"Ron! Harry!"
Their feet moved with speed they didn't know possible down the winding stone steps, not even bothering to slip on slippers or pull on their trainers as they darted out of their beds.
Her scream had been panicked, which scared them more having never heard her lose it. Her cries seemed to have woken up the entire tower though as they had to nudge their way past a couple of first years who had wandered out of their own dorms to investigate the source of the panicked screams.
"Ginny!" Ron gasped seeing her on the floor next to a fallen chair, Hermione and a few others crowded around her head. "What happened?"
"I-I I don't know," Hermione said, trying to shoo the others away as she held Ginny's wrist, feeling for a pulse. "She-she's breathing, I've already checked," she sighed, "She was sitting doing her work and I was just there," she explained pointing at a nearby table where her textbooks still resided. "But then she gasped and then she fell off her chair."
"How long has she been knocked out?" Harry asked, trying to brush some of the red-strands of hair off her face and away from her lips.
"Not more than a minute," Hermione said.
"Do Fred, or George, or Percy know?" Harry asked.
"Has anyone sent for Madam Pomfrey, or McGonagall?" Ron asked before she had a chance to answer.
"I haven't seen any of Ron's brothers and one of the third-years went in search of either-"
"Ron, look!" Harry exclaimed, watching as the young girl's eyes started to flutter and her expression changed.
The trio scooted back as she nearly missed whacking Ron's knee with the back of her hand as she made to reach the back of her head.
"Don't sit up unless you think you can," Hermione said, making their presence known. "You fainted, I think."
"They're not there," the girl practically whispered, perching herself up steadily on her elbows.
"Whose not where?" Hermione questioned.
"The voices-"
"Don't tell me you're a parselmouth too after everything that happened," Ron grumbled, leaning against the overturned chair.
"Ron!" Harry and Hermione chastised him at once.
"What?" he exclaimed.
"Are you alright, Ginny?" Harry asked, helping her to stand-up. "Do you remember anything before you fell?"
"Can you take me to Professor Dumbledore?" she asked, her eyes more alive than they had been since they opened.
Harry nodded, motioning for Ron and Hermione to come along. The four young Gryffindor's moved quickly through the hall despite Hermione's worrying about the youngest Weasley's potential head injuries. The hallways were vacant for the most part except for those few leaving the library before curfew whose voices could be heard heading towards the grand staircases.
"What are you four doing?"
They turned round just as they had nearly made it to the entrance to the Headmaster's study to see Professor McGonagall rushing towards them, a third year following behind.
"She wanted to go see Professor Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed just as it seemed she was about to explode with anger. He watched intently as her expressions changed as she looked over Ginny, whose eyes met the Professor's own determined gaze.
"Very well," she sighed, "You four may return to the tower," she said, pointing at Ron, Hermione, Harry and the third-year, the latter who immediately turned following orders.
"Professor-"
"Just this once," she relented, knowing where the three were headed in their pleas. "I take it you still remember the password."
The trio nodded.
"I expect you to return straight to Gryffindor tower once you are through, am I understood?"
"Yes Professor," the Gryffindor's responded.
"Off you go then," she sighed, shooing them away.
They took off in a sprint race the moment they escaped from the Professor's gaze, skidding to a stop only once they came face to face with the Gryphon statue that was in the midst of turning, a familiar face just stepping off.
"I had thought that perhaps Professor Dumbledore might've had a few weeks breaks from these surprise visits of yours," Remus mused, hands in pockets as he surveyed the group assembled in front of him.
"It's urgent," Ginny said, darting around the Professor.
Remus observed the trio who looked at him apologetically before taking off after Ginny. "It always is," he sighed, before following suit up the stairs once again.
He stood behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione who stayed a distance back from where Ginny was conversing with Professor Dumbledore.
"Well I think I can help you to understand my dear girl," the Professor said, disappearing behind his desk and reemerging with the diary they had turned into him when they first discovered Ginny's secret. He held it out to her, assuring her calmly when she began to back away.
"I don't-"
"It looks different, does it not?" he asked her, sitting next to her on the steps.
"There's a hole and it's dripping with ink," she said bluntly.
"It's been destroyed, Miss. Weasley, just as I promised," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "You will no longer feel a pull to go back to that restroom where Myrtle and the entrance to Slytherin's Chamber presides."
"How? I tried everything I could think of to destroy it and nothing worked," she questioned him, her voice growing excited.
Dumbledore stood up once more, wandering this time towards a series of glass cabinets that he opened with a flick of his wrist, the shelves extending open and exposing intricate compartments that he peered into before extracting one in particular. "When the teams went down into the Chamber," he explained, "As I'm sure you know found the Basilisk and killed it. The Professors along with the Magizoologists and a few others from the Ministry were able to go down and search through the Chamber, and I myself was quite fascinated by the beast itself. I plucked these from its gums." He held out in his palm a small sample of the collection of Basilisk fangs that he had extracted. "As I promised I have been trying to figure out how to separate you completely from Tom Riddle and this diary. You were right when you said not just anything would destroy it try as one might. But these," he said, taking one and sticking it in the hole that now occupied the center of black leather diary, "Were the key."
"You stabbed it?" Ron asked incredulously.
"I did indeed, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, smiling at the boy's reaction.
"How did you know it would work?" Hermione questioned, coming closer to observe the book that Ginny still had firmly gripped in her hands.
"He didn't," Harry said, taking a looks as well.
"Yes," Professor Dumbledore said, "And no. I had a feeling that Tom Riddle would not have thought that anyone would have gotten close enough to the beast in the Chamber to realize the powers it held over dark objects. The diary preserved a part of Voldemort's memory that possessed you when you started conversing with it, Miss. Weasley. And he used it; he used you to reopen the Chamber in hopes of finishing the job that Salazar Slytherin was unable to do before he fled the school-"
"To purge the school of all those who he didn't think should be able to study magic," Remus said, connecting the pieces.
"You stabbed it with a fang because Slytherin wanted to kill muggleborns?" Ron questioned.
"I don't understand either," Hermione said, Harry nodding in agreement behind her.
"No, I stabbed the diary with the basilisk fang because just like Salazar Slytherin, Tom Riddle too did not believe their creation's could be defeated, so they did not set up or think of how such things could be destroyed. Turned out that when the teams destroyed the Basilisk, Riddle's diary could be destroyed as well. The Basilisk venom is what made it possible and that venom survives in these fangs."
"And because the diary was destroyed the voices in my head- Tom, he's-"
"Gone," Dumbledore said simply, the twinkle returning to his eye.
The sound of basilisk fangs hitting the stone floor of Dumbledore's office startled all of the room's occupants as Ginny got up and hugged the Headmaster who chuckled in return.
"Professor-"
"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it," he said softly, narrowing his eyes at the trio that stood behind.
