*A/N* Tada! I think I'm making great time with these. Dont get used to it though, because writers block is taking over. I thank you for all the reviews. It's great that you want me to write more, even though there's no plot! Serouisly. The other books are like, HP and the Sorcerer's Stone. Well, that book was about the Sorcerer's Stone. If I wrote one, it would be Harry Potter and his first Fairly Normal Year(or as Normal as Harry Potter's Year can get!). I apologize for all the spelling mistakes. I have the stories in a notebook and I type them when I get a chance. Usually I'm typing at night or in the morning. Not quite being awake, I keep hitting the wrong keys! ! I just wanna thank you for the reviews! They keep me going despite my writer's block! I had a really had a tough time figuring out a title for this chapter. I'm introducing a new character this chapter, more about them at the end! Please keep giving me feedback. Oh, sorry about the long author's notes, but I like writing long ones!! Enjoy!
*Disclaimer* I've said it before, I'll say it again: the Harry Potter characters are not mine, because, frankly, I am not JK Rowling. Abby, however, is mine, so keep your grubby little mits off her! :)
CHAPTER THREE: CONFLICTS AND CONVERSATIONS
Ron and Harry fell through the barrier and found themselves on Platform 9 3/4. The scarlet Hogwarts Express was in front of him. Countless other witches and wizards were milling around. Harry and Ron moved their trolleys out of the way. They knew that other people still had to come through the barrier(like Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!). Hermione was hanging out the window of the last compartment, "Harry! Ron!" she called, waving to them like mad. "C'mon, this one's empty!" Harry and Ron pulled their their trolleys down towards the compartment.
"You know," Harry said, pushing his trunk on to the luggage rack. "I think I've had this compartment every year. Well, every year that I've taken the train." Harry grinned at Ron, remembering their second year, when they came to Hogwarts in Mr. Weasley's flying car.
"Yeah, I reckon you're right." Ron said, hopping down to the platform. "Come on, Mum'll want to say goodbye.
"Well, I haven't always ridden in that compartment." Hermione said as they walked towards the Weasleys. "That first year, only you two were in that compartment. And the other prefects didn't want me to sit in there this year. They felt I should sit in the private compartment up front."
"Wait, you never said you were made a prefect!" Ron said.
"Well, you two never seem to appreciate it when I obey the rules. I didn't think you'd appreciate me being given a job to force other people to obey the rules!"
"Hermione! We're happy for you." Ron said. "Though I don't know why I'm surprised. You are the best behaved person in our house."
Hermione beamed. "Yeah, Herm, we're happy for you. Hey, d'ya think you could give us the password to the prefect's bathroom? That place is NICE!" Harry said. Harry had used the prefects' beautiful bathroom last year while trying to figure out a Triwizard Tournament clue.
The three had now reached Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was giving Fred and George a goodbye lecture.
"-and I don't want any letters from Dumbeldore this year! PLEASE behave! It's your last year...why don't you leave on a good note?" Harry laughed. Fred and George considered a "good note" something to be remembered by, such as bombing Snape's office with Dungbomb's.
Fred and George exchanged looks. Being twins, they had that trait where they don't even have to speak to discuss something. They seemed to agree on what it was they were discussing. "Alright Mum," said Fred, giving his mother a peck on the cheek. "We'll TRY not to get into too much trouble, but we're not making promises." Harry noticed that Fred said the word 'too' under his breath. Mrs. Weasley hadn't seemed to notice.
"But-" she began, but George interrupted her. "Now Mum, how can we stay out of trouble if trouble finds us? Which, it usually does." Everyone laughed as George kissed his mother on her other cheek. Fred and George hugged their dad, then walked off to find Lee Jordan.
Mrs. Weasley was now talking to Ginny and telling her that if she felt homesick, she should just write home.
"Mum, I'm used to being away from home. I'm not a baby." Ginny said, but on seeing the hurt look on her mother's face, she hastily added "But I'll send you lots of owls just to keep in touch." She gave her mother a hug and a kiss and did the same for her father.
"Now, you three," Mr. Weasley said as Ginny skipped away to find her friends Colin Creevey and Carolyn O'Connor. "you need to be careful! I don't mean to scare you, but you're all in danger. Harry, don't travel alone. Use the buddy system. I know Dumbeldore's taking security precautions, but you can't be too careful, especailly when you're dealing with You-Know-Who. If anything weird happens, Harry, if you ever have any dreams, tell Dumbledore, owl me," here he lowered his voice, "and owl Sirius."
Harry was dumbfounded. "How did you kno-?"
"Dumbeldore explained everything." Mr, Weasley told him. "Most important, don't go looking for trouble. You're not going to stop You-Know-Who on your own, so don't try. Lord knows enough trouble finds you guys on its own." With that, he gave them each a hug goodbye.
"And I don't mean to nag," Mrs. Weasley said, "but do study hard for the OWL's. They are very important. I know you can all do well." Mrs. Weasley said goodbye with a hug and a kiss for each of them. Harry wasn't sure if he imagined it, but she seemed to hug he harder and longer than anyone else.
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As the train sped through the countryside, the trio wsa silent. They had already spent nearly a month together: what was their left to talk about?
Harry filled the void by absentmindeldy gazing at Hermione. 'Look at the way the sun shines off her hair.' he thought 'It's so beautiful! It looks so soft; if only I could run my fingers through it...' Hermione must have felt eyes looking at her. She turned and saw Harry staring at her hair. "What?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair. "Is there something in my hair?"
