1.1.1.1 Hermione's Disappointment
"Ron, Harry, wake up quickly! We have a train to catch!" Mrs. Weasley's voice called to them from outside Ron's door. Ron yawned and sat up in bed.
"Another summer gone by," he said in a dismal kind of voice.
"And another school year to begin," finished Harry in a tired sort of voice. They got dressed and went downstairs where everyone was running around the house trying to get ready for the beginning of another school year. This was going to be Harry, Ron, and Hermione's fifth year at Hogwarts. For the Weasley twins it was going to be the last. It was Ginny's fourth year. She was just about half way though her magical education.
They had quick breakfast as they all heaved their heavy trunks were out to the taxis that were waiting for them. They had just finished packing the trunks and where about to leave when Harry and Ron both realized that they had left their owls. They ran back inside the Burrow and grabbed a squawking mini brown owl and a graceful, pretty snowy owl and ran back outside to a not-so-pleased Mrs. Wesley.
After a few boring hours in a taxi they arrived at their final destination. King's Cross, the train station was full of ordinary Muggles. But inside a group of wizards lay, attempting to conceal their magic from the ordinary folk surrounding them.
"Okay... umm... Ginny...Yes... Ginny, why don't you go first?" said Mrs. Weasley looking around them. Ginny nodded her head, looked over to make sure no one was looking and disappeared in-between platforms 9 and 10. Then Ron and Harry slide into platform 9 ¾.
Suddenly, they were surrounded by chattering, loud young witches and wizards like themselves. George and Fred soon came after them. Ron looked over at Harry. "Let's find Hermione," he said. And they took off to search for her after Mrs. Weasley had said her goodbye.
Harry spotted her bushy head of hair bobbing around the crowd.
"Hermione! Hermione!" he called to her.
"Harry! How are you?" she called back over the noise of the crowd. She made her way though the crowd and met up with them. They boarded the train together, found an empty compartment, and got settled for the long trip to Hogwarts, which was a few hours ride.
"So what did you do over the summer?" Ron asked Hermione.
"Oh, nothing," she said looking away. Ron's eyes flashed and took a glance over Hermione's face, trying to read her, guessed, and looked away. Harry could guess what Hermione had spent her summer doing, but wanting to drop the touchy subject, brought up a subject that would try and get their minds off of it.
"So, Hermione, what's with the book?"
"What book?" she asked.
"The book about the Animagi," Harry responded, dropping his voice volume down a notch.
"Oh, that book. Yes, I saw it in a used bookstore and thought that you might like it. I would have bought it new, but you can't buy it anymore because it is illegal to become an Animagi without telling the Ministry." she said nonchalantly.
"And you're okay with the whole 'illegal' thing?!" Ron said in a shocked voice, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh, they are only rules," Hermione said like it was obvious. Ron looked over at Harry, slowly shaking his head from side to side, as if in a state of utter disbelief.
"What is wrong with her?" Harry mouthed over to Ron. Hermione saw him though, and responded.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" she asked shrilly.
"Well, no offence Hermione, but you have always liked the rules, and now, you don't even seem to care about breaking the law." Ron said.
"Oh, what is the point of following the rules if you can break them and not get caught?." she said.
"Well, aren't you going to be enforcing the rules this year Hermione?" Ron said. "Why would I do that?" she said glaring at him.
"Well, this is our fifth year. Gryffindor needs a perfect."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"You're the perfect. You were the only one even up for it at the end of last year" "That was last year. This is now. Someone beat me." She said this with a steady voice. But her chin was starting to quiver and her eyes were beginning to swelled with tears. Harry could tell that making perfect meant a lot to her.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Hermione." She shrugged it off. Harry was about to ask her what animal she had in mind for herself, but they heard someone coming though the door and shut up about it.
A pretty girl with redish-brownish-blond hair pulled back into a French braid topped with a brown cowboyish hat, green eyes, and snakeskin boots swaggered into the compartment. Her jeans were tucked into the boots, and her denim shirt was tucked into her jeans which were held up with a brown leather belt. On her neck she wore a neckless with a cross. She had fair skin sprinkled with freckles.
