DISCLAIMER: Me no own HP :(

Shout out to: obsessivegirl73, Ansa88, Darkshadow-lord, Tainted flare. The AWESOME first reviewers to this story.

Redvines for you all!


Chapter 2: At the Leaky:

The ride to the Leaky Cauldron was not a quiet one. Hermione prattled on about what books she had read and what subjects she had signed up for next year and about the letter she got from Ron about his trip to Egypt.

"And he says the tombs were full of, as he put it, 'Weird old stuff.' I'm kinda jealous of him, the ancient Egyptians are so fascinating!"

"So are you saying you didn't like France?" teased her mother, Jean.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Did I make it sound like that? I'm sorry mum! I loved France! I can't wait to go back there someday!"

Her father, Mark, chuckled. "Hermione, I think your mother was just teasing."

"Oh." She blushed.

"Well dear if you're that adamant about it perhaps someday we can take a trip to Egypt." Jean replied.

"Wicked!" she cheered.

The car turned down another street and stopped outside a building. Now to most people, like her parents, the building would just look like an ordinary building and the person looking would walk by without another thought. But, if you possessed the predisposition like Hermione, you would be able to see the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron: Famous pub and secret entrance to the amazing wonders that was Diagon Alley, which had dozens of stores for all your odds and ends of being a wizard.

Hermione and her parents got her school trunk out the boot of the car and stepped into the Leaky. Hermione scanned the pub for any sign of redhead that was there. She grinned as she saw exactly who she was looking for.

"RON!" she called over the din of the customers.

The redhead looked up, saw his best friend and then hastened to meet her.

"Hermione!" he hugged her. "Blimey it's good to see you!"

"Oh it's so good to see you! Is your entire family here?"

"Yeah. Mum and dad are getting the room assignments right now, so we'll all probably be sharing; you most likely with Ginny."

Hermione nodded. She knew Ginny from Gryffindor house but ever since last year with the attacks (She shivered at the thought) and the opening of the Chamber (she shivered again), she didn't get to know Ginny that well. She tried to on the train ride home last year, but whenever she tried to engage a conversation Ginny would shy off and remain quiet. Hermione guessed that she felt guilty about what she had done the entire year.

"That's fine. Ron you remember my parents, yeah?" she asked, coming back to earth.

Immediately Ron's ears got red and he stuck out his hand for introductions.

"Er - right! Hello, Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger." He said shaking each of their hands.

"Hello Ronald. Expecting a good term this year?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"Yeah, hopefully a quiet one." He said.

"Ron!" he turned in the direction his name was called and saw his parents coming up to them.

From what Hermione could gather from her previous, short encounters with the Weasley parents, she had determined that they were kind people with lots of love to go around but not afraid to stand up for what is right (AN: I know it may sound cheesy but I was stuck. Sue me!).

"Ron, we've decided the rooms so here's your key and when you see Percy tell him to come get his," his mother told him. Ron's sudden look of horror made Hermione stifle a giggle. Percy may not have been the most popular of his brothers, but he made logical conversations that Hermione thought were stimulating.

Mrs. Weasley turned away from Ron and noticed Hermione was standing there.

"Hermione! Good to see you!"

"Good to see you Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley." She said shaking their hands.

"I'm sure Ron told you about the sleeping arrangements, yes? Good. You'll be sharing with Ginny and I think she's already up there. Ron would you show her?" Mrs. Weasley asked of her son.

"Yeah, sure. Do you need any help with your trunk?"

This caught Hermione by surprise only for a second. "Ah-Sure Ron." She said uncertainly.

"Ok. Follow me."

"We'll be here talking to Ron's parents, dear," She heard her dad call after her. Hermione turned her head slightly to see Mr. Weasley wringing her father's hand eagerly and no doubt asking him about muggles.

She and Ron went up the stairs to the second floor where Ron stopped in front of a door and knocked. When the door opened his sister Ginny looked as if she was already settled.

"Hey Ron. You need something?"

"No I'm just helping Hermione with her things." He replied.

"Hi Ginny."

Hermione noticed that as soon as her name was brought up Ginny's eyes widened slightly and her face paled a bit.

"O-Oh-Okay. S-S-Sure." And she stepped back from the doorway to let them in.

Ron set her trunk by the bed she would be sleeping in and turned to her.

"I think we better go save your parents from my dad. Who knows what he could have asked in the time we've been gone."

Hermione chuckled at the thought of the conversations they could be having.

"Alright. I'll be coming back up to unpack, Ginny. Are you sure it's ok with you if I stay here?"

"Y-Yeah. P-P-Perfectly fine." She stammered still pale.

As soon as she and Ron crossed the threshold she rounded on Ron.

"Is she okay? She seemed a bit nervous around me."

