It was late Saturday night, and Harry, Ron, and Neville were all sitting
around the common room hearth. Ginny was curled up on the chair Harry was
leaning against, and Hermione, apparently asleep with her head resting on
Ron's shoulder. Empty bottles of butterbeer were on the table, and laughter
was upon they boys' faces.
"I wish she didn't do this every night- my arm falls asleep every time!" Ron smiled, nonetheless, down at Hermione.
"If it weren't for her though, you'd never finish your homework!" Harry pointed to the homework piled upon the table next to the butterbeer bottles.
"Yeah, well, if it weren't for me" Ron said, "you'd still be chasing that prat, Cho, and not my sister!"
"Well, if it weren't for me, Ron, you'd never have noticed Hermione was a girl!" joked Neville.
"Oh shut up, Neville!" Ron said, his ears reddening.
"C'mon, Ron, you know it's true, admit it!" Harry persuaded, realizing Ron had never admitted to this.
"Well, I.. I guess I'd kinda liked her.. last year. So, what's the big deal!" Harry and Neville exchanged glances and began laughing hysterically.
Hermione's eyes opened quite quickly. "Shhh!" she said sitting up, frightening Ron so badly he jumped.
"You'll wake Ginny!" she whispered. "Were you awake?!" Ron said, alarmed.
Hermione was the one to snicker now. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Ron mumbled something about changing and ran up the stairs to the boy's dormitories.
"Were you asleep, Hermione?" asked Neville, apparently impressed by her cunning sleeping act.
"I think I dozed off once or twice, but- I strung two and two together." She giggled, "What time is it anyway?"
"Eleven thirty-one." Harry said, glancing at his watch.
"I should go to bed, it is late." Hermione yawned, stretching and looking at Ginny. "Should I wake her?"
"No, I can get her later." Harry said, looking at a sleeping Ginny behind him.
"Should I tell Ron you're going in?"
"Sure." Harry quietly climbed the stairs and opened the door. Ron stood in his pajamas (which were still maroon, still six inches too short, and still had the gold "R" upon the chest pocket), looking at a picture.
"Hermione's going in. She wants to say goodnight."
Ron walked out of the room, dropping the photograph. Harry picked it up, turning it over to reveal a picture he knew well. It had been taken last winter in Hogsmeade by Colin Creevey. The picture had eleven occupants: Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Angelina, Fred, George, Lupin, and Hagrid. They were all waving and smiling brightly, bundled up against the snow surrounding them all. Harry sighed. He missed the moments when he had hardly a care in the world. When his times were spent having fun with friends, playing Quidditch, listening to Lupin's stories of the Marauders, and only the occasional thought of Sirius. Sirius Harry thought, this is when I'd need you the most. I need to talk to you. Almost as though his mind had been read, Harry noticed a letter on top of his bedside cabinet. Picking it up, Harry read the familiar writing upon the parchment:
This is a two way mirror. I've got the other.
If you need to speak to me, just say my name
Into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be
Able to talk in yours. James and I used to use
Them when we were in separate detentions.
It was the last thing ever written directly to Harry from Sirius, other than the will, of course. Maybe that was what kept Harry going since his godfather's death- Harry was never going to go back to the Dursley's again. In the will, Sirius had left Grimmauld Place to Harry, and since Harry was legally an adult now, it was his to move into. The door opened and in walked Neville and Ron. To no one's surprise, Ron departed from the room with an airy "goodnight" and lightly closing the hangings around his bed. Neville rolled his eyes as he changed into his pajamas and ascended into his four-poster. Long after, Harry lie down to a dreamless sleep. As usual, Harry woke the next morning before his fellow 7th year Gryffindors and headed down to breakfast. As he entered the Great Hall, he found that there were more people there than he would have expected at that hour. He sat down at the table across from Ginny and Hermione, who were both looking equally excited about something.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
"Oh... nothing." Hermione said.
"Really now?" Harry sarcastically asked, catching an air of Hermione her rarely saw.
"What're you doing up this early, anyway?" Ginny asked Harry honestly, handing him a piece of toast.
"I'm always up this early, Ginny. Now what's you're excuse?"
"No reason... lovely day, isn't it?" Harry suspected something now. "Really, what's going on? You look like you've graduated early, Hermione." Ginny whispered something to Hermione, and got a nod in return, which was apparently enough to let Harry in on whatever they were hiding.
"Okay, Harry. I'm, erm... not supposed to say, so, don't tell Ron, I want him to find out tomorrow, in the paper..."
"What! What!" Harry persisted.
"Dad's Minister of Magic!" Ginny burst out.
"WHAT!" Harry exploded. "You're kidding!"
"No! I'm not! Everything was settled last night! He's the Minister, Harry!" She jumped up and grabbed him in a rib-cracking hug.
"Just remember! Don't-tell-Ron!" Hermione warned.
"I won't! I won't! I promise! This'll improve his keeping skills, this will!" All three of them rolled with laughter. The next 24 hours were full of ambiguous elation. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny could only just look at Ron without breaking into huge grins. "What? What's so funny?" Ron asked blindly. Most of Harry's day was spent with Ginny, teaching her chasing skills. Hermione excuse was far better and made it easier to avoid Ron- she was researching elf rights in the library. That night as Harry and Ron climbed into bed, Ron snickered coolly.
"I know what you're hiding." "Oh? And what would that be?" Harry tried to sound authentic.
"You want to move into Grimmauld Place with Ginny!" Harry snorted with laughter.
