None of the characters except for Rosemary Brooks and Kathy Weasley belong to me. They are all the property of JK
Rowling.
After dinner, through which Harry, Hermione and Ron were very quiet, the whole Weasley family and Harry played a game
of Quidditch outside. Harry was glad to find that the twins hadn't changed at all, and their jokes helped to lighten the tense
atmosphere slightly. The Quidditch itself helped Harry relax; he was never happier than when he was on his broomstick.
Hermione watched on the sidelines, cheering on Harry and Ron. She didn't have a broom, and was so terrible at flying that
she might have injured herself if she tried. She laughed as Fred and George flew around madly, almost knocking Harry off
his broom at one point.
"Hey!" Harry shouted at them, grinning. "Beaters are supposed to protect their Seeker, not try to kill him!"
Hermione sighed to herself as she watched the boys swoop through the air. It looks like fun, she thought. She
sighed again, but then smiled as Ron waved to her, and she waved back. Ron dived inexpertly down to the ground, and
walked over to her.
"You want to have a go on my broom?" he asked.
"What, me?" said Hermione in surprise. "Have you ever actually seen me on a broom, Ron?"
"No. Can't say I have actually."
"Exactly," Hermione laughed. "That's how awful I am."
"Oh for crying out loud," said Ron. "Come on, get on the back of my broom. I'll show you." He made the broom
hover and mounted it. "Come on," he said again.
Hesitantly, Hermione walked up to the broom and got on behind Ron. She had never been on a broomstick before,
despite having seen Harry in so many house Quidditch matches. "Where do I hold on?" she asked.
"Just hold on round my waist," said Ron, and then wondered why he'd said it. As she gripped round his waist and
they took of, he felt himself turning a bit red. They flew through the air at a moderate speed (all Ron's broom was capable
of) and Hermione said, "This is wonderful, Ron! I can't believe I've never done this before! Imagine what it must feel like on
Harry's Firebolt!"
"Well, you can ride with him if you want," said Ron, a bit put out.
"No. I like it here with you," said Hermione, and she blushed slightly. Ron was suddenly glad that it was getting
dark and no one could see his reddening cheeks. He really liked the feeling of Hermione's arms round his waist, but he tried
not to think about it too much. After all, Hermione was Hermione. Bossy, irritating, too-clever-by-half,
spends-lots-of-time-in-the-library Hermione. So why was he blushing?
"Come on, let's go down and get dessert!" called Fred.
"Sounds good to me!" George shouted to his twin, and began to descend.
"Shall we go with them, Hermione?" Ron asked reluctantly.
"Yes, come on. Surely you don't want to miss dessert!" Hermione laughed.
"Yeah. 'Spose so." Ron directed the broom downwards. Hermione climbed off straight away and ran after Harry,
leaving Ron alone with his broom. "Great," he said to himself, "just brilliant. One minute alone with Hermione and I manage
to wreck it." And then he wondered why on earth he'd said it.
It was August 30th, so the next day was a rush of packing for school. Ron and Harry didn't have their things for
school yet, so Mrs Weasley had to Apparate to Diagon Alley in the morning to get them. Hermione, who was staying in
Ginny's room, packed rather absentmindedly. She was still thinking about her experience on a broomstick. It still made her
feel a bit odd inside to think about it, although she wasn't quite sure why. After all, she told herself, it was only Ron. But
she still couldn't put it to the back of her mind.
She was so distracted that she didn't even hear Ginny enter.
"You look really nice with that make up on," Ginny said, and Hermione jumped.
"Oh, Ginny, I didn't realize anyone was in here." She looked at herself in the mirror on Ginny's dressing table. "Yes,
Mum talked me into it. She said, 'Hermione, you're fifteen, it's time for you to grow up.'" She smiled at the memory. "I
didn't agree with her at first, but I have to say I'm enjoying the effect."
