It all started on that cold morning in the Apothecary shop down in Diagon Alley. Witches and wizards were scrambling around, trying to get the right ingredients in time before there was no more. The reason for all this panic?
It was Christmas Eve.
"Hermione, wait up!" a redheaded and freckled boy called. There was another boy beside him, with jet black hair, round glasses, and green eyes, who was struggling to carry a large amount of bottles filled with ingredients and liquids.
"Er, Ron?" the boy muttered, shifting the items around. "Could you, uh, help out a bit?" Without waiting for an answer, the boy shoved a handful of his things into Ron's hands, who staggered backwards.
"Blimey, Harry!" Ron exclaimed in shock. "You could have at least told me you were going to do that! And, what do you need lacewing flies for? We're in our fifth year, which means that all we'll be doing in Potions is Swelling Solution, Aging Potion, and Beautification Potion!"
"I did ask you Ron!" Harry snapped angrily. "You were busy staring at someone! Over there! See, that's-" Harry cut off abruptly. Nudging Ron on the shoulder teasingly, Harry grinned as he realized who Ron was staring at. "Oh, I see. Ron was staring at Hermione, cause he loves her!" Exaggerating on the word "love," Harry watched Ron's cheeks go scarlet.
"Harry!" he hissed. "OK, OK, fine! I like her! But it's not like she likes me, so leave it alone!" Still burning with embarrassment, Ron began to leaf through all of Harry's ingredients. "So are you going to tell me about all of these ingredients?"
"Ah, he's trying to change the subject!" Going along with it, Harry couldn't help but feel so jittery at the fact that Ron liked Hermione. He had always imagined that Ron might have liked her, as how he always stood up for her when Snape, the horrible Potions master picked on her, even if it meant him getting a detention for a week, but since Ron had admitted it, it felt all new.
"Oh, they're not mine. Hermione asked me to hold them for her because she wanted to go look for some more." At he mention of Hermione's name, Ron grinned widely, and didn't stop until Hermione arrived again.
Hermione, a tall and beautiful girl with long brown hair, hazel eyes, and a stunning smile, came bounding up to them with her hands filled with more potion ingredients. Smiling brightly at them, she shifted all of her things around, clearly struggling.
"Hi Ron, Harry!" Hermione said, just as the over-stuffed bag slung across her shoulder burst open, releasing all of her books, which landed on the floor with a loud thump. Groaning, Hermione bent down, only to drop all of her ingredients.
Harry, who realized that Ron had a chance to impress her now, elbowed him in the ribs. After wincing in pain and realizing what Harry meant, Ron fluffed up his red hair (which caused Harry to hold back a snort. Ron shot Harry a look), and bent down to help Hermione.
Watching with a look of satisfaction written on his face, Harry's mouth dropped open just as Hermione and Ron both reached for the jar of pufferfish eyes, right when both of their hands brushed against each other.
Hermione looked at Ron quickly, for he had not pulled his hand away yet. It was easy to see the look of surprise on her face, for Hermione had been convinced from the moment they met that Ron would want nothing to do with her.
Ron's eyes were on Hermione, who was looking rather confused. Harry was thinking that maybe Hermione might have feelings for Ron as well, and maybe grab his hand or something, but at that moment she pulled her hand away from Ron's to grab a bottle of flobberworm mucus instead.
"Er, thanks for the help, Ron." Hermione said awkwardly. "Um, so how many classes are you two taking this year?" Harry had to hand it to Hermione, she changed the subject completely without showing the slightest bit of interest in Ron.
Ron, who had just dumped all of his things out of his bag, looked up. "Well, I'm taking Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Flying Lessons, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination, wonder what that is. But I've also decided to take a few extra classes, like, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, and also Ancient Runes."
Hermione, who was most likely taking all of these classes and much more, was staring at Ron. "Ron, I'm in all of those classes." she said. "If you want, I'll give up Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies, so you don't need to be stuck with me all year. And why are you dumping everything out of your bag?"
"So you can put your books and stuff in here until we can buy you another one." Ron said plainly, as if it should have been obvious.
