Harry Potter leaned back against the tree trunk and sighed contentedly. Exams were over, finally over, and he had almost forgot how to sit back and relax. Hermione and Ron were laughing as Fred and George, still the jokers in their seventh year, pulled off extremely good impressions of Filch when he had found out Mrs.Norris was pregnant.
"Oh, my sweetheart, how exciting! Congratulations!" growled George in a low, old man's voice. Hermione wiped her eyes, gasping for breath. Everybody was being a bit giddy, as the school year was finally coming to a close. It had been another tense year, spent trying to clear the name of Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore were the only people from Hogwarts that were needed for questioning and testimonies, so they had spent a better part of the year taking their classes by mail. Staying in Hogsmeade for a trial was a lot different then staying in Hogsmeade for the fun of it. But they had been able to see their good friend and ex-teacher, Remus Lupin, so the year hadn't been a huge waste. The trial had been going terribly, and it looked very much like Sirius was headed back to Azkaban, until something amazing had happened. The authorities brought in a suspect who "might be useful in the proceedings of the case". Peter Petigrew. He had been so nervous and scared that his testimony alone threw the entire case the way it should have been- on Sirius' side. It was a stunning victory, and Harry was immensely looking forward to living with his godfather that summer.
"Yoo-hoo! Harry, are ya there?" Harry was snapped out of his reverie by Ron, who was waving a large hand in front of his nose.
"Sorry. OK, I'm back," he grinned. The afternoon was a beautiful one, with sunlight filtering through the trees and glinting off the shimmering lake. With every movement of their heads, the Weasley boys' heads looked like they were on fire, the red hair igniting with the sunbeams dancing about.
Hermione had joined them outside with almost no protest, which had surprised everyone. Ever since she had been made a prefect, she had dived back into her schoolwork with almost the same vigor as she had in her third year. Seeing her kick back was a welcome sight. She leaned back against the tree next to Harry as Fred and George wrapped up their performance.
"Whew, its so weird to think that this year is over. I feel like we just got here," she commented.
"That's cause we did just get here, Herm. We've only been back from Hogsmeade for three weeks," said Ron with a snicker. Hermione glared at him. She hated recently taken to correcting everything anybody said, but fervently hated having the favor returned.
"Well, I personally am ready for a summer without the Dursley's. They were overjoyed when I gave them the news," Harry said with a rueful smile.
"I'm so happy for you guys, but everyone's going to have such exciting summers. I'm jealous," said Hermione jokingly, but she had a tiny bit of regret behind her eyes.
"Exciting summers? Harry maybe, but I'm just going home again. Besides, you'll be plenty busy with schoolwork, won't you?" Ron teased
"Yeah, but you live in the Burrow. All the people milling around, always something do, always someone there with you," Hermione pressed on, smoothly ignoring the second half of Ron's comment.
"Well, then why don't you go and visit? I could show up at the same time." Harry suggested.
"Nope, can't," Hermione said flatly. "My parents would be so upset- they don't like their only child being away so much as it is. Oh well, I'll take some summer courses or something."
Hermione pushed away the lonely thoughts and jumped up, dragging Ron and George, the two closest, with her. "Come on you guys, we only have a few hours until dinner. Lets have races." She led them all over to the broomsheds, and the five friends enjoyed themselves until it the bell rang for them to eat.
The next few weeks passed quickly, and by the last day of the term, the friends were all excited for different reasons. Hermione had been given some work to start on by Professor McGonagall, Harry was going to see Sirius at the station, and Ron had been given a large collection of jokes and pranks by Fred and George, who were 'training him to be the oldest Weasley boy in the school". Ron and Harry were lugging Hermione's book-ladden trunk down the stairs when they found her tearfully watching a group of seventh years saying their good-byes.
"Herm, don't start. That's not us for another two years. Come on, help us. Your trunk is heavier than Harry's and mine put together!" Ron huffed as they approached her. They got their trunks to the train and settled into a compartment with Ginny, Seamus, Fred, and George. They spent the trip to King's Cross playing games of Exploding Snap and Gobstones. As the countryside evolved from scraggly forests to neat gardens, Hermione grew more and more fretful. Upon arrival at the station, she was almost to the point of a scowl.
