.

“So, what did you want to tell me?” he asked, and Hermione looked up to find his green eyes boring into hers. Suddenly she was very aware of their closeness on that couch, and blushed under his gaze, almost losing herself in it.

Those eyes of his had always fascinated her.

“Well” she started, after clearing her throat and breaking the moment, “first of all, I'm sorry for pestering you about the Prince's book. I guess I was a bit jealous that you were getting better grades than me in Potions, and I took my frustrations out that way. You know, my sister wrote me too” she grinned, “and told me to stop being a brat about it, because I'll probably not be the best in many things in my life, and I can't be a bitch about it every time. Now that I think of it, I guess my dislike for Quidditch comes from my inability to fly on a broom too” she said, shrugging.

Harry was watching her with a grin playing on his lips. “You know, we could always read it together, so you would benefit from its suggestions too” he offered. She looked at him, found him so relaxed and smiling, and couldn't help grinning back. “So that we both get cursed or possessed?” she teased him.

He laughed, shaking his head. “I guess it may have been dangerous like the diary. And considering the spell I found in it, I'd better research what is written inside before using it” he conceded. “Will you read it with me to see if there are useful things inside, though?” he asked, turning serious.

When had Hermione Granger ever refused an offer to learn more? So she eagerly nodded.

“You know, your sister mentioned that we need to get ready for the war too. I think we should restart the DA, and maybe ask Dumbledore for personal lessons in duelling for the three of us. While learning how Voldemort became immortal and thus how to make him mortal again is undoubtedly useful, once the Horcruxes are destroyed I'll still need to duel him and win, and even before that, I'm sure we will have our fair share of duelling with Death Eaters to do” Harry suggested.

A bell rang, signalling the start of the lessons in a few minutes, and that interrupted their chat as they bolted to Transfiguration, neither noticing that they did so hand in hand, making some of the bystanders raise their eyebrows. And of course, Ron noticed that when they entered the classroom, and he also noticed how out of breath they were, and that they had missed breakfast, or so he thought.

“Where have you been?” he hissed as Professor McGonagall close the door behind her, mere moments after the two of them had entered the room.

The Professor's lecture saved them from answering, until the end of the lesson at least. With a sideways glance at Hermione, Harry nodded to her to let her know they would finish their chat later.

-->

Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

A Sister's Influence

Chapter Five: Planning the Training

Just as Harry and Hermione had hoped, Ron forgot all about their absence at breakfast, moaning because of the heavy work load Professor McGonagall had assigned them, as they made their way to Charms.

The day progressed uneventfully, if not for Ginny scowling at Harry at lunch, still pissed for having been brushed off earlier that morning. Harry didn't care much, to tell the truth. As Ophelia had pointed out, his main focus right now shouldn't be a girlfriend, but to prepare for the war.

Plus, he wanted to show Hermione just how good a friend she was to him, and to do that he had decided to pay her more attention. Which of course didn't go unnoticed by his girlfriend, with the result that when lunch ended, she was even madder at him, and stormed off without saying a single word to him.

“Mate, you're in for an hell of a shouting later, you know that, right?” Ron joked as they walked to the Charms classroom, trying not to pay attention to Lavender who was holding his hand. The redhead was growing slightly aggravated with the blonde. She was starting to be a bit too clingy.

--

That afternoon, while they had Potions, Hermione took the chance of being there without Ron to overhear them to tell Harry they should meet in the library after dinner to start planning for the new DA and their private training with Dumbledore. Of course, they still needed to ask the headmaster if that could be done.

Slughorn's arrival put a stop to their chat, and they focused on their work. Harry put the Prince's book in the middle, as a peace offering to Hermione, and she smiled warmly at him. She read the instructions for their potion and scrunched her nose when she noticed some changes made by the Prince.

“You know what, Harry. You follow his directions, I'll follow the ones from Slughorn. I'm curious to see the difference in the results” she whispered to him, and the raven haired boy nodded. They started to brew the assigned concoction, a mixture to cure appendicitis, their hands now and then brushing as they reached for the same ingredient.

The first time this happened, both looked up startled, a strange fluttering in their chests. After a moment of awkward silence, Harry had motioned for Hermione to go ahead and pick the dragon scales she needed. She did, a hint of a blush remaining on her cheeks for some minutes.

--

That night, Ginny was really hoping to talk with Harry about what had happened between them that day. She had a bad feeling that it might be the start of something serious that would tear them apart.

However, when she entered the common room coming from her dorm, Ron was playing chess against Seamus, and there was no sign of Harry.

“Ron, where's Harry?” she asked.

“Gone to the library to start an essay for McGonagall” her brother replied without even looking at her. Ginny growled in frustration, and plopped down on the couch, scowling.

--

In the library, Harry and Hermione were sitting at her usual table, in the back, where she was sure they wouldn't be distracted.

“So, Harry. Will we call back all the old members of the DA?” she asked.

“I don't see why not. Anyone should have the chance to get ready to defend themselves” Harry shrugged. Hermione sighed.

“That's true. But last time, we got discovered because a member spied on us, and while this year there's no Umbitch to be wary of, and I'm sure all the staff would approve of our activities…well, you know the Muggle saying, “better safe than sorry”, don't you?” she suggested, biting her lip.