Ron nodded his head. "She's been like that for a while; nervous. After we got home from last term she had horrible nightmares that would wake everyone up. She barely left mum's side for the first few weeks."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "And I'm going to take a wild guess and say that she feels even more nervous now that she has to share a room with me because of what happened?" Though she would never admit it, she too had dreams about the horrible yellow eyes that she saw before she was petrified.

"Probably," Ron said just as they re-entered the pub part of the Leaky.

Hermione made a mental note to talk about this later with Ginny.

~O~O~

After bidding her parents good-bye and assuring them she would be safe ("Yes I'll write…Yes I've got everything…Yes I'll stay out of trouble..."), Hermione went back up to her room. She and Ron were going to go around Diagon Alley for their school supplies, but first, she had something to do first.

When she got to her room she knocked first just to make sure Ginny was decent and then opened the door. Ginny was reading a book and didn't hear her come in.

"What are you reading?" Ginny's head look up so fast you could've sworn she got whiplash.

"A-A muggle n-n-novel; Little Women." She stuttered.

Hermione smiled. "I love that book! What part are you at?"

Ginny didn't know what to say; she just opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Hermione decided that the talk was needed right now.

"Ginny, can I talk to you?" She nodded apprehensively, her face losing most of its color.

Hermione came and sat next to her on the bed, mind whirring for a way to approach this delicately.

"We-never really got to know each other last year because of…certain…events…" she started slowly, "So I was thinking we could start out fresh. What do you think?"

Ginny closed her book and looked down at her hands. Hermione waited patiently for her to respond.

"Why do you want to be friends with me? I did so many…horrible things last year! I-I-I attacked the school's roosters, I-I set a monster loose in the castle, I-I-I attacked people! Colin..Nick," she took a breath, "You," she added quietly.

Hermione responded to this the only logical way she could think of: She hugged her. Ginny was completely taken aback at this sudden act of comfort.

When Hermione drew back she forced Ginny to look into her eyes.

"Listen. YOU did not do those things. Ginny Weasley, possessed by an evil man, did those things. Not the Real Ginny Weasley, the one that's in this room right now. This Ginny Weasley tried to fight back, tried to with all the Gryffindor spirit she possessed. She was very strong, but the evil man was stronger. But, the important thing was she didn't give up until she couldn't possibly fight anymore. That Ginny Weasley is a very brave person, one that I would gladly call my friend." She finished.

Ginny sat there for a moment with eyes brimming with tears.

"This year is going to be so…hard." She sniffed in a small voice.

Hermione hugged her again, "Well, It's a good thing you won't be alone then."

And for the first time, Ginny hugged her back.

~O~O~

Hermione and Ron made their way around Diagon Alley slowly to keep an eye out for their missing friend. They first went to Gringotts to make withdrawals and then they went to Ollivander, for Ron was in need of a new wand. Willow, fourteen inches, containing unicorn hair; it shot red sparks out the end at the first wave. Then they went to Madam Malkin's, Flourish and Blotts (They were there for an hour), Quality Quidditch Supplies (Again: There for an hour), and finally ended up at Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor.

They were talking for a while when there was a loud crowing above them. The duo looked up to see a raven sitting on the shop's hanging sign.

"Just a bloody bird," Ron remarked.

Hermione looked at him reproachfully. "Don't use that language Ronald," she emphasized his full name, "And that's not any bird; it's a Raven."

"Pretty ugly if you ask me."

"Well no one's asking you and I think it's gorgeous." But if Hermione was telling the truth, she would've said that she felt like the bird was scrutinizing her and watching her every move, like it knew her. Don't be silly, she thought. Birds can't think like that.

"Hey Hermione, look behind you and tell me if that's who I think it is," Ron suddenly asked.

While she was still thinking on the subject of raven thought capabilities Ron had located a raven haired boy that bared a striking resemblance to their missed friend.

"You know Ron I think that is!"

"Harry! HARRY!" he called.

Harry finally noticed their frantic waving and came over immediately.

"Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and –"

"I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Dad," Ron said simply…

~O~O~


OK! Kinda a filler. Let's recap shall we: This year, not one, but T W O prisoners have escaped Azkaban prison. Both are assumed to be mentally deranged, And, as we find out later, may be out to kill Harry. Bellatrix had given up her daughter to muggles, put in prison and is now crazy and thinks no one is watching her. Only someone is. Hermione is a bit anxious about the prisoners escaping, is eager to get back to Hogwarts, Made friends with Ginny, and thinks a bird, more specifically a Raven, is watching her. Is it? Who are these stalking people/animals? What's going to happen next? Who took my Redvines? What's the meaning of life?

And perhaps more importantly: WHY ARE THERE ALWAYS MORE BUNS BUT NEVER ENOUGH HOTDOGS?

Anywho, Who Saw DH PT 2? I'm not that prideful; I'll admit it; I cried.

Please review and if you know anything about the Hotdog buns please tell me because it plagues the very exisitance of my livelihood.

Till then,

S. Humdinger