Harry felt himself blush. "No, no, it's nothing, it's just" he stopped, searching for an excuse, "there's a better view out your window."
"Oh," said Hermione, turning around and not believing Harry's excuse for a minute.
'I actually thought he was looking at me.' Hermione said. 'How stupid. I've got to get a grip! He's just my friend.' Though, Hermione had noticed Harry acting strangely around her. It was almost as if he liked her. But Hermione figured that was just wishful thinking taking over. They were like brother and sister! 'Besides,' a nasty voice in the back of Hermione's head said, 'he likes Cho!' Hermione sighed. It's not that she had anything against Cho. It's just that Cho was so, well, perfect! She was pretty, smart, funny, responsible, and athletic. Since she played Quidditch, she always had something to talk to Harry about. In fact, she was also Seeker, so they had tons in common. Hermione would have been jealous of Cho is she hadn't been so...likable!
Still, Hermione felt a pang of envy when she thought about how longingly Harry looked at Cho. Hermione had liked Harry since forever! Once she found of about the magical world, she had read all the books she could about Harry. She had pictures of him up in her room. When Harry had hated Hermione in their first year, she was devastated. That Halloween, when Ron had said that Hermione was a nightmare, it was the final straw. Hermione had assumed that since Harry didn't say anything in reply, he agreed with Ron. Hermione had run off crying into the bathroom. She knew Ron still felt guilty:he thought he had provoked her into hiding. But Hermione never had the courage to tell him that it was because of Harry. But honestly, what girl wouldn't like Harry? He had saved the world from the most evil and powerful wizard ever. Plus, he was terribly good looking, what with the brilliant green eyes, untidy black hair, and killer smile. What girl could resist him? Certainly not Hermione.
Sure, Ron was cute too, but Hermione just didn't feel that way about him. Hermione felt guilty about that: Ron never received as much recognition as Harry. But Ron was just too volatile for Hermione. He was mad at her one minute, her best friend the next. She could never figure him out. Plus, he was rather protective of her. He was the older brother she never had. Harry never fought with Hermione. Sure, he'd call her a know-it-all and had made fun of her, but they'd all made fun of each other. Once in their third year, Harry had given Hermione the silent treatment. This was because her and Ron weren't speaking to one another and Harry had simply gone along with Ron. At first, it had hurt Hermione because they weren't speaking to each other, but she was too busy to think much of it.
Hermione thought back to the Yule Ball. 'I should have asked Harry!' Hermione thought. But she didn't think he liked her(in fact, she still didn't) and she was afraid of ruining their friendship. When Viktor Krum had asked her, it was perfect! She liked him and he liked her. But Hermione wouldn't have turned anyone down that asked her, unless they were someone horrible like Malfoy. Hermione remembered how nervous Viktor was when he asked her. He was sweating and wringing his hands. Hermione said yes in an instant. She knew how hard it was to ask someone else. Plus, though she hated to admit it, Hermione could show off Viktor. She could prove that she wasn't just a know it all. Here she was on the arm of the famous Quidditch player!
Thinking of Quidditch made Hermione think of Harry and Cho. Her mind drifted back to early August and that day in Diagon Alley. She'd come out of Madam Malkin's Robes. She was about to call out to Harry, but stopped herself when she saw he was talking to Cho. 'Oh good! He's finally talking to her!' Hermione thought. Although Harry had never told Ron or Hermione how he felt about Cho, it was obvious. But soon, Hermione's initial joy turned to jealousy 'Look how close they're sitting!' Hermione commanded herself not to be jealous, to be happy for Harry. 'Besides, you have a boyfriend' she had told herself. But she had laughed at this. True, Viktor was techically her boyfriend, but he was more of just a guy friend now. They had decided not to just see each other. Hermione also had a feeling that the long-distance thing wouldn't work out.
"Hey Harry," Ron said, interrupting Hermione's thoughts and (judging by the fact that he had jumped out of his seat) Harry's thoughts too. Hermione giggled and wondered what Harry could have been thinking about so hard.
"Yeah Ron?" Harry replied, turning his attention to Ron.
"Have you heard from Sirius lately?" Ron asked, a not of concern in his voice.
"No, actually I haven't. Not to sound greedy, but he never sent me a birthday present. I wonder if he's alright."
"Oh, I'm sure he's fine!" Hermione said. "Remember, Dumbeldore sent him on a mission at the end of last year? Plus, the Daily Prophet would have reported any sitings."
'Hermione, always the voice of reason' Ron thought. He'd always admired the fact that she could keep her wits about her even in the most extreme cases. Althought Ron loved Hermione, he loved her like a sister, not as a girlfriend. Not that there was anything wrong with her, they were just to much like family. Ron had liked Fluer Delacour, but after realizing he didn't have a chance with her, he had given up.
But Ron did like someone. Abby Morris was a Ravenclaw fifth year with blond hair down to her shoulders. Ron thought he could spend hours looking into her dark blue eyes. Ron didn't have any classes with her and he didn't see her very often, but whenever he did see her, she had a smile on her face. Abby was very cheerful and usually the life of the party. You would probably picture her with Fred or George, since they were so similar. Ron had managed to find out some things about her. She was the middle child of three children, the only girl. Her older brother Mark had graduated in Percy's class(he had been in Gryffindor, and Ron's prime source of information about her), but her younger brother Joseph wasn't due in Hogwarts until next year. She was also a Quidditch fan: Abby served as the Ravenclaw reserve and was also a Chudley Cannon's fan(Ron's favorite team). Ron had gone to a Cannon's game in July on Ministry tickets and had sat next to her. Both of her parents were in the Ministry: her mom was in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, while her dad was in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Miracouslously, the Cannons had won that game. Silly as it was, Ron felt that is was a sign.
