Dreaming through Hogwarts
by Healer Pomfrey
Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!
By the time Harry woke up in the morning, the green pustules were completely gone, as his father had promised. 'Who'd believe that Dad did such a stunt?' he thought, chuckling, as he scrambled out of his bed.
'Today we're going to practise the Animagus Transformation,' he remembered and hurried to get ready for breakfast in the Great Hall.
However, when he stepped out into the living room, his parents were already waiting for him and motioned him to have breakfast together with them in their own small kitchen, leaving Harry to wonder why, as they normally used to take the meals in the Great Hall.
"Harry, there's something that we'd like to tell you," Lily spoke up, as soon as the meal popped up on the table. Seeing that Harry looked at her in expectance, she exchanged a glance with her husband and explained, "You're going to become a big brother."
"What?" Harry blurted out in surprise. "Is that really true?" He looked from his mother to his father, who nodded, smiling back at him. "That's awesome," he said, amazed, before he remembered to ask, "Will I get a little brother or a sister?"
"We're not sure yet," Severus replied, grinning. "Your mother doesn't want to know what it's going to be in advance."
"Why not?" Harry enquired in disbelief. "You need to know in order to decide on a name, and I have to know so I can buy a proper toy for him or her. May I help looking after the baby? When is it going to be born?"
His parents laughed at his excitement. "We'll just decide on two names," Lily replied in a soft voice. "Maybe you could think about it and give us some suggestions for names that you like. Apart from that, I think that your father already knows what it's going to be. I just asked him not to tell me, but if you want to know, he'll surely share the secret with you."
Harry glanced at Severus, whose expression remained completely blank. "If you want to buy a cuddly toy for your little sister or brother, it will be early enough after the baby will be born," Severus added, smirking. "As to your other questions, it's supposed to be born around Christmas, and we hope very much that you're going to help with your little sibling."
"Of course I will," Harry promised, feeling very happy. 'I have a real family,' he thought, smiling. 'I can't wait to become a big brother.'
HP
After breakfast, Harry hurried to the Great Hall to meet with his friends; however, it was already too late, so he walked to Helena's common room, where he found Hermione, Draco and the twins.
"Good morning," he greeted them, smiling. "Are we going to practise the Animagus Transformation?"
"Yes, we thought we'd do that," Hermione replied, giving him a confused look. "Where have you been? You haven't attended any meal in the Great Hall since Friday."
Harry grinned. "Somehow I was very busy," he explained and told his best friends about his weekend, causing a huge discussion about Amaterasu, the Chamber of Secrets, the Order of Merlin, and the Potions Master brewing funny potions. 'Thank Merlin I haven't told them about becoming a big brother, or we'd never be able to finally go and practise,' he thought, impatiently, as he waited for his friends to pack their book bags and follow him home to his room.
The four friends spent the whole morning practising, and it was just before Lily entered Harry's room to remind everyone that lunch in the Great Hall was going to commence in twenty minutes that Harry managed to transform his left hand into a beautiful, bright green wing.
"Harry, you did it," Hermione blurted out in amazement. "It's awesome."
"Congratulation Harry," Lily agreed. "Transforming the first hand is the most difficult. When you've managed that, it's already half of the complete transformation."
"How exactly did you do that?" Draco queried, giving Harry a sharp look.
Harry shrugged. "I only imagined my left hand to look like this," he replied, pointing with his right hand to his wing. "The question is if I'll be able to change it back."
"Just wish it to be back to normal," Lily instructed him, and to Harry's relief it worked without problems.
"Let's practise as much as possible during the next weeks..."
"... The summer holidays are going to begin in three months..."
"... and then we won't be able to practise anymore," the twins spoke up in their usual sing-song, causing everyone else to agree.
"Yes, I'd love to be able to transform before the holidays, because..." Hermione began to speak but interrupted herself, when Harry suddenly let out a huge groan.
"Oh no, I completely forgot to go to the Headmaster's office and clean Fawkes' perch this morning," he blurted out, giving his mother a helpless look.
"Harry, it's all right," Lily replied in a soothing voice. "Professor Dumbledore knew that you weren't well enough yet this morning, so he excused you from your detention, when your father talked to him before breakfast."
"Ah thank Merlin," Harry said, gratefully. "I totally forgot about it." Inwardly he grinned, thinking, 'I really have to thanks Dad for his prank potion.'
"Professor Evans-Snape, may I ask something?" Hermione suddenly spoke up, hesitantly, looking at Harry's mother.
"Of course," Lily replied, gently, casting the girl an encouraging look. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes," Hermione said, glancing at the twins.
"We don't know about the other Houses..."
"... but we..."
"... the members of the Magical Advancement Programme in Gryffindor..."
"... are having problems with the other House members," the twins explained in her place.
"Yes, exactly," Hermione agreed. "Last night, we had a huge fight. We studied in Helena's common room, like we always do, and when we returned to Gryffindor right before curfew, Ron was the first to attack us. He said we should just stay wherever we always spend our time and don't have to bother to come back. We weren't proper Gryffindors."
"Ron said that?" Harry blurted out in shock.
"Yes," Hermione replied, firmly. "But many others seemed to agree with him."
"We're having some problems in Slytherin too," Draco admitted quietly.
Lily let out a long sigh, shaking her head in annoyance. "The Magical Advancement Programme was meant as a test project in order to give some specially qualified students the opportunity of taking some special courses. However, if we're facing too many problems, it'll probably be abandoned by the summer."
tbc...
Thank you for your kind reviews. Have a good weekend, and see you tomorrow...