Warning: ****In between hysterical laughter***** Someone is verrrrry busy in this chapter. (It's not anything dirty, just read on. I actually think it's pretty cute....)
The next day, Harry woke up at 9:30.
'I guess it should be a good thing that I'm sleeping normally, but I already know that Voldemort's back, so I don't have to dream about it.' Harry thought.
"HEY! SLEEPY-HEAD!" someone shouted from the door.
Harry turned to look. "Oh, hi Coral."
"Hermione sent me to see if you're up. And it's not Coral, it's Cory. Now, come on. Ron and Hermione are waiting. You already missed Mum and Dad... back to school is the dentist's busy season, you know." Cory rambled.
"Okay, just let me get dressed." Harry said, waiting for Cory to leave.
"That's okay, I don't mind." said Cory, not moving.
"OUT!" cried Harry, pushing Coral out the door and shutting it behind her.
5 minutes later, Harry joined Hermione, Ron and Cory at the kitchen table.
"Morning, Harry." said Ron.
"What do you guys want to do today?" asked Hermione.
"Ahh, whatever." said Harry.
"Do you guys have a quidditch pitch?" demanded Ron innocently.
"Don't be stupid, Ron. I know! Let's go shopping! Harry, no offence, but your muggle clothes need some livening up. Tell you what. I'll keep the change from Diagon Alley, and you can have some muggle money." said Hermione.
"Umm, ok." said Harry timidly. He didn't really have much muggle fashion sense.
After breakfast, Hermione was leading Harry and Ron out the door, and Cory was just standing there, seeing them off.
"Aren't you coming, Cory?" asked Ron.
Cory's eyes opened in surprise. "Well, I didn't really think..."
Harry was still a tad annoyed with Cory, but why shouldn't she come? "Come on Cory, you can't let Hermione dress me up like a complete preppie, can you?" he said brightly.
Cory looked at Hermione pleadingly.
"Oh, yes Cory, please come! You're so very wanted!" said Hermione sarcastically.
Cory frowned. "Okay, you guys go on without me." she said, shutting the door firmly.
Harry and Ron ran to keep up with Hermione, who was for some reason speed-walking.
"What was that all about?" asked Harry angrily.
"Really, Hermione, that was mean!" cried Ron.
They were halfway down the block, almost out of sight from Hermione's house. Hermione stopped and looked up at them, tears falling slowly from her wide eyes. "She deserved it. " whispered Hermione.
Harry immediately felt the anger fade away.
"Ok, 'Mione, I think it's about time you told us what' s up with you two. You can trust us." said Ron, reassuringly.
Hermione wiped her face with the back of her hand and said " No, not here. Not now. We're going to go have fun, and forget that this ever happened."
Harry and Ron shrugged and they continued to walk.
***One Very Long Day of Mall-Hopping Later***
"Wow, I'm pooped." said Ron.
"I know, what a slave driver." said Harry.
"Well, at least we're back!" said Hermione cheerfully.
"Yeah, after 12 straight hours of horrible clothes-shopping!" said Harry.
"Oh please! At least now you have some clothes that aren't Dudleys leftovers! Besides, it wasn't 12 consecutive hours .... you guys kept insisting that we stop and eat!" said Hermione.
"Hmmm, I guess that means that we're -god forbid- human?" quipped Ron.
"So am I!" Hermione shot back.
"You know what? I missed you guys." said Harry.
"Me too."
"Me three."
"Well, I'm tired. Are you guys tired?" questioned Hermione.
"Yup." said Ron.
"Pretty much." answered Harry.
"See you in the morning, then." said Hermione.
"Good night."
"Good night."
When Harry got back to his room, he was just about to get into bed, when he noticed that Hedwig wasn't there.
'Must of gone out, I suppose.' Harry thought. But it didn't seem quite right...
The next day, Harry got up at the same time as the day before, but Cory wasn't around. He got dressed in one of his new outfits (a black t-shirt and jeans) and went downstairs. Ron and Hermione both looked pretty glum, and Cory, well, Cory wasn't there.
