A/N: Fleur and Bill have never dated in this fic. Only a small change, but one that we felt was important to point out.
Harry Potter: World at War
Chapter 12: The Burrow
"Harry? Mum says breakfast is ready!"
"Just a minute!" Harry called back over his shoulder.
He turned back to the desk in what had once been Fred and George's room. Resting on the rickety desk was an envelope with a familiar seal on it.
Harry grabbed the envelope and tucked it into his pillowcase. He hated hiding his contact with Pansy from the Weasleys, but given Ron's deep rooted hatred of all things Slytherin, he knew it could only cause problems.
Harry took a quick glance around the small bedroom, before ducking through the doorway and hurrying down the stairs.
Ron and Ginny were sitting around the small table, already eating.
"Harry dear!" Molly said from where she stood by the stove. "How did you sleep?"
"Excellent Mrs. Weasley, thank you." Harry said.
"Tsk tsk, I've told you to call me Molly!" The Weasley matriarch corrected. "Don't make me fetch my wooden spoon!"
Harry grinned and took a seat.
Molly brandished her wand and a towering plate flew over to him.
"Thank you Molly." Harry said, picking up his silverware and digging into his eggs.
"It's delicious as always." He mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"You're so sweet." Molly smiled. "Would you like some tea?"
Harry shook his head as he swallowed. "No thank you, this is plenty for me. Where are the others at?"
"Charlie went back to Romania last night, Fred and George have been living above the shop, Bill got called into work early this morning, Percy's still a prat, and Ginny's right here." Ron said, counting them off on his fingers.
Harry nodded and took a big bite of bacon. "What do we have planned today?"
Ron shrugged. "I dunno really. The summer's kinda boring now that Fred and George are gone. I wanted to play some Quidditch, but three people just doesn't work."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, we can't really do that. . ."
"When do the O.W.L. results come in?" Harry asked after a moment of pause.
"Not until the end of August dear," Molly said. "A couple of months or so."
"Okay," Harry said standing up and grabbing his empty plate. "I've got some homework I need to take care of."
"What?" Ron said bewildered. "We had homework? From who?"
"Nothing assigned." Harry said sticking the plate in the sink, "Just some studying I need to catch up on."
Ron frowned. "Okay then. Ginny, do you want to go play some catch with the Quaffle?"
Ginny shook her head. "No, it's my O.W.L.s this year, so I really need to get a head start on my studies. Harry, I know a lot of people are confident that they passed their Defense O.W.L only because of the D.A. Are you planning on continuing the D.A. this year?"
"I don't really know," Harry said honestly as he sat back at the table. "I'm not sure that I have the time this year. With Voldemort back out in the open, I'll be focusing as much of my free time as possible on trying to close the gap between me and Voldemort."
"Wouldn't the D.A. be a step in that direction?" Ginny countered forcefully. "That way you can train with others of a similar skill level."
Harry bit back a retort. "The problem with the D.A.," He said after a moment. "Is that I have to teach to the lowest level. For what I need to do, I can't be spending my free time teaching the firsties how to cast a lumos."
"You don't have to," Ron pointed out. "The only reason that you included the lower years last year was because of Umbridge. If we're being honest, the firsties don't need the same level of training that the higher years do."
"Maybe. . ." Harry acquiesced. "It would work better if we restricted it to the upper years. Maybe sixth and seventh?"
Ginny glared at him. "Some of us are still in our O.W.L. year Harry!"
"Yeah you're right." Harry admitted. "If we take all the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. level students, then they can continue the program even after we're gone. Maybe we split it up into three levels within the D.A.?"
"But that defeats the purpose of the D.A." Ron said. "We wanted it to be a place everyone could be together and learn Defense. If we split it up by year, then we lose the sense of unity we had last time."
Harry frowned. "Yeah, you've got a point." He agreed, massaging his temples. "Merlin this is confusing."