Harry grinned. She was so cute when she did that.

“What are you so happy about?” she inquired. He shook his head. “Nothing serious” he said, focusing again on their task. “Back on topic, yes, Hermione, I know. But as you said, this year the staff will be on our side, and I even think we should make it an official club, so that we might even get new members. We should ask Dumbledore about that”

Hermione thought about it for a minute. “Makes sense” she admitted in the end. Then she produced a list of the members of the DA from their previous year. “We should inform them once we have a definite date to start training, and a place”

“The Room of Requirements worked fine last year” Harry commented. “I think we should stick to it”

“Well, that's a start, or maybe if Professor Dumbledore allows us to make it official, we could use the Great Hall. Although, it doesn't adjust to our needs so it would be harder to prepare it for the training sessions…”

“Mmh, that's an idea too, but let's keep our options open for the moment” he suggested. “Now, about the spells we want to teach them…”

--

It took the pair two hours to define a basic outline of what they would be teaching the DA, and by that time, they were both knackered. However, they needed to do one last thing before going to bed.

Sneaking through the corridors under Harry's cloak, they were after all out after curfew, they reached the gargoyle at the base of the stairs up to the headmaster's office. Harry knew the password because of his lessons with Dumbledore, so it was no trouble for them to reach the office. Knocking on the door, they waited for the old wizard to open.

When he did, his twinkling blue eyes greeted them.

“Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. What brings you here at this hour?”

“We have a couple of questions to ask you, Professor” Harry said. “They can't wait, I fear”

“Very well then, come in” the old man invited them inside. Once the three of them were settled in chairs in front of the headmaster's desk, Harry and Hermione told him about their plans to restart the DA, and asked him if he could provide them with lessons in advanced duelling.

“I assume Mr. Weasley would have to be included in those lessons too?” Dumbledore asked with a smile.

“Well, if that was possible, yes. Although, we still haven't told him about our plans for this training” Hermione said.

“I see. I shall inform you two about a possible adjustment of your schedules to fit these special lessons. I have to say that I am proud of the two of you for taking the upcoming war so seriously, although I do always recommend to not let the dark times ahead rule your lives. It would not do to forget to live” he advised them, before letting them walk back to their dorms to finally get some sleep.

As they made their way to Gryffindor Tower, Harry was very aware of their closeness under the cloak. The fluttering in his stomach returned, and he wondered what that was. It seemed a different version of the monster in his chest, the one that had driven him to date Ginny. Gentler, and yet less fleeting.

However, he had no time to dwell further on that, as they were in front of the portrait hole. Hermione quickly gave the Fat Lady the password so they could slide in. Harry lifted the cloak off of them.

“Well, I guess we should get some sleep now” Hermione reasoned, sounding almost sad for that. Harry could relate. After all those months they were at odds with each other, it felt good to go back to their natural closeness, and he didn't want the day to end yet either. But a long yawn told him his body really needed the rest.

“I'll see you tomorrow then, Hermione” he said, smiling tiredly at her. “Good night” he added, surprising them both when he kissed her cheek.

She stammered a good night too, before they went separate ways up to their dorms.

-->

Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

A Sister's Influence

Chapter Six: An Angry Redhead

Dumbledore let them know in the next few days that he would give the three of them private lessons in advanced duelling, and that he had arranged for the DA to become an official club.

This, however, meant that someone from the staff would have to chaperone their sessions, which should then be held in the Great Hall.

Harry would have preferred the Room of Requirements, but he realized that it was better to not let everyone in the school know about its existence. The old DA already knew about it, of course, and Umbitch's inquisitorial squad did too, but the rest of the school wasn't aware of it, and it should remain so.

When they had first mentioned the idea to Ron, he had been ecstatic to be able to learn directly from Dumbledore. It gave the redhead a sense of importance, so now that it was confirmed they would do it, Harry and Hermione had an hard time stopping him from blabbering about it. It was meant to stay secret, otherwise the other students may wonder why they weren't being taught by the Headmaster too.

However, for a redhead who was ecstatic about the news, there was another who was pissed. Ginny didn't take the fact that Harry would be having lessons without her very well. Since the arrival of the letter, of which she didn't know a thing about, Harry had paid her much less attention, and instead he had chosen to spend his time mostly with Hermione.

So when in one of the now rare moments they spent together he told her about it, thinking she would be happy, she snapped at him.

“Why aren't I included too? Why am I always left behind?” she spat. The raven haired boy had no clue about what had made her angry.

“Ginny, if Dumbledore could teach the whole school, then he would do it, don't you think?” he replied, crossly. “It's not my fault that I seem to have a special role in this upcoming war, and thus I have to be trained better. Plus, I will be teaching the same things to all of you in the DA meetings”

“So why do Ron and Hermione have permission to come to those lessons?” Ginny scowled, her emphasis on the name Hermione however was lost to Harry.

“They are my best friends, and because of that they are high up on Voldemort's target list. Plus, we always do these kinds of things together” he replied.

