A/N – This is the second part of my first fic. You can read the first part here
The Fifth Year, part one. Thanks to everyone that gave me suggestions. I really love getting comments, so if you read…REVIEW!Oh, I decided to keep using Mione because (sorry B), it might not be canon, but then, neither is this story, cuz I ain't Miss Rowling. Please tell me what you think of the story! I finally figured out how it's going to end (I think it's pretty cool), but I still need all the inside bits. I'm going to have Hogwarts in the next part, and it should be a lot longer, I just hate changing scenes because it makes everything really disconnected and then stuff falls apart…and I'm going to shut up now. Enjoy!
Disclaimer – JK wouldn't want to sue me, I'm too poor…yadayadayada. If you've heard of them, they ain't mine, and Mione, too…only not for JK.
"Hurry up Harry, I've got something to show you," Ron dragged Harry into the garage in which sat a shiny, new, car.
"My dad got it on his bonus for New Years, there was enough to cover the car along with a bit he'd been saving, but we needn't tell that to Mum."
"Wow," Harry, his face shining, so should we put our things in?"
"Yeah," Ron grabbed his trunk and dropped it into the car, "We're in the back with Ginny, Fred, and George, and Mum'll going in the front, Dad's driving."
"Won't it be kind of cramped?"
"In a car owned by Dad? Harry, really," Ron sounded surprised that his friend could even think such a thing. The two walked back into the kitchen.
"Oh good, boys, you're here. Fred, George, Ginny! Hurry up, we have to go!" Mrs. Weasley's great booming voice echoed through the house.
"Coming, mum," One of the twins called, as Ginny appeared behind Mrs. Weasley dragging her trunk.
"Good dear, now put that in the car, and we'll be off as soon as your brothers are ready, "Arthur, come out from there, we need to leave," she called into the den.
"Coming, dear!" his shout called back.
Harry loved their home. There were always people running in and out, and always something going on. It was so different from the cold, polished interior of the Dursleys house. He wondered what it would be like if he could live there, and never have to stay with the Dursleys.
"Harry," a voice jolted him out of his daydreams, "Everyone else is in the car, let's go."
Harry piled into the backseat with Hedwigs cage on his lap, and sat between Ron and Ginny, and they drove off.
When they reached the station, Hermione came up to greet them, "I just got here, and Crookshanks is absolutely terrified. Crookshanks sat in a brand new cat carrier looking rather shaken.
"Well, you stick anything in a box, it's bound to be frightened," Ron declared evenly. Hedwig here has a nice, airy cage," he finished with a smile as the three friends walked towards the wall that hid Platform 9 ¾.
"Goodbye Mum," Ron said, giving his mother a quick hug.
"Alright, let's go. I'll go with Ron, then you come, Harry," Hermione instructed. Hermione and Ron sped through the wall. Even though this was their fifth time, there were things about walking through a not-so-solid wall that can make anyone nervous.
Harry appeared a moment later, and they headed towards the scarlet monster that was the Hogwarts Express. They found an empty car and sat down, Ron and Harry on one side, Hermione on the other, Ron waving goodbye to his parents out the side window.
"I'm so excited about school, aren't you? I just can't wait. I've already finished all the books, I hope I can remember enough. Did you know that in Transfiguration we're going to start learning how to turn inanimate objects in live creatures. Like what McGonagall showed us on the first day. And in Herbology…" Hermione drifted of, enthralled with thoughts of school.
Ron and Harry shared a face over Hermione's mouse-brown hair. They were both quite a bit taller than she was, something that she was not pleased about was. Harry was just three inches shorter than Ron's almost six feet, and Hermione was barely five-and-a-half feet.
Harry sat Hedwigs cage on the floor of the compartment, "Keep that cat away, Hedwig here is no animagied evildoer, and she could give that cat a run for its money."
"I don't control him, but I can't possibly keep such a sweet kitty locked up the whole time," Hermione opened the door to Crookshanks cage, and the cat walked out, looking rather dazed. After washing himself, he stood, walked over to Hedwig's cage, sniffed it, and fell asleep curled around it. Hedwig glanced at the large, tawny cat and returned her head under her wing.
"Well, would you look at that! I think they like each other!"
"Ron, where's Pig?"
Oh, Ginny took him, you didn't see the cage when we were in the car?"