"Well Hermione is coming over for the last week or so of summer. Let's wait until she gets here." Ron said. "She's much better at this organization stuff than either of us are."
Ginny scowled darkly. "Why didn't you tell me that Hermione was coming?"
Ron looked taken aback by the venom in her tone. "I didn't think that it was that important Gin. Sorry."
Ginny's scowl abruptly disappeared. "It's fine, I've been meaning to talk to her about some stuff anyway. No big deal."
"I think you're right Ron," Harry said interrupting the awkward moment between the Weasley siblings. "Hermione is much better than you or I are at this. We can table the D.A. discussion until she gets here in a few months."
"She'll be here before then." Molly said brightly, "She's coming over for your birthday Harry! You'll see her here in about two weeks."
Harry laughed. In the excitement of the last few weeks, he had completely forgotten about his birthday.
"You don't have to do anything for my birthday Molly." Harry said. "You've opened your home and your family to me. That's more than anything I could ever want for my birthday."
Molly walked across the room and scooped him into a hug. "Oh Harry you silly boy. Of course I'm still going to get you a present. You're just as much one of my kids as any of the others."
She ruffled his hair fondly. "I even think Fred and George have a potion that will give you the Weasley hair."
Harry laughed. "I think I'll stick to my Potter mop." He said, running his fingers through his shaggy hair.
Molly patted his cheek. "It suits you."
Ron belched loudly and stood up with his empty plate.
"Way to ruin the moment you prat." Ginny said grabbing her dishes from the table.
"What?" Ron said. "Mum knows that it's a compliment to her cooking."
Harry shook his head. "You never learn Ron." He said with a chuckle.
"What?" Ron asked again.
"I'm going upstairs to study." Harry said. "Come get me if anything happens."
"Don't forget to come down for lunch Harry." Molly smiled. "Otherwise I'll have to come up there and drag you down."
"Of course Molly," Harry said. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."
Harry stepped around the table and quickly made his way up the stairs and ducked into Fred and George's old room.
"Kreacher!"
-POP-
"Yes puny bitch Master?" The elf asked.
"How did things go with the Dursleys the other day?" Harry asked, kicking himself for not having asked earlier.
"Stupid elf Chuckles appeared to pop the Dursleys to Dumbledore's house." Kreacher said. "Kreacher followed Chuckles to be sure, but they are safe."
"Thank you Kreacher." Harry said. "Please go to Grimmauld Place and get my trunks. I've got a lot of studying to do."
"Kreacher lives to serve." The elf said with a sarcastic bow.
-POP-
Harry turned the lock on the door and walked over to his bed, reaching into the pillowcase, Harry pulled out the stiff envelope. He pulled the thick letter from the envelope and read through it.
Dear Harrison,
I wanted to thank you for answering my earlier letter. To be honest, I expected you to ignore it or throw it away. Most people prefer to associate with the other Hogwarts Houses, and Slytherin is treated with some disdain. I was glad to see that you aren't like many of the others. I'm sure that if I tried to write to Harry Potter or some other boy in my year, they would assume it was some kind of trick.
Speaking of Harry Potter, I know that you said you don't receive the Prophet, so I included a list of the highlights from the last few days in this letter. Harry Potter spoke out about how much he supported Fudge, and it was strange: his reasons were really similar to yours. He seems to agree that it would take too long for a new Minister to get used to the office, and by the time they did the Dark Lord would have won. According to Father, nobody is even willing to push for a vote of no confidence on Fudge any longer. Now that the papers are saying that the Dark Lord is back, Harry Potter is being hailed as the Chosen One who can do no wrong. So it's likely that Fudge will get to serve out the remainder of his term.