"Thank-you Professor Dumbledore," Ginny said, stepping back, smiling widely.
"No, thank-you, Miss. Weasley, for having the bravery and courage to know when to seek help and to continue on despite what the voices in your heads were trying to convince you to do," he said, walking the four Gryffindor's towards the door. "There are not many people, including myself, that would be able to show the strength that you have this past year," he told her, "I suspect that we will see a great number of things from you in your years at Hogwarts, Miss. Weasley, just as we have seen in your brother," he said looking at Ron, then Hermione and finally Harry, "And his friends. Now I suggest you all return to your tower, still a few minutes left until curfew. If anyone questions your wanderings, please refer them to me."
"Thank-you Professor," all four said to the Headmaster as they passed.
"Best of luck on your examinations," he said to them just before they descended the stairs. "Remus, I wonder if I might trouble you for a favor this late evening," he said returning to his office.
"Not at all, Professor," Remus said, picking up the diary from where it had splayed out on the floor.
"I believe that the Weasley's would rather like to hear of this latest development in their daughter's story and I feel as though a personal message would be best for this kind of news…"
"Would you mind if I took this?" Remus asked, holding the book up for the Headmaster to see.
The headmaster shook his head, smiling as he shooed him towards the fireplace. "I'll leave the network open so you can return by floo from Grimmauld Place when you're set to return. Do not worry about waking me when you return…I assure you I sleep like one of Hagrid's rock-cakes after a long day," he chuckled before returning to his work just as Remus disappeared with the dying flames.
"I think this is yours, Harry," Ron said, his voice slightly muffled as it rose out from under his bed.
The black-haired, be speckled boy made his way around his own four-poster bed to where his best-mate's hand was sticking out, a single black sock in his hand. Harry picked the sock up tentatively, holding it far away from his face as he inspected it and the dust-bunnies that seem to have gotten attached to it over the months it was probably trapped under that bed. "You know what, I think I might just be able to let this one go," he said, tossing it into the garbage can they had dragged towards their side of the room.
Ron took a deep breath, exhaling loudly as he leaned back against his bed, having finally surfaced. The boy couldn't help but laughing at Harry's expression that he had just managed to catch a glimpse of before he had tossed it.
"Did you get everything, then?" Harry asked, taking a seat on the edge of Ron's nearby trunk.
"The house-elves can deal with the rest," Ron grumbled, getting up to toss the broken quills and empty inkbottles he had found into the bin.
"What exploded in here?"
"The underside of Ron's bed," Harry snickered, ducking behind one of the bedposts just as Ron sent yet another spare sock his way.
"Do you think maybe next school year will be normal?" Hermione asked, taking a seat on the end of Ron's bed, in the small space free of his robes and other items. She laughed when Harry rolled his eyes, throwing his textbooks carelessly into his open trunk. "Are Sirius and Professor Lupin coming to your family's cottage as well?"
"Dad hasn't said," Harry responded, throwing the remainder of his belongings into the nearly full trunk before carefully tucking the invisibility cloak neatly into the side, "I hope they do," he grinned. "You should have seen them last year. Sirius and Remus pranked dad something terrible when they were out in town one night with mum."
"What'd they do?" Ron questioned with the largest of grins on his face as he sat down next to Hermione.
"Mum said that they were in one of the pubs and Sirius and Remus charmed dad's clothes so when he looked down they were what he had put on that morning, but to everyone else he was wearing a leotard and a tutu," Harry snickered. "Apparently the bar man was not too impressed and kicked dad out for unnerving his customers. Mum, Sirius and Remus let him sit out on the street for an hour yet as they finished their food," he smirked, "And they didn't remove the charm until he was out on the street. He spent an hour glaring at them through the pub's window. Mum said she had tears streaming down her face the whole time."
"Did your dad get back at them?" Hermione asked, who had taken to folding Ron's clothes and sorting his trunk for him.
"Oh, loads of times," Harry grinned, latching his trunk.
"Did your dad go after your mum too?" Ron asked, absentmindedly passing Hermione his clothes.
Harry beamed, nodding his head. "He pranked them all. He found a fake dummy in town one day then woke up early one day and put it in his and mum's bed. When she rolled over the next morning and looked at it she screamed louder than I've ever heard, I swear our neighbors down the way would've been able to hear. She fell backwards onto the floor too, got tangled in the covers and everything. And then for Sirius and Remus, well first he charmed all of Sirius hair off. He was bald and shut up in the house for three days. Both their rooms were also made into temporary swamps, and he put up anti-apparation wards on the place so they couldn't escape without walking through it. And if they tried another way the mucky water would rise."
"Must have driven your mum mad with all that water," Hermione laughed.
Harry nodded. "She was not impressed. The three of them spent an entire day cleaning the cottage while dad and I went out to town."
"I hope they'll get into another prank war like that again," Ron exclaimed, passing the last of his belongings to Hermione who tucked them away before latching his trunk shut. "Well that was painless," he declared, propping his trunk up on its end.
Hermione and Harry both shook their heads, trying but failing to hide their laughter.
"Oh there you lot are," Neville exclaimed, pausing to catch his breath at the door. "They're trying to load the last of the carriages," he told them when they looked at him with confused expressions.
The trio shot each other panicked expressions before scattering, Harry and Ron to quickly ensure they had everything, Harry desperately trying to get Hedwig to settle in her cage. Hermione had sped out the door to grab her own things. Neville stepped forward, grabbing Hedwig's cage out of Harry's hand.
"Thanks," Harry said with a sincere smile as he grabbed his trunk and began following Ron, their luggage echoing all the way down the stairs.
"What are your plans for the summer?" Neville asked once the three of them boarded the train a scolding from McGonagall and a rather long carriage ride later after having gotten stuck with Colin Creevy for the ride.
"Mum and dad say they have something planned but they haven't let me know just what it is yet," Hermione answered quickly, after the trio shared a moment of panic just as they took a seat in a mostly empty compartment.
"Going to my mum's family's cottage for a couple of weeks," Harry answered afterwards.
"I'll probably spend the summer throwing garden gnomes over the hedge," Ron grumbled before perking up. "What are your plans, Neville?"
The boy looked a little down at the thought. "Gran hasn't alluded to much," he shrugged.
"Maybe you can come over sometime," Ron offered with a grin.
Neville looked up then. "Do you mean it?"
"That'd be brilliant, Ron," Harry quickly agreed. "We might actually have an even number for a Quidditch match."
"I-er-"
"Hermione's going to get up there too," Ron assured Neville.
Hermione's jaw dropped, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to think of a retort.
"Come on, Hermione," Harry pleaded, "My dad and Sirius can teach you guys when they have some time off work," he added.
"Alright then, I'll give it a go," Neville agreed optimistically as he played with Trevor on his lap.
