A/N: Hi everyone! I'm a new author and this is my first story EVER (*tear*), so I would love some feedback. PLEASE review this, it would mean a lot to me! Being a melodramatist, with the exception of these two chapters I will post every Sunday at exactly midnight, American Eastern Time Zone time. I'm posting these now because I won't be able to post next Sunday probably, but in the future barring power outage and death I will post regularly and on schedule. I am expecting this to be very long, though if everyone hates it I might just crawl into a corner and disappear, crying softly as a fade.... Fine, I'm shutting up, here's Chapter 2!
"Harry - Sure, you can come and stay with us. I asked Mom, and she said yes right away. We'll pick you up Wednesday - get all your stuff ready and meet me at twelve o'clock noon outside. I'm assuming that's OK? Send a response with Errol, if he hasn't died yet. I think those sweets nearly did him in! Have you heard from Hermione? I sure haven't. Do you know if she went to visit Krum? I don't really care but it would be nice to know. I've written once or twice but she hasn't answered; would you mind writing her just in case she's mad at me or something? Maybe she's still in Bulgaria. Anyway. I told her that I would be picking you up and invited her too. See you soon! --Ron"
Harry grinned. He had a feeling that Ron had written Hermione more than "once or twice." He glanced at the clock. It was only five in the morning, but Errol had woken him with a rather loud hoot when he had seen that the window was shut. Harry yawned. "Well, Ron, since I'm up...." he muttered. He got out his quill, ink, and a parchment.
"Ron - THANK YOU, I'm not sure I would have survived. I'll write Hermione, but I bet nothing's up. She probably didn't visit Krum, I don't think that he was the one she liked - he grinned as he wrote this - and anyway he's too old for her. Snuffles wrote and he's doing okay. See you on Wednesday, I can't wait! -- Harry"
He rolled the parchment up and tied it to Errol's leg, and sent him off again. As Errol was flying away, he spotted another bird flying in the distance. It came closer and closer to the Dursley house. Harry watched it eagerly, hoping for it to be Hedwig, but was disappointed to see that it was a common delivery owl. Still curious, he waited anxiously as the owl approached. It finally swooped in and held out its leg. Harry took the letter, said "thank you," and watched the owl fly to Hedwig's water tray gratefully.
He unrolled the parchment, surprised and pleased to see that it was from Hermione.
"Dear Harry - How are you? Ron said that you would be coming to his house on Wednesday in one of his many letters. Please tell him that no, I did NOT visit Krum, nor have I spoken to him. It's over, I promise. Really, really over. I think that I will come to your house and meet you and Ron there Wednesday at noon, and see how you two are. Don't tell Ron that I'm coming. I already know that I'm invited. I spent most of my vacation studying for next year - Harry rolled his eyes - but I also got to read up about the rise of You-Know-Who, something I think we'll need to know. I have loads to tell you! See you Wednesday! -- Love, Hermione"
Harry stared at the letter, bewildered. She was coming - but "don't tell Ron that I'm coming?" He sighed and shook his head. It was obvious to him that he was going to have to put up with a lot of weird behavior from his friends this year. Remembering his promise to Ron, he wrote a letter back to Hermione.
"Hermione - Why don't you want Ron to know that you're coming??? I won't tell, I promise. I'm really glad that you are, I'm looking forward to seeing you. I know Ron will be delighted. I can't wait to hear what you know about Voldemort. - He thought about crossing "Voldemort" out and writing in "You-Know-Who," but decided against it. - See you Wednesday! --Harry"
He attached the letter to the owl's leg, and it promptly hooted and flew away.
He looked at the clock, surprised to see that it was already seven. He glanced at the calendar on his wall, and realized that he had only a day to pack for Ron's. But first, he had to warn some very wary relatives (unfortunately) of his that it looked like there would be at least three wizards on their lawn tomorrow.
---------------------
"What?" Uncle Vernon bellowed. "Is our lawn some kind of crossroads now? Did it even occur to you to warn us that there would be a gathering of weirdos on our lawn!?"
"Look," said Harry tiredly. "I'm sorry. They'll be there at noon, and we'll be gone a minute later. It's not like we're having a party or something."
"Dad," Dudley said fearfully, "could we maybe go somewhere tomorrow? A day trip?"
Vernon sighed unhappily. "Dudley, I'm afraid that there's too much risk. We need to be here in case they decide they want to demolish the house or something."