That could be a good thing though, the Death Eaters are becoming far more brazen than they have been in recent months. The Dementors have joined up with them and they are attacking Muggles in broad daylight, but they haven't done anything in the wizarding world since the battle at the Ministry last June. I think that you were right when you said the Dark Lord would take control of Britain if Fudge gets impeached. According to Father, he is moving much more quickly than any of the Wizengamot imagined. The Death Eaters are apparently recruiting from the students now too, since the Dark Lord lost so many of his followers at the Ministry. Malfoy actually sent me a letter the other day and told me that the Dark Lord had given him a special mission. Unfortunately he hasn't been Marked yet, so I can't even turn him into the authorities.
Merlin, I hate talking about this stuff. I can only hope that the war is won by the time I graduate Hogwarts, because I don't want to live in fear like this. So for the rest of this letter, I'm going to ignore everything else going on and just answer your questions.
I don't really care for being a Prefect. I'm sure that it looks good to a prospective employer or something, but it's a lot of extra work without much benefit. I can take points if I want to, but Malfoy has already ruined the points system. Slytherin won the house cup last year because Malfoy stood in front of the hourglasses taking points in the middle of the night from all the other houses. Plus I get stuck with late night patrols when I need to be studying, and there are mandatory meetings three or four times a week.
I'm pretty good at Charms and Transfiguration, but I'm absolutely pants when it comes to Defense or Potions. Luckily for Defense we've had so many varying instructors nobody really notices, and for Potions I'm partners with Malfoy, and despite his attitude, he truly is a potions prodigy.
I'm planning on getting some kind of position in the Ministry after I graduate Hogwarts, but I'm not really sure where to be honest. Any position I get is only likely to be temporary anyway, just long enough to stick my name out there and build some relationships before I get married and start having children. After that, I'll be a stay-at-home mum for a few years until my father decides to retire, and I inherit his Wizengamot seats. Between his seats, and the seats of my future husband, I'll be more than occupied with the Wizengamot to have a career.
I think that covers all of your questions, but don't hesitate to send more! I'm always willing to explain the ins and outs of wizarding politics. If you can't tell yet, it's something of a passion of mine. I have to admit, I am rather curious about a few things I hope you can help me out with. Were you in Potter's Defense club last year? If so, did it help you much? Like I said earlier, I'm awful at Defense, and I really need to get at least an EE on my N.E.W.T.s , and I'm considering asking Potter if he would be willing to tutor me. Father got a hold of the O.W.L. results early, and even though he refused to tell me my exact scores, he did say that over seventy percent of the O.W.L. students got an Exceeds Expectations or higher on the exam, and that only one of the Slytherins did. Potter definitely seems to have some talent for teaching, and I'm hoping he'll be willing to look past house rivalries.
In addition, I was wondering if you would be willing to tell me a little bit more about life with your Muggle relatives. I must confess that I have never had the opportunity to speak with a Muggleborn/Muggle-Raised about how they live during the summers, and it seems rather interesting to me. I even wanted to take Muggle Studies for an O.W.L. elective, but Father insisted that I take Ancient Runes instead. He thinks that it's something I should be able to read "just in case". I don't really know when it will come in handy, but Father can be rather persuasive when he wants something.
Mother is dragging me off to Diagon to get another new set of dress robes for one of Father's business parties. Don't get me wrong, I love wearing gowns and dressing up, but Father's parties are incredibly boring. It would be enjoyable if Mother allowed me to attend the political side of things with Father, but she wants me to play the Hostess while she spends time with the other wives. So I'm afraid I must be off.
-Pansy Parkinson
Also in the envelope was a collection of Daily Prophet clippings that Harry recognized from the last few days. 'POTTER BACKS FUDGE!' Blared one. Another showed a picture of a Death Eater in custody with the headline: 'FUDGE ORDERS THE CAPTURE OF FOURTEEN DEATH EATERS FROM WITHIN THE MINISTRY!'
Harry chuckled when he realized that Pansy had also included the Quidditch scores for him, along with an article on Umbridge's demotion.
Harry skimmed through Pansy's letter a few more times before setting it back on the desk. He was rather surprised by her tone in the letter. The first time she had written him she came across as lonely and bored at her home. But this time, her letter was much warmer and friendlier. He didn't really know what to make of it.
