Hermione's Visit
Author's Note: My newest work. This was supposed to go up soon after the Ginny Riddle series, but several not-so-minor problems of various natures have delayed its release until now. If at the end you need to go to the bathroom and deal with your upset stomach, feel free, because Dudley takes some things way too far Reviews are welcome, and I hope you people like my newest effort.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, of course. Harry, Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, the Weasleys, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley, etc. all belong to J.K. Rowling, whom we all beg for Book Five to come out before July.
Hermione Granger had a problem. It was July 29th, 1995, and her parents would be away from home for the rest of the summer attending a convention in Africa. Making matters worse, her parents refused to trust her alone in the house for a month, even though she was fifteen years old.
She had to find a place to stay for the rest of the summer. If she didn't come up with something, her parents would make her stay with her elderly Muggle aunt. This would require a lot of work, and it would be very little fun. Then it hit her. Why hadn't she thought of it before?? THE BURROW!! Harry and Ron would be there, and she'd be among friends while keeping up with the wizarding world. Yes, she would ask to stay at Ron's.
No, that couldn't work. She soon realized that the Weasleys were visiting Bill in Egypt and would be gone the entire summer. Then she thought of Harry. Why not ask him? Yes, yes, but the Dursleys would never let another wizard or witch under their roof. She dismissed that idea.
Just as she realized that she was running out of options, she thought of one more: Sirius. No, she wasn't going to ask to stay with Sirius, her mind was drifting back to Harry. Maybe he could threaten the Dursleys with a letter to Sirius. They gave in every time. Besides, she really wanted to see Harry, she hadn't seen him in a month.
She took out a quill and parchment and wrote,
Dear Harry,
My parents must go to a convention in Africa for the rest of the summer and I need a place to stay. Do you think the Dursleys would mind too much if I came to stay for the summer? The Weasleys are in Egypt and my parents don't trust me alone. Please come through for me.
Love, Hermione
She put down the quill and picked up her owl. She tied the message to the owl's leg and sent it on its way. The last thing she thought before the owl disappeared was that she sincerely hoped the Dursleys would say it was okay.
"HARRY, GET YOUR ELBOWS OFF THE TABLE!" roared Vernon Dursley. He was yelling at his fourteen-year old nephew, Harry Potter, who did not even have his elbows on the table. Uncle Vernon just felt like yelling at Harry. Harry hated his life at the Dursleys. The Dursleys were Harry's oppressive relatives on his mother's side. They were Muggles, and they hated wizardry of any kind.
"Uncle Vernon, I didn't have my elbows on the table," retorted Harry angrily. He was sick of being yelled at by the Dursleys.
"Yes, you did," bellowed Vernon, "and if you ever talk back to me again, you'll spend a day in your room."
"I'm all for my room, I was just working on a letter to Sirius," retaliated Harry as he rose and headed up the stairs, hesitating to see that all three Dursleys were very pale.
When Harry arrived in his room, he noticed a large brown owl sitting on his bed. Hedwig hooted to greet Harry as he walked to the strange owl and unfolded the letter attached to its leg. It was from Hermione. Harry wanted her to stay, but he knew there was no chance with the Dursleys. He grabbed a piece of parchment from the storage space under his bed and began to write. Dear Sirius, he wrote, and stopped there. He then grabbed the letter from Hermione and headed downstairs. He was not greeted warmly.
"What the heck are you doing down here?" Uncle Vernon gruffed.
"Well, Uncle Vernon," Harry replied, "I was just working on a letter," he took the parchment with Dear Sirius, written on it, and handed it to Uncle Vernon, "when I received another letter." He unfolded the letter from Hermione and showed it to Uncle Vernon. His uncle's reaction was no surprise.
"No," said Uncle Vernon flatly.
"OK, sure thing, Uncle Vernon," Harry replied, not sounding the slightest bit disappointed.
"Sure thing?" queried Uncle Vernon. He was not used to getting such a respectful response from Harry.
"Yeah," Harry continued. "Sure thing. Only give me that letter to my godfather. I would think I should write something on it before I send it. I wonder what Sirius'll think about this."
Uncle Vernon turned pale again. "You're...you're...really... wr-writing to your g-g-g-godfather," he sputtered.
"Yeah, I am," Harry said simply. "I don't think he likes it when you make me unhappy."
"Doesn't want you downcast...Tell me something about this Sirius Black. What's he like?" Uncle Vernon was stalling for time to think, and Harry knew it. However, he continued.
"Well, Uncle Vernon, he's a convicted murderer. He killed thirteen people with a single curse. Of course, he escaped from wizard prison and he's on the run now, but he's really concerned with how I'm doing," Harry had described Sirius Black like this a thousand times before, while Vernon was stalling for time to think about one of these plans.
"Okay," Uncle Vernon said. "This...this...witch, this...Hermione, tell her she can come. And your godfather...you tell him... you tell him... about this." Uncle Vernon had given in to anxiety yet again. "Petunia," he shouted. "Get the guest room ready."
Aunt Petunia came into the room. "Why, Vernon," she inquired. "Who's coming?"
"Some...some...friend of Harry's," he spat.
"WHAT????" screamed Petunia. "I WON'T HAVE THEM IN MY HOUSE!!!" She was out of control. She grabbed her best lamp, ripped it free from the electrical socket, and threw it against the wall, shattering it into 30 pieces.
"He's writing to his godfather," Vernon said to Petunia, causing her to calm down considerably.
"Yes, yes," she replied. "I'll get the guest room ready at once."
Harry bounded up to his room with a smile on his face. He laughed at the look of horror on the face of Dudley, who knew Harry must have gotten something he wanted. When he reached his room, he grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill.
Dear Hermione,
The Muggles say it's OK for you to come. Use the Knight Bus. I'll pay you back for the cost when you arrive here. So say the ride's on me. I'm looking forward to seeing you tonight.