Harry snorted. It was very clear to him that if he and his friends had wanted to demolish Vernon's precious house, they could do it with or without Vernon there. Of course, that would also mean being expelled from Hogwarts, something that Harry was NOT going to let happen anytime soon. "Look, we'll leave right away. I promise. And then you won't have to put up with me anymore."
"Thank heavens!" exclaimed Aunt Petunia, who had until then been sitting quietly and glaring at Harry.
"Yes. Well, all right, then. But they're not going to come in this house, do you hear? They are not to touch anything, just pick you up on the lawn and leave. And they're going to drive, right?" Vernon looked at Harry sharply, undoubtedly remembering the incident the year before where the Weasleys had demolished the fireplace trying to use Floo Powder.
"I, um, didn't think to ask. But probably something like that." Harry tried not to laugh as Dudley turned white.
-------------------------------
The next day, Harry got up bright and early. He dressed quickly, checking to make sure that he had packed everything. He glanced longingly out the window for some sign of Hedwig - she had been gone for nearly a week now - and then went downstairs.
Dudley was the only one in the kitchen.
Harry sighed, preparing to ignore Dudley, as usual. He was sitting with his back to Harry, watching the TV intently, so Harry just got out some bread and popped it in the toaster. Then, suddenly, Dudley spoke.
"Harry?" His voice was not teasing or brutish at all. In fact - to Harry's astonishment - it was hesitant and quiet.
"Y-yeah?" he stammered, wondering if he was still sleeping, perhaps, or if maybe this was a joke.
"Harry, I think that I'm sorry."
Harry choked. "S-sorry, I don't think I heard that right."
"You did. I said that I was sorry. For being mean to you when you didn't have any friends."
Harry stared at him in amazement. Was Dudley actually apologizing? "Oh. Well. Really, thanks, um, I guess. I mean...."
Dudley snorted. "Look, you don't have to say anything. I know that you and I, well, we'll never really be friends. I'm terrified of that, well, magic that you do at that place, and I really hate you, you know that. But I think that, well, I should have been nicer to you when we were younger. So sorry."
Harry just stared at Dudley's back. "Um. Yeah. Fine. And, um, sorry for that candy thing last year, and the pig's tail. I didn't mean for either to happen."
"Yeah."
With that, they were silent.
-------------------------------------------
Harry moved his trunk outside at eleven thirty, along with Hedwig's cage (she still hadn't returned). He put everything down on the very edge of the lawn, near the street, and sat to wait.
It was exactly noon by his watch that Hermione showed up.
He had just been sitting, getting impatient, when the Knight Bus arrived with a bang. He sprang back in astonishment, terrified out of his wits for a second. Still flabbergasted, he watched as Hermione disembarked. She took the trunk that Stan Shunpike handed her, called a shaky thank-you, and waved. Stan winked in Harry's direction, shut the door, and, with another bang, the bus disappeared.
Hermione, smiling, turned to a still stunned Harry. "Harry! It's great to see you!" She gave him a quick hug, which Harry returned. "Hermione, you scared me half to death!" he exclaimed.
"Sorry. Where is Ron? I guess he's late, typical of him....you didn't tell him I was coming, did you? I know you didn't, I shouldn't even ask. You wouldn't ever. I see you have everything ready. At least one of you was prompt. Hedwig's away, is she? Taking a letter to Sirius? I got yours, by the way. I was a bit peeved at Ron when I wrote it, to tell you the truth. I had just gotten his twentieth letter, and of course it was all about Viktor and Ron's stupid theories of underlying motives. Did he write you that often? I suppose he did, probably some Quiddich thing going on. This is a nice house, by the way."
Harry, startled by this diatribe, stammered, "uh, thanks. It's not mine, really, I just live here sometimes. And he only wrote me three or four times. He said that he was very busy."
"Oh. Well, I'm sure that he was. Come to think of it, he didn't really write me twenty letters, it was more like fifteen or-"
Harry laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not jealous. Pretty obvious who he has his eye on, don't you think?"
Hermione, blushing furiously, stammered, "I-I don't know what you mean."
"Right. Well, it's twelve fifteen, and he's late, so want a seat?" Harry motioned to the grass at their feet.
"Love to. It'll be a relief to be sitting somewhere that isn't moving at a terrifying pace and driving like the driver's drunk. Why didn't you warn me about that thing?" Hermione sat next to Harry, grinning.
Harry laughed again. "Sorry. It didn't occur to me that you'd appear at my house in it. I was wondering how you were getting here. You wouldn't happen to know how Ron's coming?"