A few other things from her letter really popped out at him: she was apparently against Voldemort, and would happily turn Malfoy over to the Aurors if she had any proof. Despite her Pure-Blood status, and the blood supremacist persona she had cultivated at Hogwarts, she genuinely seemed interested in the Muggle world. And most shockingly, she wanted Harry Potter to tutor her in Defense.
Grabbing his quill and a roll of parchment from his trunk, Harry quickly penned a response.
Dear Pansy,
Thanks for keeping me up to date! Summers at my family's house are boring, and having somebody from the magical world keep in touch with me makes the time pass by a little bit quicker.
I'm glad to hear that Harry Potter came out in support of Fudge. I was only a few months old when the first war ended, so I certainly don't remember anything about how it was last time, but if You-Know-Who is as powerful as they say he is, then I feel it's only a matter of time until he gets direct or indirect control of the Ministry. And instilling a new Minister could only hasten that process.
Sorry, I'm repeating myself again. It's one of the issues I have during the summers. My Uncle is always traveling for business ever since he got promoted, and my Aunt is much like your Mum, she's always gossiping with her friends, so I spend a lot of time just talking to myself and going over the same points. So then when I talk to other people I often repeat points over and over again.
I am really surprised that Malfoy flat out told you he's been given a mission by the Dark Lord. He may be a braggart, but you would think that he would be smart enough to know that shooting his mouth off about You-Know-Who just makes him a target. Although I suppose you two are friends of a sort, so that could be it too.
I kinda feel the same way about being a Prefect you do. I'm not sure if I'll be offered the position, but if I am, I might turn Flitwick down. Like you said, it seems to be an awful lot of extra responsibility without actually having much in terms of benefits. Besides, I'd much rather use my extra time to relax or spend time with friends rather than patrolling the halls. Besides, like you mentioned the points system has been ruined in Hogwarts for years.
During my first year, Slytherin had a clear lead, and the day before the House Cup was awarded, Headmaster Dumbledore gave Gryffindor over 400 points, because Harry Potter found the Chamber of Secrets. Don't get me wrong, they earned their award for special services to the school, but giving them so many points completely destroyed the points system that year. And it only got worse since then.
As for living with the Muggles, it's not as bad as you would expect. Even though they don't have magic, they use their technology to serve a similar purpose. Heaters and Air Conditioners instead of Warming and Cooling charms, electricity instead of candles and magical lighting and so on.
But enough about how Muggles live, what about wizards? Aside from Hogwarts (which doesn't count) I've only ever visited a handful of wizarding homes, and they were polar opposites of one another. What about you?
I'm sure your ball will be over by the time you get this, but have fun! -Harrison
Harry read through his handiwork a few times before nodding. "Kreacher!" He called out.
-POP-
"Yes puny bitch Master?" Kreacher growled.
"I need you to take this letter to the Owl Office like you did last time." Harry ordered. "As soon as you're done, please return to the kitchen and ask Molly how you can help with lunch."
Kreacher glared at him, but took the envelope. "Kreacher will do as puny bitch Master says." The elf said spitefully.
"Kreacher." Harry said warningly. "I think it's time for a new name don't you?"
"Whatever simple Master wants." Kreacher said with a sarcastic bow.
-POP-
Harry shook his head and reached for his books. He had some studying to do.
*****HP: WAW*****
Harry quickly fell into a routine at the Burrow. He would wake up before dawn and go for his morning run. After he got back, he would shower and study from his textbooks until Molly called him down for breakfast. After they ate, he would spend a few minutes with Ron and Ginny, before going back up to his room to study some more. After lunch, Harry would head to the woods behind the Burrow where he could practice some of the more destructive spells he was learning without alerting the nearby Muggles. Bill would get home sometime after 4:00, and he would tutor Harry in the basics of curse-breaking and dueling. By the time dinner rolled around, Harry was usually exhausted and would head straight to his room as soon as he finished eating. Every few days Pansy would send him another letter, and he would reply, but most days, he went straight to sleep.