“Harry, I'm your girlfriend, as close as you may be to Ron and Hermione” she said, once more underlining the brunette's name, “I should be considered closer to you, and thus more in danger. If anything, it should be me, not them, to be there with you during Dumbledore's lessons”

Harry looked at her strangely. “Ginny, you may be my girlfriend but you will never take Ron's, or Hermione's for that matter, place. They have been my first real friends and nobody, nobody will ever replace them in my heart. Dumbledore knows this, and I'm sure Voldemort does too. So yes, you're my girlfriend, but no, you're not more important to me. You need to learn to face it, if you want this relationship to keep going” he said, his green eyes blazing, and with that he left her alone in the empty classroom they had snuck to.

--

For the next days, Ginny would constantly scowl whenever she met Hermione, so much that the brunette couldn't help noticing. Since they had always gotten along well, she thought that strange, and wondered why the redhead was angry at her.

That night, as she and Harry were the only ones left in the common room, having to finish an essay for Snape that Ron had declared he was too tired to work on, the raven haired boy noticed she seemed preoccupied. Well, he had noticed sooner, but with the others around he didn't feel comfortable asking her what the problem was.

“Hermione, what's troubling you?” he asked, a look of concern reflecting in his eyes. He hoped it wasn't something he had done, not now that they were back to the closeness they had shared for five years, and that had abruptly been ripped away in the first months of this school year.

“Did you notice Ginny acting strangely, lately?” she whispered. “She keeps glaring at me, and I don't know what I did wrong!”

Harry rolled his eyes, sighing. “She's envious that you get to come to Dumbledore's lessons with me and she doesn't”

“You told her?” the brunette asked, almost outraged. “We had to keep it secret!”

Harry looked down. “I know. I thought I could trust her, but clearly she didn't take it the way I had hoped”

“Well, this doesn't explain why she doesn't glare at Ron though” Hermione said, pensively. “Unless…”

“Unless?” Harry asked, baffled at the conclusion Hermione might have reached.

“Unless she fears I may steal you from her. She's jealous, Harry”

The raven haired boy stared at her dumbfounded.

“Don't look at me like that” Hermione giggled, and Harry realized it was maybe the first time she did that, or at least the first time he had heard it. He found he loved the sound, much better than when Parvati, or Lavender, or Ginny herself giggled, he had to admit.

He found himself grinning at her. “Well” he said after a moment, “if she's jealous then it's her problem. I told her quite clearly that she may be my girlfriend, but she will never take the special spot you, and of course Ron, have in my heart”

“And that was supposed to make her feel better?” Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. “It's the truth, she better learn to deal with it” he said, before resuming his work on the essay.

Hermione looked at him for a moment longer, before shaking her head and starting to furiously scribble on her own parchment.

--

The first lesson with Dumbledore was draining, but successful. The Golden Trio was taught how to produce a shield much stronger than the one obtained with the Protego spell. It was the same silvery shield Dumbledore had used in the duel with Voldemort in the Ministry a few months prior.

As they practiced, the Headmaster regarded Harry's frustrated attempts with his usual twinkling eyes.

“Learning offensive magic will be useless if you can't protect yourself long enough to use it, Harry” he had calmly advised the impatient boy, who had nodded and resumed practicing. Two hours later, the three teenagers were exhausted, but all of them had managed to produce the required shield. Hermione, of course, did it first, and hers was the stronger one. Harry was a close second, while Ron managed a grey mist, stronger than the Protego shield but not by much.

When they returned in the common room, Ginny was there to wait for them.

Sensing her annoyance, Hermione quickly bid good night to Harry and Ron and went up the stairs to the girl dorms. Ron, too knackered to stay up, trudged up to the boys dorm just as quickly, and that left Harry alone to face his girlfriend.

“So, did you enjoy your lesson?” she said in a sugary voice that Harry immediately knew was fake.

He sighed, and plopped down on an armchair. “What's your problem, Ginny?” he said, running one hand through his hair, clear sign he wanted to be anywhere but where he was right now.

“My problem, Harry, is that in the last two weeks we've barely spent any time together, you're always around Hermione, studying, planning for the DA, going to Dumbledore's lessons, anything but spending time with me!” she shrilly shouted.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Ginny, if you didn't notice, I've got to deal with a madman who wants to kill me, gain the control of both Muggle and Wizarding Worlds and purge them of those impure, as he says. I don't exactly have the time to go to a broom closet and snog, you know” he acidly replied. The redhead was quickly starting to annoy him.

“You know what, Harry, if you're so busy that you can't spare a few hours for your girlfriend, then I'll find someone else who will!” she shouted. “We're through, Harry!”

The raven haired boy slumped in his seat, sighing loudly. Why couldn't he get a girlfriend that understood him, and didn't ask him for what he couldn't give her?

However, he didn't feel particularly bad about the break-up. He would have thought this might have been strange, if he didn't know why. The letter Ophelia had sent him had made him get a right perspective on what was important at the moment, and having a girlfriend wasn't. Sure, it was nice, but not necessary, unless he was truly in love with her, which wasn't the case with Ginny, that he knew for sure.

With that last thought, he pushed himself up from the armchair and slowly climbed up the stairs to go get some sleep.