"Not a clue. But while we've got time, I think you should know some of the stuff I found out about You-Know-Who."
"Sure."
Hermione sighed. "I'm going to start with a story. I came across it in a strange place, actually. An interview of some Unspeakables, you know, the undercover group from the Ministry. Only this was the ministry in America. This was an interview of Clara and David Zauner regarding an incident that had been secretly dealt with seven years ago. It was printed in an American newspaper. Clara and David were called to look into an anonymous tip to check out the basement of a house up north in Canada. This was eight years, about, since You-Know-Who had, well, been defeated. They went, not expecting much. But what they found was horrible.
"As we know, You-Know-Who was looking to find a way to become immortal. Well, he thought of an idea, a horrible idea, just before he was defeated. He shared it with one person, a scientist of sorts who experimented with dark magic. He gave the man a lab in an isolated spot, and told him to work on the idea. Then, not long after, You-Know-Who, well, you know. The scientist, his name was Kilfand, decided to continue the experiment anyway, for his own use. He worked on it for eight years before he was discovered. He was given the Dementor's Kiss immediately."
"What was the experiment?" Harry asked quietly.
Hermione was tearing up. "Oh, Harry. It was on....children. You-Know-Who thought that you could take children with magical abilities at a young age, say a couple months old, and keep them in, oh, he kept them in little rooms, isolated....and when they started to show signs of magic, you could steal it from them. Sort of like the a Dementor's Kiss. The scientist could do that, magically, which is why they-they only h-had m-magical kids there...." Hermione was crying now. "And these kids, they were nine when they were found, and oh, Harry, the article said that they couldn't even t-talk or anything, and t-they were so empty, s-so emotionless....T-they were afraid to leave th-their cells because they h-had never been out of them before, and th-they all died the day they were found, nobody knows w-why...." She broke down completely.
Harry's insides had turned to ice. His head was hot and rage engulfed him for a second, followed by intense sadness. He hugged Hermione tightly, not even aware that he had moved. "Oh, man. Jeez."
Hermione calmed down and hugged him back, and they sat there for a minute. Both were wrapped up in thoughts about the story, that terrible story, though neither voiced their thoughts.
They were interrupted by a voice in front of them. "Just WHAT the HELL are you DOING?!?!"
Harry and Hermione jumped. Harry stood quickly, before realizing that it was Ron. And a very angry Ron at that.
He pointed at Harry, his face going red. "You - and you -" he stammered, pointing to Hermione, still on the ground. "You two are-"
"Ron, cool it," Harry said quickly. "It's nothing, really-"
"NOTHING!" Ron exploded. "Nothing! I show up a couple minutes late and I find the two of you practically making out on Harry's front lawn-"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ron, we weren't even close to `making out.' I was getting, um, emotional about a story I was telling, and Harry was just comforting me. As a friend."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "As a friend, Ron. Jeez, I though you were going to deck me for a second there."
Ron stepped back, but his face still gave away suspicion. "You weren't...you don't...you aren't..."
Harry folded his arms. "No. Jeez, why is it that everyone from the Daily Prophet to Viktor Krum to my own best friend think that I've taken up with Hermione? We. Are. Friends. I may as well announce it on public TV, `cause the entire world seems to think that I can't be a boy friend without being a boyfriend." With that, Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage and shoved it into Ron's arms. "Here. Be useful, will you?" He picked up his trunk and marched past Ron into the car that Ron had come in. After stashing his trunk in the trunk (A/N Wow. This sounds pretty awkward.), he got in the backseat. He was still fuming when he noticed that the driver was....Bill Weasley!
"Bill," he stammered. "I-"
He was interrupted by a guffaw. "Harry, that was brilliant. I've never seen Ron so astonished, and then when I thought I'd seen the end you put on that awesome display. I'll never forget it!"
Harry found himself grinning as well. "Well, I was angry...."
"I am so glad I agreed to drive!" Bill crowed. He didn't even stop laughing when a sullen Ron and a grinning Hermione got into the car.
Ron sighed and turned to Harry. "Sorry. I guess I was, um, surprised to see Hermione in the first place, and I just overreacted. I shouldn't have assumed anything."
Harry grinned. "I shouldn't have blown up like that, I guess. I was sorta angry from the story that Hermione told me, and I just lost it. It's cool?"
Ron grinned back. "Yeah. It's cool."