The days passed by in a blur, but Harry felt that he was making great progress with his self-study, he was able to maintain spells for far longer than he ever had before, and he had a much larger spell arsenal than he used to. Bill had taught him the basics of magic detection, and Harry amused himself by trying to discover the spellwork used to keep the Burrow standing.
On Harry's sixteenth birthday he received a notice from Ragnok that the goblins were still working on combining the Potter and Black accounts. Apparently, when the Potters' wills were sealed, it couldn't be opened by an emancipation, only marriage, or Harry turning seventeen. Ragnok was hopeful that the goblins would be able to unseal the will, but mentioned that it could take a few months still. Harry's birthday dinner was a quiet affair, Hermione and the Twins came, along with the rest of the Weasleys still living at home. But after the brief distraction ended, Harry returned to his daily routine.
With such a steady rhythm of work, Harry barely noticed the passage of time. It wasn't until Hermione showed up at the Burrow during breakfast one morning that Harry realized it was already the end of August.
*****HP: WAW*****
"Harry dear," Molly said from the stove. "I really must insist that you get a second helping. You've been here for months already, and you're still as skinny as a beanpole!"
"It's in my genes Molly!" Harry protested. "I've always been thin."
"Even so," Molly chided. "With as much magic as you're casting every day, you really do need to eat more. Food is energy you know."
Harry resisted rolling his eyes. "Yes Molly,"
Molly waved her wand and the steaming platter of bacon dumped itself onto Harry's plate. "Eat all of that and then you can go back to your studies."
Harry sighed and grabbed a piece.
A sharp knock came from the door.
"I'll get it!" Harry said, happily abandoning his plate of food. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ron nick a rasher of bacon while Molly's back was turned. Silently, he thanked his ever-hungry friend.
Harry pulled open the door to see a beaming Hermione holding Crookshanks.
"Hermione!" He said happily, pulling her into a one armed hug. "How have you been?"
"Absolutely fantastic!" Hermione said happily, as she stepped into the living room. "Mum and Dad went on a trip to Egypt, and while we were there, I got to visit the Library of Alexandria! It was awesome!"
"I'm sure it was," Harry smiled as he grabbed Hermione's bag. "I'd like to go visit when I have some free time. I've worked my way through most of the books I already have for the summer. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how many more advanced books Hogwarts is going to have."
"Welcome Hermione!" Molly said happily. "If you're hungry, breakfast is still on the stove."
"Thank you Mrs. Weasley." Hermione said. "But I'm going to take Crooks upstairs first. He's rather grumpy after traveling by Portkey. Which room am I staying in?"
"You'll be in Percy's old room." Molly said warmly. "You were going to bunk with Ginny, but she thought that you'd rather have your own space."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Hermione said. "I'll be right back down."
She quickly vanished up the stairs with Crookshanks.
Harry sighed heavily.
"What's wrong Harry?" Molly asked him.
"Nothing." Harry said shaking his head. "I just didn't realize the summer was almost over. It's going to be weird going back to Hogwarts."
"You're lecturing the professor here Harry," Molly smiled. "After more than twenty years of a full house, when you guys go back to Hogwarts, it's just going to be me here. Sirius left us more than enough to live comfortably for hundreds of years, but I might get a job just to get out of the house."
Harry looked at her. It was only then that he realized how hard the past few months had been on Molly. She put on a brave face, but clearly she was afraid of being left alone in the Burrow once everyone went back to Hogwarts.
Harry wrapped his arms around Molly and pulled her into an awkward hug. "I'm so sorry Molly. For everything."
Molly sniffled as she returned the hug. "Don't you go blaming yourself again Harry. It might be a little strange to have an empty house, but Bill will still be here, and Christmas is only a few months away."
Harry heard a sudden cry from the kitchen.
"Harry they're here!" Hermione shrieked.