The three boys turned to Hermione who took turns staring at them in return. "No, no, absolutely-"
"Just give it one shot," Ron challenged.
Her eyes narrowed at the redheaded boy. "Deal," she relented, both reaching to shake the others hand in mutual agreement.
Harry and Neville grinned, the four of them breaking out in laughter once the seriousness of the whole exchange died away.
The day outside was bright as the Hogwarts Express sped onwards towards London. The train was filled with excited students running down the corridors, excited about the summer ahead. Ginny came running into their compartment just as they were passing by Birmingham, her face red from laughter as she collapsed next to Neville on one of the seats. Ron and Harry shrugged at her, getting up just then to go track down the trolley again to get some extra sweets for Sirius.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ginny warned, "Fred and George just set off a bunch of dungbombs all up and down the corridor. I ran here to escape, couldn't get back to the cabin I was in."
"Well at least Sirius will forgive me for not grabbing his sweets," Harry shrugged, slumping down onto the seat, "Nothing he appreciates more than a good prank."
"I can't imagine what Fred and George would manage to accomplish if they got wind of what your dad, Remus and Sirius got up to when they were in school," Ron mused, "McGonagall would have a fit."
"Excited to be done first year, Ginny?" Neville asked the girl.
Ginny nodded. "Like you wouldn't believe," she said, only Harry, Ron and Hermione understanding what she truly meant.
"First year wasn't that good for me either," Neville told her comfortingly, "Thinking about it though, second-year wasn't that good either. Except this past little while with Professor Lupin, and Herbology was always good-"
"Except for the mandrakes," Ron remarked.
"Honestly Ron," Hermione grumbled upon noticing Neville's expression. "Really, Neville, Malfoy looked like he and his goons were going to collapse at the noise too and their earmuffs weren't even defective," she assured him.
"Mandrakes?" Ginny questioned.
"Awful plant," Neville said, "But the mandrakes were what helped to create the cure for those who were petrified because of the monster this year."
"But you fainted because of a plant?" Ginny asked.
"Their cry is fetal if you hear it but in second-year you just work with the baby's," he began to explain, going on to discuss the rest of the second-year curriculum with Ginny as Hermione settled down with her book and Harry and Ron looked over their chocolate frog collections and discussed the Chudley Canons.
"I got your trunk, Harry," James said, pushing the trolley around to the back of the hatchback.
He followed his mum to the opposite side of the car, climbing into the back seat after a final wave to the Granger's who were making their way to their own car further down the road from the station.
"I'm excited to have you home for a while, sweetheart," his mum said as she turned around in her seat, resting her head on her hands that she had perched on the top of the passenger seat she was occupying. "How did your exams go? Or school? Anything, really that took place after Easter break that didn't involve the insane number of Quidditch practices Oliver had your team doing," she asked him eagerly; with a slight tone of disapproval he didn't miss.
He grinned awkwardly, running his hand nervously through his hair just as his father shut the trunk, yelling some profanity or another as he walked round to climb in the drivers seat.
"Sure you don't want me to drive?" his mum offered, trying her best to not show any humor on her husband's current predicament. "Your father and the car are having a slight disagreement," she half whispered, half mouthed to Harry who snickered at the situation.
"Having terrible eyesight has made my hearing just that much clearer, so you're both busted," James said without bothering to look at his family as he pulled out into the busy roadway. "Also it is not a disagreement, this bloody contraption is asking to be demolished, and I for one cannot wait for that day to come!"
"Whatever you say, love," Lily sighed, her one hand reaching up to comb through his messy locks. "So, as you were saying, sweetheart," she perked up, glancing back at him once more.
"Wait, what was he saying?" James asked, as he too glanced back at the boy through the rearview mirror.
"Mum was pestering-"
"Merely asking," his mum protested haughtily.
"Mum was asking," he corrected himself, emphasizing his mother's choice of wording, "how the work part of school has been since Easter."
"Ah, proceed," James instructed, with a wink at his son.
"Well for starters we're actually learning something useful in Defense. Remus is brilliant, dad. And everyone likes him because compared to Quirrell he can actually speak a full word without stuttering and compared to well both Quirrell and Lockhart, Remus actually knows what he's talking about. He probably already told you this but I finished at nearly top of the class at the end of term, based off of what he taught us alone!"
"That's terrific, Harry, really," James congratulated.
Lily smiled warmly. "What about your other classes? How was Professor Snape this term?"
"Everything else was pretty much the same as it was before. Transfiguration was really neat and Ron finally managed to turn an animal into a water goblet just a few weeks ago. Charms was charms, and History of Magic was even more boring and I didn't think that was possible-"
"And potions?"
"Snape still expected us to know everything before he taught it, but he stopped picking on poor Neville-"
"And what about you?"
"He wasn't breathing down my neck as much, that's for sure," Harry said with relief, "Ron and I actually managed to make a potion resembling what we were supposed to, so there's that."
"I'm glad to hear that class is getting better for you," his mum said genuinely, but Harry didn't fail to notice his dad roll his eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Did you say something to Professor Snape? Either one of you?" he asked outright.
"No," James said.
"Potentially," his mum admitted, sinking down in her seat.
"And he just listened?" Harry asked flabbergasted.
Lily looked at James nervously, the latter taking his one hand off the wheel and scooping up her hand into his own, squeezing it tight. "I, well I know Severus, sweetheart," she admitted, keeping her eyes glued on the road ahead.
"Severus? You just called- how? Why?"
"Your mum and I, and the rest of the gang were in the same year of Hogwarts as old Snape," James answered.
"You still called him Severus," Harry pointed out.
"Here's a new idea," Lily said quickly, turning to face Harry. "James, if you wouldn't mind dropping me off at work? I have some files to get out of the lab and a patient to check-on. And then you two can go over to the Leaky Cauldron for some dinner, and maybe have Sirius and Remus meet you there, he should be back at Grimmauld Place by now," she said as she glanced at her watch. "And then when I come," she said, looking directly at her son, cupping his cheek in her hand, "I'll explain everything, alright?"
"Why can't you just tell me now?"
"Sweetheart, that story spanned over seven years in the making, so it'll require a little longer than a car ride to get through," she said. "Isn't that right, James?" she said sharply, laughing when Jams provided her with his most innocent of grins.
"And how about for being such a good sport," James said, capturing his son's attention just as they pulled onto the road where the old department store was that masked the entrance to St. Mungo's, "The boys and I will tell you all you need to know about the infamous Marauders."
"Everything, everything?" Harry asked, his eyes alight with excitement.
"Even a few little tips and tricks for next year with those mates of yours," James promised.
"Go, go, go," Harry said quickly, hopping out of the car to open the door for his mum to get out. "There is no time to waste!"