Hermione let out a giggle. "You two....I swear...."
Ron suddenly turned to her, losing the grin. "And WHY didn't you WRITE me?! I thought that you had DIED or something! What was that ABOUT?!"
"Ron," Harry said quietly, "I think-"
He was interrupted by a sudden explosion from Hermione. "How DARE you WRITE to me about VIKTOR! ALL SUMMER! If you had WRITTEN anything INTELLIGENT that was ANY of your BUSINESS I would have WRITTTEN BACK!"
Ron and Harry scrunched up by the opposite door, as far from Hermione as they could get. Harry was white, and Ron had a look of terror on his face.
"And THEN the FIRST THING YOU SAY TO ME is WHY DIDN'T I WRITE?! THINGS BETWEEN ME AND VIKTOR ARE OVER! Any JERK that wasn't COMPLETELY BRAIN-DEAD could DAMN WELL SEE THAT!"
There was a moment of ringing silence, followed by a burst of uncontrollable laughter from Bill. "Yep, definitely glad that I drove. It's not every day that I get to see my youngest brother being verbally maligned twice in ten minutes!"
Ron, meanwhile, had recovered and was turning red. "I ONLY WROTE BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU! And when YOU didn't WRITE BACK I thought that you had LEFT ME AND HARRY for that stupid PIECE OF-"
"Ron," Harry said quietly, causing Ron to stop in mid-sentence. "Ron, Hermione doesn't leave her friends. We're her friends, you know, even if she was Krum's girlfriend, which she isn't. You know her better than to think that."
Ron was about to retaliate, when suddenly he slumped, a grim look on his face. "Jeez, I feel like I've messed up so much here. Sorry Harry, Hermione. I just, well, I guess I just screwed up."
"Yeah, Ron," Hermione said cheerfully. "You sure did. But you know what? We're your friends anyway. And it's sure great to see you!" With that she flung her arms around his neck, rather awkwardly since they were in the car. She let go rather quickly, reddening slightly.
Ron grinned. "Thanks, Hermione. It's great to see you, too."
They sat there for a moment as Bill pretended to wipe away a tear in the front. "Aaaaaawwwww," he cooed. "True love! I mean, true friendship!"
This slip of the tongue caused both Hermione and Ron to turn scarlet and stare out of opposite windows, as Harry winked at Bill in the rearview mirror.
"How far to The Burrow?" Harry asked quietly after an awkward moment or two.
"Not far," Bill replied cheerfully. "Especially since Dad still hasn't learned his lesson about experimenting on Muggle cars!"
Harry was about to ask what that meant when suddenly Bill yelled, "Car, use Floo Powder Capabilities!"
The car shuddered slightly and all of a sudden they were in the Weasleys' driveway.
"Wow!" Hermione exclaimed. "That was brilliant! How exactly did he manage that? I can see that he magnified the Floo Powder spell and reworked it to work without the use of a fireplace, but did he use the principle of -"
Harry, Ron, and Bill turned to her an in unison yelled, "Hermione, shut up!"
"Well, sorry," Hermione muttered, crossing her arms and looking hurt. "I can't help if I'm interested."
"Sorry, Herm," Bill said. "Ask Dad later, I have no idea."
"Harry! Hermione! How nice to see you!" Mrs. Weasley was hurrying towards them. Harry grinned as he and his friends got out of the car and were immediately squeezed to near-death by Ron's very excited mother. Harry caught a glimpse of Fred, George, and Ginny rushing out of the house.
"Harry!" Fred shouted over the bustle. "A word, will you?"
"Oh, yeah, okay," Harry answered, slightly confused. Fred and George walked with him a few yards away from the others.
"Harry," George whispered. "We really put that money to good use. We've got our own company now, running out of Zonko's."
"So, um, thanks," Fred finished.
"No problem," Harry said cheerfully. He had forgotten about the hundred galleons he had given them on the train ride home last year, and was delighted that they had used it."
"Well, needless to say, if you ever want any of our products, just ask."
"We've got Magical Rocket Whoopee Cushions - they levitate whoever sits on them, an improvement from a Muggle design, and Ha-Ha Hats - they turn your hair colors when you put them on. And let's see..."
Harry held up his hand, laughing happily. "You probably have a list a mile long. I'll let you know if I need anything."
"Harry," Ron called. "We're ready to go in."
"Well, nice chatting, mate," Fred said, patting Harry on the shoulder.
