Disclaimer. As usual I don't own Harry Potter, or any of the characters, things, or animals, that are mentioned in the Harry Potter books, I do how ever own the plot in this little venture into the Potter verse.
A/Note, this chapter is just here to quickly tell of the period between the end of term and start of the new term, what Hermione and Harry did etc, I hope you don't find it to boring, but remember it is simply here to act as a filler before the next part.
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The life of Harry Potter, and Hermione's part in it.
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Part Eleven
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Eagerly looking forward to a relaxing Christmas at home, the Granger family arrived home from Kings Cross to find Minerva McGonagall waiting on the front door step for them. As soon as they arrived she asked them if they would all be willing to stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas holiday. She explained to them that as Harry and Hermione were now of school age and attending Hogwarts, they could no longer cover up their training as underage accidental magic. Even with the help of Sorcha the wards that Minerva had placed on the house were no longer strong enough to mask their magic, as it was now far too powerful to hide.
The only way to continue their training would be to do it at Hogwarts and it would be simpler if they all stayed there than if they travelled back and forth.
Minerva apologised for not bringing the subject up earlier but as she was the new head she had to wait to see just who would be remaining at the school during the break, as it was there were no pupils and only three teachers.
After a short family conference it was agreed although grudgingly that they should all go to Hogwarts. Mr and Mrs Granger wearing special bracelets from Minerva that allowed them to see the magical world were eager to see the castle that their two children were living in most of the year. It was something of a privilege as Muggles rarely got to see the castle, and they were the first this century. Helen and Richard packed their suitcases for what was obviously going to be a rather cold but extremely enlightening holiday. With the house locked up and their car locked in the garage Helen and Richard joined Harry and Hermione in catching hold of an old boot, as soon as Minerva took hold of it with them the portkey that the boot was, was activated and took them right into the headmistress's office.
Hermione and Harry moved their trunks back into their quarters while Helen and Richard settled them selves in to the guest quarters they were given. Once they had stowed all their things away they all met up in the great hall. Minerva took the Grangers for a tour of the castle giving them a running commentary as they walked. Both Richard and Helen were amazed at the sights within the ancient castle; the moving paintings absolutely fascinated Richard. Helen nearly fainted when she saw Hermione talking to the ghost of nearly headless Nick; it took some getting used to, to find that there really were such things as real ghosts, even though Hermione had mentioned them in her letters.
At supper Minerva informed them that Hermione and Harry would be having practical lessons for two hours before lunch and one hour after lunch every day of the holiday, after which they would be doing two hours a day in the evenings through out the next term. She was hoping to get them so fit and well trained that they would no longer need to hide from Dumbledore or any death eaters they might meet.
At eleven am the next morning Hermione and Harry met professor Flitwick in the charms classroom. He had with him his cousin who was there to teach them some simple muggle self defence tactics.
Their first two hours was a gruelling mixture of running, push ups and then more running, during the second running session professor Flitwick had them doing charms, hex's and jinx's as they ran. Neither Hermione nor Harry found it an easy task, but they persevered and by the time they had finished their mornings lessons they could perform at least three different spells while on the move.
After lunch and a short rest they joined Minerva and the Grangers in the transfiguration classroom. Minerva had them transfiguring odd items into various weapons, teaching them the spells they needed until they could do the transfiguration without having to think about it. Both Harry and Hermione were getting faster at casting spells, needing much less rest between the charms and spells to rebuild their magical strength. Richard and Helen were absolutely fascinated by all the things that their two young ones could do.
By the Wednesday of their first week of the holiday they were both feeling tired and weary. They had aches and pains all over, but they were gritting their teeth and doing the best they could. Richard joined them on Wednesday for their runs and took them around the black lake before having them run up and down the main stair case all the time practising their charms and transfiguration spells.