"Alright, alright!" she said, laughing at her son's sweet antics, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before he ducked down into the front seat of the car and she closed the door behind him.
"Don't tell too many of the good stories before I get there, alright?" she asked James after moving round to his side of the car on her way to cross the street.
"Wouldn't dare," he promised, taking advantage of her leaning down to his level to capture his lips in his for the faintest of moments before she backed away, planting one more kiss on the tip of his nose, then forehead before taking off across the vacant street.
Both Harry and James waited there, until the moment that Lily turned around and with one last wave disappeared into the old shop window.
"Severus?" Harry turned to his dad immediately, "She calls him Severus?" he said again, even more disgust in his voice the second time round.
James chuckled loudly, holding his chest as he did. "Oh, Harry," he sighed, reaching to ruffle the black mop on his son's head. "Just you wait till Sirius gives you his input on the whole situation."
"He called him something that one time," Harry said as James began driving once more.
"Snivelus, I think is what you're referring to," James said, smiling when he took notice of the grin on Harry's face. "But," he warned, his voice turning stern quickly, "Don't you ever let your mum hear you say that."
"Why?"
"Pick a new topic for now, Harry," James instructed, driving away from Knightsbridge and back towards the city-center.
"So Puddlemere United," Harry started.
"Excellent choice," James agreed, listening intently as Harry went on about Ron and the Chudley Canons and the standings and how the two of them had joined forces to go against their other dorm-mate's Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, both of whom were fans of teams that he had no time for.
"Do you think maybe we could go watch an actual match this summer, dad? Or like five?" Harry asked as James turned down the road where the boarded up storefront was that hid the Leaky Cauldron from prying eyes.
"I think something could be arranged," James grinned, making Harry jump excitedly in the middle of the street as they crossed. "Whoa, hold your horses," he chuckled, directing Harry away from one of the vacant tables towards the fireplace at the back. "We've got to get Remus and Sirius first," he reminded him.
"I'll go first," Harry said excitedly, grabbing some of the floo powder that his dad had procured from Tom to travel.
James couldn't help but step aside, still wearing a lopsided grin as he watched Harry move about, throwing the floo powder down into the fire with a large grin, so full of energy.
"He's a bouncy one today," Tom remarked as he passed.
"That he is," James agreed before following Harry's queue. He coughed, steadying himself as the recently remodeled living room of Grimmauld Place came into view. Pulling his wand out of his pocket he vanished the excess soot from his clothes as he followed Harry's loud voice up the stairs.
"Have you started growing grey hairs yet?" Remus' friendly voice greeted him when he arrived on the third floor.
"How old do you take me for?" James asked, affronted as he gave his mate a hug.
"I know exactly how old you are," Remus smirked, "But Harry's been here for three minutes already and you're just getting up here now. Is Lily planning on replacing your knees or hips soon so you might have more speed?"
James scowled. "You can go back to Hogwarts now."
"I've missed your smiling face as well," Remus chuckled, following behind James as he sought out his son whose voice was growing louder with each step.
"Have you seen this place, dad? It's incredible! And look what Sirius did to his mum! This is brilliant!"
"What did he do?" both Remus and James asked at once.
"Best decision I've ever made, if I may say so myself," Sirius smirked as the other two joined Harry and him in his parents old room. They both watched excitedly as Remus and James' faces broke out into large grins before bursting out laughing as they asked for their turn. "But of course," he said, passing them the darts.
"Start from the very beginning," Harry requested as they slid into their booth.
"The very-?"
"Dad!"
"Your dad and I met within five minutes of getting on the train, both of us having stored our trunks in the same cabin. We hit it off right away, both being the trouble-loving rascals that we were-"
"And still are," James added.
"That will never change," Sirius grinned. "Your mum though…Harry, she was beautiful even then," he smiled fondly, "We met her next when she came into our compartment with Snivelus and not too long after our rivalry with him began. Your dad, being the proud Gryffindor that he is was discussing his hopes for the sorting and as you well know Snivelus is rather a fan of Slytherin house-"
"To put it lightly," Remus remarked, coming back with their drinks.
"And so he was not necessarily in agreement with our views," James went on, "Your mum was his very close friend, the two having lived somewhat near each other, but I promised her she could tell you that story…"
"They left our cabin after that and she was not too impressed to be seated near us when she was sorted into Gryffindor with us later that evening at the feast."
"When did you meet dad and Sirius?" Harry asked, turning to Remus.
Remus smiled at his mates. "Well Peter and I both met the two of them briefly at the feast but everything really got started when we were in the dorm that night unpacking…"
"Your dad pulled out his invisibility cloak that night for the first time," Sirius explained. "And we decided to do a little exploring…"
Harry held onto their every word, his face giving away his every reaction as the three men before him told their tales.
"Do you remember when Pete managed to get locked in the Slytherin common room that one time when he slipped out from under the invisibility cloak?" Sirius questioned his mates, wiping a tear away that had managed to escape during one of the many fits of laughter that had occurred.
"That must've been what- second? Third year?" Remus wagered, shaking his head at the memory.
"Must've been. It was before we learned to transform," James piped in, adding his two-cents. "I wish we'd been able to see his face when he turned around and realized we weren't there."
"Couldn't he have just walked-"
Sirius shook his head, waving his arms wildly as a result of the copious amounts of liquor he had consumed. "We managed to slip out just as some other Slytherin's were coming back to their common room…one of the prefects or another. Maybe the Head boy can't remember. According to Pete they stayed there all night, and when they did eventually get to leave it was early enough for the other ones to wake up. Had to wait until he was sure most of them had left for classes before he could even attempt leaving."
"And you three never noticed?" Lily asked, sliding into the booth next to Harry. "You're all awful friends-"
"Like you never left behind Emme, Marls or Hestia," Remus argued.
"Speaking of Hestia, where is she?" Harry asked eagerly.
"She's covering a story for the Daily Prophet in France," Sirius said quickly.
"Have you two still not resolved-"
"Do not say issues, Evans," the man growled.
Lily held her hands up in defense.
"She's the one who's going out with Marlene's ex, not me," he grumbled, getting out of the booth to wander over to the bar.
"He's never even liked her romantically, not to that extreme," Lily sighed.
"Padfoot is of the mindset…well when Marlene died they were really close and he knew how much her ex-boyfriend meant to her. I think he thinks that Hestia is disturbing Marls' memory by getting involved with him," Remus explained, "He may have gone the other way from his family, away from the Dark Arts and all but he's just as headstrong as they are. It's not easy to convince him otherwise…"
She glanced over her shoulder at the man who was slumped over the bar, his head resting on his arm as he tapped his fingers impatiently against the bar top. "I'm going to go get a drink," she declared. "Did you order food?" she questioned James as he got up to let her out.