-->

Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

A Sister's Influence

Chapter Seven: Training and a Revelation

News, at Hogwarts, fly fast, so it was no surprise to Harry that half the school already knew of his break-up with Ginny the next morning. He still didn't know how gossip could spread so fast, but there wans't anything he could do about it.

Hermione had looked worriedly at him while they were eating breakfast, but he smiled warmly at her.

“It's for the best” he said. “We weren't on the same page about what is truly important right now and a healthy relationship doesn't work that way” he shrugged, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

The brunette on his left side looked at him a bit longer before gently sighing and filling her own plate with food.

The quiet was broken about fifteen minutes later, when Ron entered in the Great Hall, carelessly plopped down in front of them, and started filling his plate and mouth with huge amounts of food.

“You know, Harry” he said between mouthfuls of sausages, “I'm not mad about you and Ginny breaking up. I'm her brother, sure, but I know she can be a royal pain in the ass when she wants to be” he said, which earned him a glare from Hermione.

“Ron! You shouldn't say such things about your sister!” she reprimanded him. Ron just rolled his eyes.

“However, it's a shame that it happened now. There's an Hogsmeade trip this weekend and I was already thinking about double dating with you and Ginny, but that won't do now”

Harry felt Hermione stiffen the littlest bit beside him, and glared at the redhead. “What about Hermione? Were you planning to leave her alone all day?” the raven haired boy asked.

“Oh” Ron said, genuinely surprised. He hadn't thought of that. “No, well, of course not…” he stammered, but the damage was done. “Well, but that's not a problem now, I mean, you two broke up so there's no way we can double date…”

Harry sighed at his best mate's lack of tact. “Let's go, Mione. We need to finish those plans for tonight's meeting” he announced, and the two of them quickly made their way out of the Hall and up the stairs to the library. Had they stayed a couple minutes longer, they would have seen Ginny trudge into the room on Seamus' arm, obviously trying to make Harry jealous.

--

Harry and Hermione worked for half an hour on those plans before heading to the DADA classroom. Harry had found that his best subject of the previous years, excluding maybe fifth with Umbitch, was much less fascinating when taught by Snape. But he guessed Dumbledore must have had a reason to finally give the spot to the slimy git.

As they walked, Hermione gently touched his arm. “Thanks for what you said at breakfast. It was nice to see there was someone who was considerate enough to think about what I would be doing during your double date”

He smiled at her. “Ron can be a bit tactless at times, we both know that” he winked at her, and Hermione felt herself blush. She found she did that a lot around Harry lately, just like she often felt her stomach fluttering when he smiled at her that way.

She had started wondering if maybe, their renewed closeness wasn't stirring something much greater in her, something she refused to think about.

They continued silently on their way to the third floor, both wrapped up in their private thoughts, revolving around the other.

--

That night, during the first official session of the renewed DA, Harry found that the dark times ahead had pushed many more students to think carefully about their future and their chances to survive the upcoming war. He realized that the Great Hall would barley have enough space for all of them to comfortably train, but Dumbledore, who had decided to be the first chaperone, quickly resolved that problem with a few enlargement charms and he also changed the furniture to what they would need.

That night, Harry had them start over with what they had covered the last year, considering that many new members had never cast a Stunner, or a Reductor, or a Patronus.

He showed them the enhanced shield charm Dumbledore had taught the Trio, telling them it would be part of the following lesson, along with a couple other spells he and Hermione had found in the library and which they had asked the headmaster about.

Dumbledore, for his part, just surveyed the progress of the students, and offered advice when someone had particular problems with a spell. He had suggested that the assigned chaperone for the night would always give pointers on how to use their particular subject in a fight, so the fact the next meeting would have McGonagall as chaperone was particularly favourable, considering that the spells Harry and Hermione planned to teach were incorporated the use of Transfiguration on the battlefield.

Ron commented on that on their way up to the common room.

“I would have never thought that other subjects could be useful in a fight too” he said.

“Well, Ron, think about this. If you can turn a pebble into a solid wall, that will be a good spot to hide behind to protect yourself, and from there you can fire at your opponent without having to leave your cover” Harry reasoned.

“That's not all, you could always conjure a dangerous plant to attack your opponent. That's a combined use of Charms and Herbology, but if you don't know the plants, you can't choose the best one for the situation you're in, and if you're not good at Charms, knowing the plants won't be useful because you won't be able to conjure it” Hermione explained.

Ron nodded. “I know. Makes you wish we had studied this way sooner, it would have been much more interesting” he commented, earning a chuckle from both his companions just as they stepped through the portrait hole and then trudged up to their dorms, all of them knackered by the long day.

“Hi Ginny” Harry distractedly greeted the redhead girl, sitting in the corner on Seamus' lap. Ron was too tired to notice though, which saved them all from a scene, although Harry's completely unfazed greeting pissed Ginny off to no end. Seamus was a nice bloke but she only needed him to make Harry jealous, but if he wasn't affected by it at all, her plan might backfire.

--

It was a couple days later that Harry entered the common room to find a shouting match going on there.