" Ceeoo! G'day mates." she said sitting down next to them. Ron, Harry, and Hermione all stared at her, then remembering their manners, replied back.
"Hello," they all said back.
"My name's Mary-Sue. What house are y'all in?."
"Gryffindor," they all replied back.
"Ah! that's may house too. Wacko! What year are ya in?"
"This is our fifth year." Harry replied back.
"Grouse! That's my year too! I'm the perfect for Gryfindor." Hermione's eyes flashed, as all of the color drained from face.
"Congratulations," Ron said, but Harry was looking over at Hermione.
"Hermione. Hermione, are you okay?" She failed to speak, but nodded her head yes.
"What's wrong with her?" said Mary-Sue, nodding her head over at the speechless Hermione.
"She'll be fine," Harry said.
"So where are you from?" Ron asked her.
"Australia," she replied with a smile. "We just moved to the U.K. last month. So... umm.. What is your Quidditch team?" Ron sat up a little straighter.
"The Chudley Cannons." he said proudly.
She began to laugh at him. "You do realize how no-hoper they are, don'tyou?" After that remark Ron gave her a bit of the cold shoulder. Harry turned away from those two and looked back at Hermione who was still very much in shock.
"She may get to be perfect, but we still have our book," Harry whispered to Hermione as Mary-Sue tried to engage in conversation with Ron. With Ron not talking and Hermione in a state of shock, the only one to talk to was Mary-Sue until Hermione came back to reality.
"What is it like in Australia?" Harry asked her curiously.
"Well, most of the people live in the Smoke, but me and my family lived in the mulga."
"Hold on," Harry interrupted." "Most of the people lived where, and you lived in the what?"
"Most of the people live in the cities. But I lived in the outback, sorry. Anyway, I really liked it there. No one else was ever there and we had our own Quidditch field. There is a lot of really wacko animals there too. And some of the regular Muggle creatures there are just as interesting as the magical ones. I miss it. There was always so much to do and so much outdoors," she finished.
"You'll like it at Hogwarts. There is even an opening on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It's for the Keeper."
"Pearl! That's my position. Hey, I just realized we have been talking for over an hour, and I still don't know your name."
There was a pause. Harry really didn't want to ruin this nice conversation with a gawking at the forehead. Aunt Petunia had neglected to give Harry a haircut all year and his hair well covered his scar. He had supposed that she had finally given up. But not wanting to be rude he replied all the same. "I'm Harry." It wouldn't hurt for her not to know his last name. After all, he thought, she never told him hers.
"I'm Mary-Sue Walker," she re-introduced herself with a smile. He could swear that she had emphasized her last name to him. 'Dang It." he thought. "I'm Harry...Potter," he re-introduced himself as she had done with a small, yet unmistakable wince.
At first she seemed to want to laugh, but seeing the serious look on his face she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. She reached up to brush the hair away from his forehead suddenly. Harry jerked back and brushed his hair off his forehead for her. Her mouth dropped open for a second. And then she tried to regain herself as they started up their conversation on what Hogwarts was like. Soon the lady pushing the snack cart arrived and Harry got a stack full of Cauldron Cakes. Then quite suddenly Hermione was back to her old self.
"How long have we been on the train?" she asked.
"A few hours. Here, have a Cauldron Cake."
"What happened?" she asked
"Oh, you found out that Mary-Sue was made perfect for Gryfindor." and with those words she was back into her stone self. Mary-Sue stared at her for a minute, and then turned back to Harry. "Does she always act like that?"
"No," he answered, "only under severe shock. But last time I saw her act that stone-like was when she was frozen by a basilisk," he said with a small smile. "She was attacked by a basilisk?! Fair dinkum," Mary-Sue said in amazement.
"Yeah." he went on to explain the story of the attacks. Mary-Sue seemed fascinated. But the time on the train had passed up, and the train was coming to a halt. Harry tried to get Ron to talk and tried to get Hermione to come out of it.