"Got you your usual," he grinned, before taking his seat once more.
She smiled in return before following in Sirius' footsteps.
"So none of you noticed?" Harry questioned, getting them back on track.
"Harry," James chuckled, "There is one thing you must understand about Peter and that is that he liked to eat."
"A lot," Remus confirmed. "Many a nights he could be found sneaking into the kitchen. He was the one who we would send to the house-elves if we ever needed something particularly nasty done towards the Slytherin's in their food, or anyone else for that matter."
"Some people have a way with words," James chuckled, "Pete had a way with the house-elves…"
"Speaking of house-elves, I think I found the culprit," Remus remarked. "Lucius Malfoy-"
"Is here," James grumbled, taking a long swig of his drink as the man strutted his way towards their table.
"His house-elf is-" Remus tried to say.
"Here," Harry said, his eyes going wide at the sight of the creature looking smaller than he had ever seen him as he cowered behind the tall, platinum blonde haired man.
"I'm glad he's here actually," Remus muttered to Harry, leaning a little ways across the table top, "I've something to give him," he said, patting the inside pocket of his jacket where the gold corner of the recognizable diary sat. "Dumbledore is of the suspicion that one of Voldemort's followers was in possession of the diary before it got into Ginny's hands-"
"He did take her books in Diagon Alley that day," Harry recalled, "Maybe-"
"Harry," James warned just then.
"Lupin, Potter's," the man greeted coolly.
"Lucius," James said, returning his greeting. "To what do we owe the complete displeasure?"
"I have some business at Gringott's then a meeting with the minister," the man boasted, "But I saw you over here and I have not had the chance to thank-you and yours at the Auror's office for what you did for the school. As member of the board-"
"Right," James cut him off. "Felt the need to have your say…almost three months later…"
"Professor Dumbledore-"
"Yes, I've heard you're teaching now, Lupin," the man said sharply. "Draco has had many things to say about your classes…"
"As I was saying," Remus said, reaching for the diary.
"Missing something, Lupin?"
"No, it's right here," Harry said, standing up on the bench and passing the book and his black sock to the older man, over his father's own head. "I think this belongs to you."
"What the-?"
Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off of the diary, throwing it aside, Harry grinning triumphantly inside when he saw the two tiny hands reach out and grab the tossed aside item out of the air.
"I know you put it in Ginny Weasley's cauldron that day you and Mr. Weasley got into a fight in Diagon Alley last summer," Harry told the man. "Thought you might like to keep it as a reminder of your failure to bring back your Lord…"
"Why you little-"
"Don't. You. Dare," Sirius shouted, pulling out his wand just as the drinks that were in his hands dropped, shattering against the floor capturing the attention of all fellow pub-goers. "Back away from my godson," he warned coming up to the man.
Lucius Malfoy grinned wickedly at the man before sneering at Harry and James both. "It might do you well to teach your son not to get involved in things that he does not understand, Potter," the man spat at James.
"And it might do you well, Lucius," Lily said far too sweetly, "To back away from my husband and my son before you regret walking over towards our table more than you already will-"
"Is that your version of a threat, mudblood?"
"How old are you that you feel the need to result to school-yard name-calling, Lucius?" she smirked, half trying to block Harry from the man's sightline as she stood next to James who was tense at her side.
"Come, Dobby," the man growled, spinning round, his hair flipping oddly as it did. "I said, come!"
But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting sock that was soaked with sweat from being shoved inside his trainer's the whole day long, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.
"Master has given Dobby a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."
"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"
"Dobby has got a sock," said Dobby is disbelief still. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby – Dobby is free."
"Told you so," Lily grinned, her wand already tightly in her hand as it sat crossed across her chest smugly.
"You've lost me my servant, boy!"
Remus and Sirius made to act as the man's creepy eyes narrowed in on their godson where he stood behind his parent's on the bench still, but the elf beat them to it.
"You shall not harm Harry Potter!"
There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backwards. He crashed into one of the tables, food landing all over his long black robes and hair. He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long threatening finger.
"You shall go now," he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy, "You shall not touch Harry Potter, or his friends. You shall go now."
Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the lot of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out into the Alley.
"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" said the elf shrilly, as Harry squeezed his way between his parents and hopped down to the elf, dropping down to his knee so they were at eye level.
"It was the least I could do after you tried to warn me," Harry told the elf. "Just promise never to try and save my life again."
The elf's ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile.
"Would you like to join us for supper, Dobby?" Lily asked, motioning to the booth behind.
"Dobby, don't," Harry sighed, his protest to no avail as the elf began weeping into his mum's dress skirt.
"Harry, eat before your food gets cold, I'll…figure this out," she assured him, trying to figure out their next move.
"So back to the story," Harry prodded his dad and uncles.
The square was quiet and dim, most of the homes dark albeit the lanterns that hung over their front stoop. Street lights appeared to flicker around the gated green area that separated one side of Trevor square from the other as the trees, wavering in the summer breeze moved about them. He saw their car, the one his father was determined to get rid of in the next few weeks time parked across from their home, the only one that seemed to have any semblance of life in it, though even then it wasn't much. Harry jogged up the front steps to number 34, slipping quietly into the front hall before closing the door behind. An unfamiliar, muffled voice welcomed him in, the sound heard at the foot of the stairs coming from one of the floors above. He took the steps two at a time, passing quickly through the rather dark second floor before ascending to the third. He saw the familiar blue glow of the television illuminating the hallways when he arrived, seeping out from his parent's ajar door.
"What are you watching?"
His mum looked up at him, remote in hand and curled up under the covers with a smile on her face.
"Not really sure…" she said, reaching for the cassette cover from her nightstand, "'Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope', it sounded interesting enough," she teased, tossing the cover at him as he jumped into bed next to her, just as the previews ended and the film was set to begin.
He would never admit it to any one else but there wasn't anything he loved much more than when he was resting near his mum and she combed through his hair with her delicate long fingers whose nails were the perfect lengths. She would do it unconsciously, but he reveled in it, and again when she would begin letting her nails dance over his shoulders and his back, for as long as he would sit next to her. He missed it when he was away in the same way that he missed hearing his mum call him 'sweetheart' or his dad call him 'champ' and all the things they used to do when it was just the three of them.
She smiled softly when during the movie's climax her son's breaths evened out and he curled into her side, just like he had done when he was younger and climbed into James' and hers bed when he had nightmares. Quietly, and in as few movements as possible she used her toe to hit pause on the remote. Having left the one for the actual television set on top of the contraption itself she settled for the blue screen as she adjusted her position so her head was resting properly on her pillows. With her son still slumbering she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as she succumbed to sleep.