"You mean the effect in general, or the effect on Ron?" asked Ginny in a falsely sweet voice.
"Excuse me?" asked Hermione in surprise. "Why would me wearing make up have any effect on Ron?" She tried to
sound as if she didn't know what Ginny was talking about, but she could feel herself turning pink.
"You see!" cried Ginny triumphantly. "You've gone all red! I knew I was right! I knew there was something going
on!"
Hermione grabbed Ginny by the shoulders very tightly and said in an unnaturally quiet voice, "Please Ginny, don't
say anything to anyone about it. Please. I'd never hear the end of it. Not that's there anything to tell anyone about, anyway. I
promise. Nothing is going on. Just...please don't tell anyone what you've been thinking."
Ginny had looked a bit scared when Hermione grabbed her, but now just looked apologetic. "Sorry, Hermione. But
I know there's something going on. You were all really quiet during dinner, and you're only ever like that when something
awful's happened."
Hermione let go, and turned back to her packing. "Maybe you're right, Ginny. And as to what's going on...you'll find
out soon enough."
* * *
Harry could hear voices in his head. Not voices like those that he was used to hearing, not the voices he heard every
day. They sounded...odd. Not quite right. They sounded...
American.
A girl was shouting. Shouting and...crying? Why was she crying? Why was she so upset? She just kept saying the
same thing over and over again. "Why? Why didn't you tell me? How could you not tell me? How could you?"
And then an older voice, an older woman saying, "Now calm down, it's nothing to cry about. You should be happy
if anything..."
"How could you keep this from me?" The girl's voice cried out between her sobs. "How could you? Why did you
never tell me?" And suddenly she stopped shouting and just cried and cried. As if she would never stop. And the woman
said, "Please, Rosemary, don't cry. Please don't..."
Harry woke up with a start. Rosemary. It was her. His cousin - but that still sounded strange, even when he was
only thinking it to himself. They had told her about him, they had told her the truth, and he'd seen it! He'd seen the whole
thing, although the details were beginning to slip away from his consciousness. And the last time he'd had a dream like that
- where the dream had taken place in the real world as well as his head - was when...
But that was impossible! How could Voldemort have anything to do with his cousin? It was ridiculous, and yet...
Her family had been attacked, just as his had. Why was Voldemort so bent on destroying the Potters and all their relatives?
Well, he just liked killing, that was all. But, the attack on the Brooks family had been the only one in America. Why? What
made them special?
Harry shook himself mentally. This was ridiculous. The dream hadn't been all that vivid, anyway. He hadn't seen
Rosemary's face. He'd just had an impression of dark hair, that was all. And all the other details of the dream had been
supplied by Hermione, just a few days before. It was just his imagination. He was being jumpy for absolutely no reason at
all.
But that didn't make him feel much better. Tomorrow was school. And that meant meeting Rosemary. His only
surviving family was just a few hours away.
Harry looked at the clock. It was one o'clock in the morning, September the first. So he'd be meeting her today. He
tried to sleep, rather unsuccessfully. His troubled thoughts kept him awake.
At last, early in the morning, he fell into a doze. It felt as if he'd been asleep only a short time when Mrs Weasley
knocked on his door to wake him.
Author's Note: Thank you to all those who have reviewed! If I make any more mistakes (ie- characters mysteriously
teleporting to a different place because I forgot where they were supposed to be) please point them out! Grammar mistakes
etc also. More reviews would be very welcome!
I would just like to clarify on one point. One reviewer, obviously very annoyed, read my synopsis and thought I was
some stupid American (no offense, guys) who was trying to put her countrymen into HP fanfic! Well - newsflash, people -
I'm not American! I'm English! I live near Chelmsford, Essex (as if any of you know where that is). Just wanted to clear that
up.
So...in the next chapter...will Harry and co finally meet all these damn Americans (once again, no offense)? Will Ron
and Hermione get any further, or will they just keep blushing at each other for the rest of their lives? Find out next time...