Your friend,
Harry
He tied the note to Hermione's owl's leg and it flew off. Then he wrote to Sirius. It was a particularly long letter, and it took him awhile to write it. When he finished, he asked Hedwig to take it to Sirius. Hedwig hooted in a dignified way, and nipped Harry's finger as the letter was tied to her leg.
Hedwig flew out the window as she always did, and Harry flopped down on the bed, alone with his thoughts. Great, he thought, the Dursleys had given in once again! Now he had a chance of having a semi-enjoyable summer. Misery loves company, especially Hermione. Since he of course knew the Dursleys would treat Hermione horribly, he made a mental note to let her know this as soon as she walked in the door.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, seeing as the Dursleys were petrified with fear at having a witch at their house for the remainder of the summer. Dudley had not opened his mouth once since he heard the news, clearly anticipating another Ton-Tongue Toffee incident. The Dursleys were all very quiet nonetheless.
When the Knight Bus pulled up to the house at 3:30, the Dursleys dove behind the furniture, clearly terrified at the three-level bus that had just arrived at their house. Uncle Vernon gave a small whimper when Hermione got out, and another one when the doorbell rang. Harry rose from the table to answer the door. He was dressed in full wizard's robes, as the only other clothes he had were sixteen sizes too big for him. The Dursleys leaped up from behind the furniture and sat at the table, Uncle Vernon's nose buried in the newspaper, Aunt Petunia sewing, and Dudley very concerned with keeping his keister confined on three chairs instead of sprawling over the usual five. Harry sensed that Dudley was interested in Hermione. He pitied her for this.
Harry opened the door, and Hermione walked into the house, wearing a beautiful dress. "Hello, Hermione," Harry said politely. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Hermione," he whispered, "don't expect to be treated any better here than the termites that eat away at this place."
"Oh, I've heard plenty about the Dursleys," Hermione replied. "I know I'm going to be treated just like royalty at this place." She said this very sarcastically, causing Harry to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" demanded Uncle Vernon.
"Oh, nothing," Harry replied innocently. He turned to Hermione and said, "Come on, let me show you to the guest room."
He tried to lift her very heavy suitcase. He almost collapsed under its weight. This was unusual, since Harry was a very muscular young man, and could easily lift Uncle Vernon three feet into the air. "What've you got in there? Dudley Dursley?" asked Harry. Hermione giggled.
"No, not him, but close. I don't know how to pack lightly," replied Hermione as Harry led her upstairs. As they went upstairs, Hermione heard Dudley complaining to Vernon about how Harry made fun of his weight. What a little nincompoop, thought Hermione as Harry pushed open the guest room door.
It was a very messy room. Aunt Petunia had personally seen to that, and Hermione couldn't help but comment. "So, Way Of Treating Hermione Badly Number Two," she said, and took out a note pad. On it she wrote, 2. Messy Room. On it already was, 1. Less-Than-Warm Greeting.
She showed this note pad to Harry, and he doubled over with laughter. "Hermione," he laughed, "you're going to need a lot more paper than that!"
With that, she put a hand on his shoulder and they laughed hysterically together. This was bound to attract the attention of Uncle Vernon, but it surprisingly did not. Harry and Hermione sat in the guest room and talked for an hour and a half until dinner.
At five o'clock, a high-pitched yell interrupted their conversation. "Harry," Aunt Petunia roared, "Hermione! Get down here now! Dinner time!"
Harry said, "Hermione, we'd better get downstairs or we'll be flogged."
Hermione chuckled and wrote on her note pad, 3. Threat of Flogging, as they went down the stairs. When they came downstairs, there were three plates full of excuisite French cuisine, and two plates with a lump of cheese and two slices of bread each. Harry and Hermione sat down at these places and quickly devoured their pitiful dinner.
After dinner, they went for a walk in the garden outside. They finished talking about the beginning of their summer, then the subject changed to Hermione's visit so far. At this, Hermione extracted the note pad from her pocket and wrote, 4. Lilliputian Dinner. They walked and talked some more, and they went inside after twenty minutes. They both went to their respective rooms, changed into their pajamas, and went to sleep, hoping tomorrow would be a lot better than today had been.
On Harry's birthday, Harry and Hermione awoke early and met in Harry's room to celebrate, knowing there would be no celebration from the Dursleys. Hermione sang Happy Birthday to Harry and gave him his present, the book Hogwarts, a History. Harry smiled at her (she had given him a great interest in reading that book), but as it turned out, that was not all. His other present was a piece of parchment.
But this wasn't any old piece of parchment, as Harry found out as he unfolded it. It was an official letter from the Ministry of Magic. Harry hugged Hermione with joy as he read the letter. It said that Sirius Black was a free man. It also said that Harry was free to leave the Dursleys after August 15th to go to live with Sirius. There was just a little more paperwork that would get Sirius custody of Harry. Harry was going to have a load of fun with the Dursleys in his last fifteen days there.
When the Dursleys learned Harry would be leaving in two mere weeks, they had a celebration. Uncle Vernon kissed Aunt Petunia in a way Harry doubted he had in many years. Dudley jumped up and down with joy, causing the entire foundation of the house to shake. But then Uncle Vernon went to the calendar, checking to make sure it wasn't April 1st. Harry looked at the clock. He had been fifteen years old for nine hours, and only Harry and Hermione realized it, or more importantly, cared. But this proved to be one of the best birthdays of Harry's life.
When Harry awoke on August 14, he clicked off another day on his calendar, entitled, "Days to No More Torture." With only one more day remaining, he was in a very good mood. When they went down to breakfast, Hermione showed Harry the list of mean things the Dursleys had done. It now comprised eighty-seven entries. On and on the list went, over five large Post-It note pads, and Harry was forced to laugh.
At dinner, Harry and Hermione had the commonplace Air Sandwich, and then they went outside for their customary walk. They walked and they talked about how the weather was uncharacteristically cold for August, until they came to a bench. They sat upon this bench, and Hermione said, "Thanks for conning the Dursleys into letting me stay. Despite my list, I've had a great time."