Wednesday afternoon they had their first defence against the dark arts lesson. They were both surprised when their teacher turned out to be Sirius, who was accompanied by Remus Lupin. Sirius was quite surprised at just how advanced they were and decided that their next subject should be the patronus spell. It took the entire hour before Harry managed to create a small umbrella of silver mist. Sirius told them it would stop a Dementor temporarily but that was all, they were given the patronus spell to do as home work.
For the rest of Wednesday afternoon and into the evening both Harry and Hermione repeatedly attempted the patronus spell, it was just before bed time when, Hermione and then just a few seconds later Harry, both created a fully corporeal patronus. When Remus who had been walking along the same corridor asked them about it they both admitted to using more or less the same memory to help them feel happy enough to do the spell correctly.
It was the memory of the day when Harry first woke to find himself in the Grangers home and Hermione had held his hand, it was the day their lives changed.
Friday at breakfast Minerva caught them all by surprise when she asked Sirius if he would stand in as the defence against the dark arts teacher until the end of the school year, with a little encouragement from Remus Sirius agreed but insisted he be allowed to run things the way he wanted.
Having had a free weekend to relax and enjoy the company of Helen and Richard properly. Hermione and Harry found themselves being woken up at six-o-clock on Monday morning. Sirius had decided that they would need to increase their physical endurance ability and so he was going to be adding a Muggle lesson to their curriculum, Physical training would take place every morning of the year at six a.m.
Neither Hermione or Harry enjoyed the idea but they had both done the PT lessons in their primary schools so they reluctantly agreed it would help to make and keep them fit, unlike the rest of the wizarding world who hardly ever got any exercise of any kind, few of them even walked more than a few yards, and that was usually when they were in Diagon Alley doing their shopping.
For the rest of their first Christmas holiday at Hogwarts Hermione and Harry spent most of the time doing practical lessons of one sort or another. Remus had bought several books on the strange power of hypnosis and taught Harry how to use this ability as best as he could. Harry discovered that almost all wizard folk who had not grown up in a Muggle family were quite easy to hypnotise.
For the last week of the holiday Minerva, with some persuasion from both the Granger adults and Sirius agreed that all the Granger family should spend the last few days at home as a normal family. Harry and Hermione would get a well deserved rest and the family bond that had become so strong over the previous two and a half years could be renewed and strengthened. Both the children were happy and excited to be going home, even if it was just for a week.
Every morning that week Mr and Mrs Harry Potter woke up at six and went out for a run around the local park, they both found that they actually enjoyed the runs now that they were used to doing them.
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~*~*~*~ At the beginning of the holiday...
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Minerva McGonagall said a silent prayer as she pulled her cloak tighter around her and waited, she was worried about the plans she had discussed that morning with Sirius and Remus, she was not sure that she could persuade the Grangers to spend their Christmas holiday at Hogwarts, she was sure that they would want to spend the time as a family, especially at this time of year.
She knew that all families needed to spend time together to rebuild the family ties. She also knew that Harry Potter, the boy she looked on as almost a son, needed the bond that a good family always seemed to have. More so than most students, her students being away from home and spending most of the next seven years mainly in the company of other children could actually weaken family ties and bonds. She had seen it happen more than once in her teaching career at Hogwarts, not wanting such a thing to happen to the Grangers was what had her worried the most. So with these thoughts drifting around in her head she paced slowly backward and forward across the path that led from the Granger front door down to the road side.
It was with great relief she pulled out the portkey that would take them all back to the great wizard school of Hogwarts, she watched the disappointment but resolute determination on the faces of the two youngest of the Grangers, or as they now were she reminded herself 'the Potters'.
Mr and Mrs Potter being married still surprised her, and she wondered not for the first time how it was possible that the wedding bond had worked for two children who were so very young, Harry was still only eleven, Hermione just a little over twelve.
For the following three weeks Minerva watched with pride as the two children who called her aunty, both took everything they were asked to do in their stride. They never really complained at all and they were learning and improving even faster than she had expected. She had the vague thought that her other students should be so willing and so clever, but then she dismissed the thought, these two young people were special; they were nothing like their peers.