He thought he would like to stay in this moment forever. He despised paperwork and the long hours he was forced to endure as an Auror, especially now when Harry was home on break from school. Throwing his briefcase full of files into the small study he trekked upwards to his room, never more excited to collapse into his bed with his wife. Turning the corner of the stairs to see his son's door wide open and bed vacant, his hopes of doing so quickly diminished, believing it would be another restless night till he learned where that still twelve-year old son of his could be. But then he moved on and standing in the doorway to his room he saw a sight he knew he would never grow tired of seeing. His wife was there, her dark auburn locks splayed about her pillow as they so often were, her body slightly curled beneath the covers. He was used to seeing her this way as he often pulled her closer to him the moment he climbed into bed at the end of the day. But instead of her hands gently resting against the sheets as they most often did, they were draped protectively over their son, who with his day clothes still on was sound asleep curled up next to her.
James placed a kiss on his son's forehead before placing another on Lily's. Oh, so quietly he slid open their wardrobe doors, pulling out the extra blankets. He tiptoed to grab his pillow from his side of the bed before he tossed it to the carpeted floor at the head of his makeshift bed at the foot of his and Lily's bed. With one last look at the scene before him, he reached up and pressed the 'off' button before settling in for the night.
He felt around for his glasses when he woke the next morning, finding them tucked under one of the folds of the duvet. His mum was still sound asleep next to him when he finally had his glasses on. Quietly he shuffled his way off the bed, jumping off at the foot and nearly tripping on his father who was sprawled out unexpectedly on the floor.
He grabbed a fresh towel out of the linen closet on his way back to his bedroom, slipping in there for only a moment, just long enough for him to see Hedwig perched at his window.
"Sorry girl, have you been waiting long?" he asked the snowy white owl, as he reached for the letter in her mouth.
Harry,
I've talked to mum and everyone can come over whenever they like. Have you written to Neville yet about a day? I've written Hermione as well, and she wrote back to say that she will phone you, whatever that means. Mum also says you can come over soon and that dad's talked to your dad about the two of us being able to use the floo network over the summer! Dad said that your parents were ok with the idea so I might come over soon so you can explain to me what a phone is…
Ron
P.S. Thanks for sending along Hedwig, I don't think Errol would have made the journey back alive. Poor bird's a menace.
Harry chuckled at the last bit, folding the letter before placing it back in the envelope and tossing it in the desk drawer with the rest of the letters he had stashed away from their correspondence's last summer.
He shrugged off his clothes onto the bathroom floors, turning on the hot water before stepping into the shower. He stood there for the longest time letting the hot water sting his skin as he scrubbed his hair with whatever soap his dad had stashed away in the basket next to the shower. He changed quickly when he got out, tugging a blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans on.
"Hey Champ," his father yawned, walking past his door as he made his way to the loo. "You're up early," he remarked.
"And you slept on the floor," Harry retorted with a smirk.
His father rolled his eyes, lifting his glasses up off the bridge of his nose, reaching his hand up to roll his tired eyes.
"Why did you sleep on the floor anyways? You could've just woken me up, or slept in my bed," Harry said, glancing at his unmade bed.
"Well first off I rather enjoy the floor, your mum and I spent money enough on that bloody rug and it should be put to use. And second when I came home last night my son and my wife were sound asleep, snuggled up together on my bed," he said, emphasizing the 'my', "and being the spectacular father and husband that I am I let them rest-"
"You're just sentimental," Harry mocked.
"Or that," James chuckled.
"I know I'm up early because I fell asleep early last night, but you didn't come in till late, so why are you up?" Harry asked, grabbing his rucksack off the edge of the bed.
He watched on in amusement as his father repeatedly hit his head against the doorframe, nearly smashing his glasses as he did so. "Paperwork… I've got a mountain to do before I go back to the office," he grumbled, checking his watch, "In less than an hour. I better shower…"
"Morning darling," Lily smiled, pressing a kiss to her husband's cheek as she snaked her arms around his torso.
"Hey Lils," he smiled, returning the kiss.
"Minor in the vicinity, minor in the vicinity," Harry called out, holding his rucksack in front of his face.
"Oh shush," his mum laughed. "Off so soon?" he heard her ask his dad once he had slipped past them down the stairs.
"Harry!" his mum called down, her feet visible coming down the carpeted steps just seconds later. "Where are you going?" she asked, accompanying him down to the kitchen.
"Why didn't you and dad tell me that Mr. Weasley had asked you and dad if Ron and I could travel back and forth freely through the floo this summer?" he asked her, tossing his bag by the coat rack as his mum went towards the front door to grab the paper off the stoop.
"Got a letter from Ron, did you?" she asked, unfolding the paper as she walked into the kitchen.
"Might've," he responded cheekily.
"We forgot to tell you alright," she laughed, sitting on the counter as she waited for the coffee to finish brewing and the kettle to boil. "Is that where you are going?"
"No I-"
"Harry!" Ron's voice sounded through the house.
"He's coming here?" Harry grinned at his mum who shook her head in exasperation as she hopped off the counter to grab mugs from the other side of the counter. "In the kitchen!" he called loudly to Ron who appeared in the doorway not moments later.
"Hey, Mrs. Potter!" the redheaded boy said cheerfully, putting his own rucksack by the door before grabbing a seat at the table.
"Hi Ron," she smiled at him, "You make me sound so old when you call me that," she told him for the thousandth time, making both boys snicker.
"I go into the shower and I have one kid, come out and I have two," James chuckled, ruffling Harry's hair as he passed by him crossing the kitchen to Lily. "Thank-you," he grinned taking the steaming cup of coffee from her hands, placing another kiss on her lips. "How are things, Ron?"
"Alright," the boy shrugged, "Spent the whole of yesterday with Ginny and George and Fred trying to de-gnome the garden," he shuttered.
"Did you want some breakfast?" Lily asked him after giving her husband another kiss and side stepping around him.
"I already ate-"
"But he'll have some more if you're making some," Harry answered for the boy who chuckled in agreement.
"Are you staying for a spot?" she asked, turning to James as she made her way over to the fridge to grab a carton of eggs and some breakfast sausages.
James glanced around the kitchen, grinning at the sight. He thought of the suitcase full of paperwork still sitting in the study a floor above. "Just give me a few minutes and then I'll come down and make the toast," he said before departing from the room.
"Dad's taking a long weekend isn't he?" Harry asked.
"Seems that way…So are you both ready to get to work then?"
He spat out his orange juice onto the paper. "Work?" he asked nervously, afraid of the answer.
"I've been waiting for you and your father to both be around long enough, and now that Ron's here he can help too. There's some yard work to be done and then the sink is leaking and-"
"Mum," Harry stopped her, "I know your pulling our legs," he smirked.
"Are you certain?" she challenged him, crossing her arms across her chest, spatula in hand as they engaged in a staring contest from opposite ends of the kitchen.
