Weekend at the Granger's

Written By: K-Chan

Chapter 3: Surprise Surprise

Nothing seemed to bother Harry much that week. No matter how mean the Dursleys could act, it never really sank in. Harry was filled with a sense of joy he had never felt before, and he liked it.

The morning the Grangers were coming to pick him up, Harry was happily packing a dufflebag of everything he'd need. He had also began to pack his school things into the trunk, for the day after he got back, school was starting again. While he was throwing some stuff into the bag, Harry heard an unfamiliar noise. He turned to see Dudley standing in his doorway, which was odd, since his plump cousin never came into his room. In fact, Dudley often tried to avoid it.

"Yes?" Harry asked, curious as to why Dudley was showing any interest in him.

Dudley shifted his great weight uncomfortably. Not being able to annoy Harry for the past week was starting to bother him, and he was getting desperate. His piggy eyes scanned the room for something, anything. They finally rested on some photos sitting on the desk. Taking a cautious step into the room, Dudley picked up the picture and turned it around. Smiling up at him was a photo-version of Hermione, her hair as brown and bushy as ever. The little Hermione frowned as she saw it was Dudley holding her frame.

A little surprised, but determined not to be thrown, Dudley sneered at the moving picture,

"Who the heck is this?"

Harry straightened. At full height, he was at least a foot and a half taller than his cousin, who unfortunately was three times his normal bodyweight. Noticing he had struck a nerve, Dudley smiled and continued,

"Oh, is this your friend?" he mocked, "Kinda ugly, isn't she? With all that hair."

Under normal circumstances, Harry's first reaction would have been to think that Dudley was in no position to judge appearances, being that he was wider than he was tall. However, something inside Harry snapped, and before he knew it, he had socked Dudley right in the face. Staring at Harry with an amazed expression and holding his bruised mouth, Dudley scrambled to his feet and hurried off.

Having surprised even himself, Harry slowly bent over and picked up the photo from where Dudley had dropped it. Photo-Hermione beamed at him as he put the picture on the desk.

That night, after dinner, Harry returned to his room nursing a bruised cheek. No matter how much they hated him, the Dursley's had never hit him before. Wishing desperately he had a bag of ice, Harry decided that he did, indeed deserve it. After all, he hit Dudley first. Though, not without good reason, after all, Dudley had insulted one of his best friends. However, Harry usually had better judgment than that. What had gotten into him?

Rubbing his cheek, Harry watched Hedwig fly through the window and drop a letter on his head. Sitting on the bed, he opened the envelope and read:

"Dear Harry,

I got your message and am very glad you can come. Ron said he can come too, but will be a little late, since there were some complications getting my fireplace connected to the Floo Network. Anyway, we'll come get you tomorrow before noon. Be ready.

Love from Hermione."

Taped to this letter were two Hershey Kisses with a P.S. under them.

"I'm glad the Kiss helped. Here's two more."

Harry smiled. He rested the letter on the desk and got ready for bed.