The platform was milling with people, but the waiting Weasley's stood out in the crowd. Mrs.Weasley pulled everyone in a great hug as they tumbled out of the scarlet Express.
"Oh my, my, my! You all look wonderful! Look at my fully trained, certified wizards right here!" Her chest swelled as she kissed Fred and George on their cheeks. "Oh and look how tall you've grown! Harry, Ron, you two are surely sweeping the ceiling now, right? Hermione, you look simply lovely dear. More beautiful than ever." Hermione blushed as Mrs.Weasley maternally stroked her hair. "Ginny, come here, sweetheart, let me meet your friend." It was Ginny's turn to blush as she took Seamus over to meet her parents.
Harry gave a tiny shout as he spotted Sirius waiting patiently a little ways back. He grabbed Hermione and Ron and sprinted towards the tall, handsome man.
"Harry! Hermione, Ron. How are you?" Sirius grinned as he pulled the three into great bear hug. Hermione came out a bit breathless. With a haircut and a few good meals, Sirius had transformed back into the very attractive man he had been in Harry's pictures of his parents' wedding.
"Hi Sirius! I'm all ready to go," piped Harry childishly. Sirius chuckled.
"A bit excited, are we? Well, I have a perfect house picked out. Close enough to Hogsmeade that we won't be out of the wizarding loop, but far enough away to have a bit of privacy. Oh yes, and one other thing," he continued with a grin, "its rather close to the Burrow. About a five minutes walk, I'd say." Harry and Ron both exchanged excited looks.
"That's awesome!"
"OK Harry, I'll take your trunk out to the car. The Ministry has provided me with a VERY nice one. I guess that's their way of an apology. Doesn't seem like a very even trade, eh?" Sirius smiled weakly. "I'll meet you out there."
Hermione walked slightly behind the boys with a frown as they chatted happily, making summer plans. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a nervous looking woman with brown curly hair standing next to a tall, slightly chubby man. Her parents.
"Mum! Dad!" she waved frantically and they looked towards her with warm smiles. Harry and Ron turned around but hung back as Hermione flung herself into her parents arms.
"Oh, my little girl, I've missed you so much!" Her father kissed the top of her head and her mother squeezed her even tighter. Hermione grinned and replied, "Me too, Mum, me too."
"Hello Harry, Ron. How are you two?" called Hermione's mum, spotting the two boys.
"Hullo Mrs.Granger," they waved. Hermione left her trunk with her parents and ran back to her friends, on the brink of tears.
"Hermione, please don't," pleaded Ron as she sniffled. Harry wrapped her up in a quick hug, and Ron followed suit, still reprimanding Hermione for "being such a girl".
"Guys- send tons of owls, OK? Keep in touch! Here's my phone number," she pressed two slips of paper into their hands. Sirius called for Harry, and Mrs.Weasley was releasing a red-faced Seamus from his interrogation. Ron and Harry gave Hermione one last grin and ran off to their respective families. Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back to her parents. It was going to be a long summer.
Hermione spent her first few days back the way she did every summer- reacustoming herself to the Muggle lifestyle. She had to lock her wand up in her trunk, to keep herself from accidentally using magic without thinking. She had her schoolwork with her, which she tried to spread out so she wouldn't finish it all too quickly. Going around, seeing old friends and teachers, shopping in Muggle stores and doing simple Muggle things kept her busy for a few weeks, but by the beginning of July, she found herself brooding about, irritable and snappy.
"What is the matter with you, dear!?" exploded an exasperated Mr.Granger one afternoon as he tripped over Hermione on his way to the store. He was surprised to see her watching the brain-rotting telly, but the thing that shocked him the most was she was glued to a silly American soap opera, something that normally annoyed her to no end.