"I've been gone all of seven seconds and I come back to a war zone," James remarked, taking a seat next to Ron in the spectator's area.
"You blinked!" Harry exclaimed suddenly when Lily burst out laughing.
"I admit defeat on both fronts," she sighed, holding up her hands. "You said you were going to make the toast!" she exclaimed, pointing the kitchen utensil between her husband and the still vacant toaster.
"So I did," he said quickly, grabbing the bread.
"So how did you know, sweetheart?" Lily asked, glancing over her shoulder at her son.
"You have a wand and can fix that sink with a flick of it, I've seen dad do it, and last I checked you plant flowers in the spring and you both sit there and pray they don't die, or you just buy plants that don't need maintenance," he pointed out, pointing his fingers at the shrubbery and few flowers that made up the garden that met the fence surrounding the three sides of their property.
James chuckled when his wife's face went blank at their son's little speech. "He's got you there," he told her, patting her on the head.
"Oh shove off," she muttered, sticking her tongue out at him as she sent a piece of egg flying at his face.
"Lils that's still hot!"
"Serves you right," she smirked, dishing out the eggs onto the four plates she had laid out on the small island. "And since when have you paid so much attention as to what goes on in the gardens, Harry?" she asked as she put his breakfast down in front of him after having already passed Ron his own.
The boy shrugged, making Ron smirk as he dug into the meal.
"Mum, dad, you remember Neville Longbottom right? I think you stood near him and the rest of my friends at a couple of the Quidditch matches this year," Harry spoke up. He watched as his parents stopped eating, both making eye contact with one another before returning to their meal. He quirked an eyebrow at Ron who shrugged at the scene.
"Why do you ask?" James recovered.
"Well, Harry and I invited him to come play Quidditch with us this summer, and Hermione as well, and well neither of them really enjoys flying all that much-"
"How preposterous," Lily remarked, her comment directed at James whose facial expression seemed to signal the offense he had taken at Ron's explanation.
"Anyways," Harry said loudly to regain his parents attention, "We were hoping that maybe you and Sirius and Remus could maybe teach them so they can be more comfortable in the air…"
"I'll check with Paddy and Moony but I'll definitely be there," James assured the boys with the largest of grins on his face.
"I didn't know that you hung around with Neville much, aside from classes and the dorms," Lily commented.
"He helped to make sure we made it to the train on time," Ron said, "And then he sat with us in our compartment and he asked us about our summer plans, and he seemed depressed-"
"I don't think he gets out much, away from his gran," Harry explained.
"No, Augusta is very-well, how would you describe her, James?" Lily asked, at a loss for words.
"Beyond frightening. That woman scares me," he admitted, earning a kick in the shin from his wife.
"James Potter!" she scolded, trying to contain her laughter.
"Oh, like she's your favourite person to run into on that Platform," he mocked, helping to clean up the dishes.
"What are you two planning to do today?" she asked the boys quickly.
"Oh, way to change the topic," James scoffed, chuckling when his wife turned around and was wearing a triumphant grin on her face, winking as she passed.
"We could go see, Hermione," Harry suggested.
"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, "Only one problem."
"And that is?"
"She isn't connected to the floo network. There's no way to get there!"
Harry went red laughing.
"Muggles have different modes of transportation, Ron," James explained, standing behind Harry and gripping his son in a headlock as he tried to get him to calm down.
"Come on, I'll show you," Harry said when he finally settled down, "But first…" he said, wandering over to the cupboard beside the fridge, grabbing a book off the shelf, "This is a phonebook…" James and Lily could hear him say as the boys wandered down the hall towards the stairs.
"So I had a spectacular idea," James said in a singsong voice as he washed the dishes.
Lily eyed her husband warily. "And that would be…"
"It's been a while since we've both had a night off, and I thought perhaps we could have a date night. After we deal with some preparations," he added.
"Shhh," she warned him, peeking over his shoulder. "He could hear you!"
"He's all the way upstairs," he reminded her.
"Yes, and the sound carries in this house more than it should," she retorted, smacking him with the dishtowel.
"Ouch, alright, enough, no more dishes for you," he said, trying in earnest to snatch the towel away from her after being hit with it more than enough.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked cautiously from the doorway to the kitchen, Ron snickering behind him.
"Nothing," James and Lily responded all too quickly.
"Right," he said slowly. "Well Ron and I are going to spend the day at Hermione's. Her parents are at work," he told them,
"Your mum and I are going out tonight," James informed Harry who nodded. "So if you could head to Grimmauld Place and we will pick you up from there?"
"I can stay here by myself, I don't need to be babysat," Harry told his parents.
"Who said anything about a babysitter?" Lily asked him.
"You told me to go to Sirius' place so that I'll be-"
"Hanging out with your uncles who miss you-"
"Remus has seen us practically every day since March-"
"Harry," James said sternly.
"I'll go, I'll go," Harry relented. "Do you have any change for the tube?"
"The tube?" Ron questioned.
"Transportation, sweetheart," Lily explained, rummaging through the drawer for change.
"Just wait till Sirius hears that his godson doesn't enjoy spending time with him," James went on, making Lily roll her eyes exasperatedly.
"Don't you dare!" Harry exclaimed, "He'll never let it go!"
"He's going to be so upset, distraught even-"
"Practically depressed," Lily added, throwing her two cents in.
"Not you too!" Harry grumbled when she passed him a small paper bag with enough change for both the boys to make their journeys. His mum smirked, going to stand next to his dad who draped an arm around his partner in crime. "Don't tell him," he begged his dad, "I'll never complain about hanging out with any of them when you're out again. Just don't do that to your own son! Your own flesh and blood! Your-"
"Alright, alright, deal," James chuckled, tackling his son in an embrace.
"Is Hermione meeting you at the station? Are her parents home?" Lily asked as both she and James followed the boys to the front door.
Ron and Harry shrugged.
"I think she said she'll meet us there, but if not, we will find our way," Harry said, reaching for the door.
"You think?" James said, standing in front of the door.
"I can't really remember," Harry said, "Can you, Ron?"
"You know what, I think she may have said that we can meet her at her parents, uh-"
"Their office, that's it!"
"You don't even know where they work, sweetheart," Lily pointed out, trying not to let her concern show as she glanced nervously at James who ran his hand through his hair.
"Why don't we-"
"She's meeting us at the station," Harry admitted, he and Ron breaking out into laughter as the latter slipped past James and opened the door.
"Thanks for breakfast, Mr. and Mrs…. I mean, James and Lily!" Ron called as he jogged down the steps, Harry following, giving them a quick wave before they continued walking down towards Knightsbridge.
"You can only blame yourself," Lily told James as they remained on the front porch long after the boys had vanished from sight.
"Oh, is that it?"