"Anything from the cart dears?" Harry, Hermione, and Ron jumped at the sound of someone else's voice. The witch who pushed the food cart had come in without them realizing it. They had all been lost in thoughts of their love lives and had been oblivous to everything else.
Harry ran to the cart. He didn't realize how hungry he was. The food cart usually came about halfway through the trip, so it had been a while since they'd eaten. Harry bought a couple Cauldron Cakes and a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Every Flavor Beans were good for excitement, and this trip needed to be perked up. Everyone seemed to be in their own world.
"Hey guys," Harry said, getting Ron and Hermione's attention, "You want some Every Flavor Beans?"
"Sure," Ron said, breaking into a grin. On their first train ride to Hogwarts, Harry and Ron had bonded over Beans. Hermione also agreed to the Beans, though she was less enthusiastic about putting mystery flavored food into her mouth.
Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the next ten minutes eating(and ocassionally spitting out) Beans. They decided that the worst flavors were Horseradish, Sardine, and Booger. They couldn't figure out the best flavor though: Hermione loved Orange Sherbert, Ron liked Popcorn, and Harry was rather partial to Root Beer.
"I've never had a Sardine one before." Ron said, popping a white bean into his mouth. He began to chew it, then spit it out. The bean hit Dean, who had just entered the compartment along with with Neville and Seamus, square in the forehead.
"Sorry about that Dean!" Ron said, laughing along with the others, "and guys, I take that back. Now I HAVE had a sardine flavored bean!"
"Yeah, it smells like it!" said Dean, picking it off his forehead. "It's okay Ron, just watch your back at the feast tonight!"
"So Harry," Seamus said, having a seat "What's your take on our Quidditch teams this year?" Hermione and Dean rolled their eyes. Seamus, Ron and Harry could talk about Quiddicth for hours on end. Sure, Hermione and Dean liked Quidditch, but Hermione would rather see it than talk about it and Dean was a West Ham soccer fan. Neville didn't mind the conversation, though he listened rather than spoke.
"Well," Harry said. "Everyone's lost some players and we're out of shape since we didn't have the league last year. I think everyone lost their Captain. Gryffindor still has a chance though!" he said with enthuisaism. "We're not in trouble till next year: we'll lost Fred, George, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina! We'll have to train a new Keeper this year, appoint a new Captain, and get a reserve. God knows we get in enough accidents. By the way, are any of you trying out for Keeper?"
"Well, I am, but you already know that." Ron said.
"I am too" said Seamus with an eager glint in his eyes.
"Not me," said Neville sadly, speaking for the first time. "I'm a klutz on a broom."
"And everywhere else, Longbottom." said a cold, drawling voice. Everyone turned to see Draco Malfoy, flanked by his "bodyguards" Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. All three looked extremly smug and were walking around like they owned the place.
"Hello Malfoy. What have we done to be graced by your presence?" Harry said, his voice oozing with sarcasm.
Malfoy opened his mouth to reply, but was cut-off by Ron. "Yes, please tell us. We'll make sure to never do it again!"
The Gryffindors laughed while the Slytherins scowled. Crabbe and Goyle each took a threatening step forward.
"You two are so witty! Though I must admit, I'd never expect something so clever from you two!" Malfoy replied, his face in a cold grin.
Harry and Ron stood up. They would take any excuse they had to give Malfoy a good beating. Harry knew Seamus and Dean would be only too glad to join in. Even Neville would join in, though he'd get pretty beaten. He'd done it before, in their first year at a Quidditch match. Hermione put her hand on Ron and Harry's arms trying to restrain them. But Harry knew Hermione wanted a piece of Malfoy as much as they did. She'd had enough of him and it was just the first day back. As a prefect, she had to set an example, so she wouldn't fight, but she knew she'd never stop the fight. The five boys could easily take on Crabbe and Goyle, despite their size.
"So I heard you freaks talkng about Quidditch," Malfoy said, eating some of Harry's Every Flavor Beans and motioning for Crabbe and Goyle to do the same. "And you have a point Potter. Gryffindor did lose their Captain. And so did Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Though," Malfoy added with an evil smile, "Hufflepuff didn't lose their Captain because of graduation."
This statement had the effect of lighting a fire under anyone. Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Captian, had been killed by Lord Voldermort. No one in their compartment had been close to Diggory, but that was no reason to make cracks about him. Harry stll felt very guilty for Cedric's death and it pained him to think about it. Malfoy seemed thouroughly pleased that Cedric had been killed by the Dark Lord, thought it wasn't surprsing, as Malfoy's, Crabbe's, and Goyle's families had a history of Dark Arts. Everyone was breathing deeply now out of anger. Harry knew that Malfoy wouldn't go away on his own. They were just making Malfoy happy by getting angry. Harry knew they'd have to do someting to drive him away.
"Look Malfoy, just get out, alright!" Ron said angrily. His fists wer clenched and he looked ready to fight.