"Nothing, Dad. Sorry about that," she said meekly, but she knew what was the matter. She missed her school: her classes, dormitories, teachers, and, most of all, her friends. She had always missed them before, but this summer the blow was worsened considerably by the knowledge that her two best friends were probably traipsing around the countryside together, getting into all sorts of adventures without her. She rolled over and mentally slapped herself.
"Come on, Hermione. Stop this. Go do something. Anything. This is stupid," she whispered to herself. She clicked off the TV and wandered aimlessly to her back garden. As she plopped down next to a small patch of brilliant flowers, Hermione wondered what her friends were doing at that very moment...
If only she could have known! Only a few hours away, in the depths of the lush English countryside, Ron and Harry were planning an extraordinary adventure, indeed. Ron grinned as he put the last article of clothing in his bag and zipped it up with flourish.
"She'll be so surprised," he said excitedly, then his tone changed. "I hope she doesn't cry again."
"Oh, stop it Ron. You know she won't. But I can't wait to see the look on her face. She deserves this. Besides, we were running out of things to do." Harry threw his bag over his shoulder and followed Ron to the living room of his topsy-turvy house. Ginny ran up to Ron and thrust some paper into his hand.
"Give her this letter, will you? Thanks. Tell her I said 'Hi!'. Tell her I miss her. Tell her-"
"Yes, yes, we'll tell her everything. Now get out of the way, we're going to be late!" Ron impatiently pushed her aside, but Harry winked behind his back, and Ginny knew her message would be conveyed.
"Oh, boys, be careful. Remember, no magic, or talk of magic, just be...Muggleish, OK?" Mrs.Weasley was rushing about, wringing her hands and stuffing sandwiches in their bulging bags. "Don't talk to strangers, just follow the map Sirius drew you-"
"Hush, Mum. We'll be fine. Love you!" Ron called cheerfully, kissing his mum on the forehead as he dashed past her, Harry following close behind. Sirius was waiting in the grand green convertible outside.
"OK guys, got everything? Yes? All right, we're off! You two ready for a summer with Muggles?" Sirius grinned as they drove away with a roar of the engine and a flash of chrome. The boys thought, thrilled, about the many things they were about t do.
"Muggles, here I come," muttered Harry under his breath. He was ready.
"Oh, my sweetheart, how exciting! Congratulations!" growled George in a low, old man's voice. Hermione wiped her eyes, gasping for breath. Everybody was being a bit giddy, as the school year was finally coming to a close. It had been another tense year, spent trying to clear the name of Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore were the only people from Hogwarts that were needed for questioning and testimonies, so they had spent a better part of the year taking their classes by mail. Staying in Hogsmeade for a trial was a lot different then staying in Hogsmeade for the fun of it. But they had been able to see their good friend and ex-teacher, Remus Lupin, so the year hadn't been a huge waste. The trial had been going terribly, and it looked very much like Sirius was headed back to Azkaban, until something amazing had happened. The authorities brought in a suspect who "might be useful in the proceedings of the case". Peter Petigrew. He had been so nervous and scared that his testimony alone threw the entire case the way it should have been- on Sirius' side. It was a stunning victory, and Harry was immensely looking forward to living with his godfather that summer.
"Yoo-hoo! Harry, are ya there?" Harry was snapped out of his reverie by Ron, who was waving a large hand in front of his nose.
"Sorry. OK, I'm back," he grinned. The afternoon was a beautiful one, with sunlight filtering through the trees and glinting off the shimmering lake. With every movement of their heads, the Weasley boys' heads looked like they were on fire, the red hair igniting with the sunbeams dancing about.
Hermione had joined them outside with almost no protest, which had surprised everyone. Ever since she had been made a prefect, she had dived back into her schoolwork with almost the same vigor as she had in her third year. Seeing her kick back was a welcome sight. She leaned back against the tree next to Harry as Fred and George wrapped up their performance.
"Whew, its so weird to think that this year is over. I feel like we just got here," she commented.
"That's cause we did just get here, Herm. We've only been back from Hogsmeade for three weeks," said Ron with a snicker. Hermione glared at him. She hated recently taken to correcting everything anybody said, but fervently hated having the favor returned.