“…and I quote, “They're still stuck at least two centuries behind the rest of the world. They don't have an ounce of logic and there's hardly any innovation”. Ha! Like a Muggle could ever understand!” that was clearly Ginny's voice.

“Yeah, right, what does she know of the Wizarding World to tell us we are stuck behind? We can do things they can't even dream of!” that was Parvati.

Harry took in the scene in front of his eyes, Hermione sitting on a couch, clearly upset by what her housemates were saying, Ginny holding a sheet of paper in her hand, now and then reading from it and rudely commenting, belittling what Harry knew to be Ophelia's letter to her younger sister.

He felt a rush of rage going through him, and he clutched his wand tightly.

“Accio letter!” he bellowed, making everyone jump at the absolutely furious tone of his voice.

The piece of paper zoomed out of Ginny's hand and into Harry's. He didn't even look at it, he just closed it and gave it back to Hermione, before turning to glare at all the girls assembled around the couch to taunt her.

“You know what, that letter is right. The Wizarding World is centuries behind the Muggles, when it comes to certain matters. The Muggles did away with slavery centuries ago, we still use the house Elves as slaves, and while they may be well treated in certain families, they are still essentially slaves, bound to the family they work for.

We still leave all the power in the hands of one, the Minister, and if he's corrupt, then we are handed straight into the hands of our enemies without even knowing it. Don't you think this is what has been going on in the Ministry for years? We've had to follow Fudge, when he was clearly paid by Death Eaters like Lucius Malfoy to do their bidding.

We still have race prejudices against Muggle-borns, like the Muggle had them for centuries, but the difference is, they have worked hard and now only small groups remain anchored to those beliefs, while in the Wizarding World the mighty pureblood view still runs free. Not to talk about the racism against werewolves, giants, and the other magical beings.

We may be more efficient in our healing, we may live longer and do fancy things with a stick, but on the matters that count, really count, to show how advanced a society is, we truly are a bigoted bunch of fools. Let me hear once more that you taunt Hermione, or any Muggle-born, telling him, or her, that they don't understand our world, and I can guarantee you that the consequences won't be pretty.

I'm ashamed of my fellow housemates, this is the kind of behaviour I might expect from Slytherins, but to think that the house of Gryffindor is full of this “Magic is Might” bullshit too, it makes me nauseous”

No one talked for a long time, scared of his sudden outburst, his green eyes almost pulsating so intense was his stare.

Finally, Ginny spoke again. “Harry, why do you defend Hermione now? You didn't when I called her on her lack of Quidditch knowledge, after all” she said with a smirk toward the brunette.

He glared at her, before responding.

“I was a fool then, blinded by my own stupidity, searching for a distraction when I should have paid attention to what really matters. But to answer your question, Ginny, she's my best friend” he said. Then, after a dramatic pause, he continued.

“And I'm in love with her”

-->

Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

A Sister's Influence

Chapter Eight: Confessions

Shock filled the common room after Harry's declaration of love for Hermione. The brunette, still sitting on the couch, looked at him with wide eyes, while Harry was still standing in front of her, his own green eyes boring into hers, his stance almost challenging anyone to say something about it.

Of course, the first to recover from the shock was Ginny. She scoffed, looking at Harry disbelievingly.

“You are in love with her? For Merlin's sake, Harry, look at her! She's plain, boring, always into her books! I can understand that you want to defend her because she's your friend, but lying like this will only hurt her more, don't…” she said, but she could not finish her sentence, because Harry's outstretched arm sent her flying to the other side of the room, slamming her against a wall.

“Don't call me a liar, Ginevra. You know how hard it is for me to express my feelings so openly, so you should know I'd never lie about something like this” he said, finally turning to look at the redhead, his green eyes aflame. “Or, you should know, if you really knew me, cared for me, not for the hero everyone thinks I am”

With that, he gently took Hermione's hand, and lead her out of the common room, to the room of Requirements. She followed him without protesting, still in a daze because of what Harry had said.

“I reckon we need to talk” Harry sheepishly said, as he lead her inside the room, this time the romantic setting being somewhat appropriate he mused.

Sitting her near him on the couch, he took a deep breath, and started talking.

“I know this might seem sudden, Hermione. But since we got close again, after your sister's letters, I started noticing little things about you, things that made me realize just how much I had missed you this year, how much I treasured your company.

Then, every time you smiled at me, I felt this fluttering in my stomach, something like what I felt earlier this year when looking at Ginny, but while that was savage, sudden, this new feeling was gentle, building slowly, and I knew, I just knew it had always been there, not coming out of nowhere. It had been slowly growing, year after year, and it was only now making its presence known. I don't know how I knew that, but I just knew.

I knew that I'd do anything to protect you, which is one of the main reasons I'm going through this training and I'm willing to teach the others. If all of this can be useful to keep you safe when the battle comes, then I'll do it.

I'd tell you more, but this being in love thing is pretty new to me too, so I'm just getting used to it right now, and…” but he didn't finish the sentence, because Hermione, who had been attentively listening to him till now, stopped his ramblings claiming his lips with a fiery kiss.

The raven haired boy, caught by surprise, took a moment to register what was happening, but finally he put his arms around her, pulling her even closer than the little couch had forced them to be till now, and kissed her back with all that he had.