"Good morning." said Harry sweetly.
"Ug." mumbled Hermione.
"Cory hasn't left her room at all..... I think she must be starving." said Ron, his eyes wide, Dobby-style, as if he was trying to give Harry a hint about something.
"Ummm. yeah. Maybe we should go...... um....... bring her something?" guessed Harry.
"Why, Harry, what a good idea. We'll be right back, 'Mione." said Ron.
Ron scooped up a plate of eggs and toast, and Harry nicked a piece from the table to eat on the way there. They manoeuvred their way to the black door and knocked.
"What?" came a small voice.
"We brought you some breakfast." said Ron cheerfully.
"Leave it at the door, then." said Cory.
Ron looked surprised. He had obviously expected her to be a tad more grateful then that.
"Cory, we want to talk." Harry announced.
"Fine."
Ron and Harry opened the door slowly and set the plate on Cory's bureau. She had her back to them.
"Cory, what is up between you and Hermione? She said that you were lying to us about being in juvy hall. Not that it's so believable that a 10 or 11 year old would get sent to juvy hall for robbing a bank for 5 years." demanded Ron.
Cory turned around, letting Harry and Ron catch a glimpse of her face. She had obviously been crying for a long, long time. Her nose was extremely red and her eyes had enormous, puffy rims. They were a deep, vivid, grey.
Cory took a great big breath of air and said "Sit down. This may take awhile."
Harry and Ron obeyed right away. Cory gave a small smile and began.
"When we were 11, we both received letters from Hogwarts, telling us that we were witches. It wasn't really that much of a surprise to me... when I was 10, my teeth shrunk overnight after my parents fixed braces on them. Anyway, Hermione was so excited, she started making plans for us right away. Robe shopping......... studying. But I didn't want to be a part of it. Hermione and I ... we were always together and she was the smart one, always overshadowing me. That really begins to get tiresome when it happens everyday of your life. So when I got a letter from my uncle asking us to go study with him, I decided to go and kept it from Hermione until the week before. Hermione pretended not to be hurt, but I knew she was. I think that was the problem, I always knew everything that she was thinking. Anyway, she wouldn't of hated me so much if it hadn't been for this: she made me swear to write everyday, and come back every summer. I never did. I pretended that she didn't exist. She wrote to me, and I didn't write back once, I didn't come back during vacations, and I never planned to. But now my uncle is ... ummm.. indisposed." Cory said all of that in a voice that sounded as if her heart was breaking.
"Ouch." said Harry.
"Well, I guess I know how you felt. I have 6 older brothers, and most of them seem smarter, and overall better than me." said Ron empathetically.
Cory nodded. "I just wanted to be alone, and be my own person. I was never meant to be a twin. I'm way too much of an individual. Don't get me wrong, I love Herm, and she's ..... well, she was the best friend I ever had. But for someone so intelligent, she doesn't get that I needed to go without her."
"Don't worry, Cory, Hermione will come around. Even if she doesn't want to. You'll be at school with us, all day and all night, everyday." said Harry thickly.
"Thanks, Harry." replied Cory sarcastically.
"Anytime." answered Harry, not catching on.
"Now, let's leave these soggy eggs and toast and go get some fresh stuff." said Ron.
Cory smiled. "Thanks, you guys."
"Hey, Cory, is that your real eye colour?" asked Ron.
Cory looked in the mirror, checking her vivid grey eyes to see. "Yes. Something I never shared with Hermione."
They all made their way downstairs, where Hermione was reading The Daily Prophet. The headline said "Multiple Death Eater Sightings ." Hermione put down the paper and said "Hi guys. Do you want to go see a muggle movie today? It'll probably amuse Ron."
"I guess" said Harry.
"Muggle movie, eh? At the teet-er?" questioned Ron.
"It's theatre! Honestly, Ron!" corrected Hermione.
" Cory's coming too, then." said Harry.