Even Hermione burst out laughing. Harry couldn't take it anymore, and snorted loudly, continuing to laugh along with Hermione. Ron was turning a dark shade of scarlet, but he continued to put Hermione's things inside his bag.
"Ron, are you feeling OK?" Hermione giggled, Harry resisting the urge to roll on the floor laughing. The shopkeeper was looking at them, but of course, wouldn't kick them out on Christmas Eve.
Standing up, Ron zipped his bag up. "Hermione, I'm fine. I'm just trying to help. It's Christmas Eve, and people can change. And maybe it's time I change."
Grinning, Harry shoved Ron's things into his bag, and sighed. Glancing at his watch Hermione got him for his fifteenth birthday a week ago (along with a new cauldron, a broomstick service kit, Cauldron Cakes, and some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Jelly Beans), Harry began to panic.
"Guys! The train leaves in ten minutes!" Harry exclaimed. Hermione's face drained of color, school meant the world to her. "What are you guys doing! Let's go!"
At the same time, Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran out the door, leaving a handful of Galleons (Ron had to opt for using Sickles and Knuts, for he didn't have enough of the gold coins to spare), and bolted down the street of Diagon Alley.
"Hermione!" Harry panted. "We'll...have...to...get...your...bag...another...day..." Breathing heavily, Harry watched as Hermione nodded her head.
"Over there!" Ron bellowed, skidding to the right.
There was an owl hoot from not too far away that made Harry stop. Hermione, who was at least three feet in front of him, saw, and did the same. Ron, who was about eight feet behind Harry and Hermione, slowed down, clutching a stitch on his side.
Suddenly, there was a loud whoosh as a snowy owl swooped down. Nearly crashing into a sign, the owl reacted quickly and flew straight at Harry.
"Whoa, Hedwig!" Removing the scroll tied at Hedwig's talon, Harry handed Hermione the ribbon and unfurled it easily.
In bold black letters, it read:
"For Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger,
Hello there. I do hope you all are doing well. As you know the Hogwarts Express usually meets at the King's Cross Station, like it has over many generations. But this year, it will be a little different. As soon as you have finished reading this letter, you will be transported onto the back of a Norwegian Ridgeback, which is a very tame dragon.
Then, that dragon will take you three miles north from Diagon Alley, where you are, and then lower you into an ocean outside of Hogwarts. After swimming to the bottom, you will be lifted up by Ruebus Hagrid, the gamekeeper, and brought inside Hogwarts, dried off, re-dressed by the servants, and then led to the Great Hall for a welcoming feast.
Good luck!
Yours truly,
Minerva McGonogall, Deputy Headmistress."
"You're joking!" Ron blurted. "We just finished reading it, and we're – oh my gosh! What is that!" Ron pointed to the ground, which was a dark green.
In a rush, the ground began to crack, and gleamed a brilliant green and yellow. Before Hermione had finished her shriek, they were all sucked into the hole.
There was an earsplitting boom, and then Harry was there. He was on the back of a dragon, Hermione clinging onto his waist with one hand, and her other hand was wrapped around his chest.
It was odd to feel nervous and happy at her touch, because he knew Ron liked her.
"Harry!" Ron bellowed. "We're gonna drop!" He was pointing down below them, hundreds of feet below. The dragon let out a breath of fire, as if agreeing to what Ron said.
Suddenly, Harry, Ron, and Hermione fell off the dragon's back, plummeting towards the water. Ron was pale, as if bracing himself, and Hermione looked sick to her stomach. "Harry!" she yelled. Harry slowly turned his head to face Hermione.
"I can't swim!" The water swallowed them, drowning out Hermione's words.
Quickly Harry kicked his shoes off, and, despite the burning feeling, opened his eyes. Blurry as it was, Harry saw Ron's long legs kicking up to the surface, and the figure of a girl slowly sinking down to the bottom of the ocean.
Releasing some of the air he was holding, Harry kicked towards Hermione. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he felt something rough and thin wrap around him and Hermione. Releasing all of the air he was holding and trying not to swallow any water, Harry relaxed as he realized that it was Hagrid fishing them out of the lake.