"Yeah. Let's go." Harry walked to the house with Fred and George. He was choked up suddenly - it was so good to be around people who cared for him.
--------------------
A/N Well there you have it - Chapter 2. Please R/R, I will respond to each individually no matter HOW many I get or how short/stupid/whatever they are. I will just be so grateful for feedback!
"Harry - Sure, you can come and stay with us. I asked Mom, and she said yes right away. We'll pick you up Wednesday - get all your stuff ready and meet me at twelve o'clock noon outside. I'm assuming that's OK? Send a response with Errol, if he hasn't died yet. I think those sweets nearly did him in! Have you heard from Hermione? I sure haven't. Do you know if she went to visit Krum? I don't really care but it would be nice to know. I've written once or twice but she hasn't answered; would you mind writing her just in case she's mad at me or something? Maybe she's still in Bulgaria. Anyway. I told her that I would be picking you up and invited her too. See you soon! --Ron"
Harry grinned. He had a feeling that Ron had written Hermione more than "once or twice." He glanced at the clock. It was only five in the morning, but Errol had woken him with a rather loud hoot when he had seen that the window was shut. Harry yawned. "Well, Ron, since I'm up...." he muttered. He got out his quill, ink, and a parchment.
"Ron - THANK YOU, I'm not sure I would have survived. I'll write Hermione, but I bet nothing's up. She probably didn't visit Krum, I don't think that he was the one she liked - he grinned as he wrote this - and anyway he's too old for her. Snuffles wrote and he's doing okay. See you on Wednesday, I can't wait! -- Harry"
He rolled the parchment up and tied it to Errol's leg, and sent him off again. As Errol was flying away, he spotted another bird flying in the distance. It came closer and closer to the Dursley house. Harry watched it eagerly, hoping for it to be Hedwig, but was disappointed to see that it was a common delivery owl. Still curious, he waited anxiously as the owl approached. It finally swooped in and held out its leg. Harry took the letter, said "thank you," and watched the owl fly to Hedwig's water tray gratefully.
He unrolled the parchment, surprised and pleased to see that it was from Hermione.
"Dear Harry - How are you? Ron said that you would be coming to his house on Wednesday in one of his many letters. Please tell him that no, I did NOT visit Krum, nor have I spoken to him. It's over, I promise. Really, really over. I think that I will come to your house and meet you and Ron there Wednesday at noon, and see how you two are. Don't tell Ron that I'm coming. I already know that I'm invited. I spent most of my vacation studying for next year - Harry rolled his eyes - but I also got to read up about the rise of You-Know-Who, something I think we'll need to know. I have loads to tell you! See you Wednesday! -- Love, Hermione"
Harry stared at the letter, bewildered. She was coming - but "don't tell Ron that I'm coming?" He sighed and shook his head. It was obvious to him that he was going to have to put up with a lot of weird behavior from his friends this year. Remembering his promise to Ron, he wrote a letter back to Hermione.
"Hermione - Why don't you want Ron to know that you're coming??? I won't tell, I promise. I'm really glad that you are, I'm looking forward to seeing you. I know Ron will be delighted. I can't wait to hear what you know about Voldemort. - He thought about crossing "Voldemort" out and writing in "You-Know-Who," but decided against it. - See you Wednesday! --Harry"
He attached the letter to the owl's leg, and it promptly hooted and flew away.
He looked at the clock, surprised to see that it was already seven. He glanced at the calendar on his wall, and realized that he had only a day to pack for Ron's. But first, he had to warn some very wary relatives (unfortunately) of his that it looked like there would be at least three wizards on their lawn tomorrow.
---------------------
"What?" Uncle Vernon bellowed. "Is our lawn some kind of crossroads now? Did it even occur to you to warn us that there would be a gathering of weirdos on our lawn!?"
"Look," said Harry tiredly. "I'm sorry. They'll be there at noon, and we'll be gone a minute later. It's not like we're having a party or something."
"Dad," Dudley said fearfully, "could we maybe go somewhere tomorrow? A day trip?"
Vernon sighed unhappily. "Dudley, I'm afraid that there's too much risk. We need to be here in case they decide they want to demolish the house or something."
Harry snorted. It was very clear to him that if he and his friends had wanted to demolish Vernon's precious house, they could do it with or without Vernon there. Of course, that would also mean being expelled from Hogwarts, something that Harry was NOT going to let happen anytime soon. "Look, we'll leave right away. I promise. And then you won't have to put up with me anymore."