Cory smiled gratefully at Harry while Hermione shot daggers at him with her eyes.
'Eh, they cancel each other out.' thought Harry.
So, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Cory went to the teet-ers and saw a double feature, and then to a restaurant for a late lunch. Then they went to the park, and watched the children play while talking on and on. When they got back, they had a late dinner and talked some more. At 11:30, Harry went up to his room, and yet again, Hedwig was no where to be found.
'Where is she? Does Hermione have an owlery or something? That doesn't make much sense...... I'll go ask her.' Harry thought.
Harry went to the pale purple door he remembered as Hermione's room and opened the door. Hermione was sitting in front of a mirror in a white nightgown, brushing her long hair.
"Harry! What are you doing here?" she demanded when she saw him in the mirror.
"Umm.. I-I mean....... Have you seen Hedwig?" Harry stammered.
'God, Hermione looks cute.' he thought awkwardly.
"Nope. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Aylward either." answered Hermione.
"I wonder where they can be." said Harry, regaining his composure.
"I don't know." said Hermione.
"Oh. Well, tell me if you find out anything." said Harry as he turned to leave.
"Harry, wait." cried Hermione.
"What?" asked Harry, turning around again.
Hermione stood up and walked over to shut the door. "I want to know what Cory told you." she said, sitting next to him.
"She just explained to us why she didn't go to Hogwarts with you. It made a lot of sense. Maybe you should talk to her." replied Harry.
"Did she tell you why she decided to pretend that I didn't exist? She was my best friend, my sister. Then she decided to hate me, and never speak to me again. She left me all alone to go to a new school where I didn't know anyone, and to learn all about stuff I had never heard of. The minute she left, I knew that I would have to learn it all, so I didn't look like an idiot. So I read all the books I could, all day, all night, starting from the moment she told me until I actually made some friends. Then I relaxed a little, but not too much. Never too much." Hermione looked like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
"Shhhh, Hermione, it's okay." soothed Harry as she began to cry. Harry reached out and stroked her beautiful, if bushy, long hair.
Hermione looked up at Harry and blushed. "I'm okay, really. Go get some sleep."
"Are you sure?" questioned Harry.
"Sure I'm sure." said Hermione, rose still creeping across her cheeks.
"Okay, then. Good night, Hermione."
"Good night."
Harry was halfway out the door when Hermione said "Oh, and Harry? Thank you."
On impulse, Harry spun around, gave her a quick peck on lips, and rushed back to his room.
'He did it!' thought Hermione, bringing her hand to lips.
'I did it!' thought Harry. 'I wonder what this means....'
***The Next Morning***
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Cory all sat around the kitchen table, playing exploding snap. Harry and Hermione were actually having a very amusing game of footsies under the table, when Hedwig and Aylward flew in together.
"Hedwig! Where have you been?!" cried Harry.
Hedwig and Aylward landed on part of the table together, never leaving each others sides.
Ron snickered.
"Why are you laughing?" demanded Harry.
"That's exactly how Errol looked after he came home with his, um, pregnant owl friend.
Hermione's mouth fell open. "Harry, Hedwig is a female?"
Harry matched her look. "Aylward is a boy?"
Cory laughed. "No, I'd say that now Aylward is a real man."
Ron and Cory started to laugh hysterically, while Harry and Hermione stared at each other and their owls.
"Should we take them to a vet or something?"
"I know. We'll go check my library and see what it says on the subject." suggested Hermione.
"Your library?." asked Harry.
"Yeah, it's in the basement. C'mon, let's go. You too, you laughing jerks."
Hermione's library turned out to be a small room, that had absolutely no wall space at all. It was literally wall to wall books.
"Okay, I think I got a book on wizard owls last summer. Here we go." mumbled Hermione to herself as she pulled a medium sized book off the self.