Be a good little reader! r/r!
Rowling.
After dinner, through which Harry, Hermione and Ron were very quiet, the whole Weasley family and Harry played a game
of Quidditch outside. Harry was glad to find that the twins hadn't changed at all, and their jokes helped to lighten the tense
atmosphere slightly. The Quidditch itself helped Harry relax; he was never happier than when he was on his broomstick.
Hermione watched on the sidelines, cheering on Harry and Ron. She didn't have a broom, and was so terrible at flying that
she might have injured herself if she tried. She laughed as Fred and George flew around madly, almost knocking Harry off
his broom at one point.
"Hey!" Harry shouted at them, grinning. "Beaters are supposed to protect their Seeker, not try to kill him!"
Hermione sighed to herself as she watched the boys swoop through the air. It looks like fun, she thought. She
sighed again, but then smiled as Ron waved to her, and she waved back. Ron dived inexpertly down to the ground, and
walked over to her.
"You want to have a go on my broom?" he asked.
"What, me?" said Hermione in surprise. "Have you ever actually seen me on a broom, Ron?"
"No. Can't say I have actually."
"Exactly," Hermione laughed. "That's how awful I am."
"Oh for crying out loud," said Ron. "Come on, get on the back of my broom. I'll show you." He made the broom
hover and mounted it. "Come on," he said again.
Hesitantly, Hermione walked up to the broom and got on behind Ron. She had never been on a broomstick before,
despite having seen Harry in so many house Quidditch matches. "Where do I hold on?" she asked.
"Just hold on round my waist," said Ron, and then wondered why he'd said it. As she gripped round his waist and
they took of, he felt himself turning a bit red. They flew through the air at a moderate speed (all Ron's broom was capable
of) and Hermione said, "This is wonderful, Ron! I can't believe I've never done this before! Imagine what it must feel like on
Harry's Firebolt!"
"Well, you can ride with him if you want," said Ron, a bit put out.
"No. I like it here with you," said Hermione, and she blushed slightly. Ron was suddenly glad that it was getting
dark and no one could see his reddening cheeks. He really liked the feeling of Hermione's arms round his waist, but he tried
not to think about it too much. After all, Hermione was Hermione. Bossy, irritating, too-clever-by-half,
spends-lots-of-time-in-the-library Hermione. So why was he blushing?
"Come on, let's go down and get dessert!" called Fred.
"Sounds good to me!" George shouted to his twin, and began to descend.
"Shall we go with them, Hermione?" Ron asked reluctantly.
"Yes, come on. Surely you don't want to miss dessert!" Hermione laughed.
"Yeah. 'Spose so." Ron directed the broom downwards. Hermione climbed off straight away and ran after Harry,
leaving Ron alone with his broom. "Great," he said to himself, "just brilliant. One minute alone with Hermione and I manage
to wreck it." And then he wondered why on earth he'd said it.
It was August 30th, so the next day was a rush of packing for school. Ron and Harry didn't have their things for
school yet, so Mrs Weasley had to Apparate to Diagon Alley in the morning to get them. Hermione, who was staying in
Ginny's room, packed rather absentmindedly. She was still thinking about her experience on a broomstick. It still made her
feel a bit odd inside to think about it, although she wasn't quite sure why. After all, she told herself, it was only Ron. But
she still couldn't put it to the back of her mind.
She was so distracted that she didn't even hear Ginny enter.
"You look really nice with that make up on," Ginny said, and Hermione jumped.
"Oh, Ginny, I didn't realize anyone was in here." She looked at herself in the mirror on Ginny's dressing table. "Yes,
Mum talked me into it. She said, 'Hermione, you're fifteen, it's time for you to grow up.'" She smiled at the memory. "I
didn't agree with her at first, but I have to say I'm enjoying the effect."
"You mean the effect in general, or the effect on Ron?" asked Ginny in a falsely sweet voice.