"I'm glad to hear that, Hermi," he said in a soft voice. She then leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Harry was then seized by an inexplicable impulse. He pulled Hermione close to him and kissed her on the lips. He soon snapped to his senses and let her go. He studied the look on Hermione's face, surveying the damage. He saw shock, incredulousness, and satisfaction all rolled into one. Wait a minute, he thought, satisfaction????!!!!????!
In an awkward moment, he decided to rectify his mistake. "I'm sorry, Hermi," he said.
"No, Harry," she replied. Don't be sorry." Then she pulled him to herself and kissed him. He responded passionately, and they were caught up in their own world until a tremendous shadow blocked out the garden light. Harry and Hermione reluctantly parted to determine the identity of the offender.
It did not take a long time to figure it out. "Dudley," Harry breathed angrily.
"Duh, it's me," Dudley said stupidly. "Who'd you expect, the wedding minister?" He cracked up at his own stupid joke, then turned completely serious again. "Six minutes, 37.56 seconds," he said, studying his stopwatch. "Not bad for a pair of first-timers, but I think you guys could do a lot better."
"Eat slugs, Dudley," Hermione grumbled as Dudley waddled his elephantine body back to the house. Harry and Hermione stood shortly thereafter and went back to the house.
They entered Harry's room and locked the door. Harry then propped his office chair against it so Dudley couldn't smash the lock and enter.
Harry and Hermione kissed again, but for a shorter time, as Harry pulled himself away from her.
"Hermione," he began, "I want to show you something I've never shown anyone or told anyone before. Hermi, how many scars do I have?"
Hermione plainly wondered where he was going, but she answered his question to the best of her knowledge. "One?"
"Hermi, that's what everyone thinks. But they're wrong," he said, removing his shirt. He turned his back to her. What Hermione Granger next saw, she couldn't believe. On Harry's back were at least seventeen large scars that looked a lot like belt buckles.
"Harry, what happened?" she asked, shocked.
"Hermi, I've had most of them since before I came to Hogwarts. Now that those Dursleys know I'm a wizard, they're reluctant to whip me with belts anymore," said Harry.
"Oh, my God," Hermione said, "Why didn't you tell anyone? I had no idea."
"Oh, Hermi, I just, well, I don't know. It's over now. They'll be there for a good long time," Harry said, putting his shirt back on. "Good night, Hermione. We'll be leaving for Sirius's tomorrow." Harry smiled at the thought as Hermione grabbed him and they kissed goodnight. Hermione then moved the chair, unlocked the door, and walked out.
Harry felt good to have finally told someone his other dark secret. The Dursleys had not only locked him in the cupboard under the stairs. They had figured that he already would have one scar for the rest of his life, why not make it more. Harry had not ever told another soul on earth, and he felt good to finally get it out.
That night, Hermione had a terrible nightmare. The Dursleys were whipping Harry, he was screaming in pain. Then she came in. She screeched at Uncle Vernon to stop hurting Harry. He complied, but started to hit Hermione instead. He hit her so many times, and with so much force that she died, and at that moment, she woke up, sweating profusely and crying.
She went into Harry's room, crying her eyes out, and to her surprise he was awake, reading Hogwarts, a History. He was shocked to see Hermione enter his room crying at 3:40 in the morning.
"Hermi," he began, "what's wrong?"
Hermione said, "Harry, I've just been thinking about what you showed me last night, and I had a terrible nightmare." With saying this, she broke down crying again.
"Hermi, it's okay," Harry said, trying to comfort her. He kissed her, but it did not last for as long a time, as the same unfortunate circumstances as the previous night unfolded. The door burst open, and in came Dudley. "Dudley," Harry said, "get out."
Dudley replied, "Well, why in the world would I want to do that?" He then began to sing. "Here comes the bride," he sang, "here comes the bride." He then dissolved into a wave of laughter.
"Very funny, Dudley," Hermione said sarcastically as she grabbed his gargantuan shoulders and steered him out the door.
"Thanks, Hermi," Harry said. "He was always good at poking his seventeen-mile-long nose into other people's business."
"Harry, I'm really sorry about what the Dursleys did to your back. If anyone knew, I'm sure they wouldn't have hesitated to bring you out." When she finished saying this, she kissed him again.
Harry moved away from her, his face a foot from hers, and said, "Hermi, there's a reason I couldn't tell anyone. Professor Dumbledore had some spell put on this house so Voldemort could not attack me when I'm here. When I came to Hogwarts, I was forbidden to tell anyone. For fifteen years I've kept it locked up inside me, and now I just had to let it out. In fifteen years, you're the first person I thought I could trust with this." After he said this, he kissed her again.
Harry and Hermione sat in Harry's room talking until five o'clock that morning, when Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia called them down to breakfast.
When they reached the bottom step, the first person they saw was Dudley. "Harry, you and I need to have a man-to-man talk," said Dudley. "You," he gestured to Hermione, "go do your hair or something." Harry followed Dudley into the living room as Hermione went to the bathroom to make sure her hair was just right.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," Dudley began.
"What, what, what," Harry replied in the same tone of voice.
"Harry, you've got to tell me, what's with you and that girl?"
"Dudley, Dudley, Dudley," said Harry, using that same sarcastic tone of voice Dudley had just used. "What's going on? Something you'll never experience. A girl that would fall for you would be dead from the neck up." Dudley, already weighing 647 pounds, knew this to be the case, but he couldn't admit this to Harry. He clenched his fists, but Harry saw it coming and put his strong hand on Dudley's fist. "The first thing I want you to know, is that I can easily lift your father. My physical strength exceeds yours by at least 45 times. You would not stand a chance against me in a fight."
"The second thing you need to know," Harry continued, "is that what is going on between Hermi and I is none of your business."
"Hermi, is it," Dudley said in an annoying singsong voice. "I'm guessing Hermione, yes..." he continued, but was cut off by Harry.
"DING, DING, DING," Harry roared in a sarcastic voice, "WHADDA WE HAVE FOR HIM, JOHNNY!!!"