She leafed through it and began to read outloud. "Mating: Unlike muggle owls, wizard owls mate whenever they choose, they have no designated season. After about 1 month, the female lays 6 to 13 eggs, and the male and female take turns sitting on them, until they hatch, about a month later. The owlets will be able to leave their parents another month or so later, and their delivery skills come naturally to them, they don't need to be taught. Once two owls mate together, they become life-partners, and will not enjoy being separated except for deliveries, which become much faster, since they despise being apart."
"Hear that? They're life-partners!" chortled Ron.
Hermione sighed.
"I don't think it'll be too bad. I'm sure that Hagrid will take care of them while they're nesting at Hogwarts, then, you can have an owl, and I'll take one, and we'll give the rest to our friends who don't laugh at us, and Hedwig and Aylward can go off somewhere together."
Ron shut up right away. "You'll give me one, won't you guys?"
"Let's not go promising away their babies just yet, okay?" said Hermione while Harry gave Ron an evil glare.
"Let's write Hagrid now, to give him a warning." said Harry.
Hermione nodded, and they wrote down a quick note. Hedwig and Aylward flew off together. Harry sighed and turned to Hermione.
"So, does that owl book have any owl baby names in it?" he questioned.
"How about 'Frisky' after his parents?" suggested Cory.
"Shut up!" cried Hermione.
"Wow, she actually spoke to me!" feigned Cory.
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion coming from upstairs.
"What in the hell?!" cried Ron.
Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and they raced upstairs......
Dear PEEPS,
A/N Ha, a cliff hanger! That's ok, I'll be posting chapter 3 soon enough. Just as soon as I get 5 reveiws, so hurry up and reveiw and I'll post! But, it's not much of a cliff hanger, because anyone who's not incredibly stupid knows who it is. (Duhhh, Mickey Mouse?) Anyway, I know that the owl mating habits are screwed up, but use your imaginations, okay? (Well, don't use them too well) I did extensive research! Yahoooo!
Love,
Katy
P.S. Reveiw me. It's my only joy in life, not counting a bijillion other things!
***THANKS***
Joebeana : Thanks. *snicker* (sorry, inside joke!)
SARAH : Thanks, Sar, and your poems are wicked!!!
Magician X : Thanks a million! You were first reveiwer ever who I didn't know!!!
Snape-Cheerleade r: Thank you, I try so hard to be even remotely funny.
Giliath : You're not the only person to mention this, so I'll get it over with. YES, happy face contacts do exist, and you can probably get them at your local Wal-Mart. And YES, they would be wicked to have and scare people with. Thanks for reviewing!!!
naavi0: Thanks, your fic is great too. Sorry if Cory creeps you out, she's really a sweet and caring person inside. HA!!! Well, it may seem like it in this corny chapter though. I'll try not to do that again.
Davita : THANK YOU!!! You're too king for words, but here they are anyway: words!!
Heir of Darkness : Your poem was great! Thanks for the reveiw, and the idea of freaking snape out with the contacts. I hadn't realised about that yet!
Fallen*Angel : Thanks. Don't worry about 'special powers' I agree that it would be way too cliche.
wendybird : Sorry, but my shipper preference conflicts with yours!! Harry and Hermione are so sweet together! I think that Ron was jealous of Hermione because he was lonely, that's all. But I'll fix that! (Probably...)
Chesire Cat a.k.a Artemis : Thank you, sorry if you didn't like that particular part of the story but others did. Therefore, my lesson of the day is "Ya shore can't please everybody!!!"
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Ron : Hmmph. Hostile, eh? Well beg your pardon!!!!!
Aira : Oh, this fic is completely canon based. It's anew kind of canon though: KATY CANON!!!!!! That's right, I've invented my own, new and improved canon, and all of you faithful viewers can purchase one for the high, high, price of 1 00 000$. Thanks for reviewing.
A.J.Solo : Thanks, A.J., for the very, er- interesting reveiw. Actually, at first glance, it reminded me of me!
tommarvolriddle : Well, you probably won't read this since I've made it very, umm, clear, about how I felt about your reveiw of my review. Let's just call it a truce, alright?