Their tongues circled each other, almost warily at first, then they grew bolder, exploring, dancing together in their mouths. For minutes they kept it going, Harry's hands now caressing her sides while hers were buried in his unkempt mane of black hair, running through its silkiness.

She knew she would love to do that often, so nice was the sensation of her hands running through his locks.

When they finally parted, Hermione looked up at him, her bright chocolate eyes sparkling.

“Oh, Harry” she said, almost breathlessly, and it sent a tingle down Harry's spine. “I never thought you might feel the same, I've had a crush on you for years now, but since fourth year when you made it clear you liked Cho, I always thought you'd never like me back so I learned to bury it deep down in my heart. I thought I could settle for Ron, especially after you got with Ginny, but Ophelia opened my eyes, telling me it was silly because we had nothing in common but you, and she even pointed out I can't have a civil conversation with him if it doesn't revolve around Quidditch”

Harry chuckled, the rumble in his chest evident to Hermione as he still kept his arms around her, keeping her close to him.

“Yeah, pretty shallow, isn't it?” she joked. “And then, you and I had that talk, we worked out our differences, and resumed being close again, and just like for you, when we were together I would feel this tingling in my skin if you touched me, and I felt myself melt every time you grinned at me, and I knew there was no way I could love someone else like I love you, Harry” she finally admitted.

Neither spoke for a long time, but it wasn't awkward. They just revelled in their closeness, marvelling at how well they fit against each other.

“I'm scared” Harry finally said. “I know Malfoy is planning something, but I can't prove it. He's being very attentive, and I'm scared I won't be able to intervene this time, and if I can't, something bad might happen and affect our lives terribly”

Hermione hugged him tighter. “If it happens, it won't be your fault, Harry. No one is expecting you to stop every dangerous thing that comes our way. Our main focus should be on finding those Horcruxes Dumbledore has been telling you about, and to get ready for the fight”

Harry nodded, starting to feel drowsy, but not wanting to let her go. Hermione made no protest about that, and in the following silence, Harry could feel her breath become more and more regular.

With a last smile as he looked at her peaceful face once she had fallen asleep, he closed his eyes and let the tiredness wash over him, and lull him into sleep too.

--

As usual, news travelled fast in the castle, so by morning everyone knew about Harry being in love with Hermione. And many suspected they were together now, so it wasn't really a big shock when the two of them entered the Great Hall for breakfast hand in hand.

Of course, they had to endure a fair bit of teasing from Ron and the other Gryffindors, while Ginny scowled at them from the other end of the table.

Both blushed at being the centre of attention, but they knew it was unavoidable, so they just let the others have their fun while they piled their plates with sausages, toasts and such. A healthy breakfast was always a good way to start the day.

Apart from that, though, their day was pretty similar to the previous ones. Harry had feared Ron might be angry at them, but the redhead had reassured him.

“I knew it would end this way, that's why I'm dating Lav” he said with a wink. Harry chuckled.

Later that night, when Harry and Hermione were once again planning the next session of the DA, he decided to ask her something that had been on his mind since the letters had arrived.

“Hermione, if it doesn't upset you, what exactly happened to your sister with that Jason guy?”

The brunette looked up from the piece of parchment she was writing on, and sighed. “It's a long story, Harry. But if you really want to know it…”

He nodded, so she set the quill down, and started to tell him the whole story.

“It started when I was eleven years old, just before receiving my Hogwarts letter. You know when I got here I was almost twelve, so this happened some months before I arrived to Hogwarts to start school. Almost a year before, to tell you the truth, but the climax wasn't until the summer after our first year.

My sister and Jason had officially met in high school through a tutoring program. She had noticed him before that though, she thought he was nice because he held doors open for girls and acted more like a gentleman than most of the other guys in school. Not that it was difficult, considering how teenage boys usually act” Hermione said. Harry mock scowled at her.

“Hey, I'm a teenage guy too!” he said, pretending to be outraged. She stuck her tongue at him and continued.

“In the tutoring program Ophelia was trying to help him with English but he didn't want actual help. He played on Ophelia's slight crush on him and asked her out, slowly manipulating her until she was doing his homework for him.

I guess he resented that she was better than him at everything and so he made fun of her for reading and mocked her for just about anything she liked. Her grades began to slip and she started to think that she wasn't worth anything, that she wasn't very pretty and that she was lucky that he was dating her because no one else would. She eventually reached the point where she was clinically depressed. Then the asshole broke up with her in favour of a prettier girl” she said, her face distorting in rage. Harry could clearly see she was still pretty angry at this Jason bloke and for good reason, he had to admit. He would be angry too, in her place.

“Seems familiar” He said, trying to lighten the mood with a joke. Hermione caught his meaning and laughed.

“Yeah, I guess he and Ron share some traits, but at least Ron doesn't manipulate people, he just ask them to do his homework for him, plain and simple” she quipped. Harry heartily laughed. “Plus he never hid the fact that looks are the most important quality he looks for in a girlfriend, right?” Harry added, referring to the Yule Ball thing when Ron had banned Eloise Midgen from his possible list of dates because of her looks.

