Summer

Kerri Black


~~~Chapter 1~~~

Hermione was grunting, her eyes flickering open and close, as she tried aimlessly to stay awake. Her Potions book lay open in front of her, but it had become unattended to when she had decided to give up on that. She was watching the window with expectation gleaming in her eyes, and her hand was gripping the side of her chair firmly. 'Must stay awake…must stay awake…' She told herself over and over, but it was no use. She drifted off to sleep.

Just as she did, though, there was a startling crash, and her room shook as if in protest of the sudden weight. Hermione jerked out of the pleasant dream she had been having to see a black haired, broken glasses someone sprawled out on the floor in front of her.

"HARRY!" She shrieked, as she, astonishingly awake now, rushed to his side, "Harry--Harry, are you okay? Harry, Harry answer me!"

Hermione, only the worst clouding her mind, started fanning her face, and yelled, "HARRY!"

Harry stirred, throwing the bundle of weight off him. He glanced at Hermione, then said, "Ow!? Eardrums."

"Oh, you're okay, I thought you had died or something," Hermione said all in one breath before throwing her arms around him.

"Ouch…Hermione…gerroff me, honestly, it's not like I'm really dead…it was just a Portkey."

Hermione straightened herself up, dried her eyes, and said haughtily, "Yes, well, you never know."

"Huh," Harry muttered, before struggling up. He peered around at the room that was enveloping around him, and he found it to be very immense in size.

"Some room you've got here," Harry muttered, as he circled around and around, looking somewhat like a puppy chasing his tail.

"Huh?" Hermione snapped up from where she had been digging under her bed to find something, "Oh, yeah. Thanks." She adjusted herself to where she was eye level with Harry, "Is at big as your room with the Dursleys?"

Harry snorted, "Like five times bigger than my room with the Dursleys." Harry looked round the room again, taking in the four poster canopy bed, 24 inch TV, the newest computer, three dressers, a walk in closet, seven book shelves, and then what seemed a whole section of her room devoted to her Magical Studies.

"Do you like it?" Hermione inquired nervously, kind of ashamed of how much space she got when Harry barely had room to walk around.

"Yeah, "Harry nodded his head fervently, then pointed at the computer, "You have one of those, huh? What for?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "Oh, for the internet, and sometimes I write short stories on Microsoft Word. Their rather interesting, computers. And it's also very fascinating to read what Muggles think about Magic. Hilarious, almost. Oh, and my brothers make me read the fanfictions they write on The Mummy Returns."

Hermione drew in a considerable breath after that, and Harry nodded his head, still trying to take in all she had said. Then, realizing that she had said the words 'my brothers,' asked surprisingly, "You have brothers? And what is The Mummy Returns?"

Hermione smiled, "Yes, I have brothers. Their a pain in the butt, but I do have brothers. Oh, and The Mummy Returns--don't watch it. I mean, it's a really good movie, but it's disgusting."

"Oh." Harry murmured, shaking his head. "So…where am I gonna sleep?"

Hermione jumped, "Oh! Right, yes, come on." Hermione started walking to the back of her room, where she opened one door, and led him into another.

"Here is where you'll be staying," Hermione motioned around at the large room they had just entered, "I cleaned it up, so I hope it's okay."

"It's perfect," Harry said, dumping his bags on the floor.

Hermione blushed enthusiastically at this. She rocked back and forth on her toes, nervously, watching Harry as he sat down on the soft bed, and sighing as he laid down on it.

"Well, " Hermione said suddenly, jolting out of her trance, "I better be going to bed. I need some sleep."

"Kay," Harry agreed sleepily, "G'night."

"Good night," Hermione whispered, as she entered back into her room, softly closing the door. Then she fell back on her bed, sighing, her whole heart swelling up. Harry was here. That's all that mattered. Harry was here.