"Actually, we're quite comfy here." Malfoy said, eating more beans. He didn't seem too care how gross they were, he just wanted to eat their food. He reminded Harry very much of Dudley right now. "You've got lots to eat here." Harry and Ron remembered a similar situation in first year. Though Scabbers the rat had been there to fight for them. "Though I'm not sure I wanna eat anything that Mudblood touched." Malfoy said with a glance at Hermione.
That was the final straw. Tension had been building since Malfoy had arrived in their compartment. Now everyone was seething with rage. Even Hermione, the usually calm and rational one, was red in the face. Neville even had his wand out. Harry didn't want to have to resort to magic, because who knows what would happen with Neville. As Harry watched Malfoy eat some of the last Beans, he had an idea. It would chase Malfoy away and teach him to leave their stuff alone. Harry searched in his pockets and found what he was looking for: two Canary Cream and a Ton-Tongue Toffee. He nonchalantly put the candy down with the Beans, then turned back to the conversation, or rather mud-slinging.
"Malfoy," Harry said calmly, though with annoyance in his voice, "we've had enough of your crud. Why don't you and your little henchmen just go and hang out with your fellow losers, er, I mean, Slytherins."
"Ouch, Potter, that hurt. What, couldn't come up with something better?" Malfoy said, unwrapping the Ton-Tongue Toffee and popping it in his mouth while Crabbe and Goyle did the same with the Canary Creams. While Malfoy had a point that Harry's insult wasn't very good, Harry didn't care. He was waiting.
"Anyway, like I was saying-" Malfoy began, but stopped abruptly as he was now choking on a three foot long tongue. The Gryffindors burst out lauhing and only luaghed harder when Crabbe and Goyle turned into two very confused looking canaries.
"Thill thet you, Thotter!" Malfoy managed to choke out, spit flying everywhere, before stalking out with his fowl friends.
The Gryffindors kept laughing even after their unwanted guests had left.
"Harry, that was brillian!" Ron said, wiping his eyes.
"Yeah, I've really gotta thank Fred and George for these!" Harry said, smiling. The other five knew what he was talking about: they'd all had too much experience with Fred and George's practical jokes.
"Anyway, back to Quiddicth!" Seamus said.
"Seamus, you've got a one track mind!" Hermione said, exasperated.
"Why, thank you!" he replied, making Hermione laugh.
"Like I said," Harry said, picking up the conversation, "and like Malfoy said, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw all lost their captains. But Malfoy forgot that Flint grauated too!" the other laughed at Malfoy's stupidity. "So all four teams need a new Captain. The first few practices will be weird for everyone. They have to learn new strategies. But since everyone except the new Gryffindor Keeper will have played together in the past, we should still work well regardless of the Captain."
Everyone paused to let what Harry said sink in. Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Neville continued a conversation about Quidditch, whil Hermione and Dean left the conversation. They talked about Muggle England. It was a relief for Hermione to be able to talk about Muggle things with someone who understood. 'And Dean's not bad looking either...' Hermione thought, then laughing at herself, scolded 'C'mon Hermione you player, focus on Harry. Though if Harry's serious about Cho, I guess I should stop obsessing about him and move on.'
About half and hour later, Neville, Seamus, and Dean left. Figuring that they were getting close to the station, Hermione went to the bathroom to change her robes in private. She really wanted to touch up her "look." She put on a red lipgloss and peach eyeshadow, and a thing coat of brown mascara. She was new to make-up, so it wasn't easy to put on mascara, especialy on a train! She didn't want anything too drastic, just some make up to bring out her features. She finished by sweeping her hair into a bun(she didn't want it hanging loose: it got in her face, plus the castle was lit by candles.) When she walked back into the compartment, Harry and Ron noticed something was different, though it took them a while to figure out what.
"Wait, your hair was down before, wasn't it?" Ron said.
"And, wait, Hermione, are you wearing, make-up?" Harry said, disbelief in his voice.
"Well, you're both right." Hermione said, putting on her prefect's badge. "And what's so hard to believe about me wearing make-up?"
"Well, it's just that, you never wore it before." Harry said. He seemed to realize how dumb that sounded. "But then, again, I guess you did mature over the summer."
Hermione smiled to herself as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into one of the horseless carriages along with a blonde girl Hermione recognized as Abby Morris. They had Ancient Runes together. Ron looked extremly please to see her and the two started a conversation about the Chudley Cannons. Harry and Hermioen both felt uncomfortable. It certainly looked like Ron liked her. They started a conversation about the weather.
"It really is a beautiful night." Harry said.
"Yeah. Look! There's Sirius, the dog constellation! Isn't that weird Harry?" Hermione said with a smile as they leaned out the carriage window into the cool, crisp air to see the stars.
"Oh! That's the first star we've seen! Make a wish!" Harry said.
Hermione closed her eyes and wished 'I hope this momnt with Harry never ends.'
Harry closed his eyes and wished 'I hope we get to the castle soon! I can't wait for the feast!'
The carriage pulled up to the castle. Everyone poured out and hurried into the Great Hall. Hermione lingered to looks at the stars. "C'mon Hermione!" Harry said. "You can look at the stars from inside!" With that, he pulled her into the Entrance Hall. It looks like Harry's wish had come true instead of Hermione's.