The sun hurt Harry's eyes, but not as much as the squeeze Hermione gave him after Ron had pushed on her chest, and she coughed out water. Tackling him in a hug, Hermione wasn't letting go of Harry.
Looking at Ron uncomfortably, who looked rather jealous, Harry gently pushed Hermione off of him. "Harry!" she whispered in his ear, though unfortunately, Ron heard. "Thank you!" Unexpectedly, she kissed him on the cheek.
His mind going one thousand miles a second, Harry struggled to try and understand what was happening. Hermione Jean Granger, the smartest and most beautiful witch of her age, just kissed him.
"Guys," Ron said grumpily. "I thought that the note said that we were gonna get dried off. Well, I'd like to be!" Hermione got off of Harry carefully, dripping water everywhere.
"Oho," she said teasingly, nudging Ron on the shoulder, who went pink. "Mr. Grumpy over here hates being wet? What about that time when we were in our second year and you dumped that bucket of freezing water on my head accidentaly instead of Harry's, and I chased you around the castle with my wand and got you all wet? And then when I left to wash up and came back you were still dripping wet?"
Ron looked almost amazed at Hermione. "I can't believe that you remember that. That was ages ago!" It was Hermione's turn to go pink.
"Um, well, I..." she muttered, looking at Harry for help, who was shivering. "Look! The castle doors are open! Let's go dry off and eat!" Without waiting for an answer, Hermione took off towards Hogwarts.
Harry watched Ron walk over to Harry with a huge grin on his face. Laughing to himself, Harry trudged up to the castle, following Hermione, and making sure that no water touched the exact cheek Hermione had kissed.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Potter," an icy cold voice said. "Oh, and you've brought Mr. Weasley as well?" Harry and Ron whipped around and both took a step back quickly.
A tall man with greasy black hair, a sullen face, cold black eyes, a hooked nose, and black robes that looked like ash appeared behind them as they both walked into Hogwarts dripping wet.
"Jeez," Ron muttered in Harry's ear. "He appears bloody everywhere!" Unfortunately, the man heard this.
"Something to say, Weasley?" the man snarled. "10 points from Gryffindor."
"Professor Snape!" Ron said, outraged, but Harry put his hand in front of Ron to hold him back. Shaking his head, Harry stepped forward and looked Snape in the eye. "Where's Hermione?"
Smirking, Snape grabbed Ron and Harry by the collars of their shirts and led them up the stairs. Harry smiled to himself, for he knew that Snape was rather fond of Hermione, for she was very smart and rather talented in the Potions subject – well, any subject for that matter.
"Miss Granger is in the safe hands of the servant Juliet, drying off, getting washed, and dressed in formal clothes." Snape said as he pulled Harry and Ron into the left corner of the hallway, where the rooms reserved for dressing for formal occasions were. "You will most likely meet her in the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast."
Feeling a wave of relief wash over him, Harry allowed Snape to remove his vest and hoodie, leaving him in socks, jeans, and one of his large cousin Dudley's old blue shirt. Watching Snape walk over to Ron, Harry glanced behind him and saw two large tubs, and a closet.
"The reason I am preparing you for the feast is because Professor Dumbledore had let John, who would have prepared you, leave for some family emergency, Mr. Weasley!" Snape snapped at Ron, who glanced at Harry and the two of them exchanged looks. "Another 10 points from Gryffindor for being nosy, and if you do anything to upset me again, it'll be 50. Mr Potter, would you please go wash up in the tub while I have a word with your friend."
Letting out a breath of relief, Harry trudged over to the tub and began to prepare to wash. The hot water was soothing on his rough skin, which was cut from falling off the dragon and dry from the cold salt water.
"Professor?" Harry said quietly as he watched Snape send Ron off to the tub hidden from him. "What do I change into?"
Snape walked over to the closet, opened it, and pulled out a black suit with a green tie, the exact same color as his eyes. Draping it overtop the tub Harry was in, Snape turned and walked away.