Not that her brothers hadn't made that clear to her. They had made sure she knew someone, most particularly a boy was coming to visit Hermione. She remembered their conversation quite well…

***

"There is a golden summer…waiting for you! Spinning a dream by sunset…till it comes true!" Two loud, and very off key voices sang loudly as the twin brothers ventured through the house. Ever since Katherine, Hermione's eleven year old sister, had gotten Anne, the main part, in the musical Anne of Green Gables, it was all Josh and Jon could do, venture around the house while singing loudly from the sheet music they stole from Katherine. It was rather annoying.

Hermione gritted her teeth, and yelled at the top of her lungs, "SHUT UP!" before returning back to the letter writing that had been consuming her time.

Josh jerked his head around, and was about to throw an insult back, when Jon clapped his hand over Josh's mouth, "Shhh. Look, she's writing a letter."

Josh nodded his head, throwing Jon's hand off his mouth, "Oh, to the boyfriend Potter of hers?"

"Who else?" Jon whispered back, "She's always writing to him."

Josh smiled evilly, then muttered, "How about let's play a trick on her, eh?"
Jon rolled his eyes, and murmured, "You and your tricks…honestly."

Josh hit him forcefully in the stomach, "Hey, it's not like you don't help me."

Jon rolled his eyes again, "All right, all right, let's go."

Josh mouthed to three, before the six feet tall brothers attacked their sister, throwing their full weight on Hermione, and grabbing the letter.

"Josh!" Hermione shrieked, as she jumped up, as to avoid the spilling ink. She grabbed some tissue, and quickly cleaned up the ink mess, "JON! Give that back!"

Jon jerked away, "Let's see…what do we have here." Jon scanned the letter, "Dear Harry…can't go to Ron's…would you like to come over here? Ohhh, Hermi's getting it on with her boyfriend…"

"He's NOT my boyfriend!" Hermione yelled, her face turning scarlet from either lack of air, or butterflies towards Harry maybe visiting, the twins couldn't tell which. Josh grabbed the letter from Jon, and said:

"Love from Hermione? Herm, I didn't know you were in love!"

"I sign all my letters like that, now give it back…" Hermione made yet another desperate grab at the letter, but Josh kept it clutched in his hands.

Jon nudged Josh in the ribs, "Hey, maybe we should give it back, you know, it is her boyfriend, we don't want to hurt the letter, now do we?" He finished solemnly.

Josh nodded, "Yes…quite true…here Hermione…"Josh began to hand over the letter. Hermione, with a flustered 'THANK YOU', reached out to take it, but Jon was to quick for her. He grabbed her letter and her wand, and said, "Ahhh…well…what do ya say, Josh, you wanna try some magic?"

Hermione's face went pale at this, "No, no, no, no, no…No, please, don't , you'll ruin my letter!"

Jon shrugged his shoulders, "Ah, well, it's just a letter, it's not like you can't write it over again."

Josh added, "Yes, but you must remember that this is her boyfriend…"

Hermione, not bothering to correct them anymore on the boyfriend thing, yelled frantically, "Josh! Jon, I'm not supposed to do magic over the holidays…JON!!"

But it was too late, her brothers, after waving her wand carelessly, had set her letter on fire.

"JON!" Hermione screeched, as she toppled over her chair to reach her chaotic brothers, "JOSH!" Hermione tried frantically to grab her letter, and this time, succeeded. She patted it desperately, and finally, the fire demolished.

She smiled, pleased with herself, and turned to find her brothers keeling over with laughter. She took her Transfiguration book and began beating the over the head, "You--stupid--dense--brainless--IDIOTS! Do you know how much trouble I could get in with the Ministry of Magic? I could get kicked out of Hogwarts on account of you nitwits! Never--mess--with--my--wand--AGAIN!"

After Hermione was satisfied with her beatings, she let out a humph of pleasure, and went back to her letter.

Josh, still cackling with laughter, tried to calm himself down, and said, "You know, Jon, we really shouldn't have done that to poor old Clark there--I mean, it is her boyfriend."

Hermione rolled her eyes--they hated it when they called her by her middle name--Clark. Really.