"Excuse me?" asked Hermione in surprise. "Why would me wearing make up have any effect on Ron?" She tried to
sound as if she didn't know what Ginny was talking about, but she could feel herself turning pink.
"You see!" cried Ginny triumphantly. "You've gone all red! I knew I was right! I knew there was something going
on!"
Hermione grabbed Ginny by the shoulders very tightly and said in an unnaturally quiet voice, "Please Ginny, don't
say anything to anyone about it. Please. I'd never hear the end of it. Not that's there anything to tell anyone about, anyway. I
promise. Nothing is going on. Just...please don't tell anyone what you've been thinking."
Ginny had looked a bit scared when Hermione grabbed her, but now just looked apologetic. "Sorry, Hermione. But
I know there's something going on. You were all really quiet during dinner, and you're only ever like that when something
awful's happened."
Hermione let go, and turned back to her packing. "Maybe you're right, Ginny. And as to what's going on...you'll find
out soon enough."
* * *
Harry could hear voices in his head. Not voices like those that he was used to hearing, not the voices he heard every
day. They sounded...odd. Not quite right. They sounded...
American.
A girl was shouting. Shouting and...crying? Why was she crying? Why was she so upset? She just kept saying the
same thing over and over again. "Why? Why didn't you tell me? How could you not tell me? How could you?"
And then an older voice, an older woman saying, "Now calm down, it's nothing to cry about. You should be happy
if anything..."
"How could you keep this from me?" The girl's voice cried out between her sobs. "How could you? Why did you
never tell me?" And suddenly she stopped shouting and just cried and cried. As if she would never stop. And the woman
said, "Please, Rosemary, don't cry. Please don't..."
Harry woke up with a start. Rosemary. It was her. His cousin - but that still sounded strange, even when he was
only thinking it to himself. They had told her about him, they had told her the truth, and he'd seen it! He'd seen the whole
thing, although the details were beginning to slip away from his consciousness. And the last time he'd had a dream like that
- where the dream had taken place in the real world as well as his head - was when...
But that was impossible! How could Voldemort have anything to do with his cousin? It was ridiculous, and yet...
Her family had been attacked, just as his had. Why was Voldemort so bent on destroying the Potters and all their relatives?
Well, he just liked killing, that was all. But, the attack on the Brooks family had been the only one in America. Why? What
made them special?
Harry shook himself mentally. This was ridiculous. The dream hadn't been all that vivid, anyway. He hadn't seen
Rosemary's face. He'd just had an impression of dark hair, that was all. And all the other details of the dream had been
supplied by Hermione, just a few days before. It was just his imagination. He was being jumpy for absolutely no reason at
all.
But that didn't make him feel much better. Tomorrow was school. And that meant meeting Rosemary. His only
surviving family was just a few hours away.
Harry looked at the clock. It was one o'clock in the morning, September the first. So he'd be meeting her today. He
tried to sleep, rather unsuccessfully. His troubled thoughts kept him awake.
At last, early in the morning, he fell into a doze. It felt as if he'd been asleep only a short time when Mrs Weasley
knocked on his door to wake him.
Author's Note: Thank you to all those who have reviewed! If I make any more mistakes (ie- characters mysteriously
teleporting to a different place because I forgot where they were supposed to be) please point them out! Grammar mistakes
etc also. More reviews would be very welcome!
I would just like to clarify on one point. One reviewer, obviously very annoyed, read my synopsis and thought I was
some stupid American (no offense, guys) who was trying to put her countrymen into HP fanfic! Well - newsflash, people -
I'm not American! I'm English! I live near Chelmsford, Essex (as if any of you know where that is). Just wanted to clear that
up.
So...in the next chapter...will Harry and co finally meet all these damn Americans (once again, no offense)? Will Ron
and Hermione get any further, or will they just keep blushing at each other for the rest of their lives? Find out next time...
Be a good little reader! r/r!