*A/N* OK, so that last part wsa kinda sappy, but I told you I'm a hopeless romantic! About Abby: that's me! No, my name isn't Abby(my cousin's is though...) but I have the same family placement and I'm blonde!! Anyway, I didn't want to bring in an exchange student, cause that gets weird and kinda boring(everyone does it! No offense if you do!) I figured I'd through in a character that MIGHT really exist, just she was never mentioned. Also, people are probably saying "ConversationS? ConflictS?" Yes! I went into people's thoughts and showed you the conflicts & conversations there, as well as in the real world! Hence the title! Anyway, please review! I'll try to post again soon! And tell everyone about my story, please???
*Disclaimer* I've said it before, I'll say it again: the Harry Potter characters are not mine, because, frankly, I am not JK Rowling. Abby, however, is mine, so keep your grubby little mits off her! :)
CHAPTER THREE: CONFLICTS AND CONVERSATIONS
Ron and Harry fell through the barrier and found themselves on Platform 9 3/4. The scarlet Hogwarts Express was in front of him. Countless other witches and wizards were milling around. Harry and Ron moved their trolleys out of the way. They knew that other people still had to come through the barrier(like Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!). Hermione was hanging out the window of the last compartment, "Harry! Ron!" she called, waving to them like mad. "C'mon, this one's empty!" Harry and Ron pulled their their trolleys down towards the compartment.
"You know," Harry said, pushing his trunk on to the luggage rack. "I think I've had this compartment every year. Well, every year that I've taken the train." Harry grinned at Ron, remembering their second year, when they came to Hogwarts in Mr. Weasley's flying car.
"Yeah, I reckon you're right." Ron said, hopping down to the platform. "Come on, Mum'll want to say goodbye.
"Well, I haven't always ridden in that compartment." Hermione said as they walked towards the Weasleys. "That first year, only you two were in that compartment. And the other prefects didn't want me to sit in there this year. They felt I should sit in the private compartment up front."
"Wait, you never said you were made a prefect!" Ron said.
"Well, you two never seem to appreciate it when I obey the rules. I didn't think you'd appreciate me being given a job to force other people to obey the rules!"
"Hermione! We're happy for you." Ron said. "Though I don't know why I'm surprised. You are the best behaved person in our house."
Hermione beamed. "Yeah, Herm, we're happy for you. Hey, d'ya think you could give us the password to the prefect's bathroom? That place is NICE!" Harry said. Harry had used the prefects' beautiful bathroom last year while trying to figure out a Triwizard Tournament clue.
The three had now reached Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was giving Fred and George a goodbye lecture.
"-and I don't want any letters from Dumbeldore this year! PLEASE behave! It's your last year...why don't you leave on a good note?" Harry laughed. Fred and George considered a "good note" something to be remembered by, such as bombing Snape's office with Dungbomb's.
Fred and George exchanged looks. Being twins, they had that trait where they don't even have to speak to discuss something. They seemed to agree on what it was they were discussing. "Alright Mum," said Fred, giving his mother a peck on the cheek. "We'll TRY not to get into too much trouble, but we're not making promises." Harry noticed that Fred said the word 'too' under his breath. Mrs. Weasley hadn't seemed to notice.
"But-" she began, but George interrupted her. "Now Mum, how can we stay out of trouble if trouble finds us? Which, it usually does." Everyone laughed as George kissed his mother on her other cheek. Fred and George hugged their dad, then walked off to find Lee Jordan.
Mrs. Weasley was now talking to Ginny and telling her that if she felt homesick, she should just write home.
"Mum, I'm used to being away from home. I'm not a baby." Ginny said, but on seeing the hurt look on her mother's face, she hastily added "But I'll send you lots of owls just to keep in touch." She gave her mother a hug and a kiss and did the same for her father.
"Now, you three," Mr. Weasley said as Ginny skipped away to find her friends Colin Creevey and Carolyn O'Connor. "you need to be careful! I don't mean to scare you, but you're all in danger. Harry, don't travel alone. Use the buddy system. I know Dumbeldore's taking security precautions, but you can't be too careful, especailly when you're dealing with You-Know-Who. If anything weird happens, Harry, if you ever have any dreams, tell Dumbledore, owl me," here he lowered his voice, "and owl Sirius."
Harry was dumbfounded. "How did you kno-?"
"Dumbeldore explained everything." Mr, Weasley told him. "Most important, don't go looking for trouble. You're not going to stop You-Know-Who on your own, so don't try. Lord knows enough trouble finds you guys on its own." With that, he gave them each a hug goodbye.
"And I don't mean to nag," Mrs. Weasley said, "but do study hard for the OWL's. They are very important. I know you can all do well." Mrs. Weasley said goodbye with a hug and a kiss for each of them. Harry wasn't sure if he imagined it, but she seemed to hug he harder and longer than anyone else.
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As the train sped through the countryside, the trio wsa silent. They had already spent nearly a month together: what was their left to talk about?
Harry filled the void by absentmindeldy gazing at Hermione. 'Look at the way the sun shines off her hair.' he thought 'It's so beautiful! It looks so soft; if only I could run my fingers through it...' Hermione must have felt eyes looking at her. She turned and saw Harry staring at her hair. "What?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair. "Is there something in my hair?"
Harry felt himself blush. "No, no, it's nothing, it's just" he stopped, searching for an excuse, "there's a better view out your window."
"Oh," said Hermione, turning around and not believing Harry's excuse for a minute.
