(A/N: Okay.so the picture didn't work.hm, maybe I will make a web
page full of illustrations.)
"This is so great!" Hermione was saying.
All three of them were back in Gryffindor Tower, working on their History of Magic homework. They were starting the year off by studying famous witches and wizards. Their first assignment (and probably their longest ever) was to do a family tree to see if they had any famous people in their background. They had only been in school for two days and the assignment was due the day before Halloween. Perhaps the reason for this was that they had to send letters to their relatives to get some information.
Harry was going to have a particularly hard time with this but he was going to try and send a letter to the Dursleys. He was also going to go to Professor Mcgonagall and ask to see the old school records. They had a record of everyone who had attended for at least 1000 years, and this information included parents and where they were born.
After Harry, Ron, and Hermione had come back from seeing Dumbledore they hadn't been able to get over the fact that Professor Lupin was back and he'd brought Sirius with him. They were raving over this for at least an hour until it was time to go down for dinner.
Halfway through dinner Dumbledore stood up, like they knew he would and said, "If I could have all of your attention for a moment please! I have a very important announcement to make!"
The whole hall immediately went silent.
"The professors, the ministry, and I have decided, " He continued, " That it would be appropriate to plan and practice an emergency evacuation drill due to the circumstances of last year."
Harry went red.
"The best way of transportation is by broomstick. So the school has ordered enough broomsticks for two passengers to each. Now everybody here probably doesn't know how to use a broomstick so there will be a drill in a week. Everybody is expected to be there."
Harry heard Malfoy loudly complaining that he already knew how to use a broom from al the way over at the Slytherin table.
".But" Dumbledore continued, "The members of the house quidditch teams are excused." He said with a smile. "Thank you all, you may now go back to your meals." He sat down.
Harry must have looked very grim because Hermione said, "Harry, don't worry, it's not your fault."
"Yeah Harry, it's not your fault." Ron repeated.
"Besides, it's a safety precaution. That's a good thing." Continued Hermione.
"Yeah, a safety precaution, it's a good thing." Ron repeated her again now with a slight smile on his face.
"Ron!" Hermione gave him a warning look, and Harry had to laugh.
***
The next week in Herbology Professor Sprout announced that they were finally ready to begin juicing the Scuppernongs.
She explained the procedure; it wasn't really all that hard. All they had to do was stick their wand inside the fruit and say 'Scuppernus'. Then the wand would slowly suck out the juice (very slowly it took about five minutes). Then they had to place the tip in a pitcher located in the center of the table and say 'Duppernus' and it would shoot out again.
"All right!" Professor Sprout said, "Four to a table, just go up and pluck one off!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione went over to the large, tangled vine and each took a grape. Then they, of course, went to the same table. "Scuppernus!" They all said after they had stuck their wands into the plants. As they did so Anna came over to their table, her wavy brown hair gleaming in the sun.
"Um.do you guys mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." She said very timidly.
"Of course." Hermione said.
"Thanks." Anna smiled a short smile and then sat down and started to juice her scuppernong.
A few minutes of silence passed until Harry got quite bored and decided to try and strike up a conversation.
"So.err.Anna, Hermione told me about you, I don't have living parents eith-" She cut him off then said rather hurriedly:
"Yes, I know about you."
"Oh, um, ok." He stated.
There was another couple of minutes pause before Harry decided try again.
"Uh, do you play Quidditch?" He asked he very dully.
"No, I've never been on a broom before." She simply stated. And when she said that, Harry could tell that it wasn't that she didn't want to make conversation, it was just that she was very shy. But he decided to keep trying anyway.
"Oh, well you should try it sometime. Uh." He paused and tried to think of something else to say, "Um, Ron's an expert at Quidditch." He said that in a rush avoiding the look Ron gave him. "Maybe he'll give you a few pointers."
"What are you talking about Harry? You're the one on the House Team!" Ron said with a little shove.
"Uh, well." Harry's brain had just felt like it had turned off.
"Well, it would be nice to get some pointers from either of you someday." She said with a very small smile.
Harry looked stunned that she had made an effort to continue the conversation. "Well, uh, how about." He trailed off.
".Tomorrow!" Hermione continued his sentence. "We can all go flying! You, Ron, and I can borrow the school brooms and we'll all go. So how about it?" She said.
"Uh, ok." Ron said with a shrug.
Anna said, "Sure."
"Alright." Harry said, "Tomorrow after the classes."
"Tomorrow after classes it is then!" Hermione said, looking very pleased with herself.