Hermione rolled her eyes muttering something similar to “horny prats”

“Anyway” she started her story again, “After the break up, Ophelia was a complete wreck. It happened a couple weeks before I came back home from here, and during that summer I did all I could to help my sister get back to normal, even going as far as brewing a few potions I'd already read about to counteract the depression.

I even used potions as a way to get Ophelia back into reading and studying hard since they were two things that we had always shared. She slowly got back on her feet and threw herself into her studies, coming out as valedictorian as a way to sort of mock him and I slipped him a contact potion that would make most of his hair fall out- since he was genetically predisposed to baldness anyway what fell out didn't grow back” she admitted with a blush.

“A true Marauder I'd say” Harry winked at her. “So you've not always been such a stickler for rules, uh?”

“I want you to know it was after I had met you and Ron so it was probably your fault that I did that” Hermione said, in an innocent voice which didn't fool Harry.

“Is that so, Miss Perfect?” he teased her. Hermione couldn't hold her façade anymore and burst into a fit of giggles. “You should have seen him completely bald, he was sooo ridiculous!” she said.

“I can believe that. See, that's why I've always know to stay away from you when you're mad. As Ron would say, you're brilliant, but scary” he said, tickling her side.

After a while, she calmed down enough to resume telling him about Ophelia and Jason.

“Jason, after graduation, was a complete failure, no one would hire him, and so he decided to try to get Ophelia back in order to live off of her hard work. He stalked her for awhile, making her paranoid, I swear during that period even Moody would have found her fears excessive!”

“Somehow I find that hard to believe” Harry said. “No one can be more paranoid than Moody” he added with a smile.

“She was. Anyway, through my urging she finally got a restraining order. Jason continued to make threatening phone calls, telling her that he looked forward to getting to know me much better unless she helped him” Hermione could see Harry tense at that. She cursed herself for telling him that, it wasn't like Jason was a real threat anymore, plus she could deal with him on her own anyway. But now Harry was going to go berserk.

“Did he touch you? I swear I'll find him and shred him to pieces if he harmed you in any way!”

“Harry, calm down. He didn't touch me. He was arrested before he had the chance to try anything but the damage was done, Ophelia became hyper sensitive about my safety, and she still is.” Hermione shrugged, hugging him to try and calm him down.

Harry begrudgingly let his anger subside as he kept listening to her. He couldn't believe someone so awful could exist. He knew awful on another level with Voldemort, but this Jason guy was a real pain in the ass too, albeit of a completely different kind.

“Originally she was majoring in psychology, it was my idea because I thought that she could use some professional help and deal better with the whole Jason fiasco, but my plan failed when that quickly lost her interest and she changed to biochemistry where she is quite happy. I guess I can't complain about that, if she's happy it's fine with me” the brunette said.

“You two seem really close. It must be good to have someone just a little older than you to confide in, knowing she understands where you're coming from since she has recently gone through almost the same thing” Harry said, a bit wistfully.

Hermione snuggled into his embrace. “It is. I guess we have always been close, but that incident really strengthened our bond. She always makes time to respond to my letters, and she would duel Voldemort himself to keep me safe on any level. I guess I'd do the same for her”

“And you'd have a much better chance to win, too” Harry joked. She smiled warmly at him. “Not as much as you though” she whispered, kissing him softly. He kissed her back, pulling her on his lap.

A few minutes later, Hermione burst into a fit of giggles, and she wouldn't stop. Harry looked worriedly at her, before finally asking, “What's gotten into you?”

“I just remembered something she said. She said she'd love to come here and tell Snape and Dumbledore off for how they behaved through the years. Snape because he's a “complete asshole” standing to her definition, and Dumbledore because “he must have gone senile if he thinks it's wise to have dangerous things like the Philosopher's Stone, Dementors, Dragons and such in a school”

Harry laughed out loud with her, and before long they were in hysterics, rolling on the ground with tears threatening to fall from their eyes they were laughing so hard.

When they finally calmed down, Hermione settled against Harry's right side again. “You know, the Dursleys should watch out too” she said, blushing as she had to admit talking about Harry's relatives with her sister. “I'm sorry I told her, Harry, I know it wasn't my place, but I just had to get it off my chest…”

“Don't worry. I think I might give her more details, just for the fun of seeing Vernon being beaten by a girl” he joked.

“Well, she says these things but she never truly hit anyone. I'm sure she would though, if someone hurts me”

“Should I be worried?” Harry asked, a smirk on his lips as he pulled her closer.

“That depends on how you behave, Mr. Potter” she teased him, kissing the corner of his mouth. He smiled down at her.

“Does she like to go out?” he asked then.

“Well, let's see, she loves to go to see Manchester United play, she's a bit of a crazy soccer fan, a bit like Ron with Quidditch, and that's what she misses the most about England. Then she likes to go out with her friends, or spend some time on her skateboard”

“She skates? It must be fun!” Harry exclaimed. Hermione shrugged. “I never got the hang of it, but she likes it lots. Says it relaxes her, just like flying for you”

Harry nodded, before they once more started working on those DA plans.

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Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, Harmony shippers would be celebrating.