'I actually thought he was looking at me.' Hermione said. 'How stupid. I've got to get a grip! He's just my friend.' Though, Hermione had noticed Harry acting strangely around her. It was almost as if he liked her. But Hermione figured that was just wishful thinking taking over. They were like brother and sister! 'Besides,' a nasty voice in the back of Hermione's head said, 'he likes Cho!' Hermione sighed. It's not that she had anything against Cho. It's just that Cho was so, well, perfect! She was pretty, smart, funny, responsible, and athletic. Since she played Quidditch, she always had something to talk to Harry about. In fact, she was also Seeker, so they had tons in common. Hermione would have been jealous of Cho is she hadn't been so...likable!
Still, Hermione felt a pang of envy when she thought about how longingly Harry looked at Cho. Hermione had liked Harry since forever! Once she found of about the magical world, she had read all the books she could about Harry. She had pictures of him up in her room. When Harry had hated Hermione in their first year, she was devastated. That Halloween, when Ron had said that Hermione was a nightmare, it was the final straw. Hermione had assumed that since Harry didn't say anything in reply, he agreed with Ron. Hermione had run off crying into the bathroom. She knew Ron still felt guilty:he thought he had provoked her into hiding. But Hermione never had the courage to tell him that it was because of Harry. But honestly, what girl wouldn't like Harry? He had saved the world from the most evil and powerful wizard ever. Plus, he was terribly good looking, what with the brilliant green eyes, untidy black hair, and killer smile. What girl could resist him? Certainly not Hermione.
Sure, Ron was cute too, but Hermione just didn't feel that way about him. Hermione felt guilty about that: Ron never received as much recognition as Harry. But Ron was just too volatile for Hermione. He was mad at her one minute, her best friend the next. She could never figure him out. Plus, he was rather protective of her. He was the older brother she never had. Harry never fought with Hermione. Sure, he'd call her a know-it-all and had made fun of her, but they'd all made fun of each other. Once in their third year, Harry had given Hermione the silent treatment. This was because her and Ron weren't speaking to one another and Harry had simply gone along with Ron. At first, it had hurt Hermione because they weren't speaking to each other, but she was too busy to think much of it.
Hermione thought back to the Yule Ball. 'I should have asked Harry!' Hermione thought. But she didn't think he liked her(in fact, she still didn't) and she was afraid of ruining their friendship. When Viktor Krum had asked her, it was perfect! She liked him and he liked her. But Hermione wouldn't have turned anyone down that asked her, unless they were someone horrible like Malfoy. Hermione remembered how nervous Viktor was when he asked her. He was sweating and wringing his hands. Hermione said yes in an instant. She knew how hard it was to ask someone else. Plus, though she hated to admit it, Hermione could show off Viktor. She could prove that she wasn't just a know it all. Here she was on the arm of the famous Quidditch player!
Thinking of Quidditch made Hermione think of Harry and Cho. Her mind drifted back to early August and that day in Diagon Alley. She'd come out of Madam Malkin's Robes. She was about to call out to Harry, but stopped herself when she saw he was talking to Cho. 'Oh good! He's finally talking to her!' Hermione thought. Although Harry had never told Ron or Hermione how he felt about Cho, it was obvious. But soon, Hermione's initial joy turned to jealousy 'Look how close they're sitting!' Hermione commanded herself not to be jealous, to be happy for Harry. 'Besides, you have a boyfriend' she had told herself. But she had laughed at this. True, Viktor was techically her boyfriend, but he was more of just a guy friend now. They had decided not to just see each other. Hermione also had a feeling that the long-distance thing wouldn't work out.
"Hey Harry," Ron said, interrupting Hermione's thoughts and (judging by the fact that he had jumped out of his seat) Harry's thoughts too. Hermione giggled and wondered what Harry could have been thinking about so hard.
"Yeah Ron?" Harry replied, turning his attention to Ron.
"Have you heard from Sirius lately?" Ron asked, a not of concern in his voice.
"No, actually I haven't. Not to sound greedy, but he never sent me a birthday present. I wonder if he's alright."
"Oh, I'm sure he's fine!" Hermione said. "Remember, Dumbeldore sent him on a mission at the end of last year? Plus, the Daily Prophet would have reported any sitings."
'Hermione, always the voice of reason' Ron thought. He'd always admired the fact that she could keep her wits about her even in the most extreme cases. Althought Ron loved Hermione, he loved her like a sister, not as a girlfriend. Not that there was anything wrong with her, they were just to much like family. Ron had liked Fluer Delacour, but after realizing he didn't have a chance with her, he had given up.
But Ron did like someone. Abby Morris was a Ravenclaw fifth year with blond hair down to her shoulders. Ron thought he could spend hours looking into her dark blue eyes. Ron didn't have any classes with her and he didn't see her very often, but whenever he did see her, she had a smile on her face. Abby was very cheerful and usually the life of the party. You would probably picture her with Fred or George, since they were so similar. Ron had managed to find out some things about her. She was the middle child of three children, the only girl. Her older brother Mark had graduated in Percy's class(he had been in Gryffindor, and Ron's prime source of information about her), but her younger brother Joseph wasn't due in Hogwarts until next year. She was also a Quidditch fan: Abby served as the Ravenclaw reserve and was also a Chudley Cannon's fan(Ron's favorite team). Ron had gone to a Cannon's game in July on Ministry tickets and had sat next to her. Both of her parents were in the Ministry: her mom was in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, while her dad was in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Miracouslously, the Cannons had won that game. Silly as it was, Ron felt that is was a sign.