***
The rest of the day's classes passed without anything exciting or important happening. Seamus Finnigan, a fellow Gryffindor, managed to blow up a desk he was supposed to make dance. Other than that nothing out of the ordinary.
And so the day passed.
***
The next day in potions they were actually going to start making the Transforming potion.
"Alright people, split up into twos and start making the potion!"
"I'll go with Anna." Hermione said, and she moved over a seat so that they could share a cauldron.
"Looks like those two have become fast friends." Ron pointed out.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind being friends either, she seems nice. Don't you think so?" He said back.
Ron just shrugged, but Harry noticed that his ears had turned pink
As they labored away, slicing pine bark, powdering the cores of the Scuppernongs they had juiced, and simmering the potion Harry was growing more and more nervous. You know, he actually didn't really want to be turned into a frog. And by the looks of it Ron didn't either. His hands were actually starting to shake a little.
After ten minutes more Professor Snape announced that it was time to test the potions. To Harry, Hermione looked just as terrified as he felt.
"Alright, on three you will all drink your partner's potion. If you do not turn into a frog within five seconds of swallowing, your partner's potion has failed. No not worry; this potion will do nothing to you if it does fail. I will give you all antidote after I record who's worked and who's didn't." He paused; it was the most nervous pause Harry had ever felt. Then Snape continued smirking, watching Harry, his voice filled with delight, "One.two.three!"
They drank the potion. Harry felt a strange feeling as he drank it, and sure enough within five seconds, POP! He was a frog. His vision became very distorted, for it was the vision of a frog. Down on the ground, from his point of view, the desks looked as tall as giants. He looked to his left and there was Ron, he was a frog as well. And from what he could see as a frog, the top of 'Ron's' head was tinted a little red.
Before he could stop himself he tried to talk to Ron but all that came out was a large "CROAK!" And to his surprise he heard his 'croak' and understood it. "This is too weird!" He had said.
"Definitely." Ron croaked back.
Harry then turned back to his right and was amazed by what he saw. Anna, in human form, was standing there. Either Snape had already given her some antidote or Hermione's potion hadn't worked. Harry looked wildly about the room. Snape was standing behind his desk, with a quill and parchment in his hand, recording who's had worked. That made Harry come to the conclusion that Hermione's potion didn't work. He was thunderstruck. Hermione's potions always worked!
"This is so great!" Hermione was saying.
All three of them were back in Gryffindor Tower, working on their History of Magic homework. They were starting the year off by studying famous witches and wizards. Their first assignment (and probably their longest ever) was to do a family tree to see if they had any famous people in their background. They had only been in school for two days and the assignment was due the day before Halloween. Perhaps the reason for this was that they had to send letters to their relatives to get some information.
Harry was going to have a particularly hard time with this but he was going to try and send a letter to the Dursleys. He was also going to go to Professor Mcgonagall and ask to see the old school records. They had a record of everyone who had attended for at least 1000 years, and this information included parents and where they were born.
After Harry, Ron, and Hermione had come back from seeing Dumbledore they hadn't been able to get over the fact that Professor Lupin was back and he'd brought Sirius with him. They were raving over this for at least an hour until it was time to go down for dinner.
Halfway through dinner Dumbledore stood up, like they knew he would and said, "If I could have all of your attention for a moment please! I have a very important announcement to make!"
The whole hall immediately went silent.
"The professors, the ministry, and I have decided, " He continued, " That it would be appropriate to plan and practice an emergency evacuation drill due to the circumstances of last year."
Harry went red.
"The best way of transportation is by broomstick. So the school has ordered enough broomsticks for two passengers to each. Now everybody here probably doesn't know how to use a broomstick so there will be a drill in a week. Everybody is expected to be there."
Harry heard Malfoy loudly complaining that he already knew how to use a broom from al the way over at the Slytherin table.
".But" Dumbledore continued, "The members of the house quidditch teams are excused." He said with a smile. "Thank you all, you may now go back to your meals." He sat down.
Harry must have looked very grim because Hermione said, "Harry, don't worry, it's not your fault."
"Yeah Harry, it's not your fault." Ron repeated.
"Besides, it's a safety precaution. That's a good thing." Continued Hermione.
"Yeah, a safety precaution, it's a good thing." Ron repeated her again now with a slight smile on his face.
"Ron!" Hermione gave him a warning look, and Harry had to laugh.
***
The next week in Herbology Professor Sprout announced that they were finally ready to begin juicing the Scuppernongs.