"No, James, no, no, no, no!" she shrieked running into the house, not nearly fast enough. He tackled her to the floor, tickling her relentlessly as he kicked his foot back and shut the door, her shrieks of laughter echoing throughout the neighborhood.
"Ron! Harry! Over here!" Hermione shouted, waving the two down in the crowd of people coming up from the underground. "I wasn't sure you were going to make it," she sighed, smiling when they approached.
"So what is our plan exactly?" Ron asked as the three headed out towards the street. "Were not actually going to be doing schoolwork…are we?" he asked worriedly.
Harry shrugged.
"I mean, it couldn't hurt, could it?" Hermione responded. "We could at least get some work done and then we could so something…"
"Such as?"
"We could ride bikes," Hermione suggested, "My neighbors have some bikes they would probably let us borrow, and there is a neat place to grab some burgers not too far away where we could have lunch," she went on, her brain going wild with ideas. "Oh, and there's this bowling alley that mum, dad and I used to go to. It's absolutely brilliant. You've bowled before right Harry? I know you haven't Ron, but it's easy!"
"I've bowled," Harry confirmed.
"What exactly is a bike?" Ron asked.
"We can teach you how to ride!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly, "A bike has two wheels and, well that's one there," she said as she pointed to where a couple were riding bike's across the street.
"So how far away do you live?" Harry asked as she led them up the street.
"Just another ten minutes or so. Mum and dad dropped me off at the bookstore around the corner on the way to work," she explained. "Mum's told me to ask you both if you wanted to stay for dinner tonight? You don't have to, but you're more than welcome to. She's just planning to make some homemade pizza's, her and dad don't really think that the frozen ones or the ones from the parlor are healthy enough…"
"Does it still taste like pizza?" Harry asked quizzically.
Hermione laughed, "More or less…. what are your parents doing for dinner?" she asked.
"His parents are going on a date," Ron snickered.
"Really? That's nice, where are they going?" Hermione questioned.
"They didn't say," Harry said. "Ron and I are supposed to go to Sirius' place. Remus is staying there again for the summer, something about Hogwarts being too lonely during the summer…though he'll probably regret that once he's with Sirius and Hestia for long enough."
"I bet it feels like your parents are back in their old dorms when they go over there," Ron remarked.
"I'd almost forgotten! Dad, Sirius, Remus and I went to the Leaky Cauldron last week and they told me about this map they created of Hogwarts when they were there. Sirius says it got confiscated from them at the end of their seventh year and they never managed to swipe it back. I wish you both had been there," he went on, "Mum came in after her shift and with the three of them she told me a lot about their last few years at Hogwarts, and how Sirius used to flirt with McGonagall! McGonagall!"
"I can't believe she let them get away with that," Hermione said amidst her laughter.
"Didn't they have like a name for the four of them, and then those nicknames! Your dad called Sirius 'Paddy' just this morning," Ron remarked. "The Marauders! That's it isn't it?"
"Yeah, they were like the Fred and George of their day," he exclaimed.
"I wonder if Fred and George…"
"The only way to find out is to ask," Hermione said reasonably as she led them down another street. "But without giving too much away," she went on, "In case they don't know. That way if they ever try to pull something over on us we can have the upper hand with your dad, Harry."
"That's good," Ron confirmed. "We can ask them when you both come over with Neville. By the way, Harry, has he written you back yet?"
"Not yet, but maybe there will be a letter when I get back home tonight," he said optimistically.
"It's just here," Hermione told them once the three had turned down a few more streets and she wandered off the sidewalk down a cobblestone pathway leading to a redbrick, two-story home. They walked past the front entrance, slipping through the gate that was in a brick archway alongside the garage. The walkway to the back of the house was surrounded by ivy-covered brick, opening up into a wide fenced in yard, that like Harry's had lots of shrubbery in the various gardens. "We can use the phone to call to the neighbors and then we can go for a ride," she suggested, leading them in through the backdoor into the mudroom. She brought them through to the dining room and the kitchen beyond. "Hi Mrs. Abrams, it's Hermione Granger…"
"This place is so, so…clean," Ron stuttered as he and Harry wandered around whilst Hermione was talking with her neighbor on the phone. "Oh look at this, Harry, it's Hermione," he said pointing at one of the picture frames on the mantel.
"You're wearing a duck on your head," Harry said as Hermione came into the room, her face red as she realized what they were looking at.
"Can't leave you alone for two seconds," she muttered, snatching the frame out of Ron's hand. "Come on she said we can go get the bikes."
"You don't happen to still have training wheels in your garage, do you?" Harry asked as he and Hermione stood on either side of Ron, their own bikes lying off to the side of the bike path. Both he and Hermione had a hand on the handlebars, helping to steady the bike as Ron readied himself for another go at it.
"Harry," Hermione said sternly.
"What are training wheels?" Ron asked quizzically.
"Never mind that," Hermione said quickly, "So just remember try to stay balanced-"
"But don't think about it too much," Harry added, "Just pretend you're sitting on a chair and then just…peddle…"
"Exactly…I think," Hermione agreed. "Are you ready, Ron?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Ron said after taking a deep breath. "The helmets still on my head, right? I can't feel it anymore," he panicked.
"Ron!" they both yelled at the same time.
"Okay, alright, alright, I'm ready! But it is there right?"
Hermione laughed knocking on the top of the helmet. "It's there, now just remember to peddle, we will run next to you until you're steady-"
"And then it's all you. As easy as riding a broom, Ron," Harry assured him.
"Just remember you have to peddle-"
"Hermione!"
"Sorry, sorry, alright. On your marks…"
"Get set…"
"Just go already!" Ron yelled.
Harry and Hermione let him go after three strides, both timing to see how long it would take for their friend to fall over onto the grass again.
"He's still going," Hermione said, flabbergasted.
"Way to go, Ron!" Harry shouted loudly, attracting the attention of those nearby, causing Hermione to laugh further than she already was at Ron's facial expression as he rode round. "You did it!" he exclaimed, clapping his mate on the shoulder.
"It was nothing," Ron shrugged, acting casual as he hopped off the bike.
"Think you'll manage to make it on the actual road?" Hermione asked as she and Harry grabbed their own bikes.
"The food's there, right?" Ron asked to the amusement of the others, who nodded in response. "Then come on, I'm starving."
"Me too, I haven't had a burger since last summer," Harry agreed, following behind as Hermione once again took the lead, taking them through the winding area of the park, through a grove of trees and onto one of the residential streets that would take them towards the Burger Grill.
A/N: Exams are terrible. A/N(2): The Dobby part was totally typical and not original what so ever because I could think of no way to free him, but I needed to because he is such a sweet character and I wanted him freed. So sorry. There will be a new chapter up as a Christmas present later this week (for those who celebrate, if not, well just a present)!