"Anything from the cart dears?" Harry, Hermione, and Ron jumped at the sound of someone else's voice. The witch who pushed the food cart had come in without them realizing it. They had all been lost in thoughts of their love lives and had been oblivous to everything else.
Harry ran to the cart. He didn't realize how hungry he was. The food cart usually came about halfway through the trip, so it had been a while since they'd eaten. Harry bought a couple Cauldron Cakes and a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Every Flavor Beans were good for excitement, and this trip needed to be perked up. Everyone seemed to be in their own world.
"Hey guys," Harry said, getting Ron and Hermione's attention, "You want some Every Flavor Beans?"
"Sure," Ron said, breaking into a grin. On their first train ride to Hogwarts, Harry and Ron had bonded over Beans. Hermione also agreed to the Beans, though she was less enthusiastic about putting mystery flavored food into her mouth.
Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the next ten minutes eating(and ocassionally spitting out) Beans. They decided that the worst flavors were Horseradish, Sardine, and Booger. They couldn't figure out the best flavor though: Hermione loved Orange Sherbert, Ron liked Popcorn, and Harry was rather partial to Root Beer.
"I've never had a Sardine one before." Ron said, popping a white bean into his mouth. He began to chew it, then spit it out. The bean hit Dean, who had just entered the compartment along with with Neville and Seamus, square in the forehead.
"Sorry about that Dean!" Ron said, laughing along with the others, "and guys, I take that back. Now I HAVE had a sardine flavored bean!"
"Yeah, it smells like it!" said Dean, picking it off his forehead. "It's okay Ron, just watch your back at the feast tonight!"
"So Harry," Seamus said, having a seat "What's your take on our Quidditch teams this year?" Hermione and Dean rolled their eyes. Seamus, Ron and Harry could talk about Quiddicth for hours on end. Sure, Hermione and Dean liked Quidditch, but Hermione would rather see it than talk about it and Dean was a West Ham soccer fan. Neville didn't mind the conversation, though he listened rather than spoke.
"Well," Harry said. "Everyone's lost some players and we're out of shape since we didn't have the league last year. I think everyone lost their Captain. Gryffindor still has a chance though!" he said with enthuisaism. "We're not in trouble till next year: we'll lost Fred, George, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina! We'll have to train a new Keeper this year, appoint a new Captain, and get a reserve. God knows we get in enough accidents. By the way, are any of you trying out for Keeper?"
"Well, I am, but you already know that." Ron said.
"I am too" said Seamus with an eager glint in his eyes.
"Not me," said Neville sadly, speaking for the first time. "I'm a klutz on a broom."
"And everywhere else, Longbottom." said a cold, drawling voice. Everyone turned to see Draco Malfoy, flanked by his "bodyguards" Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. All three looked extremly smug and were walking around like they owned the place.
"Hello Malfoy. What have we done to be graced by your presence?" Harry said, his voice oozing with sarcasm.
Malfoy opened his mouth to reply, but was cut-off by Ron. "Yes, please tell us. We'll make sure to never do it again!"
The Gryffindors laughed while the Slytherins scowled. Crabbe and Goyle each took a threatening step forward.
"You two are so witty! Though I must admit, I'd never expect something so clever from you two!" Malfoy replied, his face in a cold grin.
Harry and Ron stood up. They would take any excuse they had to give Malfoy a good beating. Harry knew Seamus and Dean would be only too glad to join in. Even Neville would join in, though he'd get pretty beaten. He'd done it before, in their first year at a Quidditch match. Hermione put her hand on Ron and Harry's arms trying to restrain them. But Harry knew Hermione wanted a piece of Malfoy as much as they did. She'd had enough of him and it was just the first day back. As a prefect, she had to set an example, so she wouldn't fight, but she knew she'd never stop the fight. The five boys could easily take on Crabbe and Goyle, despite their size.
"So I heard you freaks talkng about Quidditch," Malfoy said, eating some of Harry's Every Flavor Beans and motioning for Crabbe and Goyle to do the same. "And you have a point Potter. Gryffindor did lose their Captain. And so did Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Though," Malfoy added with an evil smile, "Hufflepuff didn't lose their Captain because of graduation."
This statement had the effect of lighting a fire under anyone. Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Captian, had been killed by Lord Voldermort. No one in their compartment had been close to Diggory, but that was no reason to make cracks about him. Harry stll felt very guilty for Cedric's death and it pained him to think about it. Malfoy seemed thouroughly pleased that Cedric had been killed by the Dark Lord, thought it wasn't surprsing, as Malfoy's, Crabbe's, and Goyle's families had a history of Dark Arts. Everyone was breathing deeply now out of anger. Harry knew that Malfoy wouldn't go away on his own. They were just making Malfoy happy by getting angry. Harry knew they'd have to do someting to drive him away.
"Look Malfoy, just get out, alright!" Ron said angrily. His fists wer clenched and he looked ready to fight.
"Actually, we're quite comfy here." Malfoy said, eating more beans. He didn't seem too care how gross they were, he just wanted to eat their food. He reminded Harry very much of Dudley right now. "You've got lots to eat here." Harry and Ron remembered a similar situation in first year. Though Scabbers the rat had been there to fight for them. "Though I'm not sure I wanna eat anything that Mudblood touched." Malfoy said with a glance at Hermione.