Hermione wanted nothing more than to be able to protect Harry, and in her dedication to this task she was becoming the greatest witch Hogwarts had ever seen. Harry himself simply wanted to please Hermione, it was his way of thanking her for rescuing him from his awful relatives, and he in turn was becoming a wizard to rival Merlin.
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Sirius and Remus were discussing the patronus's of Hermione and Harry, Remus had just witnessed them in one of the corridors leading to Gryffindor tower, both were corporeal and both were large. Hermione had created a rather beautiful silver doe and Harry had caused Remus to gasp when he created a huge stag. A stag that looked remarkably like his fathers animagus form, and yet Harry could not possibly know about his fathers' secret ability.
"I think we should find a Bogart for them to practice with, that way they will get some idea of the things those evil things can do to a person," Remus said noticing his best friend shiver "I could take those lessons for you padfoot." he added as an after thought.
Sirius reluctantly agreed and the lessons were discussed and planned by the two friends, along with the fitness regime they hoped to begin and continue through the year and even further if possible.
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The rest of the school year was fairly quiet for both Harry and Hermione, the only really exciting thing that happened outside their lessons was when early in the term they stumbled on a hidden valley while walking around the head of the black lake. Harry had discovered a long since disused and overgrown path that led them to a small stone bridge over the stream that fed the lake. Following the path beyond the stream the two Potters came upon a deserted village, they could tell it had once been a small magical community that had lived there but at first they could find no indication of why the place was deserted.
The small village consisted of fifteen cottages of various sizes and shapes all placed around what must have been a village green. There was a small shop, and a rather odd shaped pub that seemed to resemble the description of the Weasley home described by Harry in 'the book'. It was in the pub that Hermione eventually discovered that the village had been abandoned in the early eighteenth century when Hogsmeade had become much more popular. She found the remains of an old diary that told of the steady decline in customers that finally led to the closure of the pub in 1748.
For the remainder of the term, each weekend they used the village and its buildings as a private place to safely read the book, and to practice the charms and spells they came across in it. Hermione found a fairly large house that still contained a fair amount of furniture and several very old books that she had not seen in the school library.
With equal enthusiasm they both began to read the books after quickly cleaning the down stairs of the house and doing a few repair charms on some of the chairs, Harry named the house 'Potter Palace', which when she looked around at the broken windows and peeling wall paper caused Hermione to laugh long and hard.
Neville Longbottom was invited to join them on their second weekend at Potter Palace and after a little fun playing normal children's games in and around the village Hermione declared Neville mayor of 'Potters Bottom'.
Neville with help from Hermione and occasionally from Harry became much better at doing the spells he had been failing at in the normal classes, Harry read in their book that Neville's problem stemmed from not having his own wand; instead he was using his father's old wand.
At the end of term while travelling home on the Hogwarts express just before they entered London Hermione duplicated Neville's wand and then Harry snapped the duplicate in two, Neville would show his grandmother the broken wand pieces and hopefully be taken to Ollivander's to buy a wand that suited him.
Hermione and Harry spent each weekend of the summer holiday at Hogwarts where they were taught up to N.E.W.T level. In the history of Hogwarts there had never been two more powerful magical people, and each week their power grew. Each morning the Potters rose at six and went out for a run, they had become determined to stay fit.
Minerva marvelled at what could be achieved when Muggle born children began to learn magic two years earlier than they normally would. Neither Harry nor Hermione had reached the age when they would doubt if real magic existed. The day that Harry had given Hermione the book about his life they still had their childish belief in the truth of magic and fairies and father christmas. So they simply accepted that magic was real and that they were magical people, they accepted it and began to practice it. Sorcha sitting in her rocking chair kept an eye on her replacement as Hermione grew in both magic and intelligence, and she was happy with what she saw, she knew that Hermione would one day make her name in the history of wizarding kind.