"It was a little difficult to inspect everyone while I had Hedwig on my lap..
Hermione pulled out a book and started reading.
"Hermione, please, spare us," Ron complained, "Just for the rest of the train ride."
Hermione sighed, "Alright, for the train ride, but you're going to be glad I've read the books when Snape assigns the homework. Both of you finished your summer work, right?"
Hermione checked their work, finding only a few errors with Potions, "I swear, Snape must not understand the word 'vacation.' He gave us four scrolls. And then that potion about keeping monkeys from eating raw bananas or whatever."
"It wasn't raw bananas, it is the rare Baranamoran, which is very bad for monkeys. As you know, they are often used as familiars. Monkeys, I mean, not Baranamoran," Hermione answered, without looking up from the work.
Ron prodded an unmoving Harry, "Yes, I do believe you've put him out. He is completely gone. Hey, don't give me that look. Mione, I'm sorry, It was a joke," Harry woke up and grinned.
"Girls…" Ron muttered to himself, and fell silent, giving Harry a look.
"Oh, umm," Harry thought for a moment, "Umm, I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute," and with a wink at Ron, he was gone.
"Umm, Hermione, I wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
"You know the formal in Hogsmeade," Ron was breathing heavily, "I have been wondering, um, Doyawannago?"
"Oh, O-Of course Ron. I-I was thinking of asking you. Victor and I, well, it wasn't working because he's in Bulgaria and, I mean, I know Harry wants to go with Cho, and I was going to try to set him up with Ginny, and I really did mean it when I said I was going to ask someone and…" Hermione was, for once, at a loss for words.
Harry walked in, "Hey, I'm back…" he froze when he saw Ron and Hermione. Their flushed faces were turned toward different windows, and Ron was looking guilty, "Well, finally," Harry said to himself.
"Oh, I should go change. "
"Um, yeah, me too," and Hermione left for the bathroom, leaving Harry and Ron with the car.
As they were changing, Harry asked Ron, "So? You did ask, right?"
"Yeah, I don't think she felt too bad about going with me either. I hope she won't ask someone else, and then leave me."
"I can't believe you guys can't… Ron, she's not going to ask anyone else. This is Hermione we're talking about, remember?"
"Yeah, I guess so. Harry what do you think she'd do if I…"
"If you what?" A knock sounded from outside the car, "Are you done changing yet?" Hermione voice echoed through the car.
"Just a minute," Harry called, and they finished pulling on their robes, "Okay, come on in."
"Have either of you seen Draco? We're more than halfway there, and he hasn't showed up. Something must be wrong…for him to not greet us!"
"Well, if it isn't my three best friends," Draco's slow drawling sneer filled the car. Draco and his cronies had entered, taking up nearly half the car.
"Speak o' the devil," Hermione muttered.
"Oh, Hermione, that's no way to treat your good friend Draco. Harry, I hope you have a nice year," a sly grin crept across Draco's face, "I know it will be, how shall I say this, busy," and with that, he was gone.
"Well, what was that about?" a befuddled Ron asked his friends.
"Who knows. It's Draco, what do you expect? At least he left already. He's probably trying to scare us, and if you look at Harry, it's working."
"I'm fine," Although his words were light, Harry looked as if he were considering some greater evil, and his smile never reached his eyes.
"Harry, what's the matter?" Hermione was concerned.
"My scar…it hurt. I don't think it was Draco, he didn't cause it, but something about what he said. I-I heard people dying."
"Your mum again? Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry. But you know—"
"No, Mione, not my mom. Well, her too, but other people. Everyone. It was like I had fallen into hell, for just one instant. Everyone was constantly dying. And Cedric--," he broke of as a look of pain crossed his face.
"It's okay," Hermione tried to comfort him, but her efforts were futile.
"I don't know what could be busier than last year," Harry wondered out loud, "But with Draco, his 'busy' is my terrible. But maybe he does know something. I mean, his father might be deep in some dark arts thing, I wouldn't be surprised, and if he got Draco involved, well, who knows," he lapsed into silence.
Ron and Hermione sat in silence, each lost deep in their own thoughts, and watched as Harry drifted into an uncomfortable, restless sleep.
P.S. For the colors/font/size, I use Word and I do: File Save As…HTML, and it puts whatever you have into HTML (but I am learning a little myself!)