They all got off the train together after some persuasion. Mary-Sue was just about to board the horseless carriage, but Hagrid's voice called up to her. "Hey, umm, new girl. Come here and take the trip on the boats. Everyone gets to their first year at Hogwarts, that means you too, even if ya aren't a first year." With her taking off, Ron seemed to be back to his normal self.
"I don't like her," he said flat out.
"Ron, you just don't like her cause she insulted your team. Give her another chance." Harry said.
"Well, all right, but if she says one more thing bad to me, I won't talk to her again."
"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, she seemed to be over her state of shock. "If I didn't talk to you every time you said something bad we would have stopped being friends a long time ago." she finished.
They got up to the castle. The tall towers and heavy doors looked the same as always. They went though the doors with their schoolmates. The enchanted ceilings looked exactly like the sky. The stars were bright tonight.
Mean while in the forest, a centaur's eyes were lighting up as the stars told him stories of the danger that someone inside the school would be facing very soon. The centaur looked away from the stars and felt very sorry for the person up in the school. Chances best stand that they would not be finishing this year.
But up at the castle no one was thinking that one person among them might not be there later on. Except for maybe Professor Trelawney, who always thought that someone was going to die. The students were just worried about when the food was going to come. Harry looked around the hall once every one had been seated. Something was missing. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that something was missing.
"Harry." Hermione looked over at him,
"Harry, where are all the ghosts?"
That was it. There were no ghosts. No Nearly Headless Nick, no Bloody Baron, no Peeves. Well, the last one made him happy. But then he thought of the conversation that Ron and himself had had with Lupin in Diagon Ally. 'No non-human creatures could come in the school.' Hermione was still left in the dark. Harry leaned over and explained what they had heard from Professor Lupin.
"What about Hagrid, he's half human!" Ron joined in
"They have a trial set."
Hermione looked very sad. All of the not-quite-human people is one thing that made the school so interesting.
"Blimey. What are you all so sad about?" they all looked up to see a very cheerful Mary-Sue. She looked strange now that she had changed into her Hogwarts robes. She needed those boots to make her look like the person that they had seen on the train. She had her shiny perfect badge pinned to her robes. They just couldn't explain the whole thing out to her. She wouldn't understand. They ignored her question.
She sat down next to Ron. "So what happens now, Bluey?" Ron wasn't going to answer her. But he remembered the conversation that they had on the carriage and began to explain. "First the first years get sorted, then Dumbledore the headmaster talks for a bit, and then we get to eat."
"It must take forever to make all this food." she commented after their plates had been magically filled with food.
"Oh no." Ron said taking a quick glance at Hermione hoping that she hadn't heard. The look on her face made him think that she had though.
"Yes, and do you know who made all this food?" she asked Mary-Sue, her eyes flashing. "Slaves! Brainwashed, under appreciated, living-in-bad- condition slaves!" she said without waiting for a response from Mary-Sue.
"What is she talking about?" Mary–Sue asked Ron.
"House elves."
"Ah. Those poor critters. Should all be set free if ya ask me."
"Hold on a sec, you agree with her?" Ron asked Mary-Sue.
"Of course. Those creatures don't get nearly enough say in their own fate. When I was six years old I set ours free. My parents were to perform," she saw the dumfounded looks of her classmates, "That means that they were outraged." she said with a small smile. Then she and Hermione set off in a discussion of Hermione's S.P.E.W. with a big smile set upon Hermione's face.
Ron could hardly stand to see Hermione this happy and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. Harry leaned in to hear. "She beat you to perfect. Why are you getting all buddy-buddy so fast?"
With these words Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She turned away so Mary-Sue wouldn't see her.
"Ron," Harry said, disgusted at what he just did. They soon finished their food and headed up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. "The password's 'hippogriff." Mary-Sue told Hermione, who was starting to get the hiccups from all this perfect stuff. She looked up at the painting of the Fat Lady.