That was the final straw. Tension had been building since Malfoy had arrived in their compartment. Now everyone was seething with rage. Even Hermione, the usually calm and rational one, was red in the face. Neville even had his wand out. Harry didn't want to have to resort to magic, because who knows what would happen with Neville. As Harry watched Malfoy eat some of the last Beans, he had an idea. It would chase Malfoy away and teach him to leave their stuff alone. Harry searched in his pockets and found what he was looking for: two Canary Cream and a Ton-Tongue Toffee. He nonchalantly put the candy down with the Beans, then turned back to the conversation, or rather mud-slinging.
"Malfoy," Harry said calmly, though with annoyance in his voice, "we've had enough of your crud. Why don't you and your little henchmen just go and hang out with your fellow losers, er, I mean, Slytherins."
"Ouch, Potter, that hurt. What, couldn't come up with something better?" Malfoy said, unwrapping the Ton-Tongue Toffee and popping it in his mouth while Crabbe and Goyle did the same with the Canary Creams. While Malfoy had a point that Harry's insult wasn't very good, Harry didn't care. He was waiting.
"Anyway, like I was saying-" Malfoy began, but stopped abruptly as he was now choking on a three foot long tongue. The Gryffindors burst out lauhing and only luaghed harder when Crabbe and Goyle turned into two very confused looking canaries.
"Thill thet you, Thotter!" Malfoy managed to choke out, spit flying everywhere, before stalking out with his fowl friends.
The Gryffindors kept laughing even after their unwanted guests had left.
"Harry, that was brillian!" Ron said, wiping his eyes.
"Yeah, I've really gotta thank Fred and George for these!" Harry said, smiling. The other five knew what he was talking about: they'd all had too much experience with Fred and George's practical jokes.
"Anyway, back to Quiddicth!" Seamus said.
"Seamus, you've got a one track mind!" Hermione said, exasperated.
"Why, thank you!" he replied, making Hermione laugh.
"Like I said," Harry said, picking up the conversation, "and like Malfoy said, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw all lost their captains. But Malfoy forgot that Flint grauated too!" the other laughed at Malfoy's stupidity. "So all four teams need a new Captain. The first few practices will be weird for everyone. They have to learn new strategies. But since everyone except the new Gryffindor Keeper will have played together in the past, we should still work well regardless of the Captain."
Everyone paused to let what Harry said sink in. Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Neville continued a conversation about Quidditch, whil Hermione and Dean left the conversation. They talked about Muggle England. It was a relief for Hermione to be able to talk about Muggle things with someone who understood. 'And Dean's not bad looking either...' Hermione thought, then laughing at herself, scolded 'C'mon Hermione you player, focus on Harry. Though if Harry's serious about Cho, I guess I should stop obsessing about him and move on.'
About half and hour later, Neville, Seamus, and Dean left. Figuring that they were getting close to the station, Hermione went to the bathroom to change her robes in private. She really wanted to touch up her "look." She put on a red lipgloss and peach eyeshadow, and a thing coat of brown mascara. She was new to make-up, so it wasn't easy to put on mascara, especialy on a train! She didn't want anything too drastic, just some make up to bring out her features. She finished by sweeping her hair into a bun(she didn't want it hanging loose: it got in her face, plus the castle was lit by candles.) When she walked back into the compartment, Harry and Ron noticed something was different, though it took them a while to figure out what.
"Wait, your hair was down before, wasn't it?" Ron said.
"And, wait, Hermione, are you wearing, make-up?" Harry said, disbelief in his voice.
"Well, you're both right." Hermione said, putting on her prefect's badge. "And what's so hard to believe about me wearing make-up?"
"Well, it's just that, you never wore it before." Harry said. He seemed to realize how dumb that sounded. "But then, again, I guess you did mature over the summer."
Hermione smiled to herself as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into one of the horseless carriages along with a blonde girl Hermione recognized as Abby Morris. They had Ancient Runes together. Ron looked extremly please to see her and the two started a conversation about the Chudley Cannons. Harry and Hermioen both felt uncomfortable. It certainly looked like Ron liked her. They started a conversation about the weather.
"It really is a beautiful night." Harry said.
"Yeah. Look! There's Sirius, the dog constellation! Isn't that weird Harry?" Hermione said with a smile as they leaned out the carriage window into the cool, crisp air to see the stars.
"Oh! That's the first star we've seen! Make a wish!" Harry said.
Hermione closed her eyes and wished 'I hope this momnt with Harry never ends.'
Harry closed his eyes and wished 'I hope we get to the castle soon! I can't wait for the feast!'
The carriage pulled up to the castle. Everyone poured out and hurried into the Great Hall. Hermione lingered to looks at the stars. "C'mon Hermione!" Harry said. "You can look at the stars from inside!" With that, he pulled her into the Entrance Hall. It looks like Harry's wish had come true instead of Hermione's.
*A/N* OK, so that last part wsa kinda sappy, but I told you I'm a hopeless romantic! About Abby: that's me! No, my name isn't Abby(my cousin's is though...) but I have the same family placement and I'm blonde!! Anyway, I didn't want to bring in an exchange student, cause that gets weird and kinda boring(everyone does it! No offense if you do!) I figured I'd through in a character that MIGHT really exist, just she was never mentioned. Also, people are probably saying "ConversationS? ConflictS?" Yes! I went into people's thoughts and showed you the conflicts & conversations there, as well as in the real world! Hence the title! Anyway, please review! I'll try to post again soon! And tell everyone about my story, please???