"What!? You'd never let me do that! But no, that's not it, mate. Get to sleep. I 'spect you'll find out tomorrow." Ron frowned at being defeated and lay down in bed. "Why won't you tell me?" Harry smiled and closed his bed hangings. Ron was in for a true surprise.
"I wish she didn't do this every night- my arm falls asleep every time!" Ron smiled, nonetheless, down at Hermione.
"If it weren't for her though, you'd never finish your homework!" Harry pointed to the homework piled upon the table next to the butterbeer bottles.
"Yeah, well, if it weren't for me" Ron said, "you'd still be chasing that prat, Cho, and not my sister!"
"Well, if it weren't for me, Ron, you'd never have noticed Hermione was a girl!" joked Neville.
"Oh shut up, Neville!" Ron said, his ears reddening.
"C'mon, Ron, you know it's true, admit it!" Harry persuaded, realizing Ron had never admitted to this.
"Well, I.. I guess I'd kinda liked her.. last year. So, what's the big deal!" Harry and Neville exchanged glances and began laughing hysterically.
Hermione's eyes opened quite quickly. "Shhh!" she said sitting up, frightening Ron so badly he jumped.
"You'll wake Ginny!" she whispered. "Were you awake?!" Ron said, alarmed.
Hermione was the one to snicker now. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Ron mumbled something about changing and ran up the stairs to the boy's dormitories.
"Were you asleep, Hermione?" asked Neville, apparently impressed by her cunning sleeping act.
"I think I dozed off once or twice, but- I strung two and two together." She giggled, "What time is it anyway?"
"Eleven thirty-one." Harry said, glancing at his watch.
"I should go to bed, it is late." Hermione yawned, stretching and looking at Ginny. "Should I wake her?"
"No, I can get her later." Harry said, looking at a sleeping Ginny behind him.
"Should I tell Ron you're going in?"
"Sure." Harry quietly climbed the stairs and opened the door. Ron stood in his pajamas (which were still maroon, still six inches too short, and still had the gold "R" upon the chest pocket), looking at a picture.
"Hermione's going in. She wants to say goodnight."
Ron walked out of the room, dropping the photograph. Harry picked it up, turning it over to reveal a picture he knew well. It had been taken last winter in Hogsmeade by Colin Creevey. The picture had eleven occupants: Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Angelina, Fred, George, Lupin, and Hagrid. They were all waving and smiling brightly, bundled up against the snow surrounding them all. Harry sighed. He missed the moments when he had hardly a care in the world. When his times were spent having fun with friends, playing Quidditch, listening to Lupin's stories of the Marauders, and only the occasional thought of Sirius. Sirius Harry thought, this is when I'd need you the most. I need to talk to you. Almost as though his mind had been read, Harry noticed a letter on top of his bedside cabinet. Picking it up, Harry read the familiar writing upon the parchment:
This is a two way mirror. I've got the other.
If you need to speak to me, just say my name
Into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be
Able to talk in yours. James and I used to use
Them when we were in separate detentions.
It was the last thing ever written directly to Harry from Sirius, other than the will, of course. Maybe that was what kept Harry going since his godfather's death- Harry was never going to go back to the Dursley's again. In the will, Sirius had left Grimmauld Place to Harry, and since Harry was legally an adult now, it was his to move into. The door opened and in walked Neville and Ron. To no one's surprise, Ron departed from the room with an airy "goodnight" and lightly closing the hangings around his bed. Neville rolled his eyes as he changed into his pajamas and ascended into his four-poster. Long after, Harry lie down to a dreamless sleep. As usual, Harry woke the next morning before his fellow 7th year Gryffindors and headed down to breakfast. As he entered the Great Hall, he found that there were more people there than he would have expected at that hour. He sat down at the table across from Ginny and Hermione, who were both looking equally excited about something.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
"Oh... nothing." Hermione said.
"Really now?" Harry sarcastically asked, catching an air of Hermione her rarely saw.
"What're you doing up this early, anyway?" Ginny asked Harry honestly, handing him a piece of toast.
"I'm always up this early, Ginny. Now what's you're excuse?"
"No reason... lovely day, isn't it?" Harry suspected something now. "Really, what's going on? You look like you've graduated early, Hermione." Ginny whispered something to Hermione, and got a nod in return, which was apparently enough to let Harry in on whatever they were hiding.
"Okay, Harry. I'm, erm... not supposed to say, so, don't tell Ron, I want him to find out tomorrow, in the paper..."
"What! What!" Harry persisted.
"Dad's Minister of Magic!" Ginny burst out.
"WHAT!" Harry exploded. "You're kidding!"
"No! I'm not! Everything was settled last night! He's the Minister, Harry!" She jumped up and grabbed him in a rib-cracking hug.
"Just remember! Don't-tell-Ron!" Hermione warned.
"I won't! I won't! I promise! This'll improve his keeping skills, this will!" All three of them rolled with laughter. The next 24 hours were full of ambiguous elation. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny could only just look at Ron without breaking into huge grins. "What? What's so funny?" Ron asked blindly. Most of Harry's day was spent with Ginny, teaching her chasing skills. Hermione excuse was far better and made it easier to avoid Ron- she was researching elf rights in the library. That night as Harry and Ron climbed into bed, Ron snickered coolly.
"I know what you're hiding." "Oh? And what would that be?" Harry tried to sound authentic.
"You want to move into Grimmauld Place with Ginny!" Harry snorted with laughter.
"What!? You'd never let me do that! But no, that's not it, mate. Get to sleep. I 'spect you'll find out tomorrow." Ron frowned at being defeated and lay down in bed. "Why won't you tell me?" Harry smiled and closed his bed hangings. Ron was in for a true surprise.