And nearly fainted.
"Hello." the painting said.
"Hello... umm." Hermione was unsure what to call her. The Fat Lady was still there. But she had lost a considerable amount of weight. "Everyone has always called me the Fat Lady, you don't know my name do you?" said the painting in a hurt sort of way.
Mary-Sue looked up at the former Fat Lady. "What is your name Miss?" she said. "Oh! A new student. My name is Scarlet." she said very pleasantly.
"Hello. I'm Mary-Sue." She said like it was rehearsed.
"Password please."
"Hippogriff." and Scarlet swung open.
~
"Wow," Mary-Sue said as she went into the common room.
"What was your old school like?" Harry asked the awe-stricken Mary-Sue. "Like the Muggles, since I lived out in the never-never I got all of my assignments and lessons by owl. But durnin' the end of the term tests it was too big, and I got those delivered by an Auguery." she said.
"What is an Auguery?" Ron asked her.
"It's like an Australian version of a phoenix. Doesn't make a noise, except when it dies. Some people say that if you hear an Auguery's cry, then you will die soon afterwards."
"Kind of like seeing a grim." Ron said.
"Yeah, like a grim. But I don't believe in all that Divination stuff." she said.
"I'm knocked up. I'm going to go up to bed. Where's that?" she asked Hermione.
"What did you say?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time giving her a look of disbelief.
"I said I was knocked up." she said with a puzzled look on her face, "You know, I'm tired," she said.
"Up there" Hermione said pointing up to the staircase that led up to the fifth year girls dormitory while Harry and Ron got a relieved look on her face.
"Thanks. I'll see y'all in the mornin'" she said and headed off in the direction that Hermione pointed to her.
"Thanks. I'll see y'all in the mornin,'" she said and headed off in the direction that Hermione pointed to her. Soon everyone had filtered out of the common room and the three were left there by themselves.
"So, Hermione, what animal were you thinking of becoming?" Ron asked. He had wanted to ask her since the train ride, but a certain someone had kept him from asking.
"Ron, Harry, wake up quickly! We have a train to catch!" Mrs. Weasley's voice called to them from outside Ron's door. Ron yawned and sat up in bed.
"Another summer gone by," he said in a dismal kind of voice.
"And another school year to begin," finished Harry in a tired sort of voice. They got dressed and went downstairs where everyone was running around the house trying to get ready for the beginning of another school year. This was going to be Harry, Ron, and Hermione's fifth year at Hogwarts. For the Weasley twins it was going to be the last. It was Ginny's fourth year. She was just about half way though her magical education.
They had quick breakfast as they all heaved their heavy trunks were out to the taxis that were waiting for them. They had just finished packing the trunks and where about to leave when Harry and Ron both realized that they had left their owls. They ran back inside the Burrow and grabbed a squawking mini brown owl and a graceful, pretty snowy owl and ran back outside to a not-so-pleased Mrs. Wesley.
After a few boring hours in a taxi they arrived at their final destination. King's Cross, the train station was full of ordinary Muggles. But inside a group of wizards lay, attempting to conceal their magic from the ordinary folk surrounding them.
"Okay... umm... Ginny...Yes... Ginny, why don't you go first?" said Mrs. Weasley looking around them. Ginny nodded her head, looked over to make sure no one was looking and disappeared in-between platforms 9 and 10. Then Ron and Harry slide into platform 9 ¾.
Suddenly, they were surrounded by chattering, loud young witches and wizards like themselves. George and Fred soon came after them. Ron looked over at Harry. "Let's find Hermione," he said. And they took off to search for her after Mrs. Weasley had said her goodbye.
Harry spotted her bushy head of hair bobbing around the crowd.
"Hermione! Hermione!" he called to her.
"Harry! How are you?" she called back over the noise of the crowd. She made her way though the crowd and met up with them. They boarded the train together, found an empty compartment, and got settled for the long trip to Hogwarts, which was a few hours ride.
"So what did you do over the summer?" Ron asked Hermione.