"Weasley!" he barked. "Your mother requested that she send you yours, and you will find them in the closet. Don't cause any trouble while I'm gone." Snape disappeared out the door, shutting it behind him.
Slowly getting out of the tub, Harry began to get dressed. "Ron," he called. "Um, do you want me to get you your robes now, or later?"
There was a loud crack, and Ron's voice followed. "Dang it! Um, sure, Harry. Thanks." Working his way into the suit, Harry put his tie on, slipped on black shoes, and walked over to the closet. "I wonder what my mum sent me," Ron's voice was full of eagerness, and Harry hoped that these robes would be more decent than the ones he had to wear to the Yule Ball.
Harry pulled out a suit identical to his, but with a red tie, to resemble Ron's red hair. Tossing it over the wall dividing them, Harry also threw a pair of shoes over. The wait for Ron took a while, but when Harry finally saw him afterward, Ron looked like someone else.
"Let's eat!" Harry said.
An odd mist was surrounding the Great Hall entrance, and it felt different. Just as Harry had put his left foot in the doorway, he heard his name in a familiar voice. "Potter! Weasley! Come in line over here!"
"Look! Professor McGonogall!" Ron pointed at a lady at the top of the staircasewho was lining students up.
Walking up the staircase, Harry let Professor McGonogall place him in the front of the line. There were many students behind him, and Ron was at his back. "Wonder who I'll be paired up with?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear, just as a line of girls appeared, along with McGonogall.
"I am going to tell you who you will walk through the Great Hall with. You will be required to dine with this person each dinner, except for you, Mr. Weasley. I will tell you why in a minute, but you can eat with Mr. Potter, or whoever." McGonogall said.
"Finnigan and Brown, please make your way down to the Hall."
"Thomas and Patil!"
"Creevey and Bones!"
"Longbottom and Ginevra Weasley!"
Professor McGonogall listed couple after couple, until there was one girl left, which Harry couldn't see, Ron, and Professor McGonogall.
"Right now," she said. "Weasley, you will walk with me, and find a seat. I am required to eat at the staff table, that is why I permitted you to sit with friends." Ron looked irritated, but still walked down the staircase with McGonogall, who called out, "And you two! Walk when you hear the bell!You will have the first dance together after you eat!"
Harry, who was miserable for Ron, went over in his head who was left in Gryffindor that he could be paired up with. Just as he had given up, Harry almost stopped breathing as the girl he was paired up with stepped out of the shadows.
It was Hermione, but it didnt look like Hermione. Her bushy brown har was tied back in a sleek elegant knot at the back of her head, and she was wearing a combination of midnight blue and a fascinating purple, which suited her perfectly. And she was wearing makeup, which was something Harry never imagined.
"Well," she said nervously. "I guess we're the last left."
Smiling widely and feeling rather like an idiot, Harry heard the faint ringing of a bell. Extending his arm out, he said to Hermione, "Shall we?"
Giggling and linking arms with Harry, she said, "Why not?"
Everyone was watching him. As if that wasn't enough pressure, the girl he liked, despite the fact that his best friend liked her, was walking down the stairs with him. Harry kept glancing at Hermione, who was beaming as Harry led her to a table.
As Harry pulled out Hermione's chair and helped her in, he met eyes with Ron, who was giving him the evil eye. Trying to pull an apologetic face, Harry sat down, and immediately the tables flipped over, revealing enough food to feed a small village.
"Mm, potatoes and chicken," Hermione said, beginning to cut her food. "Wonder what's for-" Hermione cut off her voice as she looked at Harry's face. "What's wrong?"
"Should I tell her?" Harry wondered. Maybe it was the look in her eyes, or perhaps her extreme beauty with no attempt, but Harry felt like he should. "Um, well you see..." he muttered, forking a potato. "Ron, well he sort of fancies you." As soon as he said it, Harry bit his lip and glanced over at the table Ron was at.
Hermione nearly choked on her potatoes. Coughing hard and hitting her chest, she took a huge swig of her pumpkin juice. Finally, Hermione slammed her cup down on the table, wiped her mouth with her napkin, and stared at Harry, wide eyed.