A/N: My response to the “Hermione's sister” challenge by Strawberry Nerd. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26786 . I hope you'll like the story, it will start from HBP, during sixth year, but hopefully this new character will help change things, uh? ;)

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

A Sister's Influence

Chapter Nine: Thank You Ophelia!

Dear Ophelia,

Your letters have been very helpful, thank you sis!

Yes, I know about the letter you sent to Harry, and while

normally I'd chastise you for doing so without asking me first,

considering the results I can't really complain, I guess.

He's here with me by the way, and says hi. He said he'd like to get to know you,

so you must have had a good impression on him.

Maybe I should feel threatened, uh? Just kidding!

As I said, your letters have been very helpful. You opened our eyes to our

mistakes, and helped us regain our close friendship. I have to admit I was jealous of his

academic results with the Prince's book, and he admitted he should have checked it

more carefully for hidden dangers.

Right now, we've found an agreement about reading it together, and research what we find in it.

Who knows, we might find something useful for the war.

About that, sis, we are both training hard now, Ron too, and we reopened our defence association from last year. It has been made official now, so we also have teachers chaperoning us and giving us tips on how to use their fields of expertise in battle.

I'm sure you'd love to see it!

Also, Harry says he deserved your harsh words because he truly had been an awful friend to me. I guess we both have our faults, but he's just like that, he keeps blaming himself for things like that.

But sis, he took that seriously. You should have seen him the other day, those cows were taunting me again, as they found your letter and they were saying mean things about you.

Harry happened to come into the room at that precise moment and he silenced them all with an impressive speech.

He was a bit scary too, enraged like that. I guess they won't try it again now.

I followed your advice, and have given up on Ron. Just the other day I was talking about you and Jason to Harry, he was curious to know what had happened so I told him (sorry for that, but I really can't resist him when he asks like that). We both spotted some similarities between Ron and Jason. Not that Ron is so awful, he just likes to have people do his homework for him and he doesn't respect any of my opinions.

It's enough to see that a relationship between us won't go anywhere. He's better off with Lavender anyway, although I guess he'd be far better with Luna. Did I tell you about her? If not, I will next time.

Now, I know you said I don't have time for a boyfriend at the moment, with the war and all, but sis, there's never a good time to have a boyfriend. Now it's the war, then it will be my career, and soon enough I'd find myself a forty years old spinster with lots of cats.

On that, sorry but I didn't follow your advice. So, I'm proud to tell you that Harry and I are together now. It was amazing, he declared himself in front of the whole common room, at the end of that great speech I told you about before.

Yes, he was with Ginny, but they broke up. She was mad at him for spending time with me after he read your letter, and he told her she would never be more important than me in his heart. I guess that was when he first started realizing his feelings for me.

Anyway, the bitch broke up with him for that, and now that we are together she doesn't talk to either of us. I guess we're better off without her anyway.

Having a loving boyfriend is amazing, you should try that again too. We're taking it slow, of course, as our focus is mainly on our studies and our training with the Headmaster (so please don't come and kick his ass yet, we still need him in one piece for some time, lol), but we make sure we can spare some quality time every day, just for the two of us.

I guess Harry might freak out if I gave you details in a letter, so our girl talk about that will just have to wait till this summer.

What can I say, sis, I love you, have fun at Harvard, and keep being the top of your class. I still am here at Hogwarts.

Can't wait to see and hug you, hopefully I'll be able to soon

Hermione (and Harry)

As Ophelia finished reading the letter, she couldn't help a smile spreading on her lips. “Oh, Hermione, this Harry really seems a good bloke, if he's willing to listen to the advice of someone he never met before” she whispered. “I'm so glad you're happy, just be careful, little one” she added then, closing her eyes, remembering all the time they spent together in their childhood.

She knew she couldn't avoid seriously dating someone forever, and she reckoned the Jason incident was in the past by now. She shouldn't let it rule her life, not every bloke was an asshole like him.

“Hey, Ophelia” her roommate Helen called. “You in for a night of relax in front of the telly? I've got the DVD of the last Buffy the Vampire slayer season!”

The brunette weighed her options, Buffy was her favourite series after all, and it was hard to resist. In the end, though, she shook her head.

“I think I'll go out tonight, Helen” she said, picking up her cell phone. Quickly dialling a number, she let it ring, until a warm male voice answered.

“Hey, Dave, it's Ophelia. You up for a movie tonight?” she asked. After his reply, she beamed. “Perfect, I'll meet you there in half an hour. Bye”

“Ooh, Dave” Helen cooed. Ophelia good-naturedly rolled her eyes at her friend. Dave had been asking her out for months, and he was a really nice bloke. They had the same courses, and often studied together for exams or such, but Ophelia had never let it get past that, although he was quite handsome and half the girls in biochemistry fawned over him.

Ophelia wondered what he saw in her, he was top of their class even before she came to Harvard so it couldn't be to take advantage of her hard work, and he could date prettier girls if he wanted, but he still kept asking her out.

Hermione had followed her advice and was now happier, it was time for Ophelia to listen to her sister too. Hopefully, she would be happier too Ophelia thought as she took her purse, checked her appearance in the mirror for the last time and finally left her room to go on her date.

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