"Oh, nothing," she said looking away. Ron's eyes flashed and took a glance over Hermione's face, trying to read her, guessed, and looked away. Harry could guess what Hermione had spent her summer doing, but wanting to drop the touchy subject, brought up a subject that would try and get their minds off of it.
"So, Hermione, what's with the book?"
"What book?" she asked.
"The book about the Animagi," Harry responded, dropping his voice volume down a notch.
"Oh, that book. Yes, I saw it in a used bookstore and thought that you might like it. I would have bought it new, but you can't buy it anymore because it is illegal to become an Animagi without telling the Ministry." she said nonchalantly.
"And you're okay with the whole 'illegal' thing?!" Ron said in a shocked voice, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh, they are only rules," Hermione said like it was obvious. Ron looked over at Harry, slowly shaking his head from side to side, as if in a state of utter disbelief.
"What is wrong with her?" Harry mouthed over to Ron. Hermione saw him though, and responded.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" she asked shrilly.
"Well, no offence Hermione, but you have always liked the rules, and now, you don't even seem to care about breaking the law." Ron said.
"Oh, what is the point of following the rules if you can break them and not get caught?." she said.
"Well, aren't you going to be enforcing the rules this year Hermione?" Ron said. "Why would I do that?" she said glaring at him.
"Well, this is our fifth year. Gryffindor needs a perfect."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"You're the perfect. You were the only one even up for it at the end of last year" "That was last year. This is now. Someone beat me." She said this with a steady voice. But her chin was starting to quiver and her eyes were beginning to swelled with tears. Harry could tell that making perfect meant a lot to her.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Hermione." She shrugged it off. Harry was about to ask her what animal she had in mind for herself, but they heard someone coming though the door and shut up about it.
A pretty girl with redish-brownish-blond hair pulled back into a French braid topped with a brown cowboyish hat, green eyes, and snakeskin boots swaggered into the compartment. Her jeans were tucked into the boots, and her denim shirt was tucked into her jeans which were held up with a brown leather belt. On her neck she wore a neckless with a cross. She had fair skin sprinkled with freckles.
" Ceeoo! G'day mates." she said sitting down next to them. Ron, Harry, and Hermione all stared at her, then remembering their manners, replied back.
"Hello," they all said back.
"My name's Mary-Sue. What house are y'all in?."
"Gryffindor," they all replied back.
"Ah! that's may house too. Wacko! What year are ya in?"
"This is our fifth year." Harry replied back.
"Grouse! That's my year too! I'm the perfect for Gryfindor." Hermione's eyes flashed, as all of the color drained from face.
"Congratulations," Ron said, but Harry was looking over at Hermione.
"Hermione. Hermione, are you okay?" She failed to speak, but nodded her head yes.
"What's wrong with her?" said Mary-Sue, nodding her head over at the speechless Hermione.
"She'll be fine," Harry said.
"So where are you from?" Ron asked her.
"Australia," she replied with a smile. "We just moved to the U.K. last month. So... umm.. What is your Quidditch team?" Ron sat up a little straighter.
"The Chudley Cannons." he said proudly.
She began to laugh at him. "You do realize how no-hoper they are, don'tyou?" After that remark Ron gave her a bit of the cold shoulder. Harry turned away from those two and looked back at Hermione who was still very much in shock.
"She may get to be perfect, but we still have our book," Harry whispered to Hermione as Mary-Sue tried to engage in conversation with Ron. With Ron not talking and Hermione in a state of shock, the only one to talk to was Mary-Sue until Hermione came back to reality.
"What is it like in Australia?" Harry asked her curiously.
"Well, most of the people live in the Smoke, but me and my family lived in the mulga."
"Hold on," Harry interrupted." "Most of the people lived where, and you lived in the what?"
"Most of the people live in the cities. But I lived in the outback, sorry. Anyway, I really liked it there. No one else was ever there and we had our own Quidditch field. There is a lot of really wacko animals there too. And some of the regular Muggle creatures there are just as interesting as the magical ones. I miss it. There was always so much to do and so much outdoors," she finished.