"Well, I personally am ready for a summer without the Dursley's. They were overjoyed when I gave them the news," Harry said with a rueful smile.
"I'm so happy for you guys, but everyone's going to have such exciting summers. I'm jealous," said Hermione jokingly, but she had a tiny bit of regret behind her eyes.
"Exciting summers? Harry maybe, but I'm just going home again. Besides, you'll be plenty busy with schoolwork, won't you?" Ron teased
"Yeah, but you live in the Burrow. All the people milling around, always something do, always someone there with you," Hermione pressed on, smoothly ignoring the second half of Ron's comment.
"Well, then why don't you go and visit? I could show up at the same time." Harry suggested.
"Nope, can't," Hermione said flatly. "My parents would be so upset- they don't like their only child being away so much as it is. Oh well, I'll take some summer courses or something."
Hermione pushed away the lonely thoughts and jumped up, dragging Ron and George, the two closest, with her. "Come on you guys, we only have a few hours until dinner. Lets have races." She led them all over to the broomsheds, and the five friends enjoyed themselves until it the bell rang for them to eat.
The next few weeks passed quickly, and by the last day of the term, the friends were all excited for different reasons. Hermione had been given some work to start on by Professor McGonagall, Harry was going to see Sirius at the station, and Ron had been given a large collection of jokes and pranks by Fred and George, who were 'training him to be the oldest Weasley boy in the school". Ron and Harry were lugging Hermione's book-ladden trunk down the stairs when they found her tearfully watching a group of seventh years saying their good-byes.
"Herm, don't start. That's not us for another two years. Come on, help us. Your trunk is heavier than Harry's and mine put together!" Ron huffed as they approached her. They got their trunks to the train and settled into a compartment with Ginny, Seamus, Fred, and George. They spent the trip to King's Cross playing games of Exploding Snap and Gobstones. As the countryside evolved from scraggly forests to neat gardens, Hermione grew more and more fretful. Upon arrival at the station, she was almost to the point of a scowl.
The platform was milling with people, but the waiting Weasley's stood out in the crowd. Mrs.Weasley pulled everyone in a great hug as they tumbled out of the scarlet Express.
"Oh my, my, my! You all look wonderful! Look at my fully trained, certified wizards right here!" Her chest swelled as she kissed Fred and George on their cheeks. "Oh and look how tall you've grown! Harry, Ron, you two are surely sweeping the ceiling now, right? Hermione, you look simply lovely dear. More beautiful than ever." Hermione blushed as Mrs.Weasley maternally stroked her hair. "Ginny, come here, sweetheart, let me meet your friend." It was Ginny's turn to blush as she took Seamus over to meet her parents.
Harry gave a tiny shout as he spotted Sirius waiting patiently a little ways back. He grabbed Hermione and Ron and sprinted towards the tall, handsome man.
"Harry! Hermione, Ron. How are you?" Sirius grinned as he pulled the three into great bear hug. Hermione came out a bit breathless. With a haircut and a few good meals, Sirius had transformed back into the very attractive man he had been in Harry's pictures of his parents' wedding.
"Hi Sirius! I'm all ready to go," piped Harry childishly. Sirius chuckled.
"A bit excited, are we? Well, I have a perfect house picked out. Close enough to Hogsmeade that we won't be out of the wizarding loop, but far enough away to have a bit of privacy. Oh yes, and one other thing," he continued with a grin, "its rather close to the Burrow. About a five minutes walk, I'd say." Harry and Ron both exchanged excited looks.
"That's awesome!"
"OK Harry, I'll take your trunk out to the car. The Ministry has provided me with a VERY nice one. I guess that's their way of an apology. Doesn't seem like a very even trade, eh?" Sirius smiled weakly. "I'll meet you out there."
Hermione walked slightly behind the boys with a frown as they chatted happily, making summer plans. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a nervous looking woman with brown curly hair standing next to a tall, slightly chubby man. Her parents.