Jon nodded respectfully, and added, "Yeah, Josh, you're right." Jon then got down on his knees in front of Hermione, grabbed her hand, and said, with 'sympathy' in his voice, "Dearest, dearest Clark, I--I mean we are sorry for our terrible actions. Will you please forgive me?"

Hermione looked down at him with, a 'What, are you kidding look?' on her face, then gave him a hard glare.

Josh jumped back when she did this, "Ohhh, Jon, she's giving you the glare, you better watch out…"

Hermione glared up at Josh this time.

"Ohhh! Now she's giving it to me, too! We better run for out lives, it's the Hermione glare!"

Hermione jerked her hand out of Jon's grasp, stomped over to the door, and yelled, "Yes! Run! Now, quick, like little birds! GO!"

Josh and Jon, sighing, headed to the door, "What are we supposed to do, then?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, and suggested, "I don't know, bother someone else? You seem to be really good at that."

"To right, we are," Josh agreed, as they disappeared around the corner, and down the stairs, singing at the top of their lungs again.

Hermione had no sooner closed her door, then was it opened again. She turned her head from where she was tying the letter on to her owl, Frodo's :) leg to see Katherine standing there, with a intellectual look on her face, and a monstrous book in her hands.

"I finished reading it," Katherine said with satisfaction, as she placed the large Herbology book on Hermione's desk, "It was rather interesting, I especially liked the Mandrakes. It seems to cool to be able to do magic like that."

Hermione smiled, "Yes, well, here, read the Transfiguration book. I'm sure you'll find it a lot more fascinating."

Katherine took the book, but before leaving, took a seat on one of Hermione's couches facing her sister, "So what was all that fuss about?"

"Oh…you know…the usual, Josh and Jon talking about Harry was my boyfriend. They really are pests, you know."

"Totally," Katherine agreed eagerly.

"That set my letter on fire," Hermione said with dissatisfaction in her voice, "I wonder what Harry will think…"

"Oh, please Herm, it's just a letter."

"You're right," Hermione stood up, clutching the owl, and, opening her window, let him go. She then turned back to Katherine, and was reminded of her music. She grabbed the sheets from the table, and handed them over to her, "Here."

Katherine took them gratefully, "Thanks. I was starting to wonder where they were."

They sat in silence for a while, until Katherine asked, "So about Harry…how long have you had a crush on him?"

By the way incessant giggles started outside the door, Hermione had a feeling that her brothers were still there, "Shhh! They're still out there…I don't want them going and telling Harry or something like that." She marched over to the door, and yelled, "I thought I told you to LEAVE! Now, go!"

Hermione turned back to Katherine, and said, "Oh, I don't know…but it's ridiculous to even think about liking him. You know…he's famous Harry Potter…there's no way he could like a studious thing like me. He probably goes for the kind that wears lots of make-up, and can't get their mind of boys."

Katherine shook her head, "Nonsense! From the way you've described him, he seems like the perfect gentleman…and perfect gentlemen probably go for studious girls like you."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, still not believing what Katherine was saying, "Well, if he did, he wouldn't chose someone like me. I have not an ounce of loveliness in me. I'm not pretty."

Katherine laughed at this, "Baloney! Hermione, you're one of the most prettiest girls I know. You're like a guy magnet!"

"That's easy for you to say," Hermione sighed, as she plopped back down on her chair, "You've had three boyfriends since you started middle school--you're the pretty one around here."

Katherine shook her head, "Well, believe what you want. I still think you're the guy magnet."

"You only say that because I'm your sister."

"No…actually, I shouldn't be saying that because I'm your sister."

Hermione grinned, "Get out of here! And return my Transfiguration book soon!"

Katherine ducked a flying pillow, before saying, "Night!"

Hermione sighed, "Good night."

***

Hermione remembered peacefully for a while, then remembering turned into the past, and the past into a dream.

AN: Ok, so maybe that chapter was crappy too. You can tell I'm a dialogue person…I hate those long paragraphs. I plan to get more Harry into the next Chapter though. Please review!! Kerri Black