1 Chapter 4- Leaving Privet Drive
"What a day this has been,
What a rare mood I'm in,
Why it's almost like being in love!
Laa-dee-daa-laa-dee-daa,
1.1 Laa-dee-daa-laa-dee-daa…"
Harry half sang, half hummed a jaunty tune while doing a strange sort of jig around his bedroom, picking up items to pack into his school trunk. Today was to day that the Hogwarts express was finally leaving from Kings Cross Station to take him to his most favorite place on the planet. The excitement of once again leaving Privet Drive had put him in exceedingly higher spirits. He opened his dresser drawer with a flourish.
"Farewell, uncle Vernon's ugly purple socks!" he said, in an obviously fake "parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow" voice. The socks seemed to stare back at him sadly and he gave them a mocking grin. "I'm leaving you home this year! Ah ha hah!"
He laughed insanely and waltzed with himself so enthusiastically, that he smashed his knee into the corner of his bedside table.
"Oy!" he yelped in pain and continued his rather scary chuckling. "Good-bye, horridly stupid bedside table!" Still mumbling the same song and singing good-byes to various pieces of furniture, he slammed his trunk closed and grabbed Hedwig's empty cage, merrily swinging it back and forth. She had been gone for a couple of weeks, but Harry wasn't worried. Glancing out the window at the beautiful morning sky, he wondered where she was and hoped that she was enjoying herself catching mice, or doing whatever owls do in their free time. (AN: what do owls do for fun??? LOL)
He heaved his trunk onto the floor and grabbed the handle with both hands, listening to the cheerful bumping of his school things around inside it. With one final glance at the prison that he was forced to call home all summer long, he gave an excited "HA!" and slammed the door in happiness.
~*~*Later at Kings Cross Station*~*~
Harry's mood hadn't dropped a notch since his cheerful morning, which was extremely unusual since he usually entered the station slightly disgruntled from the car ride with Uncle Vernon. But not today! Since this was Harry's last year at Hogwarts, and he was soon to be leaving the dreadful house on Privet Drive to live by himself, Uncle Vernon had been exhaustingly cheerful for the past week.
"Goodbye, Harry!" he waved from the car and Harry gave a sarcastic smile and wheeled his trolley toward Platform 9 ¾. Making sure that the muggles took no notice of him, he walked towards the platform with a slight bounce in his step.
Suddenly, what looked like a golf ball sized clump of dryer lint plummeted into the side of his head, followed by an energetic, red haired someone that tackled him to the ground and put him in a fierce headlock.
"RON!" Harry yelled, "RON, GET OFFA' ME!" Laughing hysterically, Ron Weasley, one of Harry's best friends, let go of Harry's neck and stood up with much difficulty. What Harry thought was flying drier lint turned out to my Ron's minute owl, Pig, who was bouncing off the walls at the moment, attracting the stares of confused muggles. Ron pounced and finally wrestled the struggling bird into it's cage where it hooted annoyingly.
"How was your holiday, Harry?" wheezed the still sniggering Ron. "The muggles treating you alright?" Harry grinned in response. "Oh, yes, they're just great! The most heartfelt and generous people I know!" Ron gave him a playful punch in the arm. "Glad to hear it, old boy! Glad to hear it!"
"Hey, where's Hermione?" asked Harry, who had suddenly remembered his dream about her and felt his face go red. Luckily, Ron didn't seem to notice and replied that he hadn't seen her yet. Turning to the entrance of the station, he caught a glimpse of her and his breath caught in his throat.
"Harry! Ron!" she called. Something was different about her. Her hair had grown down to her elbows and she had intricately braided it back at the top. A sprig of jasmine was tucked behind her ear and she wore long, lavender, rhinestone earrings that just brushed her shoulders as well as an incredibly warm and sincere smile. She was wearing a hint of makeup, which for Hermione Granger was suspiciously unusual and her light green peasant top and flowing lavender skirt fit closely to her newly developed curves.
"Oh, my gosh," Harry couldn't stop himself from whispering. "She's beautiful." He just couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from her and when Ron gave an exasperated "Tell me about it," he hardly even noticed. Light rays of sun illuminated her bushy brown hair and she looked like a Greek goddess, bathed in a beauty like Harry had never seen. Her facial expression immediately turned to one of confusion.
"Hello? Are you guys ok?" she laughed. Harry, who realized his jaw was hanging open, quickly shut it and waved. He noticed that Ron had a dropped jaw as well, only he hadn't bothered to fix it. Harry decided to do it for him and used his elbow to do so.
"What happened to you?" Ron managed to choke out, still paralyzed with the shock of seeing how Hermione had blossomed in just a few months. She giggled again, sending chills down Harry's spine. "I gave myself a bit of a makeover!" Her incessant beaming was contagious and he felt his look of surprise stretch into a smile.
"Hermione!" he sighed. Grinning from ear to ear, he enveloped her in a tight hug and thought to himself, "All is right with the world." But he was soon to find out how very wrong he was.