Drawing his wand from his robes, Harry quickly walked into the kitchen, surveying the room for any possible threats.
"Put that thing away Harry!" Hermione said bossily. "There's no danger! But look!" She pointed at the table. "The O.W.L results just came in."
Stacked on the table were three thick envelopes, as well as one slightly thinner one.
Hermione started pacing nervously. "This could be really really bad you guys." She babbled. "What's going to happen if we failed? Are they going to make us repeat fifth year?"
"I'm sure you didn't fail Hermione." Ron said soothingly. "You're bloody brilliant! You're probably the first student to get an O on all eleven of your O.W.L.s!"
"Thanks Ron," Hermione said with a weak smile. "I guess there is no point in waiting any longer is there?"
Harry reached past her and plucked his envelope from the top of the stack. He carefully tore it open and removed the first sheet of parchment, ignoring the small badge that tumbled out.
Ordinary Wizarding Level Results: Pass Grades:
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (EE)
Acceptable (A) Fail Grades:
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
Required O.W.L. Scores for N.E.W.T. Level classes
Arithmancy: (EE)
Astronomy: (A)
Care of Magical Creatures: (A)
Charms: (EE)
Defense Against the Dark Arts: (EE)
Divination: (A)
Herbology: (EE)
History of Magic: (A)
Muggle Studies: (EE)
Potions: (EE)*
Study of Ancient Runes: (EE)
Transfiguration: (EE) *
Harry Potter has achieved:Astronomy: (A)
Care of Magical Creatures: (EE)
Charms: (EE)
Defense Against the Dark Arts: (O)
Divination: (P)
Herbology: (EE)
Potions: (EE)
Transfiguration: (EE)
History of Magic: (EXEMPT)
Harry sighed in relief: his results were much better than he had been expecting. He folded up the results and set them back on the table, before pulling the next sheet of parchment from the envelope.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Due to extenuating circumstances, the O.W.L. board has elected to deem you exempt from your History of Magic O.W.L. Should you wish to retake the test this spring along with the current fifth year students, that is your right. However, due to the interference of former Headmistress Dolores Umbridge, and your medical collapse during the exam, you will not be held accountable for the incomplete O.W.L. test dated on Thursday, June 20th, 1996.
Thank you for your cooperation regarding this matter Mr. Potter, and congratulations on your seven O.W.L.s.
Sincerely,
Griselda Marchbanks
O.W.L. Testing Examiner
Harry smiled broadly despite himself. He doubted that he would bother to retake the exam, but it was a comforting feeling nevertheless.
He looked around. Hermione had her back to rest of the room, and she was furiously reading through her scores, but Ron was looking delighted.
"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" He said happily to Harry. "Here. . . swap. . ."
Harry glanced down Ron's grades: There were no "Outstandings" there.
"Knew you'd be top at Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ron said, giving Harry a friendly punch to the shoulder. "We've done all right, haven't we?"
"Well done!" Molly said proudly, ruffling Ron's hair. "Seven O.W.L.s, that's more than Fred and George got together!"
Ron grinned sheepishly. "I did alright, but not as good as Harry! He got an Outstanding in Defense, and he was made Quidditch Captain!"
"I was?" Harry asked bewildered.
Ron handed him the small badge that had fallen onto the table.
Harry looked down at the gleaming silver and smiled. "I thought Katie would have gotten it for sure! She's been on the team longer than I have."
"Only by a few weeks," Ron pointed out. "And traditionally, the Captain is usually a Seeker or a Keeper, since they have time to watch the rest of the team while doing their job. However at Hogwarts, it usually just goes to the most deserving."
Molly smiled and patted Harry's shoulder. "Congratulations Harry! I think you've earned it! I'll have to come out and see one of your games!"
"Hermione?" said Ginny tentatively, for Hermione still hadn't turned around. "How did you do?"
"I—not bad," said Hermione in a small voice.