"You'll like it at Hogwarts. There is even an opening on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It's for the Keeper."
"Pearl! That's my position. Hey, I just realized we have been talking for over an hour, and I still don't know your name."
There was a pause. Harry really didn't want to ruin this nice conversation with a gawking at the forehead. Aunt Petunia had neglected to give Harry a haircut all year and his hair well covered his scar. He had supposed that she had finally given up. But not wanting to be rude he replied all the same. "I'm Harry." It wouldn't hurt for her not to know his last name. After all, he thought, she never told him hers.
"I'm Mary-Sue Walker," she re-introduced herself with a smile. He could swear that she had emphasized her last name to him. 'Dang It." he thought. "I'm Harry...Potter," he re-introduced himself as she had done with a small, yet unmistakable wince.
At first she seemed to want to laugh, but seeing the serious look on his face she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. She reached up to brush the hair away from his forehead suddenly. Harry jerked back and brushed his hair off his forehead for her. Her mouth dropped open for a second. And then she tried to regain herself as they started up their conversation on what Hogwarts was like. Soon the lady pushing the snack cart arrived and Harry got a stack full of Cauldron Cakes. Then quite suddenly Hermione was back to her old self.
"How long have we been on the train?" she asked.
"A few hours. Here, have a Cauldron Cake."
"What happened?" she asked
"Oh, you found out that Mary-Sue was made perfect for Gryfindor." and with those words she was back into her stone self. Mary-Sue stared at her for a minute, and then turned back to Harry. "Does she always act like that?"
"No," he answered, "only under severe shock. But last time I saw her act that stone-like was when she was frozen by a basilisk," he said with a small smile. "She was attacked by a basilisk?! Fair dinkum," Mary-Sue said in amazement.
"Yeah." he went on to explain the story of the attacks. Mary-Sue seemed fascinated. But the time on the train had passed up, and the train was coming to a halt. Harry tried to get Ron to talk and tried to get Hermione to come out of it.
They all got off the train together after some persuasion. Mary-Sue was just about to board the horseless carriage, but Hagrid's voice called up to her. "Hey, umm, new girl. Come here and take the trip on the boats. Everyone gets to their first year at Hogwarts, that means you too, even if ya aren't a first year." With her taking off, Ron seemed to be back to his normal self.
"I don't like her," he said flat out.
"Ron, you just don't like her cause she insulted your team. Give her another chance." Harry said.
"Well, all right, but if she says one more thing bad to me, I won't talk to her again."
"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, she seemed to be over her state of shock. "If I didn't talk to you every time you said something bad we would have stopped being friends a long time ago." she finished.
They got up to the castle. The tall towers and heavy doors looked the same as always. They went though the doors with their schoolmates. The enchanted ceilings looked exactly like the sky. The stars were bright tonight.
Mean while in the forest, a centaur's eyes were lighting up as the stars told him stories of the danger that someone inside the school would be facing very soon. The centaur looked away from the stars and felt very sorry for the person up in the school. Chances best stand that they would not be finishing this year.
But up at the castle no one was thinking that one person among them might not be there later on. Except for maybe Professor Trelawney, who always thought that someone was going to die. The students were just worried about when the food was going to come. Harry looked around the hall once every one had been seated. Something was missing. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that something was missing.
"Harry." Hermione looked over at him,
"Harry, where are all the ghosts?"
That was it. There were no ghosts. No Nearly Headless Nick, no Bloody Baron, no Peeves. Well, the last one made him happy. But then he thought of the conversation that Ron and himself had had with Lupin in Diagon Ally. 'No non-human creatures could come in the school.' Hermione was still left in the dark. Harry leaned over and explained what they had heard from Professor Lupin.
"What about Hagrid, he's half human!" Ron joined in
"They have a trial set."
Hermione looked very sad. All of the not-quite-human people is one thing that made the school so interesting.