"Mum! Dad!" she waved frantically and they looked towards her with warm smiles. Harry and Ron turned around but hung back as Hermione flung herself into her parents arms.
"Oh, my little girl, I've missed you so much!" Her father kissed the top of her head and her mother squeezed her even tighter. Hermione grinned and replied, "Me too, Mum, me too."
"Hello Harry, Ron. How are you two?" called Hermione's mum, spotting the two boys.
"Hullo Mrs.Granger," they waved. Hermione left her trunk with her parents and ran back to her friends, on the brink of tears.
"Hermione, please don't," pleaded Ron as she sniffled. Harry wrapped her up in a quick hug, and Ron followed suit, still reprimanding Hermione for "being such a girl".
"Guys- send tons of owls, OK? Keep in touch! Here's my phone number," she pressed two slips of paper into their hands. Sirius called for Harry, and Mrs.Weasley was releasing a red-faced Seamus from his interrogation. Ron and Harry gave Hermione one last grin and ran off to their respective families. Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back to her parents. It was going to be a long summer.
Hermione spent her first few days back the way she did every summer- reacustoming herself to the Muggle lifestyle. She had to lock her wand up in her trunk, to keep herself from accidentally using magic without thinking. She had her schoolwork with her, which she tried to spread out so she wouldn't finish it all too quickly. Going around, seeing old friends and teachers, shopping in Muggle stores and doing simple Muggle things kept her busy for a few weeks, but by the beginning of July, she found herself brooding about, irritable and snappy.
"What is the matter with you, dear!?" exploded an exasperated Mr.Granger one afternoon as he tripped over Hermione on his way to the store. He was surprised to see her watching the brain-rotting telly, but the thing that shocked him the most was she was glued to a silly American soap opera, something that normally annoyed her to no end.
"Nothing, Dad. Sorry about that," she said meekly, but she knew what was the matter. She missed her school: her classes, dormitories, teachers, and, most of all, her friends. She had always missed them before, but this summer the blow was worsened considerably by the knowledge that her two best friends were probably traipsing around the countryside together, getting into all sorts of adventures without her. She rolled over and mentally slapped herself.
"Come on, Hermione. Stop this. Go do something. Anything. This is stupid," she whispered to herself. She clicked off the TV and wandered aimlessly to her back garden. As she plopped down next to a small patch of brilliant flowers, Hermione wondered what her friends were doing at that very moment...
If only she could have known! Only a few hours away, in the depths of the lush English countryside, Ron and Harry were planning an extraordinary adventure, indeed. Ron grinned as he put the last article of clothing in his bag and zipped it up with flourish.
"She'll be so surprised," he said excitedly, then his tone changed. "I hope she doesn't cry again."
"Oh, stop it Ron. You know she won't. But I can't wait to see the look on her face. She deserves this. Besides, we were running out of things to do." Harry threw his bag over his shoulder and followed Ron to the living room of his topsy-turvy house. Ginny ran up to Ron and thrust some paper into his hand.
"Give her this letter, will you? Thanks. Tell her I said 'Hi!'. Tell her I miss her. Tell her-"
"Yes, yes, we'll tell her everything. Now get out of the way, we're going to be late!" Ron impatiently pushed her aside, but Harry winked behind his back, and Ginny knew her message would be conveyed.
"Oh, boys, be careful. Remember, no magic, or talk of magic, just be...Muggleish, OK?" Mrs.Weasley was rushing about, wringing her hands and stuffing sandwiches in their bulging bags. "Don't talk to strangers, just follow the map Sirius drew you-"
"Hush, Mum. We'll be fine. Love you!" Ron called cheerfully, kissing his mum on the forehead as he dashed past her, Harry following close behind. Sirius was waiting in the grand green convertible outside.
"OK guys, got everything? Yes? All right, we're off! You two ready for a summer with Muggles?" Sirius grinned as they drove away with a roar of the engine and a flash of chrome. The boys thought, thrilled, about the many things they were about t do.
"Muggles, here I come," muttered Harry under his breath. He was ready.