"So, her name IS Hermione. That's a lovely name, and she's a real beautiful girl," continued Dudley.
"Like I haven't noticed," said Harry.
"Gee, I wonder if she likes ME more than you. Probably."
"In your wildest dreams, Dudley," responded Harry.
Later that day, Dudley, Harry, and Hermione were in the same room watching TV, when Dudley decided to complicate matters. Rising from the couch, he walked over to where Harry and Hermione were sitting on the floor. He pulled Harry up and punched him in the face, at the same time grabbing the wrist of Hermione and dragging her toward the stairs.
Harry slowly rose, his hand on the side of his face, in pain from Dudley's punch, when he heard a scream from Hermione.
Harry jumped up and rushed up the stairs to Dudley's room. Just as he turned right at the top of the stairs and started charging toward Dudley's room, he saw Dudley, with one hand on the door, and the other grasping Hermione's wrist. Harry ran at the door, but just as he was about to cross the threshold of the door, Dudley slammed it shut, hitting Harry right in the face. Dudley's laugh sounded particularly evil as Harry sprawled unconscious on the floor.
Hermione Granger was as repulsed as it was humanly possible to be. Dudley Dursley seemed to love her... Hermione turned to the window and threw up on the lawn. The idea of Dudley Dursley having a crush on you would do that to anyone. She hoped to God that Harry would come fast, and when Dudley enveloped her with his 647-pound body in another hug, the one thing she most wanted in life was to just kick the bucket to stop the suffering.
Harry's eyes opened, and the first thing he felt was a massive amount of pain in his head. At first he didn't remember what had caused it, but then he recalled being hit in the head with a huge heavy door. He felt like giving Dudley the Cruciatus Curse, but then he thought of one small detail: Azkaban.
Harry began to slowly rise, grasping the handrail of the stairs to get himself up. He hobbled toward Dudley's room, but when he was no more than halfway there, he heard a bloodcurtling shriek. Harry recognized it at once as coming from Hermione.
Harry's hatred level rose steadily, and he pulled himself up and strode to Dudley's door. He pulled out his wand. "Alohom..." He started to unlock the door, but then he remembered the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. He quickly formulated another plan, wheeled around, and ran down the stairs.
He didn't stop running until he was out in the back yard. Uncle Vernon was chopping down a large tree, and he was using a huge ax. Just then, Harry got an idea. He walked over to the tree. "Uncle Vernon," he said politely.
"What," grumbled Vernon.
"May I please borrow your ax for a minute?" Vernon didn't look too pleased, but he turned to look at Harry.
"Sure. Take it," Vernon said. He was hoping that Harry would do something to harm himself mortally, but Harry took the ax and started toward Dudley's room.
He chopped the door down with the ax, and saw Dudley attempting to rip Hermione's shirt off. Overcome with anger, he raised the ax and chopped Dudley's dresser right in two!
Dudley released Hermione and looked at Harry, still holding the ax.
With the safety of knowing that Harry would protect her, she reared back and slapped Dudley with all of her strength. At that exact second, Vernon Dursley entered the room. He was beside himself.
"HOW DARE YOU SLAP DUDDY-POO!!" he bellowed. YOU'RE PAYING FOR THAT DRESSER, YOU PIECES OF *censored*!!!!!
But he had gone too far. Harry and Hermione parted, she raised her wand, and she shouted, "Follicular Totales Rainbowum Segondem!" Harry and Hermione, and even Dudley cracked up as every hair on the body of Vernon Dursley turned orange!
Hermione leaped up into Harry's arms and they ran through the house and across the Dursleys' property into the waiting Ministry of Magic car that would take Harry away from the Dursleys forever as the Dursleys chased them out the front door. They looked back together, at the beginnings of Vernon Dursley's orange-haired, wizard and witch-free life, and laughed together once more. It was just then that Harry decided to shoot a curse back at the Dursleys' house, and Dudley was transformed into a massive elephant!
THREE DAYS LATER
Vernon Dursley awoke early on August 17th. He was feeling mixed emotions. He was thrilled because he would no longer have to put up with his nephew, but he was in a bad mood because he was stuck with orange hair and his son Dudley had been transformed into an elephant by Harry Potter, which Vernon was correct in assuming was an irreversible condition. He had tied Dudley outside in the back yard to prevent him running rampant on the neighborhood, but he had done it mostly to prevent his son (pardon me, his pet elephant) from being seen by his fellow Muggles. What an uproar there would be if the neighbors found out he was involved with wizards.
Vernon worked in the yard for three hours, and at 10:00 AM, a county police officer came to his door.
"Hello, officer," Vernon said.
"Good morning, Mr. Dursley," the officer replied. Then he dropped his cheery tone. "Mr. Dursley, you are under arrest on charges of child abuse."
"What," Vernon asked.
"You heard me," returned the officer. Then he heard a curious sound coming from behind the house. He went back and found a huge elephant. "I stand corrected, Mr. Dursley. You are under arrest for child abuse AND illegal possession of a wild creature. It was reported by Mr. Sirius Black that you were responsible for at least twenty separate beatings of the young Mr. Harry Potter. You will come with me, please." As the officer snapped the handcuffs on the wrists of Vernon Dursley, he told the accused his rights in the criminal trial.
Just then, Petunia came out of the house. "What's going on," she said angrily.
"Mrs. Dursley?" said the officer. "You are also under arrest for the abuse of Mr. Harry Potter. Come with me."
When Harry and Hermione received the news that the Dursleys had been convicted, they had a celebration. Fifteen years and not only was Harry free from the Dursleys forever, they had finally gotten what they had deserved. Maybe being in prison until they were 85 years old would pound some sense into them.
THE END
Author's Note: I'm in a rut. Everything I've written lately contains mushy romance in one form or another. I'm a TEENAGE BOY, for crying out loud, how can I keep writing all this lovey-dovey stuff? I guess you could say I have writer's block, but at the moment I've started my next idea, another series. But if you have any better suggestions for me, put them in your reviews and I'll be eternally grateful.