"Blimey. What are you all so sad about?" they all looked up to see a very cheerful Mary-Sue. She looked strange now that she had changed into her Hogwarts robes. She needed those boots to make her look like the person that they had seen on the train. She had her shiny perfect badge pinned to her robes. They just couldn't explain the whole thing out to her. She wouldn't understand. They ignored her question.
She sat down next to Ron. "So what happens now, Bluey?" Ron wasn't going to answer her. But he remembered the conversation that they had on the carriage and began to explain. "First the first years get sorted, then Dumbledore the headmaster talks for a bit, and then we get to eat."
"It must take forever to make all this food." she commented after their plates had been magically filled with food.
"Oh no." Ron said taking a quick glance at Hermione hoping that she hadn't heard. The look on her face made him think that she had though.
"Yes, and do you know who made all this food?" she asked Mary-Sue, her eyes flashing. "Slaves! Brainwashed, under appreciated, living-in-bad- condition slaves!" she said without waiting for a response from Mary-Sue.
"What is she talking about?" Mary–Sue asked Ron.
"House elves."
"Ah. Those poor critters. Should all be set free if ya ask me."
"Hold on a sec, you agree with her?" Ron asked Mary-Sue.
"Of course. Those creatures don't get nearly enough say in their own fate. When I was six years old I set ours free. My parents were to perform," she saw the dumfounded looks of her classmates, "That means that they were outraged." she said with a small smile. Then she and Hermione set off in a discussion of Hermione's S.P.E.W. with a big smile set upon Hermione's face.
Ron could hardly stand to see Hermione this happy and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. Harry leaned in to hear. "She beat you to perfect. Why are you getting all buddy-buddy so fast?"
With these words Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She turned away so Mary-Sue wouldn't see her.
"Ron," Harry said, disgusted at what he just did. They soon finished their food and headed up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. "The password's 'hippogriff." Mary-Sue told Hermione, who was starting to get the hiccups from all this perfect stuff. She looked up at the painting of the Fat Lady.
And nearly fainted.
"Hello." the painting said.
"Hello... umm." Hermione was unsure what to call her. The Fat Lady was still there. But she had lost a considerable amount of weight. "Everyone has always called me the Fat Lady, you don't know my name do you?" said the painting in a hurt sort of way.
Mary-Sue looked up at the former Fat Lady. "What is your name Miss?" she said. "Oh! A new student. My name is Scarlet." she said very pleasantly.
"Hello. I'm Mary-Sue." She said like it was rehearsed.
"Password please."
"Hippogriff." and Scarlet swung open.
~
"Wow," Mary-Sue said as she went into the common room.
"What was your old school like?" Harry asked the awe-stricken Mary-Sue. "Like the Muggles, since I lived out in the never-never I got all of my assignments and lessons by owl. But durnin' the end of the term tests it was too big, and I got those delivered by an Auguery." she said.
"What is an Auguery?" Ron asked her.
"It's like an Australian version of a phoenix. Doesn't make a noise, except when it dies. Some people say that if you hear an Auguery's cry, then you will die soon afterwards."
"Kind of like seeing a grim." Ron said.
"Yeah, like a grim. But I don't believe in all that Divination stuff." she said.
"I'm knocked up. I'm going to go up to bed. Where's that?" she asked Hermione.
"What did you say?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time giving her a look of disbelief.
"I said I was knocked up." she said with a puzzled look on her face, "You know, I'm tired," she said.
"Up there" Hermione said pointing up to the staircase that led up to the fifth year girls dormitory while Harry and Ron got a relieved look on her face.
"Thanks. I'll see y'all in the mornin'" she said and headed off in the direction that Hermione pointed to her.
"Thanks. I'll see y'all in the mornin,'" she said and headed off in the direction that Hermione pointed to her. Soon everyone had filtered out of the common room and the three were left there by themselves.
"So, Hermione, what animal were you thinking of becoming?" Ron asked. He had wanted to ask her since the train ride, but a certain someone had kept him from asking.