"Oh, come off it," said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. "Yep... ten 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defense Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"
Hermione shook her head, "Not about my grades, did you see the last page?"
Harry stared for a moment and picked up his envelope one more time. Sure enough there was yet another sheet of parchment to read.
"Dear Hogwarts student," Harry read aloud. "As I am sure you have seen in the papers throughout the summer, the Magical World is facing a terrorist threat. To help avoid an obvious target for the Death Eaters, students are encouraged not to go to Diagon Alley for their required purchases. Instead, Diagon Alley vendors will be visiting the school during the first week of term, and students will be able to make their purchases from within the safety of the school's wards. Furthermore, the Hogwarts Express will not be departing September 1st, but rather the 24th of August, we apologize for the short notice, but it is a necessary safety precaution. Thank you for your understanding, Hogwarts Staff."
Hermione nodded. "If the Board of Governors are putting that out there, then they must be terrified. I wonder how long Dumbledore had to argue with them in order to keep the school open."
"I'm quite sure that I don't want to know." Molly said firmly. "But I did attend a meeting with the Headmaster a few weeks ago: apparently, they're planning on having the Hogwarts Express under strict protection. He mentioned Auror patrols, Order Members polyjuiced as students, and more of the like. Dumbledore actually swore all of the Hogwarts parents to secrecy. He was very worried about the news getting back to You-Know-Who. He actually asked me if I knew how Arthur enchanted that damned Ford of his to fly. Albus seemed to think that it would be quite the security feature."
Harry laughed. "You know, the night that we went to Ministry, I asked the Anglia if it would fly a letter here to Arthur. Do you know if he received it?"
Molly shook her head. "No, we were staying at Grimmauld Place, but I never saw it. Arthur first heard about the battle from Kingsley."
"I wonder if that was you then . . ." Hermione said slowly. "When I got back home this summer, I spent a few days catching up on the news I had missed while we were all at Hogwarts. I didn't place it at the time, but there was a story about a 1959 Ford Anglia that had been put on the roof of the Secondary School near my house. Everyone thought that is was prank by the students."
"It's possible." Harry allowed. "Magic certainly isn't permanent, and at that point it had been enchanted for at least 4 years."
"Not to mention that it had been running rogue in the Forest." Ron pointed out. "We don't know what kind of effect that would have on the spells. The Forest itself is innately magical."
"Good point Ron!" Hermione beamed.
"Well you don't have to look so surprised about it." Ron said. "I have good ideas every now and then."
"Right," Harry said in his best impression of Ron. "You play as a castle Hermione, Harry you're a bishop, and I'm a knight."
Hermione laughed. "Only one of us needed to play, and if you had just taken the place of the king, we'd have all been better off."
Ron glared at him. "You're only telling me this now? I could have died!"
Harry raised his hands defensively. "It's not like I realized it at the time either. We're just teasing you mate."
Ron smiled. "Of course you are. No big deal."
"Not to interrupt your bonding session, but according to our letters, the Hogwarts Express leaves Platform 9 3/4 tomorrow at 11 AM." Ginny interrupted. "I don't know about you lot, but I've got a lot of packing I still need to do. I was expecting to have a full week still."
"I'm all packed." Hermione said unnecessarily. "I just need to put Crooks in his carrier in the morning and I'll be ready to go."
"I've got a few things strewn about." Harry added. "But it'll only take me a few hours to get it all organized."
Ron looked aghast. "We need to get packed today? This is going to take up the rest of our free time! I don't want to go back to classes yet!"
A/N: Surprise! Another early chapter! I always thought it was strange that they never changed the time for the Hogwarts Express, it seemed an obvious target for Voldemort. But my Dumbledore thought of it, and took necessary precautions. I hope the time skip came out alright, it's the first time that I've attempted something like that in this fic. Next chapter will be the end of the summer, and the ride on the Hogwarts Express.
Enjoy your chapter, and if you're in the States, enjoy your holiday! —BETA OUT!