Author's Note: My newest work. This was supposed to go up soon after the Ginny Riddle series, but several not-so-minor problems of various natures have delayed its release until now. If at the end you need to go to the bathroom and deal with your upset stomach, feel free, because Dudley takes some things way too far Reviews are welcome, and I hope you people like my newest effort.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, of course. Harry, Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, the Weasleys, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley, etc. all belong to J.K. Rowling, whom we all beg for Book Five to come out before July.
Hermione Granger had a problem. It was July 29th, 1995, and her parents would be away from home for the rest of the summer attending a convention in Africa. Making matters worse, her parents refused to trust her alone in the house for a month, even though she was fifteen years old.
She had to find a place to stay for the rest of the summer. If she didn't come up with something, her parents would make her stay with her elderly Muggle aunt. This would require a lot of work, and it would be very little fun. Then it hit her. Why hadn't she thought of it before?? THE BURROW!! Harry and Ron would be there, and she'd be among friends while keeping up with the wizarding world. Yes, she would ask to stay at Ron's.
No, that couldn't work. She soon realized that the Weasleys were visiting Bill in Egypt and would be gone the entire summer. Then she thought of Harry. Why not ask him? Yes, yes, but the Dursleys would never let another wizard or witch under their roof. She dismissed that idea.
Just as she realized that she was running out of options, she thought of one more: Sirius. No, she wasn't going to ask to stay with Sirius, her mind was drifting back to Harry. Maybe he could threaten the Dursleys with a letter to Sirius. They gave in every time. Besides, she really wanted to see Harry, she hadn't seen him in a month.
She took out a quill and parchment and wrote,
Dear Harry,
My parents must go to a convention in Africa for the rest of the summer and I need a place to stay. Do you think the Dursleys would mind too much if I came to stay for the summer? The Weasleys are in Egypt and my parents don't trust me alone. Please come through for me.
Love, Hermione
She put down the quill and picked up her owl. She tied the message to the owl's leg and sent it on its way. The last thing she thought before the owl disappeared was that she sincerely hoped the Dursleys would say it was okay.
"HARRY, GET YOUR ELBOWS OFF THE TABLE!" roared Vernon Dursley. He was yelling at his fourteen-year old nephew, Harry Potter, who did not even have his elbows on the table. Uncle Vernon just felt like yelling at Harry. Harry hated his life at the Dursleys. The Dursleys were Harry's oppressive relatives on his mother's side. They were Muggles, and they hated wizardry of any kind.
"Uncle Vernon, I didn't have my elbows on the table," retorted Harry angrily. He was sick of being yelled at by the Dursleys.
"Yes, you did," bellowed Vernon, "and if you ever talk back to me again, you'll spend a day in your room."
"I'm all for my room, I was just working on a letter to Sirius," retaliated Harry as he rose and headed up the stairs, hesitating to see that all three Dursleys were very pale.
When Harry arrived in his room, he noticed a large brown owl sitting on his bed. Hedwig hooted to greet Harry as he walked to the strange owl and unfolded the letter attached to its leg. It was from Hermione. Harry wanted her to stay, but he knew there was no chance with the Dursleys. He grabbed a piece of parchment from the storage space under his bed and began to write. Dear Sirius, he wrote, and stopped there. He then grabbed the letter from Hermione and headed downstairs. He was not greeted warmly.
"What the heck are you doing down here?" Uncle Vernon gruffed.
"Well, Uncle Vernon," Harry replied, "I was just working on a letter," he took the parchment with Dear Sirius, written on it, and handed it to Uncle Vernon, "when I received another letter." He unfolded the letter from Hermione and showed it to Uncle Vernon. His uncle's reaction was no surprise.
"No," said Uncle Vernon flatly.
"OK, sure thing, Uncle Vernon," Harry replied, not sounding the slightest bit disappointed.
"Sure thing?" queried Uncle Vernon. He was not used to getting such a respectful response from Harry.
"Yeah," Harry continued. "Sure thing. Only give me that letter to my godfather. I would think I should write something on it before I send it. I wonder what Sirius'll think about this."
Uncle Vernon turned pale again. "You're...you're...really... wr-writing to your g-g-g-godfather," he sputtered.
"Yeah, I am," Harry said simply. "I don't think he likes it when you make me unhappy."
"Doesn't want you downcast...Tell me something about this Sirius Black. What's he like?" Uncle Vernon was stalling for time to think, and Harry knew it. However, he continued.
"Well, Uncle Vernon, he's a convicted murderer. He killed thirteen people with a single curse. Of course, he escaped from wizard prison and he's on the run now, but he's really concerned with how I'm doing," Harry had described Sirius Black like this a thousand times before, while Vernon was stalling for time to think about one of these plans.
"Okay," Uncle Vernon said. "This...this...witch, this...Hermione, tell her she can come. And your godfather...you tell him... you tell him... about this." Uncle Vernon had given in to anxiety yet again. "Petunia," he shouted. "Get the guest room ready."
Aunt Petunia came into the room. "Why, Vernon," she inquired. "Who's coming?"
"Some...some...friend of Harry's," he spat.
"WHAT????" screamed Petunia. "I WON'T HAVE THEM IN MY HOUSE!!!" She was out of control. She grabbed her best lamp, ripped it free from the electrical socket, and threw it against the wall, shattering it into 30 pieces.
"He's writing to his godfather," Vernon said to Petunia, causing her to calm down considerably.
"Yes, yes," she replied. "I'll get the guest room ready at once."
Harry bounded up to his room with a smile on his face. He laughed at the look of horror on the face of Dudley, who knew Harry must have gotten something he wanted. When he reached his room, he grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill.
Dear Hermione,
The Muggles say it's OK for you to come. Use the Knight Bus. I'll pay you back for the cost when you arrive here. So say the ride's on me. I'm looking forward to seeing you tonight.