"What a day this has been,
What a rare mood I'm in,
Why it's almost like being in love!
Laa-dee-daa-laa-dee-daa,
1.1 Laa-dee-daa-laa-dee-daa…"
Harry half sang, half hummed a jaunty tune while doing a strange sort of jig around his bedroom, picking up items to pack into his school trunk. Today was to day that the Hogwarts express was finally leaving from Kings Cross Station to take him to his most favorite place on the planet. The excitement of once again leaving Privet Drive had put him in exceedingly higher spirits. He opened his dresser drawer with a flourish.
"Farewell, uncle Vernon's ugly purple socks!" he said, in an obviously fake "parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow" voice. The socks seemed to stare back at him sadly and he gave them a mocking grin. "I'm leaving you home this year! Ah ha hah!"
He laughed insanely and waltzed with himself so enthusiastically, that he smashed his knee into the corner of his bedside table.
"Oy!" he yelped in pain and continued his rather scary chuckling. "Good-bye, horridly stupid bedside table!" Still mumbling the same song and singing good-byes to various pieces of furniture, he slammed his trunk closed and grabbed Hedwig's empty cage, merrily swinging it back and forth. She had been gone for a couple of weeks, but Harry wasn't worried. Glancing out the window at the beautiful morning sky, he wondered where she was and hoped that she was enjoying herself catching mice, or doing whatever owls do in their free time. (AN: what do owls do for fun??? LOL)
He heaved his trunk onto the floor and grabbed the handle with both hands, listening to the cheerful bumping of his school things around inside it. With one final glance at the prison that he was forced to call home all summer long, he gave an excited "HA!" and slammed the door in happiness.
~*~*Later at Kings Cross Station*~*~
Harry's mood hadn't dropped a notch since his cheerful morning, which was extremely unusual since he usually entered the station slightly disgruntled from the car ride with Uncle Vernon. But not today! Since this was Harry's last year at Hogwarts, and he was soon to be leaving the dreadful house on Privet Drive to live by himself, Uncle Vernon had been exhaustingly cheerful for the past week.
"Goodbye, Harry!" he waved from the car and Harry gave a sarcastic smile and wheeled his trolley toward Platform 9 ¾. Making sure that the muggles took no notice of him, he walked towards the platform with a slight bounce in his step.
Suddenly, what looked like a golf ball sized clump of dryer lint plummeted into the side of his head, followed by an energetic, red haired someone that tackled him to the ground and put him in a fierce headlock.
"RON!" Harry yelled, "RON, GET OFFA' ME!" Laughing hysterically, Ron Weasley, one of Harry's best friends, let go of Harry's neck and stood up with much difficulty. What Harry thought was flying drier lint turned out to my Ron's minute owl, Pig, who was bouncing off the walls at the moment, attracting the stares of confused muggles. Ron pounced and finally wrestled the struggling bird into it's cage where it hooted annoyingly.
"How was your holiday, Harry?" wheezed the still sniggering Ron. "The muggles treating you alright?" Harry grinned in response. "Oh, yes, they're just great! The most heartfelt and generous people I know!" Ron gave him a playful punch in the arm. "Glad to hear it, old boy! Glad to hear it!"
"Hey, where's Hermione?" asked Harry, who had suddenly remembered his dream about her and felt his face go red. Luckily, Ron didn't seem to notice and replied that he hadn't seen her yet. Turning to the entrance of the station, he caught a glimpse of her and his breath caught in his throat.
"Harry! Ron!" she called. Something was different about her. Her hair had grown down to her elbows and she had intricately braided it back at the top. A sprig of jasmine was tucked behind her ear and she wore long, lavender, rhinestone earrings that just brushed her shoulders as well as an incredibly warm and sincere smile. She was wearing a hint of makeup, which for Hermione Granger was suspiciously unusual and her light green peasant top and flowing lavender skirt fit closely to her newly developed curves.
"Oh, my gosh," Harry couldn't stop himself from whispering. "She's beautiful." He just couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from her and when Ron gave an exasperated "Tell me about it," he hardly even noticed. Light rays of sun illuminated her bushy brown hair and she looked like a Greek goddess, bathed in a beauty like Harry had never seen. Her facial expression immediately turned to one of confusion.
"Hello? Are you guys ok?" she laughed. Harry, who realized his jaw was hanging open, quickly shut it and waved. He noticed that Ron had a dropped jaw as well, only he hadn't bothered to fix it. Harry decided to do it for him and used his elbow to do so.
"What happened to you?" Ron managed to choke out, still paralyzed with the shock of seeing how Hermione had blossomed in just a few months. She giggled again, sending chills down Harry's spine. "I gave myself a bit of a makeover!" Her incessant beaming was contagious and he felt his look of surprise stretch into a smile.
"Hermione!" he sighed. Grinning from ear to ear, he enveloped her in a tight hug and thought to himself, "All is right with the world." But he was soon to find out how very wrong he was.