"Thank heavens!" exclaimed Aunt Petunia, who had until then been sitting quietly and glaring at Harry.
"Yes. Well, all right, then. But they're not going to come in this house, do you hear? They are not to touch anything, just pick you up on the lawn and leave. And they're going to drive, right?" Vernon looked at Harry sharply, undoubtedly remembering the incident the year before where the Weasleys had demolished the fireplace trying to use Floo Powder.
"I, um, didn't think to ask. But probably something like that." Harry tried not to laugh as Dudley turned white.
-------------------------------
The next day, Harry got up bright and early. He dressed quickly, checking to make sure that he had packed everything. He glanced longingly out the window for some sign of Hedwig - she had been gone for nearly a week now - and then went downstairs.
Dudley was the only one in the kitchen.
Harry sighed, preparing to ignore Dudley, as usual. He was sitting with his back to Harry, watching the TV intently, so Harry just got out some bread and popped it in the toaster. Then, suddenly, Dudley spoke.
"Harry?" His voice was not teasing or brutish at all. In fact - to Harry's astonishment - it was hesitant and quiet.
"Y-yeah?" he stammered, wondering if he was still sleeping, perhaps, or if maybe this was a joke.
"Harry, I think that I'm sorry."
Harry choked. "S-sorry, I don't think I heard that right."
"You did. I said that I was sorry. For being mean to you when you didn't have any friends."
Harry stared at him in amazement. Was Dudley actually apologizing? "Oh. Well. Really, thanks, um, I guess. I mean...."
Dudley snorted. "Look, you don't have to say anything. I know that you and I, well, we'll never really be friends. I'm terrified of that, well, magic that you do at that place, and I really hate you, you know that. But I think that, well, I should have been nicer to you when we were younger. So sorry."
Harry just stared at Dudley's back. "Um. Yeah. Fine. And, um, sorry for that candy thing last year, and the pig's tail. I didn't mean for either to happen."
"Yeah."
With that, they were silent.
-------------------------------------------
Harry moved his trunk outside at eleven thirty, along with Hedwig's cage (she still hadn't returned). He put everything down on the very edge of the lawn, near the street, and sat to wait.
It was exactly noon by his watch that Hermione showed up.
He had just been sitting, getting impatient, when the Knight Bus arrived with a bang. He sprang back in astonishment, terrified out of his wits for a second. Still flabbergasted, he watched as Hermione disembarked. She took the trunk that Stan Shunpike handed her, called a shaky thank-you, and waved. Stan winked in Harry's direction, shut the door, and, with another bang, the bus disappeared.
Hermione, smiling, turned to a still stunned Harry. "Harry! It's great to see you!" She gave him a quick hug, which Harry returned. "Hermione, you scared me half to death!" he exclaimed.
"Sorry. Where is Ron? I guess he's late, typical of him....you didn't tell him I was coming, did you? I know you didn't, I shouldn't even ask. You wouldn't ever. I see you have everything ready. At least one of you was prompt. Hedwig's away, is she? Taking a letter to Sirius? I got yours, by the way. I was a bit peeved at Ron when I wrote it, to tell you the truth. I had just gotten his twentieth letter, and of course it was all about Viktor and Ron's stupid theories of underlying motives. Did he write you that often? I suppose he did, probably some Quiddich thing going on. This is a nice house, by the way."
Harry, startled by this diatribe, stammered, "uh, thanks. It's not mine, really, I just live here sometimes. And he only wrote me three or four times. He said that he was very busy."
"Oh. Well, I'm sure that he was. Come to think of it, he didn't really write me twenty letters, it was more like fifteen or-"
Harry laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not jealous. Pretty obvious who he has his eye on, don't you think?"
Hermione, blushing furiously, stammered, "I-I don't know what you mean."
"Right. Well, it's twelve fifteen, and he's late, so want a seat?" Harry motioned to the grass at their feet.
"Love to. It'll be a relief to be sitting somewhere that isn't moving at a terrifying pace and driving like the driver's drunk. Why didn't you warn me about that thing?" Hermione sat next to Harry, grinning.
Harry laughed again. "Sorry. It didn't occur to me that you'd appear at my house in it. I was wondering how you were getting here. You wouldn't happen to know how Ron's coming?"
"Not a clue. But while we've got time, I think you should know some of the stuff I found out about You-Know-Who."
"Sure."