Your friend,
Harry
He tied the note to Hermione's owl's leg and it flew off. Then he wrote to Sirius. It was a particularly long letter, and it took him awhile to write it. When he finished, he asked Hedwig to take it to Sirius. Hedwig hooted in a dignified way, and nipped Harry's finger as the letter was tied to her leg.
Hedwig flew out the window as she always did, and Harry flopped down on the bed, alone with his thoughts. Great, he thought, the Dursleys had given in once again! Now he had a chance of having a semi-enjoyable summer. Misery loves company, especially Hermione. Since he of course knew the Dursleys would treat Hermione horribly, he made a mental note to let her know this as soon as she walked in the door.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, seeing as the Dursleys were petrified with fear at having a witch at their house for the remainder of the summer. Dudley had not opened his mouth once since he heard the news, clearly anticipating another Ton-Tongue Toffee incident. The Dursleys were all very quiet nonetheless.
When the Knight Bus pulled up to the house at 3:30, the Dursleys dove behind the furniture, clearly terrified at the three-level bus that had just arrived at their house. Uncle Vernon gave a small whimper when Hermione got out, and another one when the doorbell rang. Harry rose from the table to answer the door. He was dressed in full wizard's robes, as the only other clothes he had were sixteen sizes too big for him. The Dursleys leaped up from behind the furniture and sat at the table, Uncle Vernon's nose buried in the newspaper, Aunt Petunia sewing, and Dudley very concerned with keeping his keister confined on three chairs instead of sprawling over the usual five. Harry sensed that Dudley was interested in Hermione. He pitied her for this.
Harry opened the door, and Hermione walked into the house, wearing a beautiful dress. "Hello, Hermione," Harry said politely. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Hermione," he whispered, "don't expect to be treated any better here than the termites that eat away at this place."
"Oh, I've heard plenty about the Dursleys," Hermione replied. "I know I'm going to be treated just like royalty at this place." She said this very sarcastically, causing Harry to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" demanded Uncle Vernon.
"Oh, nothing," Harry replied innocently. He turned to Hermione and said, "Come on, let me show you to the guest room."
He tried to lift her very heavy suitcase. He almost collapsed under its weight. This was unusual, since Harry was a very muscular young man, and could easily lift Uncle Vernon three feet into the air. "What've you got in there? Dudley Dursley?" asked Harry. Hermione giggled.
"No, not him, but close. I don't know how to pack lightly," replied Hermione as Harry led her upstairs. As they went upstairs, Hermione heard Dudley complaining to Vernon about how Harry made fun of his weight. What a little nincompoop, thought Hermione as Harry pushed open the guest room door.
It was a very messy room. Aunt Petunia had personally seen to that, and Hermione couldn't help but comment. "So, Way Of Treating Hermione Badly Number Two," she said, and took out a note pad. On it she wrote, 2. Messy Room. On it already was, 1. Less-Than-Warm Greeting.
She showed this note pad to Harry, and he doubled over with laughter. "Hermione," he laughed, "you're going to need a lot more paper than that!"
With that, she put a hand on his shoulder and they laughed hysterically together. This was bound to attract the attention of Uncle Vernon, but it surprisingly did not. Harry and Hermione sat in the guest room and talked for an hour and a half until dinner.
At five o'clock, a high-pitched yell interrupted their conversation. "Harry," Aunt Petunia roared, "Hermione! Get down here now! Dinner time!"
Harry said, "Hermione, we'd better get downstairs or we'll be flogged."
Hermione chuckled and wrote on her note pad, 3. Threat of Flogging, as they went down the stairs. When they came downstairs, there were three plates full of excuisite French cuisine, and two plates with a lump of cheese and two slices of bread each. Harry and Hermione sat down at these places and quickly devoured their pitiful dinner.
After dinner, they went for a walk in the garden outside. They finished talking about the beginning of their summer, then the subject changed to Hermione's visit so far. At this, Hermione extracted the note pad from her pocket and wrote, 4. Lilliputian Dinner. They walked and talked some more, and they went inside after twenty minutes. They both went to their respective rooms, changed into their pajamas, and went to sleep, hoping tomorrow would be a lot better than today had been.
On Harry's birthday, Harry and Hermione awoke early and met in Harry's room to celebrate, knowing there would be no celebration from the Dursleys. Hermione sang Happy Birthday to Harry and gave him his present, the book Hogwarts, a History. Harry smiled at her (she had given him a great interest in reading that book), but as it turned out, that was not all. His other present was a piece of parchment.
But this wasn't any old piece of parchment, as Harry found out as he unfolded it. It was an official letter from the Ministry of Magic. Harry hugged Hermione with joy as he read the letter. It said that Sirius Black was a free man. It also said that Harry was free to leave the Dursleys after August 15th to go to live with Sirius. There was just a little more paperwork that would get Sirius custody of Harry. Harry was going to have a load of fun with the Dursleys in his last fifteen days there.
When the Dursleys learned Harry would be leaving in two mere weeks, they had a celebration. Uncle Vernon kissed Aunt Petunia in a way Harry doubted he had in many years. Dudley jumped up and down with joy, causing the entire foundation of the house to shake. But then Uncle Vernon went to the calendar, checking to make sure it wasn't April 1st. Harry looked at the clock. He had been fifteen years old for nine hours, and only Harry and Hermione realized it, or more importantly, cared. But this proved to be one of the best birthdays of Harry's life.
When Harry awoke on August 14, he clicked off another day on his calendar, entitled, "Days to No More Torture." With only one more day remaining, he was in a very good mood. When they went down to breakfast, Hermione showed Harry the list of mean things the Dursleys had done. It now comprised eighty-seven entries. On and on the list went, over five large Post-It note pads, and Harry was forced to laugh.
At dinner, Harry and Hermione had the commonplace Air Sandwich, and then they went outside for their customary walk. They walked and they talked about how the weather was uncharacteristically cold for August, until they came to a bench. They sat upon this bench, and Hermione said, "Thanks for conning the Dursleys into letting me stay. Despite my list, I've had a great time."