She explained the procedure; it wasn't really all that hard. All they had to do was stick their wand inside the fruit and say 'Scuppernus'. Then the wand would slowly suck out the juice (very slowly it took about five minutes). Then they had to place the tip in a pitcher located in the center of the table and say 'Duppernus' and it would shoot out again.
"All right!" Professor Sprout said, "Four to a table, just go up and pluck one off!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione went over to the large, tangled vine and each took a grape. Then they, of course, went to the same table. "Scuppernus!" They all said after they had stuck their wands into the plants. As they did so Anna came over to their table, her wavy brown hair gleaming in the sun.
"Um.do you guys mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." She said very timidly.
"Of course." Hermione said.
"Thanks." Anna smiled a short smile and then sat down and started to juice her scuppernong.
A few minutes of silence passed until Harry got quite bored and decided to try and strike up a conversation.
"So.err.Anna, Hermione told me about you, I don't have living parents eith-" She cut him off then said rather hurriedly:
"Yes, I know about you."
"Oh, um, ok." He stated.
There was another couple of minutes pause before Harry decided try again.
"Uh, do you play Quidditch?" He asked he very dully.
"No, I've never been on a broom before." She simply stated. And when she said that, Harry could tell that it wasn't that she didn't want to make conversation, it was just that she was very shy. But he decided to keep trying anyway.
"Oh, well you should try it sometime. Uh." He paused and tried to think of something else to say, "Um, Ron's an expert at Quidditch." He said that in a rush avoiding the look Ron gave him. "Maybe he'll give you a few pointers."
"What are you talking about Harry? You're the one on the House Team!" Ron said with a little shove.
"Uh, well." Harry's brain had just felt like it had turned off.
"Well, it would be nice to get some pointers from either of you someday." She said with a very small smile.
Harry looked stunned that she had made an effort to continue the conversation. "Well, uh, how about." He trailed off.
".Tomorrow!" Hermione continued his sentence. "We can all go flying! You, Ron, and I can borrow the school brooms and we'll all go. So how about it?" She said.
"Uh, ok." Ron said with a shrug.
Anna said, "Sure."
"Alright." Harry said, "Tomorrow after the classes."
"Tomorrow after classes it is then!" Hermione said, looking very pleased with herself.
***
The rest of the day's classes passed without anything exciting or important happening. Seamus Finnigan, a fellow Gryffindor, managed to blow up a desk he was supposed to make dance. Other than that nothing out of the ordinary.
And so the day passed.
***
The next day in potions they were actually going to start making the Transforming potion.
"Alright people, split up into twos and start making the potion!"
"I'll go with Anna." Hermione said, and she moved over a seat so that they could share a cauldron.
"Looks like those two have become fast friends." Ron pointed out.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind being friends either, she seems nice. Don't you think so?" He said back.
Ron just shrugged, but Harry noticed that his ears had turned pink
As they labored away, slicing pine bark, powdering the cores of the Scuppernongs they had juiced, and simmering the potion Harry was growing more and more nervous. You know, he actually didn't really want to be turned into a frog. And by the looks of it Ron didn't either. His hands were actually starting to shake a little.
After ten minutes more Professor Snape announced that it was time to test the potions. To Harry, Hermione looked just as terrified as he felt.
"Alright, on three you will all drink your partner's potion. If you do not turn into a frog within five seconds of swallowing, your partner's potion has failed. No not worry; this potion will do nothing to you if it does fail. I will give you all antidote after I record who's worked and who's didn't." He paused; it was the most nervous pause Harry had ever felt. Then Snape continued smirking, watching Harry, his voice filled with delight, "One.two.three!"
They drank the potion. Harry felt a strange feeling as he drank it, and sure enough within five seconds, POP! He was a frog. His vision became very distorted, for it was the vision of a frog. Down on the ground, from his point of view, the desks looked as tall as giants. He looked to his left and there was Ron, he was a frog as well. And from what he could see as a frog, the top of 'Ron's' head was tinted a little red.
Before he could stop himself he tried to talk to Ron but all that came out was a large "CROAK!" And to his surprise he heard his 'croak' and understood it. "This is too weird!" He had said.
"Definitely." Ron croaked back.
Harry then turned back to his right and was amazed by what he saw. Anna, in human form, was standing there. Either Snape had already given her some antidote or Hermione's potion hadn't worked. Harry looked wildly about the room. Snape was standing behind his desk, with a quill and parchment in his hand, recording who's had worked. That made Harry come to the conclusion that Hermione's potion didn't work. He was thunderstruck. Hermione's potions always worked!