Hermione sighed. "I'm going to start with a story. I came across it in a strange place, actually. An interview of some Unspeakables, you know, the undercover group from the Ministry. Only this was the ministry in America. This was an interview of Clara and David Zauner regarding an incident that had been secretly dealt with seven years ago. It was printed in an American newspaper. Clara and David were called to look into an anonymous tip to check out the basement of a house up north in Canada. This was eight years, about, since You-Know-Who had, well, been defeated. They went, not expecting much. But what they found was horrible.
"As we know, You-Know-Who was looking to find a way to become immortal. Well, he thought of an idea, a horrible idea, just before he was defeated. He shared it with one person, a scientist of sorts who experimented with dark magic. He gave the man a lab in an isolated spot, and told him to work on the idea. Then, not long after, You-Know-Who, well, you know. The scientist, his name was Kilfand, decided to continue the experiment anyway, for his own use. He worked on it for eight years before he was discovered. He was given the Dementor's Kiss immediately."
"What was the experiment?" Harry asked quietly.
Hermione was tearing up. "Oh, Harry. It was on....children. You-Know-Who thought that you could take children with magical abilities at a young age, say a couple months old, and keep them in, oh, he kept them in little rooms, isolated....and when they started to show signs of magic, you could steal it from them. Sort of like the a Dementor's Kiss. The scientist could do that, magically, which is why they-they only h-had m-magical kids there...." Hermione was crying now. "And these kids, they were nine when they were found, and oh, Harry, the article said that they couldn't even t-talk or anything, and t-they were so empty, s-so emotionless....T-they were afraid to leave th-their cells because they h-had never been out of them before, and th-they all died the day they were found, nobody knows w-why...." She broke down completely.
Harry's insides had turned to ice. His head was hot and rage engulfed him for a second, followed by intense sadness. He hugged Hermione tightly, not even aware that he had moved. "Oh, man. Jeez."
Hermione calmed down and hugged him back, and they sat there for a minute. Both were wrapped up in thoughts about the story, that terrible story, though neither voiced their thoughts.
They were interrupted by a voice in front of them. "Just WHAT the HELL are you DOING?!?!"
Harry and Hermione jumped. Harry stood quickly, before realizing that it was Ron. And a very angry Ron at that.
He pointed at Harry, his face going red. "You - and you -" he stammered, pointing to Hermione, still on the ground. "You two are-"
"Ron, cool it," Harry said quickly. "It's nothing, really-"
"NOTHING!" Ron exploded. "Nothing! I show up a couple minutes late and I find the two of you practically making out on Harry's front lawn-"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ron, we weren't even close to `making out.' I was getting, um, emotional about a story I was telling, and Harry was just comforting me. As a friend."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "As a friend, Ron. Jeez, I though you were going to deck me for a second there."
Ron stepped back, but his face still gave away suspicion. "You weren't...you don't...you aren't..."
Harry folded his arms. "No. Jeez, why is it that everyone from the Daily Prophet to Viktor Krum to my own best friend think that I've taken up with Hermione? We. Are. Friends. I may as well announce it on public TV, `cause the entire world seems to think that I can't be a boy friend without being a boyfriend." With that, Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage and shoved it into Ron's arms. "Here. Be useful, will you?" He picked up his trunk and marched past Ron into the car that Ron had come in. After stashing his trunk in the trunk (A/N Wow. This sounds pretty awkward.), he got in the backseat. He was still fuming when he noticed that the driver was....Bill Weasley!
"Bill," he stammered. "I-"
He was interrupted by a guffaw. "Harry, that was brilliant. I've never seen Ron so astonished, and then when I thought I'd seen the end you put on that awesome display. I'll never forget it!"
Harry found himself grinning as well. "Well, I was angry...."
"I am so glad I agreed to drive!" Bill crowed. He didn't even stop laughing when a sullen Ron and a grinning Hermione got into the car.
Ron sighed and turned to Harry. "Sorry. I guess I was, um, surprised to see Hermione in the first place, and I just overreacted. I shouldn't have assumed anything."
Harry grinned. "I shouldn't have blown up like that, I guess. I was sorta angry from the story that Hermione told me, and I just lost it. It's cool?"
Ron grinned back. "Yeah. It's cool."
Hermione let out a giggle. "You two....I swear...."
Ron suddenly turned to her, losing the grin. "And WHY didn't you WRITE me?! I thought that you had DIED or something! What was that ABOUT?!"