"I'm glad to hear that, Hermi," he said in a soft voice. She then leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Harry was then seized by an inexplicable impulse. He pulled Hermione close to him and kissed her on the lips. He soon snapped to his senses and let her go. He studied the look on Hermione's face, surveying the damage. He saw shock, incredulousness, and satisfaction all rolled into one. Wait a minute, he thought, satisfaction????!!!!????!
In an awkward moment, he decided to rectify his mistake. "I'm sorry, Hermi," he said.
"No, Harry," she replied. Don't be sorry." Then she pulled him to herself and kissed him. He responded passionately, and they were caught up in their own world until a tremendous shadow blocked out the garden light. Harry and Hermione reluctantly parted to determine the identity of the offender.
It did not take a long time to figure it out. "Dudley," Harry breathed angrily.
"Duh, it's me," Dudley said stupidly. "Who'd you expect, the wedding minister?" He cracked up at his own stupid joke, then turned completely serious again. "Six minutes, 37.56 seconds," he said, studying his stopwatch. "Not bad for a pair of first-timers, but I think you guys could do a lot better."
"Eat slugs, Dudley," Hermione grumbled as Dudley waddled his elephantine body back to the house. Harry and Hermione stood shortly thereafter and went back to the house.
They entered Harry's room and locked the door. Harry then propped his office chair against it so Dudley couldn't smash the lock and enter.
Harry and Hermione kissed again, but for a shorter time, as Harry pulled himself away from her.
"Hermione," he began, "I want to show you something I've never shown anyone or told anyone before. Hermi, how many scars do I have?"
Hermione plainly wondered where he was going, but she answered his question to the best of her knowledge. "One?"
"Hermi, that's what everyone thinks. But they're wrong," he said, removing his shirt. He turned his back to her. What Hermione Granger next saw, she couldn't believe. On Harry's back were at least seventeen large scars that looked a lot like belt buckles.
"Harry, what happened?" she asked, shocked.
"Hermi, I've had most of them since before I came to Hogwarts. Now that those Dursleys know I'm a wizard, they're reluctant to whip me with belts anymore," said Harry.
"Oh, my God," Hermione said, "Why didn't you tell anyone? I had no idea."
"Oh, Hermi, I just, well, I don't know. It's over now. They'll be there for a good long time," Harry said, putting his shirt back on. "Good night, Hermione. We'll be leaving for Sirius's tomorrow." Harry smiled at the thought as Hermione grabbed him and they kissed goodnight. Hermione then moved the chair, unlocked the door, and walked out.
Harry felt good to have finally told someone his other dark secret. The Dursleys had not only locked him in the cupboard under the stairs. They had figured that he already would have one scar for the rest of his life, why not make it more. Harry had not ever told another soul on earth, and he felt good to finally get it out.
That night, Hermione had a terrible nightmare. The Dursleys were whipping Harry, he was screaming in pain. Then she came in. She screeched at Uncle Vernon to stop hurting Harry. He complied, but started to hit Hermione instead. He hit her so many times, and with so much force that she died, and at that moment, she woke up, sweating profusely and crying.
She went into Harry's room, crying her eyes out, and to her surprise he was awake, reading Hogwarts, a History. He was shocked to see Hermione enter his room crying at 3:40 in the morning.
"Hermi," he began, "what's wrong?"
Hermione said, "Harry, I've just been thinking about what you showed me last night, and I had a terrible nightmare." With saying this, she broke down crying again.
"Hermi, it's okay," Harry said, trying to comfort her. He kissed her, but it did not last for as long a time, as the same unfortunate circumstances as the previous night unfolded. The door burst open, and in came Dudley. "Dudley," Harry said, "get out."
Dudley replied, "Well, why in the world would I want to do that?" He then began to sing. "Here comes the bride," he sang, "here comes the bride." He then dissolved into a wave of laughter.
"Very funny, Dudley," Hermione said sarcastically as she grabbed his gargantuan shoulders and steered him out the door.
"Thanks, Hermi," Harry said. "He was always good at poking his seventeen-mile-long nose into other people's business."
"Harry, I'm really sorry about what the Dursleys did to your back. If anyone knew, I'm sure they wouldn't have hesitated to bring you out." When she finished saying this, she kissed him again.
Harry moved away from her, his face a foot from hers, and said, "Hermi, there's a reason I couldn't tell anyone. Professor Dumbledore had some spell put on this house so Voldemort could not attack me when I'm here. When I came to Hogwarts, I was forbidden to tell anyone. For fifteen years I've kept it locked up inside me, and now I just had to let it out. In fifteen years, you're the first person I thought I could trust with this." After he said this, he kissed her again.
Harry and Hermione sat in Harry's room talking until five o'clock that morning, when Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia called them down to breakfast.
When they reached the bottom step, the first person they saw was Dudley. "Harry, you and I need to have a man-to-man talk," said Dudley. "You," he gestured to Hermione, "go do your hair or something." Harry followed Dudley into the living room as Hermione went to the bathroom to make sure her hair was just right.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," Dudley began.
"What, what, what," Harry replied in the same tone of voice.
"Harry, you've got to tell me, what's with you and that girl?"
"Dudley, Dudley, Dudley," said Harry, using that same sarcastic tone of voice Dudley had just used. "What's going on? Something you'll never experience. A girl that would fall for you would be dead from the neck up." Dudley, already weighing 647 pounds, knew this to be the case, but he couldn't admit this to Harry. He clenched his fists, but Harry saw it coming and put his strong hand on Dudley's fist. "The first thing I want you to know, is that I can easily lift your father. My physical strength exceeds yours by at least 45 times. You would not stand a chance against me in a fight."
"The second thing you need to know," Harry continued, "is that what is going on between Hermi and I is none of your business."
"Hermi, is it," Dudley said in an annoying singsong voice. "I'm guessing Hermione, yes..." he continued, but was cut off by Harry.
"DING, DING, DING," Harry roared in a sarcastic voice, "WHADDA WE HAVE FOR HIM, JOHNNY!!!"
"So, her name IS Hermione. That's a lovely name, and she's a real beautiful girl," continued Dudley.
"Like I haven't noticed," said Harry.
"Gee, I wonder if she likes ME more than you. Probably."
"In your wildest dreams, Dudley," responded Harry.
Later that day, Dudley, Harry, and Hermione were in the same room watching TV, when Dudley decided to complicate matters. Rising from the couch, he walked over to where Harry and Hermione were sitting on the floor. He pulled Harry up and punched him in the face, at the same time grabbing the wrist of Hermione and dragging her toward the stairs.
Harry slowly rose, his hand on the side of his face, in pain from Dudley's punch, when he heard a scream from Hermione.
Harry jumped up and rushed up the stairs to Dudley's room. Just as he turned right at the top of the stairs and started charging toward Dudley's room, he saw Dudley, with one hand on the door, and the other grasping Hermione's wrist. Harry ran at the door, but just as he was about to cross the threshold of the door, Dudley slammed it shut, hitting Harry right in the face. Dudley's laugh sounded particularly evil as Harry sprawled unconscious on the floor.
Hermione Granger was as repulsed as it was humanly possible to be. Dudley Dursley seemed to love her... Hermione turned to the window and threw up on the lawn. The idea of Dudley Dursley having a crush on you would do that to anyone. She hoped to God that Harry would come fast, and when Dudley enveloped her with his 647-pound body in another hug, the one thing she most wanted in life was to just kick the bucket to stop the suffering.
Harry's eyes opened, and the first thing he felt was a massive amount of pain in his head. At first he didn't remember what had caused it, but then he recalled being hit in the head with a huge heavy door. He felt like giving Dudley the Cruciatus Curse, but then he thought of one small detail: Azkaban.
Harry began to slowly rise, grasping the handrail of the stairs to get himself up. He hobbled toward Dudley's room, but when he was no more than halfway there, he heard a bloodcurtling shriek. Harry recognized it at once as coming from Hermione.
Harry's hatred level rose steadily, and he pulled himself up and strode to Dudley's door. He pulled out his wand. "Alohom..." He started to unlock the door, but then he remembered the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. He quickly formulated another plan, wheeled around, and ran down the stairs.
He didn't stop running until he was out in the back yard. Uncle Vernon was chopping down a large tree, and he was using a huge ax. Just then, Harry got an idea. He walked over to the tree. "Uncle Vernon," he said politely.
"What," grumbled Vernon.
"May I please borrow your ax for a minute?" Vernon didn't look too pleased, but he turned to look at Harry.
"Sure. Take it," Vernon said. He was hoping that Harry would do something to harm himself mortally, but Harry took the ax and started toward Dudley's room.
He chopped the door down with the ax, and saw Dudley attempting to rip Hermione's shirt off. Overcome with anger, he raised the ax and chopped Dudley's dresser right in two!
Dudley released Hermione and looked at Harry, still holding the ax.
With the safety of knowing that Harry would protect her, she reared back and slapped Dudley with all of her strength. At that exact second, Vernon Dursley entered the room. He was beside himself.
"HOW DARE YOU SLAP DUDDY-POO!!" he bellowed. YOU'RE PAYING FOR THAT DRESSER, YOU PIECES OF *censored*!!!!!
But he had gone too far. Harry and Hermione parted, she raised her wand, and she shouted, "Follicular Totales Rainbowum Segondem!" Harry and Hermione, and even Dudley cracked up as every hair on the body of Vernon Dursley turned orange!
Hermione leaped up into Harry's arms and they ran through the house and across the Dursleys' property into the waiting Ministry of Magic car that would take Harry away from the Dursleys forever as the Dursleys chased them out the front door. They looked back together, at the beginnings of Vernon Dursley's orange-haired, wizard and witch-free life, and laughed together once more. It was just then that Harry decided to shoot a curse back at the Dursleys' house, and Dudley was transformed into a massive elephant!
THREE DAYS LATER
Vernon Dursley awoke early on August 17th. He was feeling mixed emotions. He was thrilled because he would no longer have to put up with his nephew, but he was in a bad mood because he was stuck with orange hair and his son Dudley had been transformed into an elephant by Harry Potter, which Vernon was correct in assuming was an irreversible condition. He had tied Dudley outside in the back yard to prevent him running rampant on the neighborhood, but he had done it mostly to prevent his son (pardon me, his pet elephant) from being seen by his fellow Muggles. What an uproar there would be if the neighbors found out he was involved with wizards.
Vernon worked in the yard for three hours, and at 10:00 AM, a county police officer came to his door.
"Hello, officer," Vernon said.
"Good morning, Mr. Dursley," the officer replied. Then he dropped his cheery tone. "Mr. Dursley, you are under arrest on charges of child abuse."
"What," Vernon asked.
"You heard me," returned the officer. Then he heard a curious sound coming from behind the house. He went back and found a huge elephant. "I stand corrected, Mr. Dursley. You are under arrest for child abuse AND illegal possession of a wild creature. It was reported by Mr. Sirius Black that you were responsible for at least twenty separate beatings of the young Mr. Harry Potter. You will come with me, please." As the officer snapped the handcuffs on the wrists of Vernon Dursley, he told the accused his rights in the criminal trial.
Just then, Petunia came out of the house. "What's going on," she said angrily.
"Mrs. Dursley?" said the officer. "You are also under arrest for the abuse of Mr. Harry Potter. Come with me."
When Harry and Hermione received the news that the Dursleys had been convicted, they had a celebration. Fifteen years and not only was Harry free from the Dursleys forever, they had finally gotten what they had deserved. Maybe being in prison until they were 85 years old would pound some sense into them.
THE END
Author's Note: I'm in a rut. Everything I've written lately contains mushy romance in one form or another. I'm a TEENAGE BOY, for crying out loud, how can I keep writing all this lovey-dovey stuff? I guess you could say I have writer's block, but at the moment I've started my next idea, another series. But if you have any better suggestions for me, put them in your reviews and I'll be eternally grateful.