"Ron," Harry said quietly, "I think-"
He was interrupted by a sudden explosion from Hermione. "How DARE you WRITE to me about VIKTOR! ALL SUMMER! If you had WRITTEN anything INTELLIGENT that was ANY of your BUSINESS I would have WRITTTEN BACK!"
Ron and Harry scrunched up by the opposite door, as far from Hermione as they could get. Harry was white, and Ron had a look of terror on his face.
"And THEN the FIRST THING YOU SAY TO ME is WHY DIDN'T I WRITE?! THINGS BETWEEN ME AND VIKTOR ARE OVER! Any JERK that wasn't COMPLETELY BRAIN-DEAD could DAMN WELL SEE THAT!"
There was a moment of ringing silence, followed by a burst of uncontrollable laughter from Bill. "Yep, definitely glad that I drove. It's not every day that I get to see my youngest brother being verbally maligned twice in ten minutes!"
Ron, meanwhile, had recovered and was turning red. "I ONLY WROTE BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU! And when YOU didn't WRITE BACK I thought that you had LEFT ME AND HARRY for that stupid PIECE OF-"
"Ron," Harry said quietly, causing Ron to stop in mid-sentence. "Ron, Hermione doesn't leave her friends. We're her friends, you know, even if she was Krum's girlfriend, which she isn't. You know her better than to think that."
Ron was about to retaliate, when suddenly he slumped, a grim look on his face. "Jeez, I feel like I've messed up so much here. Sorry Harry, Hermione. I just, well, I guess I just screwed up."
"Yeah, Ron," Hermione said cheerfully. "You sure did. But you know what? We're your friends anyway. And it's sure great to see you!" With that she flung her arms around his neck, rather awkwardly since they were in the car. She let go rather quickly, reddening slightly.
Ron grinned. "Thanks, Hermione. It's great to see you, too."
They sat there for a moment as Bill pretended to wipe away a tear in the front. "Aaaaaawwwww," he cooed. "True love! I mean, true friendship!"
This slip of the tongue caused both Hermione and Ron to turn scarlet and stare out of opposite windows, as Harry winked at Bill in the rearview mirror.
"How far to The Burrow?" Harry asked quietly after an awkward moment or two.
"Not far," Bill replied cheerfully. "Especially since Dad still hasn't learned his lesson about experimenting on Muggle cars!"
Harry was about to ask what that meant when suddenly Bill yelled, "Car, use Floo Powder Capabilities!"
The car shuddered slightly and all of a sudden they were in the Weasleys' driveway.
"Wow!" Hermione exclaimed. "That was brilliant! How exactly did he manage that? I can see that he magnified the Floo Powder spell and reworked it to work without the use of a fireplace, but did he use the principle of -"
Harry, Ron, and Bill turned to her an in unison yelled, "Hermione, shut up!"
"Well, sorry," Hermione muttered, crossing her arms and looking hurt. "I can't help if I'm interested."
"Sorry, Herm," Bill said. "Ask Dad later, I have no idea."
"Harry! Hermione! How nice to see you!" Mrs. Weasley was hurrying towards them. Harry grinned as he and his friends got out of the car and were immediately squeezed to near-death by Ron's very excited mother. Harry caught a glimpse of Fred, George, and Ginny rushing out of the house.
"Harry!" Fred shouted over the bustle. "A word, will you?"
"Oh, yeah, okay," Harry answered, slightly confused. Fred and George walked with him a few yards away from the others.
"Harry," George whispered. "We really put that money to good use. We've got our own company now, running out of Zonko's."
"So, um, thanks," Fred finished.
"No problem," Harry said cheerfully. He had forgotten about the hundred galleons he had given them on the train ride home last year, and was delighted that they had used it."
"Well, needless to say, if you ever want any of our products, just ask."
"We've got Magical Rocket Whoopee Cushions - they levitate whoever sits on them, an improvement from a Muggle design, and Ha-Ha Hats - they turn your hair colors when you put them on. And let's see..."
Harry held up his hand, laughing happily. "You probably have a list a mile long. I'll let you know if I need anything."
"Harry," Ron called. "We're ready to go in."
"Well, nice chatting, mate," Fred said, patting Harry on the shoulder.
"Yeah. Let's go." Harry walked to the house with Fred and George. He was choked up suddenly - it was so good to be around people who cared for him.
--------------------
A/N Well there you have it - Chapter 2. Please R/R, I will respond to each individually no matter HOW many I get or how short/stupid/whatever they are. I will just be so grateful for feedback!